You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.

Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

• Type of card(s) and amount of each.
• What payment method you accept.
• How you acquired the GC and why you're getting rid of it.

BTC, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Venmo, and Western Union
I only have Steam as a substitute for cash payments in gift card trades.

Want ↓	Cash or a Gift Card ↓	BTC ↓
Apple	60%4	NA
Amazon.ca	50%	50%
Amazon.co.uk	50%	50%
Amazon.com	70%	55%
Amazon.de	50%	50%
Amazon.es	50%	50%
Amazon.fr	50%	50%
Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	60%	60%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)4	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell4	60%	NA
Delta gift cards4	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles4	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers4	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 4	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
DoorDash	70%6	NA
Dunkin Donuts4	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango4	10%	NA
Five Guys4	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards4	PM me	NA
Grub Hub	70%6	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
HBO4	70%	NA
iTunes4	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs4	60%	NA
KFC4	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 4	60%	NA
Microsoft6	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill4	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop6	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread4	60%	NA
PSN6	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month4	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway4	80%	NA
Starbucks	55%	55%
Steam6	60%	NA
Subway 4	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Uber6	70%	NA
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu4	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys4	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)6	60%	NA
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (12 month/6 month/3 month/1 month)6	PM me	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ I can't send less than $10 in crypto per Coinbase's rules.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Google Play
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• iTunes from anywhere but the US
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
$500 in Amazon (can be broken up) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion
• 85%: btc
• 90%: Apple Pay or Chime

Here are my GCX Rep profiles with 932 trades worth more than $60,000:

• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is twelve characters or less it's best to assume your account has already been compromised; your password should be eight randomly selected words, see 1 and 2). Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.

Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

• Type of card(s) and amount of each.
• What payment method you accept.
• How you acquired the GC and why you're getting rid of it.

BTC, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Venmo, and Western Union
I only have Steam as a substitute for cash payments in gift card trades.

Want ↓	Cash or a Gift Card ↓	BTC ↓
Apple	60%4	NA
Amazon.ca	50%	50%
Amazon.co.uk	50%	50%
Amazon.com	70%	55%
Amazon.de	50%	50%
Amazon.es	50%	50%
Amazon.fr	50%	50%
Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	60%	60%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)4	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell4	60%	NA
Delta gift cards4	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles4	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers4	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 4	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
DoorDash	70%6	NA
Dunkin Donuts4	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango4	10%	NA
Five Guys4	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards4	PM me	NA
Grub Hub	70%6	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
HBO4	70%	NA
iTunes4	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs4	60%	NA
KFC4	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 4	60%	NA
Microsoft6	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill4	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop6	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread4	60%	NA
PSN6	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month4	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway4	80%	NA
Starbucks	55%	55%
Steam6	60%	NA
Subway 4	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Uber6	70%	NA
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu4	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys4	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)6	60%	NA
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (12 month/6 month/3 month/1 month)6	PM me	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ I can't send less than $10 in crypto per Coinbase's rules.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Google Play
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• iTunes from anywhere but the US
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
$500 in Amazon (can be broken up) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion
• 85%: btc
• 90%: Apple Pay or Chime

Here are my GCX Rep profiles with 932 trades worth more than $60,000:

• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is twelve characters or less it's best to assume your account has already been compromised; your password should be eight randomly selected words, see 1 and 2). Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

Hi! I am a graduate student attending school in Southern California where I am studying urban and regional planning with the ultimate goal of entering making an impact on the environment or transport fields.
When not occupied with school or work, I enjoy hiking, photography, cycling, fashion, traveling (30+ countries), and going to new restaurants. Mexican and Italian cuisine are my favorites.
I am 5’6 with a lean build, light brown eyes and medium brown hair.
As for who you are, I am looking for a woman (22-34, preferably older) who is seeking something more than casual, and who

• I’m into taller women but any height is ok
  
• Any race or ethnicity
  

-Is not religious, (I respect religion but as an agnostic religion isn’t a central part of life for me)
-Is not into drugs, (I drink socially but I am not a smoker and I distance myself from drugs)
-Is intelligent, educated, and goal and career oriented
-Does not have kids
-Lives in California, and has a car
I would love to get to know you and take you on fun dates. If you think we might click, drop me a direct message and let me know who you are, what your favorite food is and what your passions are!
https://imgur.com/a/GVfQKKy

First off, let me apologise for such a long post! It's been on my mind since I woke up, so I'm trying to be as thorough as possible. Specifically I'm looking for some help/insight into interpreting this dream and the figure who showed up in it. Typically I don't remember my dreams, so it's really odd to me that not only did I fully remember this one but the figure I'm concerned about and the place in which she was seen I've dreamt about once before in the past. I can't remember exactly how long it's been since the first time, but it's within the last six months at max.
The beginning of the dream itself didn't seem particularly interesting or out of the ordinary, very dream-typical stuff that I'm used to. For context, I was a teenager again. I had a friend with me, a girl about my age with black hair and dark skin. We were riding bikes, trying to get away from some bullies, and ended up in a part of the city I currently live in (nowhere near where I lived as a teen), and we were trying to find our way out.
As we were going through side streets, alleys, main intersections, etc, we came upon a shop that looked like it could have been something like a laundromat or dive restaurant. It didn't seem weird and it looked totally innocuous, even though I saw the sign above it had kind of a weird name. I can't remember exactly what it read, it was something like "Ms. (name)'s" and the letters looked like they were painted on the overhead of the front of the building, but they were glowing a deep purple like they were actually neon lights or something.
Because we still thought we were being followed and there was no alley between any of the buildings to go through that we could see, we decided to go through the building, hoping there was a back exit (weird, I know, but dream logic lol). As we went in, I noticed a lot of middle aged and older people sitting silently in chairs against the front window, almost like it was a waiting area. Everybody was dressed really nicely, like they were waiting for an appointment or an interview, etc. They all turned to stare at me, but it didn't creep me out at the time (it does now that I think about it).
I had started going through before my friend, and noticed a change as I left the front area (white walls, front window, dim lights but natural light coming in) and went into the back (black walls/ceiling/floors, no furniture, buzzing fluorescent lights). There was only one other person in the room near the backdoor, which was open. He watched me run through and didn't say anything or try to stop me, and I ran about 20-30 feet ahead before I turned around to look for my friend, who wasn't coming.
After a few minutes I went back in, and the man in the black room was gone. I went up to the front of the building again, and all of the waiting people were still there, still watching me in silence. There was a woman standing at the front door, and I recognised her almost immediately from a previous dream, where she had been wearing the same outfit and hairstyle. She had a white tank top on and faded red pants, wooden heels, and a red bandana on her head. Her hair was in dreads and she looked either black or Hispanic.
She held the door open for me as I walked past her, and I turned to look at her and ask what happened to my friend. When I asked she got this really sad, sort of tired smile on her face and told me in a really gentle voice, something along the lines of, "You can't wait here and you won't find her. You'll be back when it's your turn. Don't be sad, everybody has to come back someday." I'll note that the first time I saw this woman, she never spoke to me, but she did have the same expression when I looked at her and she was holding the door of the building open but I never went inside.
After she spoke to me, I walked over to the left side of the building and somehow there was a tight alleyway where there hadn't been before. I went through and came out on the other side, near the backdoor. The door was closed and I just ended up walking away and back in the direction I had been going, and I woke up after I had gotten far enough away from the building that I couldn't see it anymore.
Tl;Dr : I dreamt I ran with a friend to an unknown place I've seen once before, but lost her on the way through. Met a woman who told me I couldn't stay but I'll be back someday too.
Does anybody have any idea of who this could have been/what this place was or what this was about? I have my ideas, but I'm curious to hear some other opinions. Not sure if it helps with the context of things but I'm Mexican myself and Native (Lakota), though I don't know much about any practices from either of those sides of my heritage. I'm wracking my brain trying to think of if this means anything. All insight is appreciated, and thanks for putting up with this hulk of a post! BB

