The first time I watched a presidential debate as a young adult, I was surprised by what a far cry it was from my middle school debate class—and not in a good way. I saw almost nothing of what I’d learned about constructing a valid argument, forming a refutation, cross-examination or any other debate skill on the presidential debate stage, and I was confused. Why did I have to learn those rules and guidelines if the people competing for the highest office in the nation didn’t even use them in a nationally televised debate?
That was my impression during the “normal” era of politics. This week’s presidential debate dropped the bar so low we might as well call it six feet under. I’m not sure if we hit rock bottom, but it feels like we’re darn close.
My two teens watched the presidential debate with me. Normally, I would have grabbed this opportunity to discuss with them the issues presented to the candidates, point out the ways politicians use language to make their policies sound good, and how they frame things to make their opponents’ policies look bad. I would have walked them through an analysis of the debate, probably lamenting the lack of formal debate practices—that’s nothing new—but still discussing the nuances of what made each candidate’s performance weaker or stronger. I wouldn’t have tried to steer their opinions of the candidates one way or the other, but allowed them to evaluate on their own.
This debate offered no such opportunities. It was a train wreck, and there’s no getting around the fact that it was a train wreck because the President of the United States made it one.
And it saddens me as much as it enrages me. I want my children to be able to respect the president. Even if they disagree with his policies, even if they think he’s in the wrong on various issues, I want them to be able to respect the leader of our country as a leader.
But they can’t. I can’t. And that sucks.
To watch the President of the United States engage in behavior that I wouldn’t tolerate in a 5-year-old is humiliating and impossible to explain to my children. My husband and I have worked to instill into them the values of common courtesy and basic decency. We’ve taught them to carefully consider different opinions and viewpoints and to evaluate them fairly and honestly, and always treat others with respect and compassion.
They’re teens and they’re smart—they saw the aggression and rudeness and complete lack of decorum with their own eyes and formed their own appalled responses. But what about younger kids? The ones who are just forming their ideas about leadership and true strength and acceptable behavior—the ones for whom this man is the only presidential example they’ve known?
Parents have shared how some of their children reacted to the debate, and it’s heartbreaking. How can we be proud of our country when the president makes children cry because he’s a big ol’ bully?
@eclecticbrotha @T_FisherKing My kid has seen a lot, but this whole thing has shaken him.
Those reactions are totally understandable. I’m 45 years old, and I flipped back and forth between wanting to cry and wanting to throw my TV set out the window. We are going through a huge ordeal as a nation, with a global pandemic and economic struggles and social upheaval creating a great deal of uncertainty. The last thing we need is a leader that makes our children feel unsafe simply by opening his mouth.
I know there are people who think that basic decency and reasonably good character are not necessary qualities in a president, and that nothing matters but certain issues or certain policies, but I 100% disagree. The president is the leader of our nation. The president is the individual face representing our nation among all the world’s leaders. Are we really going to make the argument that literal leaders shouldn’t be expected to behave with dignity—especially when the whole world is watching? Are we really going to say it’s not a huge problem for the president to embarrass our nation with behavior we’d never tolerate in our own children? Really?
“This isn’t normal,” I had to keep telling my kids. “There’s usually some interrupting and some contention in a presidential debate, but not like this. This is awful and unacceptable.” I had nothing else. I’ve never been so embarrassed to be an American.
I guess the one silver lining is that the debate did give us the opportunity to talk about how to handle a bully, what abusive manipulation looks like, and the difficult position Chris Wallace found himself in. But the fact that a presidential debate became a discussion on bullying and abuse is the entire problem in and of itself. This is not the America I want for my children. No policy or issue is worth this humiliation.
#BREAKING: Following rocky debate, @JoeBiden takes lead over @realDonaldTrump in latest exclusive Channel 2 poll:… https://t.co/mPfVL2OSfE
In recent years, there’s been a shift as to what exactly a “celebrity alcohol brand” is. While there are certainly still celebrities who slap their names on products without any particular passion for the juice inside, that’s becoming more of a rarity. The super hands-on entertainer-entrepreneur is quickly turning into the norm. So it goes with Ryan Reynolds and Aviation Gin, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul with Dos Hombres Mezcal, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Teremana Tequila.
