Cards against Trump
Maybe a board game will save America. 'Cards Against Humanity', the popular, profane game known as a 'party game for horrible people', launched a holiday promotion with the company's claim that it will stop Donald Trump from building a wall along the US-Mexico border. The absurdist card game company said it bought a piece of land along the border and plans to make it very difficult ( and expensive) for Trump to move forward with his plan. The company did not reveal where the land is located.
The Chicago-based company said on its website that this was part of a holiday promotion, for which customers could contribute to the wall-blocking project with $15 purchases for surprise gift packages.
On Wednesday morning, just a few hours after launching the programme, Cards Against Humanity said it was sold out. "Donald Trump is a preposterous golem who is afraid of Mexicans," said Cards Against Humanity on its website. "He is so afraid that he wants to build a twenty-billion dollar wall that everyone knows will accomplish nothing. So we've purchased a plot of vacant land on the border and retained a law firm specializing in eminent domain to make it as time-consuming and expensive as possible for the wall to get built."
Earlier this year, the company had launched a new card game making fun of the tech sector. 'Cards Against Silicon Valley' includescards labelled "understated sexism" and "Nintendo-based drinking games".
The company also applied to trademark the term, 'fake news'.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Fifth Avenue's Tiffany & Co. drew attention with Audrey Hepburn's iconic 1961 film. In it, Holly Golightly stared into the window display of diamonds and took a bite of her pastry and a sip of coffee, seeking solace against the backdrop of a hectic city. Today, the flagship store shares its wall with Trump Tower and has completed a remodelling to open its first-ever dining space - The Blue Box Cafe - so you can actually have breakfast at Tiffany's.
The cafe opened up earlier this month, with people perpetually lined up outside the doors. On Sunday morning, crowds would wait for hours before it opened. The interior is marked with the signature Tiffany-blue chairs, walls and decor and has a rotating menu. The design is inspired to make diners feel as though they are inside a trademark Tiffany blue box.
The opulent store comes with opulent prices. Breakfast and lunch are set at $29 and $39 respectively, offering two courses in each. Breakfast includes croissant, fruit and dishes like truffle eggs and avocado toast, while lunch has an appetizer like mushroom soup and entrée such as a 'Fifth Avenue Salad'. Tea service for $49 ups the splendour, with a three-tier selection of pastries, scones and sandwiches.
Thanksgiving in the Big Apple
Thanksgiving is about getting together with family and feasting the evening away. But Thanksgiving in New York is a whole different story. Any Manhattan shoebox apartment struggles to cram in as many people as possible with an even smaller kitchen prepping turkey, stuffing and dessert.
However, if you're looking elsewhere to host, and have $20,000 to spare, then look no further than the newly-opened lounge at the HGU New York hotel. The luxury boutique hotel is offering a Thanksgiving dinner that involves your personal event planner, a live jazz band, two King Suites at the hotel and a chef-curated meal that includes two, 20-pound gold-flaked turkeys, white truffle stuffing, liquid gold hot chocolate and bottomless Dom Perignon champagne. If you're missing nostalgic dishes, the chef, Keith Geter, is more than happy to recreate from your family recipes. You can host a guest list of upto 40 people for this luxury Thanksgiving package.
But your options aren't limited. Down a few avenues, at the Old Homestead Steakhouse, the Thanksgiving package costs $76,000 per person. In addition to the imported ingredients and drinks, the price tag included four tickets to Hamilton, limousine service, a two-night luxury suite at the Mandarin Oriental and a $7,500 shopping spree on Fifth Avenue.
Technology first
This holiday, Amazon is launching mini pop-ups in Whole Foods stores across the country. After the $13.7 billion dollar acquisition earlier this year, the online retail giant is slowly moving operations on the ground. The stores will sell Amazon devices, such as its Echo smart speakers, Kindle readers and Fire tablets - and occupy about 300 to 500 square feet of Whole Foods's store space. However, it hasn't completely moved away from tech. Starting this year, it has been testing the launch of Amazon Go, an experimental concept that uses sensors and other technology - not cashiers - to identify and automatically charge customers at retail stores. There is an 1,800 square foot store in downtown Seattle almost ready to be open to public. Amazon Go customers would be able to walk into the store, grab the products they want, and walk out without waiting in line for a cashier.
Suhashini Sarkar
FOOTNOTE
Thanksgiving kicked off with Macy's 91st Annual Thanksgiving Parade in midtown Manhattan. The extravagant line up of floats and bands marched on for two and a half miles. Smokey Robinson, Goo Goo Dolls, Flo Rida and Gwen Stefani were among the stars celebrating. This year, four people staged a sit-down protest against Trump's immigration policies and briefly blocked the parade route before cops removed them.
