CARDRUNNERS
What's Your Edge
I'd like to start off by saying what was left of my dignity was lost on Saturday. We had a pretty awesome St. Patty's Day party that I wish I could say I remembered more of. I lost one of my favorite sweatshirts along with said dignity, but all in all it was a good time. I think we had maybe 100 people at peak in our house and backyard which was pretty much what we expected. Our neighbors complained again but I'll never understand why they are living in Lincoln Park if they don't want to put up with parties, bars, etc. I'm moving out in 3 months so I really could care less what they think.
As an aside, we are moving out of our house which is really an awesome place to live for young people. If you are looking for a place in Lincoln Park for 5-6 people PM me and maybe you can look at the place when we tell our landlord we are moving out. The bedrooms are all pretty small, except for the master which is pretty amazing. The rent is very cheap for being in Lincoln Park, I'd expect it to be like $3200 or so next year for a 5 BR house + office. I don't own the place or anything but I do genuinely think it's a great place to live.
Let's see...what else is going on. Two of my roommates are doing stand-up comedy locally in Chicago. I'm going to go see them perform sometime this week. I'm trying to convince myself to write a bit and do some open-mic standup myself, but we'll see if that happens. I sort of just want a hobby and maybe it will be fun to do for a little while.
March Madness starts on Thursday. I'll probably be working more than usual during it because I'm gearing up for a trip to Asia in two weeks. I need to make sure everything I have to do before then is taken care of so I can't really take any more time off to go watch basketball. I'm sure I'll watch my fair share, but will probably be glued to my laptop while watching.
I ate dinner at Alinea on Friday with Melissa. I have to say it exceeded my expecations, both on quality of the meal and experience, and unfortunately, on the price. We did the wine pairing so basically every 20-30 minutes they brought out a new glass of wine. The meal was 20 courses long, although some courses are only a bite or two. It was by far the best meal I'd ever eaten overall. I don't even want to try to do justice to the meal by explaining more about it, but honestly it was just a great experience that I actually think I would do again. There were so many different types of food we sampled and there wasn't one bite that I didn't think was phenomenal. I should say that I am not a very picky eater at all so it's generally not good to follow my food advice, but my girlfriend is extraordinarily picky when it comes to food and she liked everything except for one bite of the chicken. This included steak, foie gras, and other meat that she typically doesn't eat. If you are looking to blow your bailout money I recommend taking a trip to Alinea. The meal takes about three hours so be advised about that.
Last thing, we're hiring some more. This job is tech related and would be someone that would supplement the IT firm that we use. You can read more about it here: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/120/cardrunners-stoxpoker/cardrunners-llc-job-posting-433602/
-Taylor
Edit: ONE MORE THING: Please help me out here. I am traveling to Tokyo, Phuket, Bangkok, and Hong Kong in 2 weeks. I need advice on what to do/not to do/where to stay, anything like that. If you can post whatever advice you might have that would really help.
Mar 16, 09 14:33:00
Hey Taylor, How long are you going to be in Thailand for? My advise for Bangkok is you only need a couple nights there i would then spend a bit longer @ Phuket, If you get a chance go out to an island called koh Phi Phi , from there you can do a day trip round Phi Phi lei where they filmed the movie the Beach. I would stay on Phi Phi for a few nights, its nice and chilled out and plenty of activites. In Phuket if you wanna stay in the real busy/party place stay in Patong beach.
Mar 16, 09 15:00:05
phuket - patong beach is where the nightlife is (seduction nightclub on bangla road is gonna be your best bet), and kata beach (2 beaches south of patong) is definitely the most beautiful of the large public beaches on the island.
my advice for phuket is rent some motorbikes (be careful) and explore the island's western beaches. like the other guy said, you shouldn't miss phi phi for at least a night or two (rent a longboat for the day and explore islands, or do some sea kayaking out there).
for bangkok, just do the touristy stuff (grand palace and other temples, etc.), and forget about nice restaurants for at least a few meals. bangkok is about street food.
PM if you want some more thailand tips. you're gonna dig it for sure.
Mar 16, 09 15:25:47
Just a fyi since i'm japanese it is disrespectul and many people take TIPPING as very dishonorable. So when in Japan do not tip while eating or at the hotel and this includes taxi rides. This may seem weird but it's custom in Japan. Have a great trip.
