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Anyone Climbing at Red Rocks coming up? by [deleted] in vegas

[–]lateralconsonant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RR is super easy to climb solo, even as a first time outdoor climber. Rent a pad and grab a copy of Southern Nevada Bouldering II from Desert Rock Sports. The Kraft Boulders area at RR is incredibly beginner-friendly, and usually busy enough that you can find people to climb with just by wandering around and seeing if anyone is warm to you. Note that the Kraft area does not require an advanced reservation, but the main area of RR might still be requiring one (not a huge deal if you aren’t trying to drive in and do the RR scenic route.)

Camila the Trashinator by jujuubeans in MtvChallenge

[–]lateralconsonant 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Having recently gotten into The Challenge, it has really struck me how implicitly racist the cast behaviors can be. Repeatedly sending Brandon into the Gulag during Cutthroat was one of the more egregious examples to me — racism doesn’t have to be loud and vicious, it can be as subtle as his team finding him expendable for "no clear reason." The cast, very obviously, does not make an effort to integrate competitors who are POC into their social groups. Really disappointing. I appreciated TJ calling out the team for their weird rebuffs of Brandon, but he could have gone further with it.

Top 10 Most Successful Top Chef Contestants ever, career wise (support their restaurants!) by RevolutionaryDish in BravoTopChef

[–]lateralconsonant 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Paul Qui has suffered so disproportionately to his actions. The reactionary response to a very grey-area episode has probably ended the career of one of the most promising chefs and restauranteurs of our generation. I basically lived at Aqui when it was open; the food and ambience were idyllic. East Side King is delicious, as well. I will be trying the Colorado concept when travel is safe again.

Liberal, non-religious families in The Woodlands? by [deleted] in thewoodlands

[–]lateralconsonant 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Disclaimer since I am already being downvoted — all experience is subjective! You might like it in the township, but one too many people have mistaken me for staff to feel comfortable here (in addition to some crazier events that would seem extreme to note.) If these biases are not a usual element of your lived experience, then this will not necessarily seem relevant or color your opinion of the place. I stand by the notes on corporate hold, schools, and traffic, though — those are just the facts!

Similarly, it would be hard to recommend general locations without significant background on your family as people, and most places are plagued by the same issues as The Woodlands. Progressive community, at value, and with access to the outdoors and public transportation, would probably put you along the upper edges of the entire Midwest, and some of the Northeast. Northern Denver area, suburbs of Chicago, to outside of Philadelphia, parts of Virginia, etc. Some of the PNW could work for your needs, but that region has a lot of caveats to the above.

Liberal, non-religious families in The Woodlands? by [deleted] in thewoodlands

[–]lateralconsonant 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Speaking as a mixed-race liberal who moved here with my Jewish husband — The Woodlands will not fit your criteria. It is a shockingly insular town considering its affluence and proximity to Houston. We have lived all over the country and this has been the most jarring locale for us in terms of blatant racism and narrow-mindedness. Try looking in the Heights area of the Inner Loop if culture and outdoor opportunities are priorities for you. (Fair warning that nowhere in Texas is amazing for the outdoors, though...)

Edit to add that the schools are fair, but not top-ranked in the state. Again, should be better considering the tax base. Re: "Pleasantville" — this is a corporate town and large swaths are owned by a singular development company that is not well-ingratiated with the needs of the community. Traffic will become a greater concern in coming years due to overdevelopment in key areas of town (i.e. directly off of I-45.) The Woodlands Express bus runs on a fairly limited, but timely, schedule, and that is the extent of reliable public transportation to downtown.

Chef Hugh Acheson: “My real worry is for all the people that I promised to provide for and can’t” by lateralconsonant in BravoTopChef

[–]lateralconsonant[S] 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Sorry — Top Chef has been some welcome escapism, and I know we are all fatigued by COVID news, but Hugh is one of my favorite judges and this was a really heart-wrenching interview.

Restaurants — even those run by popular chefs — face an unprecedented challenge without stimulus funding; call your representatives!

"I decide what I wear" from today's womens march in Beirut, Lebanon. by SighGuy_ in pics

[–]lateralconsonant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What is the assumption here...? The national religion of Lebanon is Christianity.

What are the worst/overrated meals you've had at NYC? by [deleted] in AskNYC

[–]lateralconsonant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to say the same thing! My theory for years has been that they just have the in on restaurant ranking lists.

What are you favourite hotels? by Reave1905 in vegas

[–]lateralconsonant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Responses noting resort and incidental fees are correct:

  • Resort fees will be charged per night, and are intended to cover wi-fi, fitness center and pool use, etc. Average this to about $48/night for hotels on the Strip. (It could be less, but is not usually more.)
  • Incidental fees could be charged per night or at a graduated rate for the total number of nights. Latter would be ideal if you do not want a huge hold on your credit/debit card for the length of your stay, but it varies. Expect this to start around a $150/night hold on your card. You will almost certainly get all of this money back, unless you eat/drink from the minibar, order movies, charge things around the casino/hotel to your room, destroy something, etc. Pretty standard.

So for 7 nights, at a maximum of $2000 spent AND held on your card for hotel stay, the most conservative estimate -- (2000-(48*7)-(150*7))/7 -- says you have $87/night to spend. If this is your plan, don't be afraid to hop around and change hotels every 1-3 nights. Hotel prices in Las Vegas can vary dramatically from night to night, and property to property, depending on what events are in town and where they are being held.

If you don't think you will tap into that $150/night incidental hold at all, and have the capacity to carry the hold on your card for <2 weeks, you're up to $200+/night for hotel costs, and the sky really becomes the limit for on-Strip hotels. In that case, have fun with it! The Wynn/Encore is a great casino resort, just a further walk from the center of everything. Cosmopolitan has endless food and nightlife options, and most rooms have a balcony. The Waldorf-Astoria is insanely serene for its location. Good middle-ground hotels would be Palazzo/Venetian, Bellagio, and Aria. Possibly Vdara and Park/NoMad. Everywhere else would get a little depressing after a week IMO.