Like all tequilas, Teremana is crafted in Jalisco, Mexico. Johnson, who founded the brand, worked closely with a multi-generational distilling family to build his dream setup in the Jalisco highlands. This isn’t white-labeling or even buying distillate and barrelling it for a few years that we’re talking about. Destilería Teremana de Agave makes small-batch, handcrafted tequila on site. Jimadores harvest mature Blue Weber Agave before roasting their hearts in brick ovens. Afterward, the juice is distilled in handcrafted copper pot stills.
As we’ve mentioned in the past, The Rock’s cultural connection is at the forefront of his brand. The name Teremana is a combination of two words. The first is “tere” which comes from the Latin “terra,” or earth. The second word “mana” pays homage to Johnson’s Polynesian heritage and means “spirit.” With a celebrity owner and a name that roughly translates to “spirit of the earth,” there’s a fair bit of hype to live up to.
We put both Teremana Blanco and Reposado to the test, below.
This premium tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave from the highlands of Jalisco which are then roasted and distilled in the manner we described above. This expression is unaged and full of that vegetal sweetness you expect from a well-made, unrested tequila.
Tasting Notes:
From the first nosing, the hand-crafted nature of this tequila is obvious. You’ll be met with earthy, vegetal aromas of cooked agave and subtle hints of cracked black pepper. You’ll be surprised at the mellow nature of this first sip. From there, subtle hints of lime peel and sweet vanilla bean come to play. The finish is long, warming, clean, and ends with more tangy citrus zest.
Bottom Line:
A well-made tequila such as this can fit the bill for a sipper if you’re the type of person who enjoys a blanco tequila on the rocks. Otherwise, mix it into your favorite cocktails and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well it holds up against ingredients like lime juice, grapefruit, and other bright flavors.
Like its blanco sibling, this two-time distilled super-premium tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber Agave. It goes through the same production process as its unaged sibling, but after distillation it gets aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a highly sippable, nuanced, well-rounded, rich tequila that should appeal to whiskey fans and tequila fans alike.
Tasting Notes:
If you take the time to nose this tequila, you’ll be met with the sweet smell of roasted agave, charred oak, subtle citrus, and just a hint of smoke. The first sip brings forth brown sugar, creamy vanilla, and vegetal sweetness. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a pleasing, peppery flourish.
Bottom Line:
Aging in former bourbon barrels gives this tequila a nice hint of charred oak and caramel that make it highly sippable. If you do plan to mix it, the depth of this expression will help you revamp classic cocktails. Try it in a Tequila Old Fashioned.
If there’s anything Americans need right now, it’s a good laugh. In these divided times, if there is anyone who can provide one, it’s “Weird Al” Yankovic.
The good news is he’s back with a video that’s a rare foray into American politics. Yankovic has avoided the topic throughout his career, although he did some non-partisan lampooning of the 2016 presidential debates with “Bad Hombres, Nasty Women.”
In 2015, he told the Washington Times that he stays away from “sensitive” issues like “political topics. “And I don’t want to divide my fan base if I can help it,” he said.
“The other reason I don’t do a lot of political humor is it dates pretty poorly,” Yankovic said. “Things that are topical in the political arena this week would be old news a month from now, so that’s probably not the kind of thing I want to have as part of my catalog.”
Yankovic’s new song, “We’re All Doomed” was created with The Gregory Brothers who are known for their online series in which they “Songify the News.” In the video, Yankovic plays debate moderator and sings about the hellscape that is 2020 with interjections from Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Even though the song is about the current political moment, Yankovic couldn’t deny himself one of his trademark food jokes. “If the Supreme Court is truly Supreme, where’s the guac, ground beef, and sour cream?”
WE’RE ALL DOOMED – Trump vs. Biden ft. “Weird Al” Yankovic
Biden: We should be providing people the help they need
He knew back in February it was a deadly disease. What did he do? He’s on tape acknowledging he knew
Weird Al: Really?
Biden: He waited and waited and waited. And he didn’t even tell you
Trump: President Trump did a phenomenal job. People said that
Weird Al: Well
Trump: We got the gowns. We made the ventilators we got the masks. I don’t wear masks like him—every time you see him he’s got a mask—the biggest mask I’ve ever seen. (the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.)
Weird Al: Will we get back all the jobs we lost?
Or should we set up eleven million Etsy shops?