Mar 16, 09 16:17:36
I had a friend who spent a few weeks in Japan, he said Tokyo was kinda what he expected but Kyoto was far and away the best place he went and he wished he had planned to spend more time there. Also, if there are deer, and there is a sign that looks like an angry deer next to them, it means don't feed the deer. One of my friends was raped by deer.
Mar 16, 09 16:52:32
I lived in Japan for 7 years and did it all. also spent a lot of time in hong kong both before and after china took over. Would be happy to help you out and set you up with some really cool people if you want. email me at kawaldron1985@yahoo.com and let me know what your looking for, where you will be, how much free time.
Mar 16, 09 16:56:09
one more thing dont go to any beach in Japan. NO MATTER WHAT!!! worst beachs every. nothing but garbage, dead fish, and dead jeallie fish. big big wast of time. and there right u dont tip unless u didnt like the food.
Mar 16, 09 17:36:37
Taylor - just went to Bangkok 1 month ago. Do your self a favor go onto 2+2 -> Off Topic -> Travel. There are two long threads that can answer any of your questions and there are plenty of 2+2ers living over there (BKK and PHuket) that you can meet up with.
Ryu is an excellent guide. Also I recommend going out to one of the islands for a few days.
Mar 16, 09 21:35:54
i have been here heaps pretty much some site seeing and shopping. Taxi are heaps cheap plus the MTR is very easy to navigate around. you must get a octopus card which is pretty much your transport card plus you can use it at some shops like 7 eleven. i would recommend staying in Langham in Mongkok plus everything is in Mongkok and cheaper. tsim sha tsui is pretty much where all the tourist go and a lot of five star hotels around but everything is more expensive. ill have to ask my friend where to go for drinks n night out. you will see corner stores that sell food like fish balls for like \$5-6HK try some. Visit Causeway Bay best way to get there is MTR. You will see these corner drink n fruit stores get the one with sago, coconut and mango. thats all i can remember for now but i will message more about HK later
Mar 17, 09 02:43:48
my wife went far east last year...now she is off red meat!!!
I remember asking her how the food was back then...
she told me that they ate dogs!!!!
lol
anyway, dont want to be so negative...im sure ull have a good time
peace
Mar 17, 09 03:32:27
I was born in Hong Kong and Daz978 is pretty right on. I would add these:
Don't just stay in the touristy areas and eat at just the big resturants. Try some hole in the wall places, the food are usually much better. If you like sea food, venture out to an area call 'Sai Kung' for some sea food hot pot.
Big resturants are usually pretty clean, but examine the places/forks/chopsticks you are using. Usually they just auto give you boiling hot water to rinse the bowls/plates/forks, but if they don't then ask. Its normal procedure lol. I think this applies at the other places as well xcept for Tokyo.
Sea World and Disney Land are normal attractions. They have 2 pandas there now that are kinda cute.
Try the fish balls!!! The street side vendors are gone, but you can still find them by walking about. I kill for some right now.
They also got these pastries shops everywhere. Gotta try it, so good. Makes you wonder how places like Starbucks stay open serving the shit they serve.
Most taxi guys don't speak a lick of english except for the name of places like Hotel/land marks/airport. They are use to tourist so if you get the name of the place close enough, they can get you there.
MTR & KCR are the two different types of trains which are your best bet to get anywhere. They serve different areas, but they meet up at 'Kow Loon Tong' < important if you venture beyond touristy areas. They will have maps everywhere at every station and in the trains itself, so any none idiot can find there way around.
Get the speed pass right away since most transportation things run on them. Its a credit card size micro chip thingy that you wave in front of MTR/KCR gate, Bus, Taxi, Small Green Van, soda machines, etc. You can get it at any MTR/KCR station. There is like a deposite for the card like \$60HKD or something like that, and go ahead and stick like another \$500HKD as I'm sure you will burn thru it going everywhere. You can't really share the speed pass, so get multiple. One per head.
If you decide to shop, the 'window' stores you really can negotiate. What the price tag is usually is what you are stuck with. If you buy stuff from street side vendors though, whatever price they say, you could prolly get way with offering 25% of asking price. If they don't like it, just walk away, because there is always someone selling the exact same thing around the corner.