My dad was a horrible father when I was growing up. I always like to make fun of him whenever he talks about how my mom and him tried for a boy but got 2 more girls instead. I like to think God keeled over, cackled and said, “Silly Josh.” Always in life he complained how it felt like the world was against him and he could never win. Now I think to myself, “Sir you are a white man, you’re playing the goddamned game wrong.” He always bitched and complained about him having to pay child support for 4 girls (in reality it wasn’t that much) even though he had a very well paying job but at work or with family friends he would boast about how he had two sets of twins and how he’s such a wonderful father. I know about the work thing because my aunt on my mom’s side happened to work in the same company branch as him. He had horrible road rage and for some odd reason chose to be with and live with a woman that lived an hour away from where I lived so from the ages of 7-13 once a week on Wednesdays after school I would go straight home and quickly pack everything I needed for that night and what I would wear to the next day at school. And then every other weekend I would go to his and his girlfriend’s house. I rarely did anything fun when I was with him because he’s such a cheap ass but I do remember being taken advantage of to clean their big ass house (I hate brown granite and marble floors). I remember one year he took his girlfriend and her daughters on a cruise and even helped his girlfriend pay for her eldest daughter’s quince. I did hear from someone else that he tried proposing to her on the cruise and she rejected him. They did stay together for a few more years after that. I had just started 8th grade and found out that my dad and her separated. I was so happy and thought that I could spend more time with my dad this way. During the time he was single I found myself at my aunts house more often while he was doing God knows what when I was supposed to see him for visitation. About 2 years later, he meets a Mexican woman that lives in Costa Mesa on a visa on Tinder. Oh how wonderful I thought she was. She would buy me clothes and take us to fancy restaurants in Orange County and pretend she was my mother. I thought nothing of this and welcomed her but now I think, I don’t look anything like that fat oompaloompa bitch. She drove an E class Mercedes yet she shared a bed with her mother in a townhouse of a cat lady. My dad and her moved in with each other very quickly and then by the next year I had a baby sister at the age of 17. When I turned 18 my father and stepmother took me to a nice restaurant and when my dad was toasting my sister and I, he also toasted to the fact that he wouldn’t have to pay child support anymore. Free from the chains of having to fulfill visitation for 10 years, I stopped seeing him frequently. This offended him. He would throw at me that I had a baby sister and it’s not right that I’m not seeing her often. True, I do love her. But I’m not the one that had a baby, I had no control in having a younger sibling at the age of 17. If I could have it my way, I don’t think my dad should have had another child. But remember, Josh has always wanted a boy. So of course God choked on his spit, wheezed and said, “Silly Josh.” Last year my dad had me come over and blindsided me when he asked me to tell him why I resented him. I said fuck it and told him everything. He replied, “So that’s how you feel?” He said he was sorry I felt that way and acted like he was in disbelief. Ever since then my contact with my dad and stepmom has gone radio silent ever since she opened a bank letter of mine back in December and she attacked me for confronting her. I saw them at my cousin’s wedding and did not speak to them other than to say hello. He did approach me when I was sitting at my table, only to ask for a cigarette. I hesitated for a few moments and then he said he would buy me another pack since my two uncles pestered me for a cigarette as well. I thought to myself, how is it me the 23 year old girl at her second adult wedding more prepared than these men that have been to countless weddings. One uncle came to me again, drunk, asking for another cigarette saying, “I know how we don’t get along and talk that much,” I bowed my head and covered my hands with my face, disappointed that my premonition of people asking me for cigarettes came true. My sister was fucked up and said, “It might look like that in your head but we don’t feel that way at all.” I reached for my pack and opened it to find two cigarettes left. I originally had half of the pack. My uncle sees this and stops what he’s saying and says aww, probably expecting me to give him one. I shooed him away and said not today. My dad disappeared without a trace before I left so the next morning my sister reminded him to send me money. He replied, “I’ll send the money but next time I don’t want to hear static when I ask for a cigarette next time.” This angered me. If he thought he heard static from me then, he should look up what it sounds like in space. Remember Josh, God laughs when you cry.

Update: found this great, short blog post from 2015 "Zero tolerance, Zero Empathy?" (https://shawnwhatley.com/zero-tolerance/) by a previous president of the Ontario Medical Association. I highly recommend reading this distilled critique by a professional's p.o.v.
This is just something that piqued my curiosity today while visiting a doctor's office. Examples in healthcare setting:
https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/10/signage-on-aggressive-behavior-designed-to-protect-health-workers-promote-respect.html (News article discussing hospitals but also briefly mentioning restaurants, airlines)
https://www.doctorsofbc.ca/news/we-all-deserve-respect-downloadable-sign-doctors-offices-now-available (Example of institutional rationale)
https://web.mhanet.com/media-library/hospital-signage-outlining-behavioral-expectations-in-a-health-care-environment/ (A more enlightened rationale about what comprises ethical signage)

Hospitals increasingly look for ways to deter patients and visitors from engaging in aggressive or violent behavior toward staff. When considering posting signs or other notices referencing policies against violence, hospitals must consider whether they could be interpreted to deter patients from coming to the emergency department. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services previously condemned signs it determined could discourage patients from seeking emergency care, in violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. MHA recommends hospitals use positive messages that encourage a healing environment instead of focusing on aberrant behavior by patients and visitors.

I think the trend is an interesting example of an austerity policy response, a increasing pattern that could nevertheless be generalized across different industries and countries. For example in the newspaper article above, it is claimed the pandemic is the "cause" of a rise in interpersonal incidents (of abuse, violence, and/or "disrespect") between a customer and a worker, rather than the failure of social democratic institutions to deal with ongoing global crises. I did a cursory search on Google Scholar but did not find a study showing that such public or semi-public signage significantly improves anything, and rather, one is reminded of all the prior research showing that zero-tolerance policies (e.g. in school settings) are counterproductive and actually backfire. Seeing certain signage recently makes one wonder if the medical profession in particular forgot an entire body of social science research.
I wonder if CT authors have observed and discussed this, that as a daily-life example, some kinds of signage subtly normalize individual alienation and obscure the politics of underlying the problem; the irony of such explicit signage in a neoliberal society is being used, compared to e.g. Zizek's soviet era experiences. Furthermore, during the lockdown/reopening era of the pandemic, there were many signs about mask wearing (and the ensuing public vs workers antagonism over masking), so it's interesting to see the post-pandemic shift from predominantly signs requiring concrete actions like putting on a mask to now explicitly requiring subjects perform a reversal of affective/emotional labor, etc.

So I’m a GM of a mom/pop restaurant (CA). Today one of our cooks had a seizure in our parking lot out back. I came out to see him laid out bleeding from his mouth and piss all over him. Unresponsive and stiff. Long story short. The guy is like family. He’s undocumented and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. I’ve been physically sick and just a flat out mess thinking of the inevitable. My owner already said he is going to be too high risk to keep. So what I’m left with is this situation: I’m firing a dear friend and leaving him with deep medical debt and no job. Please…is there any legal protection I can apply for him. I know California has some protections for undocumented workers. I’ve been having panic attacks all night just at the thought of me putting him in that type of situation. Any and all advice is welcome. Thank you.

