DC Blues

Yesterday I took a brief walk around Washington, DC to see the landmarks. I do not travel to Washington often, but during my infrequent visits, I always enjoy looking at the monuments to history and the classically designed buildings that house the institutions of a great nation.

This time, however, I did not feel a sense of greatness or pride. After the last seven years, I now looked at these edifices with sadness, cynicism, disappointment and anger at what America has become.

Others have written much more eloquently than I can about the transgressions and failings of the current US regime (notably Paul Krugman), so I won't try to do so here. I simply hope that the USA can regain its soul and once again stand for justice, freedom and opportunity in the world.

The next president will certainly need to work hard to achieve this. Hopefully, the US electorate will not squander yet again their opportunity to put things right.

I Heart NY

Some things I like about New York.

A timeless slogan.

Steam beneath the streets.

The best steakhouses!

You Don't Make Friends with Salad

Somehow, I cannot see myself ever frequenting this establishment!

Contentment Above the Earth

I cannot bear to travel in economy class on long-haul flights. Unfortunately, business class fares cost the earth, so unless I can get a discounted fare deal, I normally buy an economy or premium economy ticket and use frequent-flyer miles to upgrade.

Because I have accumulated most of my miles with American Airlines and British Airways, I almost always fly with one of these two airlines. American's business class delivers a barely adequate level of comfort and service. BA's Club Class, equipped with fully-flat beds and staffed by friendly and competent flight crews, provides a superior travel experience in every way, but you do pay for it.

Today, I tried something new and travelled from London to New York on all-business-class Eos Airlines. They impressed in every way. Eos flies 757's that carry only 48 passengers with fully-flat bed seats and plenty of personal space. Aside from the obvious advantages this provides in boarding and leaving the plan, the cabin feels completely different from one crammed with 200 or more passengers.

Flying Eos is a similar experience to sitting in BA's Club Class on the upper deck of their 747's: very quiet and private. The difference, however, is that Eos gives you bigger seats, more room and more personal attention. They unquestionably deliver a "first class" travel experience, with the best on-the-ground service I have ever experienced, at a significant discount from normal business class fares. I cannot wait to fly with them again.

The trouble is, I am worried that Eos will not be around for too long. MaxJet, another relatively new business class airline that served the London to New York route, filed for bankruptcy and stopped flying at the end of 2007. While it is true that MaxJet offered an inferior experience to Eos, I am wondering if the low(er) cost business-class-only airline model is economically sustainable.

I sure hope so!

The New New Coffee Experience

A few weeks ago in the New York Times, Joe Nocera wrote about how Starbucks founder and chairman Howard Schultz wants to save the "Starbucks experience." The article quotes from a memo that Shultz wrote to his executives complaining that Starbucks stores no longer have the atmosphere of neighbourhood coffee shops, but feel more like chain stores. He wants his executives to find a way to recapture the "romance and theatre" that was once Starbucks.

Duh! In case Howard Schultz hasn't noticed, Starbucks is a chain, and a pretty big one, with maybe 15,000 stores. I don't think that it is possible to make a 15,000 store chain not seem, well, pretty dull and pre-fabricated.

I do not buy coffee at Starbucks very often in London (I usually go to Cafe Nero) but during a recent trip to New York I visited several different Starbucks stores. To be sure, these stores in Manhattan are not places to relax and linger over a latte or cappuccino while contemplating life; they are high-volume coffee factories. While the process seems focused on getting the masses served and out the door quickly and efficiently, the inefficient (and sometimes incompetent) staff and clueless customers make this impossible.

What passes for atmosphere is a room full of fidgety and grumpy people waiting to get served while others scramble to grab a one of the too-few seats when they infrequently become free. Certainly, I did not see any evidence of "romance and theatre" and any Starbucks store I visited and none even come close to achieving a neighbourhood coffee house feel.

Now to be fair, I did not visit Starbucks much during the years I lived in New York, so maybe they have always been like this. I do not go to many stores in other parts of the country very often (but the ones I have visited do seem sterile to me), so maybe this is just a "New York effect" to cater to the fast-paced demands of local customers.

One very important thing that I did notice about Starbucks in New York: while hundreds of cafes and deli counters sell cheap take-away coffee in cardboard or styrofoam cups, Starbucks is the only game in town for premium coffee and espresso.

That surprised me. London, not historically known as a big coffee drinking city, hosts at least four premium coffee chains and numerous independent coffee bars. The chains are mostly the same, although subtly different. Starbucks in London do not seem as factory-like as their New York counterparts, but Cafe Nero offers better coffee and, apart from the servers' zombie-like repetition of "would you like any pastry or muffins?" (the coffee house equivalent of "do you want fries with that?"), offers a better, more relaxed atmosphere.

Bottom line, there is a huge opportunity for somebody to fill a gaping hole in the New York high-end coffee market. The timing is right, with Starbucks floundering, and as a colleague of mine once said, when your competitor is drowning, stick a hose in his mouth.

I gotta believe that a top-quality espresso bar with comfortable seating, a relaxed atmosphere, real (not cardboard) cups and competent, efficient service would succeed in a New York minute.

At least I would go there!

Doppelgangers

I'm a Chelsea Football Club supporter.

Am I the only one who thinks that Avram Grant looks more and more like Bela Lugosi every day?

London in Winter

I find London curiously seductive in the dead of Winter.

Sky that can remain the colour of wet cement for days on end and rain that's not really rain but simply water suspended in air often make the city seem pretty bleak. But at the same time, the wintry backdrop gives London its unique character and stoic charm.

Besides, the short days and long nights make this a good time to tackle long-postponed projects, catch up on reading and think great thoughts.

Of course, in reality, I just spend more time watching crap TV and planning trips to warmer and sunnier places.