Biden: My economic plan would create one trillion dollars in economic growth
He has no intention of making it better for you all at home
Trump: I brought back football! It was me! (me!)
Weird Al: What?
Trump: Big 10 Football – and I’m very happy
Weird Al: Who’s it gonna be.?
Trump: They wanna take out the cows… (the cows!)
Weird Al: In the West Wing?
Biden: Now here’s the deal:
He has no idea what he’s talking about
Weird Al: We’re living in the Apocalypse!
I’m begging you to put a stop to this!
Pretty please?
Biden: You say he can inject some bleach
Trump: They cheat!
Weird Al: If the Supreme Court
Is truly Supreme
Where’s the guac, ground beef, and sour cream?
Biden: The American people have a right to say
Who is the Supreme Court nominee
Trump: Her biggest endorsers are from Notre Dame
We have a phenomenal nominee
Weird Al: I ran out of questions
But still got a while
It’s time to drop some bars
Let’s see how you freestyle!
Trump: In Europe they live there
Forest cities!
They’re called forest cities
It’s a forest city
Biden: You know
He talks about the art of the deal
China’s perfected the art of the steal
Trump: Bad things happen in Philadelphia
Bad things
Biden: He’s just afraid
Trump: Proud Boys: Stand back and stand by
Biden: He’s said there are very fine people on both sides
He said maybe you should drop a nuclear weapon on hurricanes
Trump: The cars have computers all over the place
Weird Al: Who is it gonna be?
Trump: They want to take out the cows, the cows!
Weird Al: in the West Wing?
Biden: Now here’s the deal
He has no idea what he’s talking about
Weird Al: We’re living in the Apocalypse
I’m begging you to put a stop to this!
Pretty please?
Biden: Keep yapping, man
Trump: The People understand
Biden: He doesn’t have a plan
Weird Al: Exploding trees, COVID-19
Hurricanes with names past the letter Z
Conspiracy theories about vaccines
Murder Hornets coming from across the sea
Too many memes about World War III
Can’t tell what’s Hell or reality
Earthquakes ruining my whole week
‘Cause I dropped my keys in the crack between the cup holder and my car seat!
Who is it gonna be?
Trump: They want to take out the cows, the cows!
Weird Al: in the West Wing?
Biden: Now here’s the deal
He has no idea what he’s talking about
Weird Al: We’re living in the Apocalypse!
I’m begging you to put a stop to this!
Pretty please?
Biden: You say—he can inject some bleach?
Trump: They cheat!
Weird Al: Who is it gonna be?
Biden: That was really a productive segment, wasn’t it?
The Philadelphia 76ers moved quickly after their first round exit from this year’s playoffs in letting go of head coach Brett Brown after seven seasons at the helm, but have been patient in their coaching search.
Tyronn Lue and Mike D’Antoni were considered frontrunners for the position, but their attention shifted when the Clippers announced that Doc Rivers would be parting ways with the organization after seven seasons of his own. Reporting emerged on Wednesday that Rivers was meeting with the Sixers, with he and D’Antoni now as the top two candidates and Lue being viewed as the likely replacement for Rivers in Los Angeles.
Now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rivers is officially headed to Philadelphia.
After a rapid courtship and negotiation, Doc Rivers has reached agreement on a deal to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN.
Rivers has compiled a 943-681 record in 21 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, spanning three different teams in the Magic, Celtics, and Clippers, including the 2008 championship team in Boston. His work in Los Angeles was admirable as he built a foundation and helped guide that organization through an incredibly tumultuous time amid the Donald Sterling saga, but his tenure there was marred by playoff disappointment, winning just three playoff series and not once making it to the conference finals.
In Philadelphia, he’ll be tasked with exorcising his and the Sixers playoff demons, as they likewise have seen earlier than expected exits in the playoffs in recent years. He’ll have two dynamic star players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but will look to crack the code of how to make this roster work, which likely will require some serious moves made by the Sixers brass. In any case, the Sixers get a tenured coach who has tons of experience with high-level teams and superstars, which seemed to be the goal for their coaching search all along.
Adding new characters in Smash Bros. Ultimate is always an interesting look at how a fighting game evolves with new battle balance and skill sets. But it’s also really fun to see characters from different games get added to the ever-expanding rotation of the game’s fighters. And, with apologies to Mr. Game and Watch, the latest additions come right from one of the most low-fi games imaginable: Minecraft.