Introduction: Mexico City has been a recent interest of mine ever since the YouTube algorithm started recommending me videos on this mega city. Like most Americans, I was ignorant and incorrectly under the assumption that Mexico City was sketchy and had nothing to offer for travelers other than poverty tourism. However, after watching YouTube videos and reading more about this city, I quickly learned that Mexico City, and Mexico in general, has a very rich culture and history. It also is the biggest city in the Western Hemisphere. I was locked in this point to explore this city so close to home.Booking this trip was very random, I originally booked a vacation to go to EDC Vegas with friends (insanely fun time btw) but I wanted to extend my PTO for the rest of the week after because I was already taking a day off to rest and had the Friday off for MDW.
After exploring other options in the US like possibly other areas in the south west like Utah or Arizona I quickly realized how expensive this would be. Vegas has great prices on flights so I wanted to take advantage of that and go somewhere international, due to my recent interest with Mexico City and how it isn’t too expensive, it just made sense. I booked the flight and hotel instantly so I wouldn’t think too much about it.
I invited some other friends at first and received some maybes, ultimately I knew that this would end up being a solo trip. I have some experience with solo trips, my first one was Hiroshima while I was studying abroad in Tokyo, that trip gave me my first powerful global experience that has ultimately became my goal when i travel now. I also did Denver last summer to see a red rocks show ( stayed in a hostel which ended up being the same price as a decent hotel in CDMX 🤣). I didn’t have much of a structured plan for this trip except to see the historic district and maybe teohiucan if it wasn’t too difficult to get there.
Logistics: I stayed in a Roma Norte hotel from Tuesday Night - Sunday Morning.
Interests: architecture, food, electronic music, nature, history
Day 1: Arrival
I arrived into CDMX around 1045pm via Volaris. The Volaris experience sucks, honestly worse than Spirit lol. For about an hour we were sitting on the runway not moving without AC in the Vegas heat. Apparently this is due to them not having runway rights? Not sure about this but that’s what some googling told me.
For some reason I exchanged usd for pesos at the cash exchange counters instead of using an atm to take out pesos. Not sure why I did because I have travelled internationally and know that ATMs are usually the best options. Whatever, I just took the L there. I called an Uber to my hotel after rejecting many taxi drivers.
I arrived to my hotel hungry and looked for open places to eat that were close to the hotel. I did not want to walk too far as I heard that night time gets sketchy. I ended up finding a taco place right across the street from my hotel so I went there. The place was called Taquería LOS HUARACHINES (ROMA). Ordering was a bit tough due to the language barrier but I got 2 Al pastor tacos, a plate of carne asada with about 5 tortilla, and a Coca Cola. This was an amazing meal and exactly what I wanted. The Al pastor was incredibly juicy and probably were the best tacos I had in my life at this point. I’m currently based in Texas so I’ve had real tacos before but these were just something else. I walked back to my hotel and quickly went to bed.
Day 2: Roma Norte & La Condesa
I had no official plans for this day. I was still tired from EDC Vegas so I woke up pretty late and didn’t get out of the hotel until around 1130-12. Once I did get out, I originally just planned to walk around neighborhood and see what piqued my interest. I started with a coffee. I got an iced coffee as it was hot out, I don’t think iced coffee is a thing anywhere else besides the US so this was also a little harder to order due to language barrier. Luckily someone spoke English at the counter and helped me order.
I began to walk north, I stopped at plaza rio de janiero to smoke a cigarette (I’m not a regular smoker except on vacation and when I go to raves lol). Very cool spot. My first impression of the Roma Norte neighborhood was that it was a nicer, greener, cleaner version of nyc with a European flair.
Next, I ended up at I believe Zona Rosa? It was a pedestrian only area with a lot of shops and restaurants. I stopped in a few shops maybe looking to buy sunglasses or a shirt but ultimately did not. I continued my walk.
I saw there was some sort of park near me called Bosque de Chapultec. I decided that would be my next destination to walk to. I passed the el Angel de la indepencia which was very impressive. I finally got to the park and was wowed by how nice it was. I didn’t know it was such a big destination until I got there and saw there a bunch of museos and vendors set up. I bought a pair of sunglasses as it was bright out and walked around a bit to take it in. Finally, I decided to check out a museum. I chose Museo de Arte Moderno as I wanted to see some art. I much prefer modern art over traditional art too. I really liked this museum and connected with a lot more paintings that I thought I would. About of 1/4 of the way through I realized can use Google translate to read the descriptions for some of the paintings. I wish I took down the artists who created some of these paintings but I think I can find the artists again if I really wanted to.
I went outside to the sculpture garden and this was a little underwhelming tbh. I was also getting hangry so I went through it quick. I decided to get lunch at Los Pancheros as it was nearby and the Google reviews seemed good. I ordered Plato rachero & caldo xochitl. HUGE portions and incredibly good. I really liked the soup though, it was some sort of chicken and rice soup. It took a little bit for the check to come but it finally did and I paid and left.
I ate way too much and I had to lay down somewhere so I went back to the park and found a nice place to lay where other people were. It was some sort of fountain that I can’t find on Google maps but even though it wasn’t exactly “grand” it was very chill and everyone there just seemed relaxed lol. I laid there for about 20-30 mins until I was ready to go again. I saw on Google maps that there was a castle in the park!? I really wanted to see that. I decided to walk in that direction and also passed Lago de Chapultec. Wow that was beautiful, I wish I took my rest time there lol.
I finally got to the castle entrance but they weren’t letting people in anymore as it was too late, damn. I should’ve paid more attention to the times, I didn’t realize all the museums closed at 5. I decided to finish up my park experience and Uber to the historic center just to check it out. However Ubers were very hard to get at this time as it was rush hour and traffic was insane outside the park. I had multiple people cancel on me, I also canceled on someone after seeing how long it would take to pick me up and drop me off to the historic center. I eventually decided just to walk back. It was about an hour walk back so I had to tough it out.
Not much happened on this walk, just continued to take in the city. Stopped at glorieta de Los insugentes to take a break and smoke a cigarette. I felt a little sketched out here due to all the people constantly moving. I was a bit worried about being pick pocketed but I think it was just the tiredness making me anxious. I got out of there relatively quick and made it back to my hotel to rest before dinner.
At this point I decided I wanted to go to teohiucan the next day. I explored my options for getting there and eventually just decided on Uber because I don’t really like being in a group when going to tourist sites as I’m a bit “quirky” and like to take weird routes and repeat some areas a few times I also keep an inconsistent pace so that made the group experience out of the question. I could’ve taken the bus but did not want to deal with the stress that public transit can be in a foreign country lol. For dinner, I made a reservation at the sushi place Makoto as I wanted something other than Mexican food. Fabulous place, I ordered a glass of wine, sushi sampler, and the fatty tuna nigiri.
Day 2: Teohiucan
I woke up somewhat early for this day. I ordered an Uber and was off. It was really interesting to see Mexico City outside the nicer neighborhoods. I think this is what most Americans imagine when they hear Mexico City. It looked like the COD MW2 map Favela. I wondered what life was like in this area of Mexico City. I even saw a ski lift in use to bring people up the mountain to their house maybe?
I got dropped off at Teohiucan and entered in. I skipped breakfast because I assumed they would have something there. I was half right, they had some convenient stores. I just bought a pack of crackers and a electrolit and hoped that would get me through the whole time I was there lol.I walked around all the pyramids, I was hoping to climb them but I saw they were closed for climbing, honestly a good thing, I imagine they were getting a lot of wear and tear from that. I feel like these pyramids are underrated in terms of world wonders. They’re pretty big and the city itself was apparently one of the biggest cities in the world at the time.
My favorite part about this visit was this path that you can take that allowed you to walk on the outside of the main path. It was super peaceful and you got to see the pyramids at different angles with no people around. In terms of my favorite structure, I liked the citadel a lot due to the intricate designs on it. Some random things I liked there were the jardin and the things the vendors were selling that made the animal noises 😂 I thought it was hilarious how everyone was basically spamming it in chat. I should’ve bought one looking back
I was a little anxious about getting an Uber back but I got one relatively quick and got back to my hotel. When I got back I was very hungry and I found this place near my hotel with a deal that gave 5 al pastor tacos and a cervesa for $100 pesos. Amazing deal but then I saw the al pastor looked like it was dry and has been out for awhile. Unfortunately i felt too awkward to leave after sitting, a mistake that I learned from later if you keep reading. However the tacos were still decent. I was still pretty hungry and found a street vendor selling hamburgers, I ordered con queso and it was insanely good. I ate it in a park and then got some churros from Churrería El Moro which were also good.Again I was way too full and had to lie down. I went back to my hotel and took a nap.
When I woke up I was still full but I started experiencing the first signs of montezumas revenge. However it didn’t seem that bad and I wanted to go out for a rooftop drink. I went to Supra Roma. Great vibe. I had to stand by the bar the whole time due to not having reservations but the views were fantastic and the dj was decent too. She was playing house music. I definitely want to bring my friends here if they ever want to come to cdmx. I had 1 cocktail and 2 beers there. Was thinking about talking to people there but mostly everyone was speaking Spanish so I decided not to.
I left and was gonna call it an early night but heard some more house music being played across the street at departmento. I decided why not and paid the cover to check it out. It was ok. Dj was decent but the vibe seemed kind of “basic” other than the music. Nothing too unique about this place, just a terrace playing music with young people hanging out. I had 2 drinks and left and got a torta. I made it back to my hotel around 12am and this when things started to go south unfortunately. Montezumas revenge came back and this time even stronger than earlier. The alcohol definitely did not help. It quickly kept getting worse in terms of cramping and the ability to not go to the bathroom for more than 20 mins. I think it was the Al pastor tacos from earlier today. I did not get much sleep this night and was basically in survival mode lol luckily I had some water bottles to stay hydrated but I knew I would have to venture out to get more eventually. I basically spent the whole night on the toilet or curled up in pain.
Day 3: Recovery
I was hoping I’d feel feel better in the morning and I was somewhat correct. After 12 hours I could walk again although it was definitely difficult. I managed to make it to a farmacia where the pharmacist recommended me treda. I got that and more water + electrolit. It was around 1pm so I sat outside and drank my electrolit to see if I strong enough to do some sort of activity. After about 20 mins of sitting outside I decided I definitely could not and decided to just take the L for today so I could be full strength for tomorrow. I took my treda and was able to get some rest. When I woke up I was still feeling montezumas revenge a little bit but I knew I had to eat something. I ended up using Uber eats to get consomé de pollo from this place called Toks. It seemed like a safe option as it looked like a chain and I assumed chains usually have somewhat good hygiene standards. It ended up being way better than expected and I managed to put down most of it.
After eating, I took a walk to get more electrolit. I was still a little weak so I just went back to the hotel and went to bed. I was a bit bummed I lost a day but anytime you’re in a 3rd world country you should budget a day for stomach issues.
Day 4: Castillo De Chapultepec & Historic Center
I woke up feeling a lot better. It was actually crazy as 24 hours ago I couldn’t even walk straight. I took my treda and headed out. I was debating on if I should go back Chapultepec park to see the castle or if it would take too much time as I was planning to go to the historic center today. I decided to see the castle as I was thinking about it too much to skip it.
I took an Uber there this time and paid the admission. It was definitely worth it. The castle was so beautiful and there was so much history inside. I learned a lot about Mexican history and was able to take in some nice views of the city. My favorite part were the murals inside and the jardin. After, I walked to 7/11 to get more electrolit. I also got pringles as I was hungry but my stomach was still a little rough. From there I ubered to the historic center.
When I got to the historic center I was instantly overstimulated lol. It was a Saturday afternoon so it must’ve been the most popular day. It was a lot bigger than expected too. I didn’t really know where to start so I just started walking. My first stop was actually the adidas store as I needed to get my bearings and am a fan of adidas lol unfortunately there wasn’t much in there though that seemed exclusive. I know in Tokyo they’ll have exclusive stuff but didn’t see anything like that in Mexico City, bit disappointed but otherwise it provided a place for me to take a breath. I got out and started walking towards zocalo plaza.
Zocalo Plaza was just epic. The big Mexican flag with the cathedral behind it had so much swag for lack of a better term lmao it showed off the immense pride that Mexico has for itself. I really liked this area a lot.
I continued walking and ended up at these streets with vendors. This was even more overstimulating than the other areas. So much noise and people. I stopped in a store and got a can coke and kept on trucking along.
I decided to go to palacio de bella artes. I really liked palacio de bella artes as well. The architecture and colors were stunning. The Torre Latinoamericana building was also interesting. I decided to check out the museum inside palacio de Bella artes. At first i thought it was a bit underwhelming. I was not too big of a fan of the murals and it seemed like some areas were closed. I then came across the Dioses y Maquinas exhibit by Santiago Sierra Soler. This exhibit was an “immersive cinema installation” that told the story of the aztecs getting colonized by Spaniards. It was very powerful and really made me understand some of the politics of Mexico. Also globalism in general and how colonization impacted the world. It gave me that powerful global experience that I mentioned before. I think everyone who visits cdmx should experience this exhibit to really wrap your head around the politics of the country and how it became what it is today. When I walked out I began to see the two sides of Mexico, the native side and european side and how they interact with each other.
That exhibit made me want to learn about the Aztecs more so I ended up going to museo del templo mayor. This place was also impressive with countless exhibits about the Aztecs. It’s insane to me how there was an ancient city right under us. By the time I was done there I was getting hungry so ironically I got McDonald’s as my stomach needed something familiar. I got it to go and ate it near the palacio de bella artes. I wanted to go the sears rooftop after but couldn’t find the entrance so I just walked around the surrounding neighborhood. This part reminded me a lot of Manhattan.
I walked through the Barrio Chino and thought it was hilarious tbh. I did not see any Asian people and there wasn’t much Asian culture other than the lanterns i guess lol the restaurants also did not look too good. Cool experience nonetheless.
I ended my walk at a plaza San juan to call an Uber as it was about to start raining. I found the torre de telefons de Telmex structure also super interesting. I made it home and rested before dinner.
For dinner I went to this Argentinan steak house called Gardela. A bit risky after my stomach issues but I wanted to get a nice dinner on my last night. I got a dry aged New York strip and it did not disappoint. I ordered it medium rare but it was a bit more rare than expected. I ate it anyway and was wowed. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Amazing service too, can’t recommend this place enough if you want a good steak.
When I got back to my hotel I was having an internal debate if I should go out. I had an early flight and was already pretty tired and full. I decided to go out anyway as it was Saturday night and didn’t get to do anything the day before. I ended up at this techno club called yuyu. Pretty intimate spot. The techno was very good and creative. The crowd was also fun, I had a few shallow conversations with people but nothing deep. Mostly my fault though as I wasn’t making much conversation. I just drank beer, smoked cigarettes, and listened to good electronic music which is a solid night for me. I headed home around 2 and went to bed for my flight.
Closing remarks:I really enjoyed my time in Mexico City. Im not sure what my expectations were for the city but they were definitely exceeded. Definitely an underrated city as there is so much culture and history but I never here much people talk about it in the states. I will definitely be back as I feel like there’s still so much to discover and it was pretty cheap to get there and get lodging.
Not gonna lie though, I was bit nervous going solo here but once I got there most of the anxiety went away. In terms of safety, just be where you’re supposed to be (tourist areas & safe neighborhoods), keep your possessions zipped up, and don’t walk at night. I felt more sketched out in most US cities