Mar 17, 09 07:41:32
Bangkok:
This was by far the most fun trip i ever had
Plsz take the super saturday special http://www.realasia.net/
Mar 17, 09 10:30:17
For sure don't stay in Bangkok more than a few days, it's a cool cultural experience and all but you'll wanna get out of there after a few days. When you are in Bangkok try to make it on the weekend so you can hit up the big market, Chatukah I think is the name.
Phuket is paradise. If you stay in Patong I highly recommend the Novotel Phuket, I stayed there for a week and it was affordable and classy and right by everything, yet above ground level (safe from tsunamis). Avoid tuk tuks and make sure taxi drivers start their meters.
Mar 17, 09 15:37:37
Tay, this question is actually regarding your March 5th post. It would only let me post a comment here, but.....I was wondering approximately how much I would pay for a steak at "Botero". I am going to be in Vegas this weekend and was going to set up a reservation as long as I wouldn' t be paying \$150 a plate since I'll be paying for a whole party of people. Is \$50-\$75 a plate realistic or am I way off base???
Mar 17, 09 16:49:15
you can find botero's menu online at encore's website.
steaks, if i recall, were between 35-50 or so, plus sides (10), appetizers (12-25), and drinks. if you are just doing a few sides and steaks for everyone, you can certainly do 50-60 per plate before taxes and tip.
it gets expensive with drinks, sides, all that stuff, but check out their menu online first and get an idea of if it's in your price range.
another good option that is less expensive is fix at bellagio. it's a similar menu and i'd say 15-20% cheaper or so. definitely check out both menus online and make your decision there.
Mar 18, 09 04:07:06
hey taylor
was going to post but it got kind of long so i pm'd you instead.
Mar 18, 09 04:31:29
Just wanted to agree with the Alinea praise. I've been to most of the nicer restaurants in Chicago and Alinea is by far the best.
Mar 19, 09 00:23:52
Not to do: Arranging your own fire show and swallowing gas because you're so drunk you think it's a drink.
To do: If you're visiting Phuket town go to a "restaurant"(small bamboo hut thingy) on Phang-nga road, order nam took muu and say hi from KooPee aka naa maa. http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/phuket_map/phuket_map_town.html
(F3 just over the text.)
In Bangkok ping pong show is a must. The funniest thing I've ever seen.
Tokyo - Karaoke.
Mar 19, 09 11:10:36
the octopus card and the speed pass thing that Daz and Pakman were talking about is the same thing. just ask for it at any subway and it`s super convenient.
remember in hk they drive on the wrong side of the street...don`t get hit looking the wrong way when you`re crossing. it`s the weirdest thing i swear.
go to lan kwai fong it`s the main bar/club area...a ton of foreigners there. also as long as you stay in the central hk area, there will be tons of foreigners and you can get around fine with english. once you leave that little hub tho you might be in trouble.
if you want to shop you can go to kowloon and there's like a gazillion high end shops as well as a huge market where you can get ALL SORTS of fake stuff. the electronics and high end luxury goods are all pretty good there...
and if you guys are in hk you should def take a quick trip over to macau...it's only a few hrs on the ferry...
Mar 21, 09 03:13:46
Banyan Tree in Phuket & Bangkok are amazing hotels.
Intercontinental on Kowloon side in HK is nice; however, there are also amazing hotels on the HK side
Mar 24, 09 08:53:22
Pakman and DrSatisfaction you guys remind me so much about HK its been like 3 years and i feel outdated.
this is what my friend had to say:
mong kok and causeway bays gd for shopping and HK style entertainment ie karaoke
lan kwai fongs the main spot for a more mixed scene, bars clubs sheesha
wan chai for red light and white boy bars
sai kung for hiking, beaches, junk trips
Mar 24, 09 10:57:03
Hey, Taylor if your going to Japan you should stop in Okinawa if you've the chance. Itt is a subtropical island prefecture of Japan which is similar to what Hawaii is for the U.S. I think because of the nearby American military bases they may be more used to tipping but ask an American G.I. there are quite a few living there.
Mar 28, 09 15:49:45
Don't go to Phuket, NEVER! If u want to enjoy amazing beaches u should go to Koh Tao. In Bangkok the BED supperclub is a must!
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