Nintendo announced on Thursday that Steve and Alex will be playable characters in the latest DLC pack for Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Fighter Pass Vol. 2, which will cost $29.99 and features six fighters — four of which are yet to be announced — will include the Minecraft stars squaring off against the slew of already-weaponized Nintendo nostalgia on the Nintendo Switch.
The news came in a short presentation that showed Steve in a Minecraft-themed stage, revealing that Enderman and Zombie versions of the two characters will be available as well. A trailer that followed the reveal shows Mario and others doing battle, with Sonic blasting him right out of the level and through a wall. He’s shrouded in darkness until Steve breaks down some blocks to check out what happened. It’s actually a pretty funny silent short: Steve walks in, says nothing, eats some meat and then blocks things back up while a Creeper sneaks up behind Mario and blows him up.
We then see a bit of Steve in action, rigidly swinging a sword to do damage on Link, using an axe to hit StarFox and creating block obstacles and using traps to blast other fighters away. It’s a visually jarring thing to see simplistic Minecraft elements in Smash Bros., but it looks like it will be a fascinating addition to combat. It was genuinely satisfying to see a down attack involving Steve with an anvil, blasting a Pipe Plant off screen.
Most people, however, were just concerned about what Kirby will look like when he absorbs Steve’s powers.
WAIT GUYS. WHEN KIRBY SWALLOWS STEVE HE WILL TURN INTO A BLOCK. MINECRAFT KIRBY. pic.twitter.com/pHKUViTWrd
As explained in Thursday’s presentation, making a Minecraft character into a brawler was quite a challenge for the team, but judging by the reaction online it will certainly give new juice to Nintendo’s most nostalgic brawler.
This week on Pod Yourself A Gun, a Sopranos rewatch podcast, we’re discussing Sopranos season three episode three, “Fortunate Son,” which originally premiered March 11, 2001. This episode may not be quite as good as the previous week’s, (one of the best Sopranos episodes ever in this podcaster’s opinion) but it seems to mark a period when even a medium-level Sopranos episode was head and shoulders above anything else on TV. They were back (back) back in a Newark groove, if you will.
This week’s guest is television writer and co-host of the Sexy Unique Podcast Carey O’Donnell (@ecareyo) who has some New Jersey roots of his own to bring to bear in this episode. “Fortunate Son,” directed by Henry J. Bronchtein and written by Todd A. Kessler, really has everything. Christopher becomes a made guy (with a possible omen from a crow), Tony discovers the meat-connection to his panic attacks, AJ struggles with his own mediocrity, and Janice comes back into town to steal Livia’s ex-nurse Svetlana’s prosthetic leg (one of the greatest storylines in Sopranos history, if you ask me). We also get to know little Jackie Aprile, who sort of pisses off everyone and eventually ropes Christopher into a plot to rob a benefit concert at Rutgers headlined by Jewel, an event Matt has astutely termed “a Jewel heist.”
Oh, and did you know there was a pre-blog Perez Hilton cameo?
HBO
It’s a fantastic episode, both of The Sopranos and of Pod Yourself A Gun, but really, is there any other kind? Even our B+ episodes are miles better than other podcasts, that’s just me being modest. If you love it, please give us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and/or wherever you get your podcasts. If you don’t, always remember, no refunds.
With drive-in theaters making a comeback in the COVID era, the uses for the format have also expanded to accommodate far more than just old movies (or new ones, for that matter). Drive-ins are now hosting live concerts as well, giving recording artists an outlet to once again perform in front of fans in person — even if they are separated by necessity and a few dozen car windshields.
The latest artist to make use of the format is R&B/jazz star Thundercat, who will host a socially-distanced concert on October 24 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California with guest comedian Hannibal Buress. Tickets will be available beginning tomorrow, October 2 at 10 am PT via Night Out. Attendees will designate the number of guests per vehicle at purchase, with cars to park at minimum distance required by CDC guidelines. All attendees must also wear masks.
The Overwatch League saw a surprising shakeup on Thursday when it was reported that the commissioner of the Overwatch League, Pete Vlastelica, would be stepping down from his role as commissioner of the Overwatch League. This news came as a huge surprise for eSports because the Overwatch League Grand Finals are occurring from October 8 through October 10. Just seven days out from the finals is not exactly an ideal time for the commissioner of the sport to be stepping down, and as such this move raised some eyebrows.