Introduction: Mexico City has been a recent interest of mine ever since the YouTube algorithm started recommending me videos on this mega city. Like most Americans, I was ignorant and incorrectly under the assumption that Mexico City was sketchy and had nothing to offer for travelers other than poverty tourism. However, after watching YouTube videos and reading more about this city, I quickly learned that Mexico City, and Mexico in general, has a very rich culture and history. It also is the biggest city in the Western Hemisphere. I was locked in this point to explore this city so close to home.Booking this trip was very random, I originally booked a vacation to go to EDC Vegas with friends (insanely fun time btw) but I wanted to extend my PTO for the rest of the week after because I was already taking a day off to rest and had the Friday off for MDW. After exploring other options in the US like possibly other areas in the south west like Utah or Arizona I quickly realized how expensive this would be. Vegas has great prices on flights so I wanted to take advantage of that and go somewhere international, due to my recent interest with Mexico City and how it isn’t too expensive, it just made sense. I booked the flight and hotel instantly so I wouldn’t think too much about it.
I invited some other friends at first and received some maybes, ultimately I knew that this would end up being a solo trip. I have some experience with solo trips, my first one was Hiroshima while I was studying abroad in Tokyo, that trip gave me my first powerful global experience that has ultimately became my goal when i travel now. I also did Denver last summer to see a red rocks show ( stayed in a hostel which ended up being the same price as a decent hotel in CDMX 🤣). I didn’t have much of a structured plan for this trip except to see the historic district and maybe teohiucan if it wasn’t too difficult to get there.
Logistics: I stayed in a Roma Norte hotel from Tuesday Night - Sunday Morning.
Interests: architecture, food, electronic music, nature, history
Day 1: Arrival
I arrived into CDMX around 1045pm via Volaris. The Volaris experience sucks, honestly worse than Spirit lol. For about an hour we were sitting on the runway not moving without AC in the Vegas heat. Apparently this is due to them not having runway rights? Not sure about this but that’s what some googling told me.
For some reason I exchanged usd for pesos at the cash exchange counters instead of using an atm to take out pesos. Not sure why I did because I have travelled internationally and know that ATMs are usually the best options. Whatever, I just took the L there. I called an Uber to my hotel after rejecting many taxi drivers.
I arrived to my hotel hungry and looked for open places to eat that were close to the hotel. I did not want to walk too far as I heard that night time gets sketchy. I ended up finding a taco place right across the street from my hotel so I went there. The place was called Taquería LOS HUARACHINES (ROMA). Ordering was a bit tough due to the language barrier but I got 2 Al pastor tacos, a plate of carne asada with about 5 tortilla, and a Coca Cola. This was an amazing meal and exactly what I wanted. The Al pastor was incredibly juicy and probably were the best tacos I had in my life at this point. I’m currently based in Texas so I’ve had real tacos before but these were just something else. I walked back to my hotel and quickly went to bed.
Day 2: Roma Norte & La Condesa
I had no official plans for this day. I was still tired from EDC Vegas so I woke up pretty late and didn’t get out of the hotel until around 1130-12. Once I did get out, I originally just planned to walk around neighborhood and see what piqued my interest. I started with a coffee. I got an iced coffee as it was hot out, I don’t think iced coffee is a thing anywhere else besides the US so this was also a little harder to order due to language barrier. Luckily someone spoke English at the counter and helped me order.
I began to walk north, I stopped at plaza rio de janiero to smoke a cigarette (I’m not a regular smoker except on vacation and when I go to raves lol). Very cool spot. My first impression of the Roma Norte neighborhood was that it was a nicer, greener, cleaner version of nyc with a European flair.
Next, I ended up at I believe Zona Rosa? It was a pedestrian only area with a lot of shops and restaurants. I stopped in a few shops maybe looking to buy sunglasses or a shirt but ultimately did not. I continued my walk.
I saw there was some sort of park near me called Bosque de Chapultec. I decided that would be my next destination to walk to. I passed the el Angel de la indepencia which was very impressive. I finally got to the park and was wowed by how nice it was. I didn’t know it was such a big destination until I got there and saw there a bunch of museos and vendors set up. I bought a pair of sunglasses as it was bright out and walked around a bit to take it in. Finally, I decided to check out a museum. I chose Museo de Arte Moderno as I wanted to see some art. I much prefer modern art over traditional art too. I really liked this museum and connected with a lot more paintings that I thought I would. About of 1/4 of the way through I realized can use Google translate to read the descriptions for some of the paintings. I wish I took down the artists who created some of these paintings but I think I can find the artists again if I really wanted to. I went outside to the sculpture garden and this was a little underwhelming tbh. I was also getting hangry so I went through it quick.
I decided to get lunch at Los Pancheros as it was nearby and the Google reviews seemed good. I ordered Plato rachero & caldo xochitl. HUGE portions and incredibly good. I really liked the soup though, it was some sort of chicken and rice soup. It took a little bit for the check to come but it finally did and I paid and left.
I ate way too much and I had to lay down somewhere so I went back to the park and found a nice place to lay where other people were. It was some sort of fountain that I can’t find on Google maps but even though it wasn’t exactly “grand” it was very chill and everyone there just seemed relaxed lol. I laid there for about 20-30 mins until I was ready to go again. I saw on Google maps that there was a castle in the park!? I really wanted to see that. I decided to walk in that direction and also passed Lago de Chapultec. Wow that was beautiful, I wish I took my rest time there lol.
I finally got to the castle entrance but they weren’t letting people in anymore as it was too late, damn. I should’ve paid more attention to the times, I didn’t realize all the museums closed at 5. I decided to finish up my park experience and Uber to the historic center just to check it out. However Ubers were very hard to get at this time as it was rush hour and traffic was insane outside the park. I had multiple people cancel on me, I also canceled on someone after seeing how long it would take to pick me up and drop me off to the historic center. I eventually decided just to walk back. It was about an hour walk back so I had to tough it out.
Not much happened on this walk, just continued to take in the city. Stopped at glorieta de Los insugentes to take a break and smoke a cigarette. I felt a little sketched out here due to all the people constantly moving. I was a bit worried about being pick pocketed but I think it was just the tiredness making me anxious. I got out of there relatively quick and made it back to my hotel to rest before dinner.
At this point I decided I wanted to go to teohiucan the next day. I explored my options for getting there and eventually just decided on Uber because I don’t really like being in a group when going to tourist sites as I’m a bit “quirky” and like to take weird routes and repeat some areas a few times I also keep an inconsistent pace so that made the group experience out of the question. I could’ve taken the bus but did not want to deal with the stress that public transit can be in a foreign country lol. For dinner, I made a reservation at the sushi place Makoto as I wanted something other than Mexican food. Fabulous place, I ordered a glass of wine, sushi sampler, and the fatty tuna nigiri.
Day 2: Teohiucan
I woke up somewhat early for this day. I ordered an Uber and was off. It was really interesting to see Mexico City outside the nicer neighborhoods. I think this is what most Americans imagine when they hear Mexico City. It looked like the COD MW2 map Favela. I wondered what life was like in this area of Mexico City. I even saw a ski lift in use to bring people up the mountain to their house maybe?
I got dropped off at Teohiucan and entered in. I skipped breakfast because I assumed they would have something there. I was half right, they had some convenient stores. I just bought a pack of crackers and a electrolit and hoped that would get me through the whole time I was there lol.I walked around all the pyramids, I was hoping to climb them but I saw they were closed for climbing, honestly a good thing, I imagine they were getting a lot of wear and tear from that. I feel like these pyramids are underrated in terms of world wonders. They’re pretty big and the city itself was apparently one of the biggest cities in the world at the time.
My favorite part about this visit was this path that you can take that allowed you to walk on the outside of the main path. It was super peaceful and you got to see the pyramids at different angles with no people around. In terms of my favorite structure, I liked the citadel a lot due to the intricate designs on it. Some random things I liked there were the jardin and the things the vendors were selling that made the animal noises 😂 I thought it was hilarious how everyone was basically spamming it in chat. I should’ve bought one looking back
