Sure, security at airports has been somewhat of a nightmare lately, but these days when the modern man travels by air for business or pleasure, there are few things we can’t live without. Carry on essentials include an iPod to drown out the chipper stewardess’s compelling monologue, a lap top for work (I mean DVD’s), and a cell phone to ring your ride home that you have landed and they better step on the gas.

“…there’s a new way to spend time at the airport before boarding your aircraft. From today passengers travelling via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol can download travel information, music, audio books and videos…”

Leave it to those crafty Dutch to create the next generation of “digital dessert” by introducting Fuel For Travel (company plug above). Though FFT is not compatable with my favorite Apple products yet, the iPod vending machines powered by Zoom Systems that have been popping up at airports couldn’t be a better fit for this on the go download station. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my hour and a half wait than to buy some electronics and fill them with goodies for the trip.

modern man

During the next couple of weeks I will be helping PSFK with a project called, Carnival of Modern Man. It’s all about all about being a modern man in America. You will see posts related to the subject. It’s a nice reflection on life…from a man ’s point of view.

Summer is winding down, and so is my patience with the big city. Like many other young, aspiring professionals I haven’t taken as much vacation as I should have this year. Sure I love the beach and summertime, but battling the crowds is something I would rather do without. This time of year I start looking at November - February travel to make use of my precious days off. There are a lot of perks when traveling in the “off-peak” months: less people, cheaper everything, and a sure cure for cabin fever.

Preparation for the trip isn’t very difficult. I utilize Travel Zoo to help identify the cheap flights to Geneva, Switzerland. Once in Geneva, some of the world’s greatest ski resorts and winter playgrounds are only a bus or a train ride away. Once there, its pretty easy to find a great hostel for around $20 a night and lift tickets, rental, and bus can run you anywhere from $50 – $70 a day (peanuts compared to the American counterparts). Some of my favorite spots are Morzine Avoriaz, Gryon, Interlaken, Chamonix, and Zermatt. A man always feels more like a man when he can finally afford to take himself vacation.

modern man

The rise of the internet over the past decade has brought its share of problems along with its share of conveniences. As a young professional in New York, I am faced with a dizzying array of choices to make once I unplug from work. I’ve only been in the Big Apple for a little over two years, and am still amazed at every new discovery I make. I know that if I need a cigarette, I can walk into Nat Sherman’s on 42nd and 5th and ask to try a “Classic.” I know that there is a bar in Midtown that has “secret VIP passes” for cutting line at the Empire State Building, and all it will cost you is market price for Pint of Guinness.

Though, I am sure there are a plethora of hidden gems I am not privy to, I can always rely on my daily newsletter from MUG: Manhattan User’s Guide. From the Company: “Manhattan User’s Guide is a daily e-mail that keeps you on top of the city…from splashy restaurant openings or wonderfull hole-in-the-walls to usefull services such as best moving companies or tailors to the best shopping in town, the occasional look at good architecture, or bad politics.”

This newsletter has it all, and it’s a hell of a lot better than asking that guy in the office who grew up in Bergen County and knows all the Bridge and Tunnel crowd hotspots.

Sure, the ladies out there all liken themselves to a character on Sex and the City, but what about the guys? Due to the lackluster performance of the Soprano’s, HBO was a channel destined to be dropped by most guys. Let’s face it, the cable packages out there entitles you to pick three “premium” channels from a wide variety of shit: HBO, Skinamax, Showtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, and Encore. Listed in order of current programming necessity:

1. HBO - Sopranos and Entourage.
2. Skinamax - The movies suck but the post 11:00 pm lineup is better than Cathouse.
3. Showtime - One word…Weeds. (Every man’s fantasy wife minus the golf clubs)
4. It’s a toss up between HBO’s sloppy seconds and whoever has Mighty Ducks III in the daily rotation. This is an irrelevant choice, best accomplished by a game of ini mini mini mo.

The recent success of Entourage, HBO has attracted a new yuppie crowd. The wannabe Gotti’s from the Jersey shore have been replaced a new breed of young men who embrace the old saying, “ass, gas, or grass…nobody rides for free.”

So which guy are you?

• Vince - The leader of the pack. You’ve got the looks, the money, and the moves. Life is easy and so are the ladies.

• Eric - All the girls think you look “cute” in your 30″ X 30″ jeans. You can get away with shopping at the kids abercrombie to save $20 on a shirt, and you act like your wallet is bigger than your umm, “package.”

• Drama - The old guy at the frat house, you graduated, but just can’t get enough. The interior of your dad’s passed down Dodge Intrepid could pass for modern art in New York filled with fast food wrappers, tins of Kodiak chew, and empty gatorade bottles from post-hangover mornings that can easily be used for an on-the-go spitter or toilet. People make fun of you by referencing Viagra and little do they know that you have googled Propecia and Rogaine.

• Turtle - You couldn’t get laid if you tried, but you still tried to hit on your little sister’s best friends. You know never to leave a party too early because the later it gets, the better you look. You usually end up with the hottie’s best friend…the nottie.