Reports about whether Vlastelica is stepping down by his own choice or not have so far been mixed, but a spokesperson from Activsion Blizzard released this statement to UPROXX about the change.
“Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports and Commissioner of the Overwatch League, will transition from his role in (Activision Blizzard Entertainment) to focus on new entrepreneurial ventures on behalf of Activision Blizzard, following the Overwatch League Grand Finals. He was instrumental in building the company’s esports business and driving the industry forward, and we thank Pete for his contributions and impact on our business over the last four years”
Vlastelica has been with the company since 2016, but didn’t spend a long time as commissioner of the Overwatch League, taking over for Nate Nanzer when Nanzer stepped down in May 2019.
The news was originally reported by multiple outlets, including Eben Novy-Williams.
At the beginning of March, Palm Springs’ newest hotel, Les Cactus, was enjoying a nice run. It had scored good write-ups, Instagram stars were posting pics, and the user-based reviews were glowing. Best of all, the buzz was converting to real revenue. The property entered the month with 70% occupancy after being open for less than thirty days.
For a brand new hotel/AirBnB hybrid in a hyper-competitive industry, that number is certainly eyebrow-raising. Corporations started calling for buyouts. More cool kids rushed to visit (without the actual kids — the property is 21+). Models posted to Instagram from every rattan chair, retro-tiled shower, and sunbaked slab of pink stucco they could find. Les Cactus was as hot as a Palm Springs sidewalk.
Then COVID hit. The property shut down completely — a week before that move was mandated by California Governor Gavin Newsom. From the first week of March to mid-June, they were 100% closed. As cash flow evaporated, first-time hotel-owner Matt Kurtz, 33, came to a crossroads: open back up (as soon as it was legal) or risk shutting down forever.
He chose to open while taking stringent actions to make sure that the potential for contact was at its absolute minimum. Things wouldn’t be quite the same, of course. The public shared kitchen was shuttered. Guests would be asked to wear masks in the lobby and walking across the pool deck. But, in general, the vibe was classic P.S. — people basking in the sun, paging through paperbacks, snapping photos, and taking dips in the pool.
The property surged again, thanks to its Instagram-friendly midcentury maximalist design and Kurtz’s own accomodating manner when managing guest concerns. As of this writing, Les Cactus has had no COVID cases reported and, having visited, I can say that the precations they claim to be taking are real. The night of my stay, I spoke with Kurtz about his entire opening-closing-opening saga. He proved refreshingly frank about the steps he’s taken, the risk of spreading the virus, and the challenges of running a hotel in the COVID-era.
Les Cactus
When did you shut down the property during the initial wave?
We shut down a week before the actual required shutdown.
So that was… March 7th?
Just about. At that time, it was really scary. No one knew what was happening. As an employer, I was like, “I need to look out for my staff and guests. How might we be potentially promoting or spreading this virus? We don’t know what it is.” So we shut down a week before the actual California governor said that we had to close down businesses. We stayed empty until we reopened on June, 19th.
It was that or potentially closing forever, which was a possibility. So when we opened we wanted to make sure we were doing everything that we could to A) make guests feel comfortable with the visit, but also B) make sure our staff was safe. Guests may be here for one or two nights. It’s our staff that’s here for five to seven days a week. So we’re the ones that are really more at risk than the guests are. We did a lot of research and followed any guidelines that were provided.
Yeah, there are the CDC guidelines for hotels, of course, but there is also a lot of industry-specific information out that really drills down in how to pull a re-opening off.
The California Hotel and Lodging Association has pretty strict guidelines that we follow. We use Ecolab, which is a commercial cleaning company that provides us all our chemicals, which are hospital-grade and CDC-rated to kill viruses. We’re just following any sort of guideline and practice that we can just make sure our staff and the guests are safe.
There was a time where when people re-opened there was a fear of, “Okay, what is our protocol where we would have to close right back down again?” Is that conversation you’ve had?
When a guest checks out, we completely sanitize and disinfect the hotel using the Ecolab products, these disinfectants and cleaning solutions that are ready to kill viruses. We purchased a hypoallergenic, completely safe disinfecting fogging machine, so we go in there and drop a little gift bag, which has snacks and hand sanitizer and stuff, then we go in, we fog the entire thing down. The floor, the furniture, the high touch areas… everything.