I was a little anxious about getting an Uber back but I got one relatively quick and got back to my hotel. When I got back I was very hungry and I found this place near my hotel with a deal that gave 5 al pastor tacos and a cervesa for $100 pesos. Amazing deal but then I saw the al pastor looked like it was dry and has been out for awhile. Unfortunately i felt too awkward to leave after sitting, a mistake that I learned from later if you keep reading. However the tacos were still decent. I was still pretty hungry and found a street vendor selling hamburgers, I ordered con queso and it was insanely good. I ate it in a park and then got some churros from Churrería El Moro which were also good.
Again I was way too full and had to lie down. I went back to my hotel and took a nap. When I woke up I was still full but I started experiencing the first signs of montezumas revenge. However it didn’t seem that bad and I wanted to go out for a rooftop drink.
I went to Supra Roma. Great vibe. I had to stand by the bar the whole time due to not having reservations but the views were fantastic and the dj was decent too. She was playing house music. I definitely want to bring my friends here if they ever want to come to cdmx. I had 1 cocktail and 2 beers there. Was thinking about talking to people there but mostly everyone was speaking Spanish so I decided not to.
I left and was gonna call it an early night but heard some more house music being played across the street at departmento. I decided why not and paid the cover to check it out. It was ok. Dj was decent but the vibe seemed kind of “basic” other than the music. Nothing too unique about this place, just a terrace playing music with young people hanging out. I had 2 drinks and left and got a torta.
I made it back to my hotel around 12am and this when things started to go south unfortunately. Montezumas revenge came back and this time even stronger than earlier. The alcohol definitely did not help. It quickly kept getting worse in terms of cramping and the ability to not go to the bathroom for more than 20 mins. I think it was the Al pastor tacos from earlier today. I did not get much sleep this night and was basically in survival mode lol luckily I had some water bottles to stay hydrated but I knew I would have to venture out to get more eventually. I basically spent the whole night on the toilet or curled up in pain.
Day 3: Recovery
I was hoping I’d feel feel better in the morning and I was somewhat correct. After 12 hours I could walk again although it was definitely difficult. I managed to make it to a farmacia where the pharmacist recommended me treda. I got that and more water + electrolit. It was around 1pm so I sat outside and drank my electrolit to see if I strong enough to do some sort of activity. After about 20 mins of sitting outside I decided I definitely could not and decided to just take the L for today so I could be full strength for tomorrow. I took my treda and was able to get some rest. When I woke up I was still feeling montezumas revenge a little bit but I knew I had to eat something. I ended up using Uber eats to get consomé de pollo from this place called Toks. It seemed like a safe option as it looked like a chain and I assumed chains usually have somewhat good hygiene standards. It ended up being way better than expected and I managed to put down most of it.
After eating, I took a walk to get more electrolit. I was still a little weak so I just went back to the hotel and went to bed. I was a bit bummed I lost a day but anytime you’re in a 3rd world country you should budget a day for stomach issues.
Day 4: Castillo De Chapultepec & Historic Center
I woke up feeling a lot better. It was actually crazy as 24 hours ago I couldn’t even walk straight. I took my treda and headed out. I was debating on if I should go back Chapultepec park to see the castle or if it would take too much time as I was planning to go to the historic center today. I decided to see the castle as I was thinking about it too much to skip it.
I took an Uber there this time and paid the admission. It was definitely worth it. The castle was so beautiful and there was so much history inside. I learned a lot about Mexican history and was able to take in some nice views of the city. My favorite part were the murals inside and the jardin. After, I walked to 7/11 to get more electrolit. I also got pringles as I was hungry but my stomach was still a little rough. From there I ubered to the historic center.
When I got to the historic center I was instantly overstimulated lol. It was a Saturday afternoon so it must’ve been the most popular day. It was a lot bigger than expected too. I didn’t really know where to start so I just started walking. My first stop was actually the adidas store as I needed to get my bearings and am a fan of adidas lol unfortunately there wasn’t much in there though that seemed exclusive. I know in Tokyo they’ll have exclusive stuff but didn’t see anything like that in Mexico City, bit disappointed but otherwise it provided a place for me to take a breath. I got out and started walking towards zocalo plaza.
Zocalo Plaza was just epic. The big Mexican flag with the cathedral behind it had so much swag for lack of a better term lmao it showed off the immense pride that Mexico has for itself. I really liked this area a lot.
I continued walking and ended up at these streets with vendors. This was even more overstimulating than the other areas. So much noise and people. I stopped in a store and got a can coke and kept on trucking along.
I decided to go to palacio de bella artes. I really liked palacio de bella artes as well. The architecture and colors were stunning. The Torre Latinoamericana building was also interesting. I decided to check out the museum inside palacio de Bella artes. At first i thought it was a bit underwhelming. I was not too big of a fan of the murals and it seemed like some areas were closed. I then came across the Dioses y Maquinas exhibit by Santiago Sierra Soler. This exhibit was an “immersive cinema installation” that told the story of the aztecs getting colonized by Spaniards. It was very powerful and really made me understand some of the politics of Mexico. Also globalism in general and how colonization impacted the world. It gave me that powerful global experience that I mentioned before. I think everyone who visits cdmx should experience this exhibit to really wrap your head around the politics of the country and how it became what it is today. When I walked out I began to see the two sides of Mexico, the native side and european side and how they interact with each other.
That exhibit made me want to learn about the Aztecs more so I ended up going to museo del templo mayor. This place was also impressive with countless exhibits about the Aztecs. It’s insane to me how there was an ancient city right under us. By the time I was done there I was getting hungry so ironically I got McDonald’s as my stomach needed something familiar. I got it to go and ate it near the palacio de bella artes. I wanted to go the sears rooftop after but couldn’t find the entrance so I just walked around the surrounding neighborhood. This part reminded me a lot of Manhattan.
I walked through the Barrio Chino and thought it was hilarious tbh. I did not see any Asian people and there wasn’t much Asian culture other than the lanterns i guess lol the restaurants also did not look too good. Cool experience nonetheless. I ended my walk at a plaza San juan to call an Uber as it was about to start raining. I found the torre de telefons de Telmex structure also super interesting. I made it home and rested before dinner.
For dinner I went to this Argentinan steak house called Gardela. A bit risky after my stomach issues but I wanted to get a nice dinner on my last night. I got a dry aged New York strip and it did not disappoint. I ordered it medium rare but it was a bit more rare than expected. I ate it anyway and was wowed. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Amazing service too, can’t recommend this place enough if you want a good steak.
When I got back to my hotel I was having an internal debate if I should go out. I had an early flight and was already pretty tired and full. I decided to go out anyway as it was Saturday night and didn’t get to do anything the day before. I ended up at this techno club called yuyu. Pretty intimate spot. The techno was very good and creative. The crowd was also fun, I had a few shallow conversations with people but nothing deep. Mostly my fault though as I wasn’t making much conversation. I just drank beer, smoked cigarettes, and listened to good electronic music which is a solid night for me. I headed home around 2 and went to bed for my flight.
Closing remarks:
I really enjoyed my time in Mexico City. Im not sure what my expectations were for the city but they were definitely exceeded. Definitely an underrated city as there is so much culture and history but I never here much people talk about it in the states. I will definitely be back as I feel like there’s still so much to discover and it was pretty cheap to get there and get lodging. Not gonna lie though, I was bit nervous going solo here but once I got there most of the anxiety went away. In terms of safety, just be where you’re supposed to be (tourist areas & safe neighborhoods), keep your possessions zipped up, and don’t walk at night. I felt more sketched out in most US cities

