We are back from Nassau safely and with much less trouble than we anticipated. Our Jet Blue flight left 40 minutes late, but checking in and going through customs was a pleasure.
We flew into Fort Lauderdale and our checked bag was down in baggage claim in less than ten minutes. Had we flown into Miami, our bag would have taken a minimum of one hour. My advice to every traveler is to stay away from Miami Airport if at all possible. It is hard to find a worse airport in the entire world.
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Some thoughts about Nassau, where we have been more than a dozen -- maybe more than two dozen -- times, but not for about ten years.
We did not meet an unfriendly person. Everyone could not have been nicer in every respect.
There is a huge amount of wealth. Houses and apartments costing well in excess of $10 million are abundant. The money is coming from all over the world. A lot is from Brazil and other South American countries.
There is excellent food and drink and what we encountered was not overly expensive. The grocery stores are more expensive because just about everything is imported. For example, the brand of fresh orange juice we often buy in Florida is $5 more in Nassau.
There is a tremendous amount of new construction, and it is very efficient in terms of how long it takes from the start of construction to the finish. In our neighborhood in South Florida, houses are taking well more than a year to complete. Not in Nassau.
I had the best mojito I have ever had in the restaurant we went to twice. However, the biggest surprise was a restaurant and bar in Nassau Airport. It is called Rhythm Cafe. They served the best conch chowder I have ever had and Barbara had great chicken. Airports are not known for good food, but this is an exception. Note, however, they do close at 5:30.
It may be available somewhere, but I never found any beer on draft. All beer is bottled. The local beer Kalik is mediocre at best. In fact, I bought one and did not drink more than a few sips, choosing to order another beer notwithstanding wasting the money.
I would be happy to go back.
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I see the latest bullshit explanation Trump is floating to explain his having secret and top secret documents is that he took them for his library. Before he is done, Trump will have used every possible excuse imaginable. If he could, he would work in “the dog ate my homework”.
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The British Pound is $1.14 against the dollar, the lowest it has been since 1985. I do not remember the year, but we were in London for an A.B.A meeting when the pound and the dollar actually hit parity. That has rarely happened. Anyway, merchandise was flying off the shelves so fast that if one did not buy at 11 a.m. thinking “I’ll come back after lunch”, the item was gone.
The euro is $0.99 to the dollar. Soon I will be able to afford my lifestyle.
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Actually, seeing all that super-wealth in Nassau, and having represented and gotten to know some of the wealthiest people in the world over the course of my career, I have concluded, with one exception, that there is no right or wrong about how people use their wealth.
That one exception is charity. Everyone should give to charity unless they are dead broke. When I get a new client’s tax returns, the first thing I look at is how much they give away to others less fortunate.
Back to the main point. To some people, comfort and convenience are important, and they are willing to pay a premium to obtain it. Others, no matter how rich, still consider the cost of things no matter if they have billions.
I think if I had the money, I would always fly privately. To me, that is the ultimate luxury. Having a super yacht or a zillion dollar house does not ring my bell, but private jets do.
Personally, I made a life choice to spend more than I should, having the philosophy that if I die with a dollar, I miscalculated. Of course, the jury is still out, but it appears that there will be something left.
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The Marlins got skunked again. If management does not learn that “money talks and bullshit walks” and pays for major league players, they are doomed to mediocrity. To me, it looks like Atlanta will be the team to beat in the next decade. They have locked up, for multiple years, a whole handful of very talented players.
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The V. A. says it will provide abortions under certain circumstances even if in contradiction to local law. Wow!
I am sure we have not heard the end of this story. Three cheers for the V.A.
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Go Ukraine and vote as if your life depended upon it.
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