Hi friends,
Greetings from Cincinnati!
Toronto Trip. Last weekend, I drove 7.5 hrs to Toronto with my younger brother, sister, and Mom. On the way, we passed by Niagara Falls. It was frigid! We met our Uncle, who took us for some delicious Xinjiang food. Overall, I like the city. The downtown apartment high-rises have bold geometric patterns and are newly-built, with more coming— I saw many cranes atop half-complete skyrises. Toronto has a great assortment of international cuisine. With respect to infrastructure, it has an expansive 19mi underground pedestrian passageway (called the Path), that provides direct access to over 70 buildings, especially useful in -10°C weather. We went on a Sunday night at 8pm — stores were closed, routes were blocked off, and tunnels were bare — so I’d love to visit again at another time.
Picks: Chicha San Chen (Boba) | Ace Hotel | Pizzeria Badiali | R&D
24 Years Old. Did you know Alexander the Great was 24 when he conquered Syria, Phoenicia, Tyre, and Egypt, and founded the historic city of Alexandria? My birthday was on the 13th. Thanks to all who wished me happy birthday on Instagram. My family gave me a lego set of Tokyo (my favorite destination)— which I enjoyed assembling.
Magic Taxi Cab. I was busy the first week of January writing a newsletter on cities, urbanism, and travel. Format-wise, I was inspired by the daily episodic curation + voice of Morning Brew (business), Milk Road (crypto), and The Hustle (tech), and the surrealist, multi-sensory textual imagistic experience of Rabbit Holes. Named Taxi Cab, (later I prepended Magic), each issue contains 3-5 curated ideas, travel destinations, and relevant news topics. I played around with AI-generated art to simulate a 3-min scrollable “virtual taxi ride” in your inbox. The first 7 issues are listed below.
(1) $50,000 Parking Spot (2) 15-Minute City, Latte Art, Le Corbusier (3) The Man Who Single-Handedly Built a Country (4) Push a Button, Get a Ride (5) How to Create a New City? (6) The World’s 3rd Largest Cave (7) Extra Reading Resources
Read / Listened / Watched
📝 Morning Brew’s Referral Program and Behind-the-Scenes Tech
Interesting Fact of the Past
In antiquity, it was the small phallus that was considered desirable because it symbolized the virtue of moderation.
Useful Tip of the Day
Close physical contact, at the center of your body, relieves pain. For someone who’s grieving, recommend a massage. That touch will be helpful for them.
Unique Gift Idea
A DIY box, containing materials proportionate to a country’s exports. Rep your country while the recipient learns about it. Example:
Thanks for reading.
Have a great week!
Leo A
Love the Tokyo Lego set