This post outlines my research regarding whether my participation in the Amazon Vine Program (where one receives free product in exchange for reviews) might be subject to Canadian income tax. I joined the Amazon Vine Program in May 2023. I'm posting this so that other people don't have to start their research from scratch like I did.
Research Sources

• ITA 9(1) – “Subject to this Part, a taxpayer’s income for a taxation year from a business or property is the taxpayer’s profit from that business or property for the year.”
• ITA 248(1) – “business includes a profession, calling, trade, manufacture or undertaking of any kind whatever and, except for the purposes of paragraph 18(2)(c), section 54.2, subsection 95(1) and paragraph 110.6(14)(f), an adventure or concern in the nature of trade but does not include an office or employment”
• Moldowan v. The Queen, 1997 1 SCR 480
  • “…it is now accepted that in order to have a "source of income" the taxpayer must have a profit or a reasonable expectation of profit. Source of income, thus, is an equivalent term to business…”
  • “In my view, whether a taxpayer has a reasonable expectation of profit is an objective determination to be made from all of the facts. The following criteria should be con­sidered: the profit and loss experience in past years, the taxpayer's training, the taxpayer's intended course of action, the capability of the venture as capitalized to show a profit after charging capital cost allowance. The list is not intended to be exhaustive.”
• Stewart v. Canada, 2002 SCC 46
  • “The “reasonable expectation of profit” test should not be accepted as the test to determine whether a taxpayer’s activities constitute a source of income for the purposes of s. 9 of the Income Tax Act.”
  • “The following two‑stage approach should be employed to determine whether a taxpayer’s activities constitute a source of business or property income:
    • (i) Is the taxpayer’s activity undertaken in pursuit of profit, or is it a personal endeavour?
    • (ii) If it is not a personal endeavour, is the source of the income a business or property?”
  • “Where the nature of an activity is clearly commercial, the taxpayer’s pursuit of profit is established. There is no need to take the inquiry any further by analysing the taxpayer’s business decisions.”
  • “However, where the nature of a taxpayer’s venture contains elements which suggest that it could be considered a hobby or other personal pursuit, the venture will be considered a source of income only if it is undertaken in a sufficiently commercial manner. In order for an activity to be classified as commercial in nature, the taxpayer must have the subjective intention to profit and there must be evidence of businesslike behaviour which supports that intention. Reasonable expectation of profit is no more than a single factor, among others, to be considered at this stage.”
• 30 May 2012 Ministerial Correspondence 2012-0442371M4
  • From Martin v. The Queen 2003 TCC 155:
    • “The existence of a personal element must be put in perspective. There is frequently a personal element in the carrying on of a commercial enterprise in the sense that the person derives great personal satisfaction from the activity. This does not make the activity any the less a business… It is only where the personal element so overshadows any element of commerciality as to substantially displace it that one may conclude that the activity is merely a hobby and is not a business at all.”
    • “The appellant’s activity here has the necessary ingredients of commerciality to make it a business - the commitment of substantial capital, the organized and businesslike way in which records are kept and the devotion of enormous amounts of time by the appellant and his wife and, in earlier years at least, his sons as well as the intent to earn a profit.”
  • “Therefore, it is clear that if a personal endeavour or hobby is pursued in a sufficiently commercial and businesslike way, it can be considered to be a business activity, which is a source of income under the Income Tax Act.”
• CPA Article:
  • “…it is a question of fact as to whether a hobby activity generates a sufficient level of commercial activity to support a pursuit of profit and whether a taxpayer has established a clear distinction between a businesslike endeavour and a personal one.”
  • “…it is only where a personal endeavour is an activity primarily undertaken for pleasure, entertainment, or enjoyment rather than for profit, business, or commercial reasons that it may be considered merely a hobby and not a business.”
• CRA IT-490 Bulletin on Barter Transactions:
  • “The Department takes the view that barter transactions are within the purview of the Income Tax Act. Such transactions can therefore result in income…”
  • “In arm's length transactions, where an amount must be brought into income…, that amount is the price which the taxpayer would normally have charged a stranger for his services…”
  • “Where the goods or services given up cannot readily be valued but the goods or services received can, the Department will normally accept the value of the latter as being the price at which the transaction took place if the parties were dealing at arm's length.”