Then the guest room is closed. The room code is programmed. We work it down and then we don’t go in there. If someone was to call and say that they were COVID-positive, we have all the guests’ information, we would call and say, “Hey, we want to let you know that while you were here, there was a guest that was positive.” Then we would be shutting down the hotel to make sure that the entire property was sanitized in such a way that we felt comfortable to reopen the property to our staff and guests again.
What have the guests’ attitudes generally been? It’s one of the things that’s been interesting about this: LA treats the pandemic differently than Orange County, where I live, which is different than here in Riverside County.
I would say 99% of our guests are very chill and open about it. What makes it really easy for us is that when you drive in there are signs that read, “facemasks required.” It’s Citywide. If there ever is any pushback, we say, “Hey guys, we’re so sorry. This is a city-mandated requirement. We can get shut down.”
If there was any pushback for that, then we would ask the guests to leave — kindly, respectfully, and with an offer to refund them. The last thing we want is one of those Walmart, Trader Joe, or Cosco social media situations. But luckily —
Those people who are obviously trying to create a scene?
Exactly. We ask guests when they’re indoors, in our lobby, to wear a mask. If they don’t have it, we have masks at the ready for you to put on. We ask guests to wear them while they’re walking around outdoors. When they’re sitting down in a pool chair or swimming or at some other outdoor dining table, then they’re welcome to take it off. It’s the same rules that you would see at a restaurant or anything like that. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to protect everyone who is here to make them feel comfortable.
To pivot the conversation a little bit. When did you guys originally open?
The first week of February?
Oh my God.
So we had about a month of operation until we had to shut down.
So talk to me about that because… you’re obviously quite young to be able a hotelier. This is your first project?
Yep. I was always was in the hotel industry, wanting to own hotels. Worked at the front desk for the Chateau Marmont. Moved to NYU to get my master’s in Hotel Finance. Worked at a bunch of restaurants and bars and hotels over there. Got a job in hotel consulting in appraisals and went into finance. But all with the idea of one day being able to open up a property or multiple properties.
Did you know from the very beginning that, the design was going to be so intrinsic to the property? The design is very Palm Springs — this kind-of mid-century Tiki design. It’s also really friendly to the Instagram world, where people come and stay and say to themselves, “Okay, stylistically, I can really tell a cool story through my images here.”
Well, I think that’s the world we’re living in. A social media world. That’s how word of mouth gets out nowadays. I can only speak of hotels or hospitality businesses. To open up a property that isn’t Instagrammable or something that people really get excited to take photos of would mean that you’re not very relevant and you’re not going to get that word of mouth free marketing that you might otherwise enjoy. When we were designing it, yes, we wanted it to be fun and funky and affordable. Those were kind of our mantras. Knowing that, if we build a place that has really good service, really good price point, and a great design, people are going to come.
When you’re opening up a brand new hotel in Palm Springs — where there are these other really cool properties that are very successful, that have been around for years — how do you get people in your property? It comes down to pictures, right? You’re going to put your pictures on Expedia, Hotel.com, Instagram and just by people seeing the photos and looking at the prices, they’re going to make a decision. “Okay, I can maybe go to a place that doesn’t have any reviews because it looks really cute and just hope for the best.”
Now, luckily, we’ve been getting a ton of really good reviews lately, which is helping us. Design was very important when we opened this property. We always knew service has to be top-notch. Who wants to go to a hotel where they’re treated poorly or are being met by someone who’s unhappy? You have to feel good and relaxed when you come to a hotel. The price point is important also because you want to make sure people can afford it, and you want to deliver on that design.
Of course, you have a beautiful pool and you have a nice deck, too. I think in Palm Springs — where it gets to 105-degrees pretty routinely through the spring, summer, and fall — that becomes asset number one, right?
When we came into this property, it was very dated. The colors were brown and red and orange. What we did feel when we came in was a really great vibe, a really central courtyard, a great pool, and a good hot tub. Really mature plants — bougainvillea and palm trees. It had really good bones. We were able to see, “Okay, if we give this thing, a facelift, it could be really special.”
Les Cactus
Then you finally get it open and… not to pour salt on the wound, but what was your feeling as a young hotel owner? When the pandemic hit, it sounded like you became employee-focused right away, which is very admirable. Was your brain just spinning at that point?
