Why I travel
A loud thud vibrated through my rain soaked head. The customs agent had just stamped my passport with a visa extension. My life in Rio de Janeiro was going to continue, officially—the Brazilian government had just granted me three more months in their country. My journey to the visa-renewal office had begun at four that morning. It was on the outskirts of the city and getting there took all morning. I knew that I was cutting time dangerously close, and starting early was my only chance. I’d been teaching English as a second language and wasn’t ready to leave. Rio had lit an unquenchable curiosity inside me. An agonizing pre-dawn bus journey was worth the opportunity to lengthen my time with the city; I wanted to know it intimately.
Copywriting Handrails
A rough guide to copywriting written before AI and still useful for content creation today.
You’re an anthropologist: Copywriters are one part anthropologist, a third English expert, and another third mad scientist. Copywriting is about understanding your audiences’ culture, music, food, clothes, habits, world views, and all the things that make them, them (not just their purchasing habits). Work to understand all the things that come together to form the lens in which they read your copy.
Tip talk
When it's time to settle the bill, tipping is wrapped in more than service approval alone. Tip etiquette eludes consensus, revealing more about a culture than any tourist trap would ever hope. For some cultures it’s obligatory and others an insult. Praised for supporting 4.3 million Americans, tipped jobs fuel our country’s debt prone students. The culture surrounding the practice is understood to be as synonymous with America as burgers and fries. Could Colorado’s love affair with locavorism push tipping boundaries?
Laws Whiskey House makes history
Laws Whiskey House is a historically minded distillery. “Quality before quantity” is their self-proclaimed mantra and they’ve proven it with two new releases— Bonded Secale Straight Rye Whiskey (Winner of Best American Rye Whiskey) and Bonded Four Grain Bourbon (Whiskey Magazine’s 2017 World Whiskies Awards). These are the only Colorado whiskeys adhering to the coveted regulatory status of Bottled-In-Bond— making last week’s release party a historic event.
Lunch at Vinh Xuong Bakery2
As a bastion of South East Asian culture, Denver has high expectations when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. Vinh Xuong Bakery 2 is the city’s premiere place for a Bahn Mi sandwich; a French baguette brimming with barbecued meats and vegetables, is an absolute must at this eatery. As a traditionalist I’m tethered to the barbecued pork, but vegetarians and red-meat-weary patrons have choices too. A delightfully eccentric ambiance meets traditional fare while cracking open preconceived notions about Vietnamese restaurants.