Analysis
Existence (or Not) of Profit & Intention to Profit

• Whether there is profit is questionable – the free product received in exchange for reviews has minimal value. These are new, untried products which are as likely to be excellent as they are to be garbage. This is why the suppliers are willing to provide free product – in return they gain honest reviews which will convince (or not) prospective buyers to purchase the product.
• It is also questionable how this would be valued. CRA’s barter bulletin indicates that the value should be the price the taxpayer would normally have charged a stranger for his services. I charge nothing for leaving reviews – it has no value to me, it’s just for fun. This would indicate that the value was zero, and therefore profit is zero. However, if the “goods received” are to be used as the value, it is also questionable as to whether the MRSP is the appropriate value for such objects, since these are objects of questionable value initially, thus needing further testing and review by Vine Voices to convince others to purchase them at that MRSP. In the U.S.A., where hobbies are taxed, and thus Vine Voices are taxed, the value assigned is not MRSP – a tax value is assigned which is less than MRSP, and for consumable objects, a $nil value is assigned. I would argue that perhaps the value is the value that the supplier gave up – the cost of the product, which depending on the cost structure and margins of the supplier, may be significantly less than MRSP. This is impossible to determine, as this information is not provided to Canadian Vine Voices – all objects are assigned a nil value on invoices. How does one even go about valuing a profit of questionable value, without such data?
• Further, true ownership of the product is not provided in Canada (differs from U.S.A., where objects transfer ownership at 6 months). The Vine Voice is limited by the Amazon Vine programs terms and conditions, which include the following:
  • “The product supplier retains all right, title and interest in a Third-Party Product until six months after the date of your review of the product, after which you may keep or destroy the Third-Party Product at your discretion, but may not transfer it.”
  • “All right, title and interest in Amazon Products will pass to you when the Amazon Product is delivered to the common carrier for delivery to you. You may keep or destroy the Amazon Product at your discretion at any time, but may not transfer it.”
• As “transfer” to another person is precluded by the agreement, there is no ability to convert the free products into cash by way of sale. One could argue this isn’t even true ownership, further muddying the waters of what the value of the product would be, given its limited uses.
• At most, “profit” could perhaps be considered to exist in a colloquial way, in that the Vine Voice “profits” (alternative definition – “benefits”) from the arrangement by being able to obtain free products that the Voice would otherwise have bought and spent money on. This is an indirect form of compensation – an expense foregone. However, this may not be the truth, as in many cases, the Voice may choose a product simply out of curiosity, rather than out of an intention to avoid some other purchase, or choose things that they never would have actually purchased, because they are “luxury” or “silly”. Here even the benefit is questionable.
• Finally, whether there is an intention to profit is also in question – given that the product may as likely be worth a 5-star rating as it could be worth a 1-star rating, the event of choosing a product to review takes on a level of gambling that is not consistent with business-like profit-gaining behaviour. I certainly have no intention of profit – every choice is a lark.
• Also, while this is taxable for Vine Voices in the U.S.A., the U.S.A. taxes hobbies (while Canada does not) and cannot be considered an equivalent tax regime, and as there are different terms and conditions of product ownership for American Vine Voices, this must be disregarded as comparable.