It was a real punch in the gut. When you open up a hotel, you hope for the best. You have projections that you hope you’re going to hit, but at the end of the day, they’re numbers on paper. When we opened, we got such fanfare and such positive reviews and word of mouth, that we became, within a month we were at probably 70% occupancy. Obviously in February, that’s the start of the busy season, but for a hotel that just opened to be 70% occupied — I think that’s really special. We were getting requests from cool companies to come and do buyouts and stuff like that.
Then, in early March, the world… We had about 50 or 60,000 thousand dollars worth of revenue already in March that was canceled, all within a couple of days because people were afraid to travel. So that was really upsetting and made us ask, “What’s going to happen? Are we going to weather the storm? Are we going to be able to stay open? When we do reopen, is it going to be as positive as when we just did in February? Or we’re going to have to jump through hoops now?” So it was really scary.
What are guests saying about being opened up again?
For many of them — actually, right now, we just had a guest check-in and she said, “This is the first time that we’ve left our home for the last four months.” We get a lot of calls and emails. “What are your procedures? What are your policies with COVID?” People call in, “I’m not comfortable. Can you tell me what’s going on?” I just take them through our process step-by-step and we still get cancellations today, and I say, “I completely understand, when you’re comfortable, we’re here for you.”
We used to have a 14-day cancellation policy. We cut that down to one to two days, officially. But even then, we’re really flexible. We’re here for guests, so we make sure guests feel comfortable. If they don’t, then we’re not going to charge them a penalty. We want to let them know that we’re here and we’re friendly. When you’re comfortable, you’ll come back. We’d love to have you. It’s all a matter of walking people through the policies and procedures, and just doing our best to make people feel comfortable. That’s cleaning and wiping things down throughout the day. Our housekeepers do it in the morning and afternoon. Then I do it again at night.
Were there any capacity changes?
We’re only talking about 27 rooms. As for the pool deck, we had more chairs and moved them around a little bit. In the summer heat, people are only at the pool for a certain number of hours. So we haven’t had an issue where people are like, “Hey, there’s no chairs!”
It’s really just about keeping people distanced. Trying to keep them wearing a mask, doing our part in cleaning and disinfecting, and taking the whole thing incredibly seriously for the sake of our guests and our team.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals couldn’t have gone much better for the Los Angeles Lakers, but LeBron James insists there’s plenty to work on. The Lakers got off to a sluggish start, falling behind by as many as 13 in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, they saw a 30-plus point lead shrink to as few as 13 before they extended things back out to the eventual 116-98 final score.
Despite those nitpicks, L.A. is in tremendous position to win another championship, which would be the fourth of LeBron’s career and first of Anthony Davis’. In Game 1, both players were sensational, with Davis racking up 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while James put forth a 25-point, 13-rebound, nine-assist night. Their partnership has been nothing short of tremendous all season, and has only gotten better this postseason.
On Thursday, LeBron was asked about what’s made he and Davis work so well together in their first year, as they haven’t seemed to encounter the same bumps in the road that, say, the Clippers with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did. For James, who has played with plenty of other stars in his career, what sets apart his relationship with AD is that there’s no jealousy involved and they want nothing but the best for each other, on and off the floor.
“We’re not jealous of each other… You align that with respect, I think the sky is the limit.”@KingJames on what makes him and Anthony Davis successful teammates. pic.twitter.com/aYcAKJT0Jh
James has seen how star dynamics play out elsewhere, whether it’s in Miami where he, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all took some time to adapt to each other and learn how they best fit, or in Cleveland where he, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love had their ups and downs. With Davis, James noted both are extremely comfortable in who they are, which is likely a different situation from James’ previous stops where, in Miami, he was still trying to cement his legacy and, in Cleveland, Irving was trying to create his own as a young star. It’s the latter that most assume the jealousy comment is in reference to, and that James said this the same day Irving made some … let’s say interesting comments on feeling like he was always the best option on past teams before playing with KD is at the least an interesting coincidence.
In this case, Davis wanted to join LeBron and they had enough of a relationship before becoming teammates via trade that there were no surprises about how they’d mesh. The result has been a swift and fruitful partnership, one the Lakers hope will result in a championship in the next week-plus, and it seems as though they really, truly have a relationship that’s rare between superstar teammates.
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