P.S. - If you think you are Vince, you are probably wrong. Just ask your friends.

modern man

I suppose I am living proof that one learns from experience, as I once accidentally let myself fall into a little work romance at a previous job, and am now, consequently, as unsocial and asexual as possible when in the office (or perhaps it’s because my office isn’t particularly stimulating?!). Thus, you can imagine my angst when an unexpected email popped up in my inbox. Apparently, I’d been nicknamed, invited to lunch, and was now obligated to share stories of past weekend events. Had the email been sent from someone I had little to no respect for, I would happily ignore it, perhaps even feel a bit smug. But when the email is from a genuinely nice guy…uyyy! You don’t want to be presumptuous and snobbish, but you don’t want your returned words to be misconstrued as anything more than email banter. It’s especially suspicious when the person never directly greets you, but then continues to sporadically email you. I was sternly warned by my two favorite IM buddies to “IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE”. Well, some I ignored, some I answered casually, but that last unanswered one is still floating over my head… I guess I’ll just have to cope with the notion that I’ll probably be remembered as a bitch.

Ok, perhaps I might not be ranked as your favorite IM buddy, but were the situation ever to present itself, I do suggest that you, too, heed these very words: “IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE”! - K.B. (contributing editor)

As she sleekly glides towards you with an apathetic glare, cheeks painstakingly sucked in and hair tussled in a way that still preserves a sense of elegance, the tray of drinks held in her left hand reminds you that this indeed is one of New York’s most fabulous conundrums: The Humble Waitress is a Dying Breed. You thank her most politely, and she, in turn…smirks.

You shan’t be defeated. You’re enjoying your meal, enjoying your company, and enjoying your life as a 20-something year old girl in New York, so you try to share your buoyant, yet appropriately restrained, exuberance with your waitress. Perhaps she is simply having a difficult night. Being that your silliness is generally contagious and thus appreciated, so comes forth the second attempt, “Might you leave the water bottle on the table? I’ll suffer more being that I’ll have to wake up to pee roughly 4 times tonight, but it’ll save you the pain of having to refill my glass like every 15 minutes… unless, of course you especially enjoy our company, in which case, you’re more than welcome to join us for dinner!”. It wasn’t meant to be the most amusing comment ever, but said merely to get what I wanted while also being empathetic to her situation. I was once a waitress myself, after all!

You guessed it…no smirk this time around. “Do you know what you would like from the menu” is about all I got, alongside a look that seemed 50% perplexed and 50% disgusted by the comment which referenced my bladder. Oh well. You can’t win them all, and I’m not saying that waitressing is a less reputable job than any other random job, but people, please have some perspective.

Well, I prefer people with a sense of humor about themselves, but I still left a 20% tip. – K.B. (contributing editor)

To the faithful Amsterdammers, we’d like to give you a reminder in case you (cough cough) forgot already.

“The Cannabis Cup is always held in Amsterdam the week of Thanksgiving. The 19th Annual Cannabis Cup will be held from November 19th – 23rd 2006. The Opening Ceremonies fall on Sunday, November 19th. The Expo and Bus Shuttles start the following day. The Awards Show is Thursday (Thanksgiving), Nov. 23rd.

Registration begins before the event for those who will be in town a few days early. The benefit of early registration is avoiding the long lines that typically form on opening day, and to get a head start on the coffeeshop crawl. ”

How many bong hits will this set me back you ask?

$175.00 Early Bird Special (thru 5/31/06)
$200.00 6/1/06-11/8/06
200 Euro at the door

Is it worth it? We’ll let you be the judge. Just remember there is only on rule for the week: “puff, puff, pass.” Cannabis Cup - for more details…

WYSIWYG…right? Not always in rome. A recent trip to this Italian mecca led me to challenge the stigma that you can’t see Rome in a day. I was intent to prove “them” wrong. In my humble estimation, the only way to do so was to rent a scooter for the day. After being rousted from a Chianti enduced slumber by a snoring Brit, I made my way to the lobby for a free breakfast, and then out into the hustle and bustle of an Itallian morning rush hour. Just down the street my friend Brent and I stumbled into Bici & Baci to rent our first scooter. The gentleman at the counter showed a large laminated scooter guide with applicable prices. Obviously, I chose the least expensive of the lot and set out on my journey. After a successful day of touring the city (i.e. not getting into an accident in Roman traffic) I returned to the dealer with my scoot. As I figured the charge was more than was indicated in the morning. He pulled out the charge receipt which had my credit card info and refused to acknowledge my feeble attempt to reconcile the transaction. so…I did what any young American would do given the situation. I waited till he turned around, then I grabbed the unprocessed charge slip and ran out the door. To date - no charge was ever posted to my credit card and I hope he enjoyed the $150 parking tickets I accumulated. Moral of the story…run!

The Upper East side destination for many a hungry retiree has decided to freshen its clientele. A hot spot among Tommy Bahama and Old English crowd, the Park Avenue Cafe, has recently launched a genius ploy to target gen X’ers by initiating a 3 course Prix Fixe menu selection that costs less than the cab ride from the East Villiage. Aside from the food being top notch (I brought my girlfriend for a “classy” meal) the only draw back is after you place your order and the waiter asks to see your ID. We were seated in the back of the restaurant last Saturday night with the rest of the bargain hunters. The entrance of couple after couple, whom nervously gazed around at the rest of us “dining” wondering if the deal they heard about was actually true, all the while acting as if they aren’t as cheap as the rest of us.