Portland Square Hotel

While in NYC over the weekend I stayed in the Portland Square Hotel on W.47th Street smack between Sixth Avenue (Colony of the Americas) and Seventh Avenue (Broadway). The location is wonderful in as much as one can walk down to the corner and be in the center---Broadway---of the "center of the universe." Somewhere in the vast universe aliens are laughing with me.

The hotel is nice enough and does try to put on a good show of sophistication. The lobby is well decorated in minimalism, the reception staff wear uniforms and are professional (and, thankfully, sans that goddamn awful New Yoik dialect), and my room was comfortable and sufficiently lighted. I had a single room with private bath and, while the room small, the matrimony size bed was absolutely comfortable! On top of that, the bathroom had a tub and I had been wanting to soak in a bath of hot water for weeks on end.

In all I liked the hotel however I think the rates are steep ($126 per night). I also did not like the computer consels available on the first floor. It seemed to me the timer ticked away five minutes faster than actual time which meant one was always conscious of needing to feed the machine another dollar bill.

132 West 47th St.
New York City 10036
212.382.0600
website

Read More

Impressed by "Impressionism"

When in NYC, my least favorite American city next to Gary, Indiana, there are only three things to do towards assauging my discontent: a) leave as quickly as possible, b) window shop, c) attend a show. Thanks to flyer hawkers along Broadway I learned that Jeremy Irons, one of my favorite actors, was co-starring with Joan Allen in Impressionism, a one-act play about selling art, interpreting art, and finding someone with whom to adore and share a park bench.

Sold! I went straight away to 45th Street and bought a ticket for the night's show. Not only did my student credential get me a cheaper price than the advertised $35 but it put me directly front and center. Front-row seating!!

The play was enjoyable although some of the dialogue sounded forced if only due to the soliloquey-y tone of the lines. Watching Mr Irons perform--and but a mere two feet away---on stage was marvelous. His voice and presentation were enchanting. And, he really loves his coffee!

Although I would never encourage any non-enemy to go to New York Shitty, attending a production, be it on Broadway or off, is a very groovy reason for visiting NYC. There are goo-gobs of movie stars [sic], scrupucious dramas and comedies, incredible theatrical talent from composers to players, and plenty of nearby nice restaurants to make an evening of dinner, entertainment, and drinks a marvelously well spent day. Plus, to my great surprise, many of the tickets can currently be had at discount prices---sans a scalper. Ain't that rich! Maybe this has something to do with the recession...?

Read More

The 'ol homo art ploy

One of the more common cons I encounter has to do with modeling. Every homosexual with a shutter-eye likes to think of himself as a photographer with "appreciation for male beauty." Oh brother. Get a shovel! Having a camera doesn't make one a photographer and liking nudity doesn't elevate it to art. Two gallery owners flattered me with the moon and stars if only I would pose for them au natural.

Email me with the details, I smiled. If they emailed me, I've a bridge in New York for sale.

Here are some photographs from a legitimate artist I befriended in Puerto Vallarta. Real McCoys exist...they're just hampered by the many copy-cats and wannabes out there.

Read More

$350 health plan for expats

Apparently expatriates can take advantage of a Mexican health plan. And if you never get sick---or have ever gotten sick---it's a great plan for you as it excludes just about everything save a cough and nose bleed. But maybe the $350 buys you some peace of mind....
Otherwise the affordable medicines available at the many generic pharmacies in town will probably serve you better. They did me (click the above link to read about it).

Read More

Where's a tontine when you need it?

After posting an entry about a bout of illness incurred in Mexico I read an op-ed piece in the New York Times by Tom Baker and Peter Siegelman (March 9, 2009) concerning youth's allergy to health insurance and it struck a chord.

"Many young Americans don't have health insurance," opens the article. "...Some just don't want to invest good money in health care that they may never need." The first paragraph concludes with the statistic thtat 19-29 year olds comprise a third of all un-insured adults below retirement age in America.

Pluck, pluck, twang went the chord!

Referring to us as "young invincibles" for our "exaggerated optimism" about our health, the authors propose insurance companies reintroduce the tontine plan to attract young people. Under a tontine program the insured would receive a cash bonus for ultimately being right about not having needed insurance; and with bonuses framed within a five year span there is not that far off range---20, 30, 50 years---that convinces people to wait until they are old or settled down...like their parents. Now that's coverage on par with saying prayers just in case Hell and its lake of fire does exist!

Under a tontine program the insured would receive a cash bonus for ultimately being right about not having needed insurance

I don't go along with the belief that everyone should buy insurance anymore than everyone should safeguard their monies in a bank. I think the insurance business is a scam, like the engagement ring, which did not always exist, cooked up among money changers. Insurance companies loathe to pay out when *#$*%! hits the fan, leaving you to play the part of the chump arguing and wrangling for your own money. Tontine insurance, however, is something I would buy into as it suits my needs, "exaggerated optimism," and sounds like it would be more easily affordable (and less cumbersome) than regular old people's insurance.

If I don't get injured or seriously ill, then I gain bonus money; and if I am brought to confront mortality, then I am covered. It's a win-win situation.

Too bad insurance companies don't provide a tontine program.

Read More

Affordable medicine in Mexico

Canada isn't the only country in North America with cheap drugs. In fact, all those old people who are now suffering from years of neglecting their health may reconsider a trip south of the border.

Getting sick in a developing country like Mexico is a scary thought but the silver lining to the cloud is that medical attention and medicine is pretty cheap if you can afford it. And I didn't even have to bribe. Unfortunately, though, if one is poor or homeless then he is (goddamn expletive) out of luck. Mexico has yet to get hip to free clinics, free condom distribution and free STD rapid testing sites. Consequently, tourists are awed by the large number of freaks of nature and accident casualties limping, crawling, hoppling, begging in Mexican streets.

I came down with an infection and was scared paranoid. After researching online and trips to a few doctors---everyone with a white coat claims to be a doctor---I received a proper diagnosis and was prescribed two types of medicines for a week. The first night I bought a dosage from the hospital's pharmacy for $225 pesos. I could tell this was going to be expensive. The following morning, being the frugal traveller I am, I checked out the two generic pharmacies a block from my apartment and bought the same medicine (minus the brand name) for just $40 pesos. Holy santos! What a difference in price!

young people don't bother with investing in long-term insurance because of lack of money and an abundance of youthful optimism

Whilst America has some medicines cheaper than others, one has to have some form of coverage in order to get them and, as conventional wisdom shows, young people simply don't bother with investing in long-term maybe-I'll-get-terminally-ill insurance because of lack of money and an abundance of youthful optimism.

My point being this: were I home in America I wouldn't have been able to buy my own medicine or have paid for the doctor's visit out of pocket; which means, in the absence of a free clinic yours truly would have been (goddamn expletive) out of luck and, due to lack of medical attention, fatally ill. And on this count I raise my cerveza and cry, ¡¡Viva Mexico!!

Read More

Sexy bookworm am I

Yesterday was my first venture back to the beach after some two weeks. As I exited the waves and sat down to resume Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea a stranger approached and called me by name. Turns out the Canadian tourist recognized my photo and spoke of modeling for his underwear catalog. What an eventful return to the beach, I thought! The company's stuff looks nice but, hey, as Madonna sings, I've heard it all before, I've heard it all before, I've heard it all before....

Read More