Review and Test Drive: 2018 Lexus LC 500h Hybrid Luxury Coupe

by Jonathan Spira

The striking LF-LC Concept – LF-LC stands for Lexus Future Luxury Coupe – made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in 2012 to thunderous applause although few believed it would ever make it into production relatively unchanged. It defied the odds, however, and was introduced as the 2018 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h, the latter behind the hybrid variant.
Indeed its swoopy design gets attention wherever it …

‘Fantasia: Sounds & Sorcery’ at The Vaults – Theater Review

by Blaise Buckley

One of the most exciting entertainment venues I’ve ever stepped into is tucked below Waterloo station, hidden among the skyscrapers of London, and yet few Londoners have even heard of it. It’s the underground world of the Vaults and I’ve attended three shows at the venue.
Playing now through the end of September, “Fantasia: Sounds & Sorcery,” inspired by Disney’s “Fantasia,” is an immersive experience that made me feel like I …

Flying to Europe Has Never Been Cheaper: Here’s How to Book Budget-Priced Tickets

by Anna Breuer

“It won’t get cheaper.”  That’s what ultra low-cost carrier Primera Air said in a recent ad campaign, advertising one-way fares to Europe of $99. Ninety-nine dollars was People Express territory in 1985, although that very same $99 would be approximately $219 in 2018 dollars.
Recently, Primera Air offered one-way fares to London from Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. of $63. To put this in perspective, this would be approximately $27 …

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at National Yiddish Theatre Honors Memory of Theodore Bikel, Famed for His Role as Tevye

by Anna Breuer

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene celebrated on Monday night the memory of Academy Award nominee Theodore Bikel, best known for portraying Tevye in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Theodore Bikel, one of the most versatile actors of stage and screen, died in 2015. He was a longtime supporter of the Folksbiene and starred in the role of Tevya in various productions a record 2,200 times.
Lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who collaborated with Joseph Stein …

Hamburger Economics 2018: Learning from the ‘Big Mac’ Index

by Jonathan Spira

Eighteen months ago, we took a look at a unique economic tool to gauge currency misalignment: the Big Mac Index, created by The Economist in 1986.
Since its inception – and it was first intended by its creators to be tongue-in-cheek and not necessarily a serious tool – it has become an invaluable way of understanding the relationship between the world’s currencies as they increase and decrease in relative value. It’s …

Great Moments in Travel History – September 2018

by Jesse Sokolow

September marks the start of the meteorological autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the meteorological spring in the Southern.  The month gets its name from the Latin word for seven, septem. It was the seventh month in the oldest known Roman calendar in which March was the first month.  After January and February were added to the calendar ahead of March in a calendar reform, September became the ninth month but …

Lobby Bar – August 31: The Miracle of Flight, Purple Wi-Fi, and ‘I’ll Take Obi-Wan Kenobi for $200, Alex!’

by Anna Breuer

Lobby Bar – Things Here Aren’t Always What They Appear to Be
Politics as usual. The almost unending heat wave has been a boon to the air conditioning industry as units flew off the shelves. To perhaps no one’s surprise, the Trump Administration claimed credit for the heat wave, explaining it had planned it as part of its promise to save jobs at Carrier’s Indianapolis factory, and called rumors of its …