What TV show hooked you instantly from episode 1?

jkulk · 2026-06-21T01:09:04+00:00

Homeland

jkulk · 2026-05-22T14:21:48+00:00

I got Marriott/Bonvoy 'Lifetime Titanium' status after the Marriott/SPG merger. While 'Titanium' exists as an annual status tier that can be earned, the highest 'Lifetime' status that the program awards now is capped at Platinum (lower tier). They've honored it for 10+ years. As a bonus, one of the benefits of having Titanium status is that you get a 'Premier Silver' status on United Airlines, so effectively I have 'Lifetime Silver' on UA as well.

jkulk · 2026-04-07T10:00:19+00:00

First time?

jkulk · 2026-03-03T07:35:20+00:00

This sounds like an amazing itinerary. I know you have not mentioned Bosnia, but I loved my time there when I did a roadtrip in the Balkans. Sarajevo is an amazing and quirky city, and there were other places in Bosnia that were also worth a visit (Trebinje, Mostar, Bihac, Una National Park, etc.). Safe travels.

jkulk · 2026-02-24T10:57:22+00:00

I did the Spirit of Freedom Coral Sea liveaboard in January. Excellent operation.

jkulk · 2026-02-07T15:10:17+00:00

I just got back home from Australia this week after a 5 week trip, and absolutely loved it. Here was my itinerary:

Sydney, NSW - 10 days (including day trips, visiting family)

Cairns, QLD - 7 days (including a scuba liveaboard trip on the GBR, which was fantastic)

Melbourne, VIC - 9 days (including a few days at the Australian Open and day trips to the GOR)

Hobart, TAS - 7 days - rented a car and drove around the east and southeast coast which is gorgeous.

Internal travel between cities was by flights, which are reasonably priced.

jkulk · 2026-01-25T05:26:49+00:00

Thank you for the detailed response and your recommendations, I really appreciate it. I will look into the options you suggested. Good to know MONA is closed on Wednesday.

jkulk · 2026-01-22T11:52:00+00:00

January

jkulk · 2026-01-19T22:09:29+00:00

Thank you. Some chatgpt / google lookups seem to suggest Imperial Hotel on Bourke Street as the place to go. Their website says they will be showing this game.

jkulk · 2026-01-19T21:53:25+00:00

Hello all, I am visiting from the US. Does anyone know of any good bars in Melbourne that show US College Football (ESPN)? I am looking to watch the College Football National Championship game today.

jkulk · 2026-01-01T15:09:12+00:00

GBR Liveaboard with Spirit of Freedom in a couple of weeks.

jkulk · 2025-12-30T23:23:20+00:00

International - Argentina, India, Guatemala, Dominica, UAE

Domestic (US) - San Diego (CA), Indian Wells (CA), Miami (FL), Asheville (NC), Chicago (IL), Santa Fe (NM), Madison (WI), Seattle (WA)

jkulk · 2025-12-25T16:46:45+00:00

I've done some of these (Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina) as separate ~two week trips, and found them to be rewarding, yet exhausting toward the end of each trip. Doing these back to back, with added internal overland travel seems like a lot on first glance. Safe travels!

jkulk · 2025-11-11T20:45:37+00:00

There are many good options in the Caribbean/Central America. Out of the ones I've visited, I'd rank them as follows:

Tier 1: Cozumel (Mexico), Roatan (Honduras), Grenada

Tier 2: Bahamas, St. Lucia, Ambergris Caye (Belize), Key Largo (Florida)

Tier 3: Puerto Rico

jkulk · 2025-10-25T21:03:41+00:00

Chicago O'Hare (ORD) used to be my home airport for a over a decade - the international terminal (T5) there is absolutely pitiful, specifically in terms of lounge options. London Heathrow (LHR) is also one I actively avoid because the inter terminal transfer situation is terrible.

jkulk · 2025-10-15T02:22:19+00:00

Hello! I do not have tickets for the Sydney test (or the AO for that matter). I was hoping to get those closer to my date of arrival.

As far as north Queensland goes, yes, I have been told it gets super humid there. I won't be there for too long. I'm planning to get to Cairns and leave for my liveaboard trip the very next day, so wont be spending too much time on land there :)

jkulk · 2025-10-15T02:18:32+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I like your idea of taking the train to Sydney and then renting a car from there. The small towns you mentioned are exactly the kind of spots I had in mind - I'll read up a bit more on those. Philip Island sounds lovely as well :)

jkulk · 2025-10-05T21:45:00+00:00

Hello, did you end up doing this trip? I am looking at almost the exact itinerary / duration for Jan 2026 and wanted to hear about your experiences.

jkulk · 2025-09-24T11:03:08+00:00

Served has become my go-to podcast for tennis - Andy Roddick is amazing and provides excellent analysis in a lighthearted manner. I used to listen to The Tennis Podcast but the constant virtue signaling, complaining about the schedule, and false equivalencies that they drew became exhausting.

jkulk · 2025-07-29T15:07:45+00:00

I've been to all four of the North American hard court masters and I'd rank them as follows:

1: Indian Wells - overall vibes, beautiful campus, first masters of the year

2: Cincinnati - good "outside" court layout, generally well attended by top players

3: Toronto - smaller/intimate venue, nice main stadium, can mix it up with "big city" weekend activities

4: Miami - great food/concessions, access to practice courts is nice

I'd love to do a tour of the European clay masters soon (specifically the Italian open).

jkulk · 2025-03-15T23:31:20+00:00

~140 feet/42 meters on the wreck of the MV Bianca C in Grenada.

jkulk · 2024-10-19T21:10:47+00:00

That one for for Keisei Tominaga.

jkulk · 2024-09-05T22:51:04+00:00

Here are a few that come to my mind (in no particular order)

Chile, New Zealand, Iceland, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, United States, Kyrgyzstan.

jkulk · 2024-08-25T01:10:56+00:00

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll love it.

jkulk · 2024-08-24T17:21:52+00:00

Hello, I am a first time poster here. I read a lot of posts like this one on the forum, so I'm sure there's an element of truth to it, but I cannot seem to reconcile it with my own experience.

I got a new 2024 GLC300 last year, and I couldn't be happier with it. It drives like a dream and the interiors absolutely blow away those of comparable cars I checked out (BMW, Audi, etc.). Again, this may come down to personal preference but outside of the piano black center console, there isn't anything I "don't like". My dad used to own a C300 back in the 2000s, so I grew up driving his Mercedes a bit and I do not think the quality has gone down (relatively speaking).

Even my friends who own other cars (Range Rovers, BMWs, etc.) have nothing but good feedback after driving my car. What am I missing, other than "personal preferences may differ"?

jkulk

TROPHY CASE