Lobby Bar – July 24: Hay-Powered Cars, Miss Sophie Finds a Friend, and Painlessly Frying Balls

Lobby Bar – A 100% Polyester Summary of FBT News and Views 

Sunny delight. Join Jeremy Dwyer–Lindgren around the world for some lovely photos of sunsets. The sunsets are quite nice, Jeremy, but there are airplanes photobombing nearly every picture!

When in Rome.  American Express’s new Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia has everything a traveler could want at an airport lounge, with minor exceptions.  Paul Riegler mistook the name to imply that he had to show up dressed as an officer of the Roman legion and the staff had problems helping him out of his battle-dress so he could use the shower. Meanwhile, two birds mistook his Galea for a predator and attacked him on the way out.

Try this at home. What is the best way to charge your smartphone’s battery? While you could use the tried and true method of plugging it into an electrical outlet, we’ve found that if you shake your phone quickly back and forth, its battery will harness the kinetic energy and will charge at approximately 1% per hour.

Secret shenanigans. If you’re not fully prepped for summer, Paul Riegler has you covered with his list of essential gear. Nissan’s Intak Hydration Bottle is easy to fill, hold, and drink from, and by our tests, stores the perfect amount of vodka for a night of fun.

Rest in peace. Jonathan Spira mourns the loss of Theodore Bikel, who died in Los Angeles this week at age 91.  Mr. Bikel was a wonderful actor and also happened to outlive all of his fellow cast members in “My Fair Lady,” giving him “Miss Sophie” status at his last birthday dinner.

Try it? Fry it. Jesse Sokolow checks out the Penn Plates Food Festival, which features specialty foods from a number of local vendors.  “Fried balls” does not refer to an ancient torture method, or an STD – rather it’s a new way to consume risotto: deep fried with gooey mozzarella cheese.

What embargo?  The U.S. officially reopened its embassy in Cuba after more than 50 years.  Approximately 18 seconds later, Cuban cigars miraculously surfaced in multiple locations across all 50 states.

Neigh, girl. Uber found out that it will not be facing a cap on the number of vehicles it can have on the road in New York City.  Using a loophole in New York State law, the on-demand ride taxi company legally classified half of its fleet as horses.  To make the claim believable, Uber also bought 500 kilograms of hay from a local farm.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)