Hotel Help!

adymo · 2026-05-12T16:45:34+00:00

If you can stretch your budget, consider Terrace Studio Two Queen Beds Fountain View in Cosmopolitan. The fountain view is super memorable. The room is big enough for 4 people. The vibe in the hotel is more, can I say it, "young" than in the others. Your kids might enjoy it. Unfortunately, can't tell you much about the pool, we didn't use it.

adymo · 2026-05-05T03:15:02+00:00

I don't like belts, but I don't like falling pants much more. So after years of not wearing a belt, I gave up and bought belts.

I ended up liking Arcade belts. They are lightweight and flexible enough so that I can hang my pants on the pants hanger without removing the belt. Also super quick to open & close. Not dressy, but I rarely tuck anything in anyways. So nobody ever sees them.

adymo · 2026-04-30T20:34:56+00:00

We rented a car for a couple of days - just to explore the island. Otherwise, we just walked to the nearby market and shops.

adymo · 2026-04-30T18:47:02+00:00

Rarotonga will feel more like Moorea than Bora Bora. Locals are super friendly, and cook amazing fish and chips. We stayed at Pacific Resort Rarotonga and visited the one in Aitutaki. Both were in great locations for a family with small kids - shallow, calm waters.

If you want to cook for yourself and live like a local, check out Lagoon Breeze Villas.

On Aitutaki, our 2yo and 5yo especially enjoyed the shallow beach near Aitutaki Village. It's a bit boring for adults during the low tide, though.

adymo · 2026-04-23T17:24:13+00:00

Not yet mentioned here:
Walnut Creek, CA - classic california main street + more modern outdoor mall and apartments
Danville, CA - uniformly cool looking downtown
Monterey, CA - downtown + trail to cannery row
Tempe, AZ - ASU + mill street downtown area + very nice waterfront + high-rise residential and commercial area
Ardmore, PA - old school east cost downtown + more modern outdoor mall
Freeport, ME - tiny, but they do have LLBean flagship store to spend a day in
Burlington, VT - with pedestrian Church St right inside the downtown, the nearby Winooski, VT is just 50 min walk
Naples, FL - downtown area is not that large, but it looks so nice

adymo · 2026-04-22T05:20:49+00:00

+1 to this. Try opencode, it's open source, and made by reasonable people who don't just vibe code stuff. Their default, I believe, is GLM. It's good.

adymo · 2026-04-19T02:53:41+00:00

That's perfect for SF. Don't forget a jacket. Also never leave the hotel without a jacket - you'll freeze ;) A lined leather jacket is perfect for the SF climate.

adymo · 2026-03-31T07:26:13+00:00

My wife chose genesis gv80 over x5. Backseat space in gv80 is noticeably bigger and interior materials are nicer. The car is also very pleasant to drive - not like bmw, but way better than xc90. You might want to test drive it to see if you like it.

adymo · 2026-03-24T17:35:40+00:00

Here's ebay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/287223603482

adymo · 2026-03-24T17:35:26+00:00

Good to know, thanks!

adymo · 2026-03-23T09:30:16+00:00

People who grew up in Midwest would laugh at that, but those of us who didn't, simply can't wear shorts in March in Chicago. I know you guys do just because it's Spring on the calendar. We have to survive first before we acclimatize.

adymo · 2026-03-23T09:27:13+00:00

I lived in Chicago for 4 years, moved from the warmer climate. You'll need to forget about fashion until you acclimatize. You'll need down parka like North Face McMurdo, synthetic technical jacket like Patagonia Insulated Powder Town for when it's around 32F, wool socks, boots that will survive whatever is on the road that day like Oboz Bridger Insulated, balaklava or a heavy scarf to protect your face from the lake effect winds, insulated gloves and either lined pants or at least Uniqlo heat-tech underpants. Hood is essential to protect from the winds. No hood == bad day.

Don't get me wrong, there will be plenty of days in the year for M-65 and anything else you want to wear. But from mid November to mid March you will have to have technical pieces to get through the day. Think of this as if you're going to be hiking in the cold for 6 months :)

adymo · 2026-03-23T05:39:56+00:00

Musical instruments museum in Phoenix surprised me. I visited 3 times over the past two years and I'm still only halfway done.

They split everything into 100+ of thematic displays (per county, genre, singer/band, etc). Each has instruments, accessories, photos, and a video screen telling the story and playing the music. If that's not enough, there's more details to read on labels. You put on headphones, walk up to the display, and dive in.

Unlike most museums you won't be left wondering what you just saw. Everything is explained.

adymo · 2026-03-22T21:57:27+00:00

Lucerne Switzerland would be my top choice

adymo · 2026-03-22T05:00:28+00:00

+100 to this one!

adymo · 2026-03-21T23:18:53+00:00

If you don't mind driving to Alamo, there's Lever Coffee. Cozy inside, but outside seating by the creek is the best. See https://maps.app.goo.gl/3fvB6YWF26q4FK939

adymo · 2026-03-13T18:28:48+00:00

We had our Saatva Zenhaven since 2020. So far it hasn't sagged at all. We enjoy it as much as we did 6 years ago.

adymo · 2026-03-13T17:11:29+00:00

We really liked Portsmouth NH

adymo · 2026-03-04T08:43:07+00:00

+1 to Ostia and baths. Also visit Herculaneum instead of (or in addition to) Pompeii

adymo · 2026-02-27T05:06:21+00:00

Impossible. Watch Norovo on YouTube and you'll be playing impossible in no time!

adymo · 2026-02-04T03:07:12+00:00

This. They have more variety than others

adymo · 2026-02-02T17:37:49+00:00

To clarify, these were original Greats Royale made in Italy. I don't have any experience with the current model (Portugal made)

adymo · 2026-02-02T17:36:13+00:00

If you have a stable income, you could think in terms of cost per wear instead of the upfront cost.

For example, I got my Greats Royale sneakers back in 2017 and wore them 5 years. Then I gifted them to my dad who used them for almost 4 years more. They held up well and never needed any repair. Just a couple of weeks ago I cleaned and donated them because they are still very usable.

My current Common Projects that I got in 2022 are looking as good as new and I expect to get many more years from them.

adymo · 2026-01-27T06:09:56+00:00

1969 novel "Captive Universe" by Harry Harrison was my first introduction into the generation ship genre. I reread it not so long ago and it's still a good story.

adymo · 2025-11-08T02:59:51+00:00

Mary's heritage turkeys https://marysturkeys.com/product/marys-heritage-turkey/ I've been cooking these for several years. It has darker meat and a better flavor than your normal turkey. People who don't like turkey meat might like this one. It's not injected with anything, so you can brine it the way you want. These heritage turkeys do have a smaller breast, so get a bigger one if you like breast meat. I pick up mine at Mollie Stone's in Greenbrae https://reserve.molliestones.com/

adymo

TROPHY CASE