Sufficient Commerciality

• Court cases indicate that to be commercial (and therefore intend to profit), business-like behaviour must exist. Martin v. the Queen 2002 described the ingredients of commerciality: the commitment of capital, the organized way in which records are kept, and the devotion of time.
• My involvement in Amazon Vine does not include these factors:
  • Time involvement (on my part) is minimal. Those crazy Vine Voices who choose to pursue Gold Tier and obtain and review 100 products every 6 months likely commit significantly more resources and may in fact meet the standard of commerciality, but my occasional obtention of a product on a weekly basis is likely insufficient.
  • There is no commitment of capital on my part.
  • There is no true record-keeping. Amazon does not even produce enough information to allow for recordkeeping to result – invoices are assigned a $nil value. Canadian don't get a "tax value". The only records I keep are my usual household records – I keep a full home inventory of everything my wife and I own, for insurance purposes (we had a scare with a fire). This has nothing to do with Amazon Vine and everything to do with the fact that I’m an overly-detailed, OCD Chartered Professional Accountant on the autistic side of the spectrum. You should see my budget spreadsheets. I’m a nerd.

Personal Component

• I view Amazon Vine as a hobby. I never pursued Amazon Vine – being invited to the program was a surprise, as I’d never heard of it. I was entertained to learn that people actively try their best to get in, when I was invited on basically no real effort on my part – I just like leaving reviews, partly because I rely on reviews myself when buying items.
• I enjoy leaving reviews – I leave copious Google reviews on restaurants, locations, hotels, businesses, none of which I receive any compensation for. It’s just a fun thing to do when bored, and it feels useful, like I’m contributing something to society by being honest about the nature of existence. Certainly more useful than doom-scrolling Tik Tok, as leisure time goes.
• I view Vine much the same way – it is odd to be compensated for something that I otherwise do cheerfully for free. Getting free product is fun – sometimes its crap, sometimes its great. Either way, it’s an adventure. And that’s why I do it: I do it for the adventure.
• The quantity of activity I do on Vine is minimal. My time spent on Vine is never more than an hour or so a week. I spend more time on my other hobbies: reading, writing, cooking, baking, hiking, gardening, playing piano… It’s just another leisure past time.
• I have no intention of accelerating my participation in Vine to a business-level involvement. I have a full-time job. I am writing a book on the side. I have too many hobbies as it is. I don’t need another gig.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I would argue that there is insufficient commerciality, no intention of profit (and potentially no real profit, regardless) and a very significant personal component to my involvement with Amazon Vine. I would argue that this makes it a hobby, and not a business, and thus not subject to tax under the Income Tax Act. Individuals who engage with Amazon Vine on a more involved basis (i.e. crazy Gold Tier) may have a different result.
Should Canada Revenue Agency disagree, I leave it to them to try to value the damn income that would result, because the gods know Amazon doesn’t actually provide enough information to determine it. I wash my hands of this nonsense. I wish CRA had published guidance on this so I didn’t have to spend hours on this kind of research.
TL;DR: It can likely be argued that Amazon Vine involvement is a hobby for Canadian tax purposes, and thus not taxable (provided the Vine Voice in question isn't doing crazy business-like activity and pumping out massive amounts of reviews for Gold Tier). CRA needs to publish better guidance, because the interpretation is unclear.

Join the Fort Worth discord to connect w/other folks in FW, chat & check out different meet ups: https://discord.com/invite/9KUdWdQVdJ
Thought this post would be the first w/o the PSA, but need to include it again: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Early voting begins May 30th-June 6th for the Sat, June 10 runoff election. The ballot will include District 11 City Council member, District 5 Fort Worth ISD school board member, and District 4 TCC trustee.
[Tuesday May 30th]
Gymnastics - Level 1 3:30 p.m. Southwest Community Center $20-$65 Kids ages 5-18 can learn basic skills in a well-structured class.
Free Yoga Burnett Park 5:30-6:15PM bring your own mat
Silent Book Club 6:30-8PM Hotel Dryce free Silent Book Club
Geeks Who Drink T&P Tavern 7:30PM
Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night University Pub FW 8-10PM
Trig44 presents Trig Tuesday ft. Dalton Torres, Taylor Ochs, Matt Gumley Tulips FW doors 7, show 8PM
[Wednesday May 31st]
Martin House Brewing Company new permanent food truck, The Barley Gastrovan, serves options like wagyu burgers, confit pork wings, & cheese curds Operated by the owners of Rye in McKinney, the food truck’s open Wed-Sun
“Lucas before Luke” 7-10:30 p.m. The Stage West Theatre Free Join the FW Film Club’s monthly screening party
Nature Hike 10-11:30 a.m. Nature Center, 9601 Fossil Ridge Rd. $5 Take in the beauty of the Texas countryside during this morning hike surrounded by blooming flowers.
Lunchtime Music Series Burnett Park 12-1PM Grab your lunch & enjoy the beautiful weather paired w/local artists
We Run Wednesday’s The trailhead at clearfork 6:30-8PM
Fort Worth Film Club May Signature Screening: Lucas before Luke The Stage West Theatre 7-10:30PM
No Pressure w/ Koyo, Illusion, & Fleshwater Tulips No Pressure, Koyo, Illusion, Fleshwater Tulips FW 7PM
Tekken 7 weekly meet 6-11PM, 21+ after 8PM Electric Starship Arcade $10 for the night/ $20 monthly pass Can bring your own wired controllefight stick or they’ll have some for public use If enough people, casual tournament bracket @ 9
BettySoo and Pat Byrne The Post at River East 8PM An intimate acoustic performance $20+
[Thursday Jun 1st]
Family Camp 6-9 p.m. $45-$200 Bring kids ages 8+ to learn how to make a glass vase, suncatcher, and daisy.
Happy HouCrazy Crowler Sale 4-9PM Salsa Dance Lessons 7-8PM Neutral Ground Brewing Company
Erick Willis LIVE Rusty Nickel IceHouse 6PM $10+
Summer Menu Tasting Taste Community Restaurant 6-8PM
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s Concerts in the Garden Festival Gates open 6:30 p.m. start 8:30 p.m. Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Greater Tuna Downtown Cowtown at the Isis June 1-3 8PM 2-man comedy show
Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night HopFusion Ale Works 8-10PM
Crimson Wine Tasting at Neighbor’s House Grocery complimentary wine tasting for sipping & shopping. Guests get to try 4 different wines from Napa’s Crimson Wine Group Drop by anytime 4:30-6:30 pm
[Friday Jun 2nd]
First Fri-YAY All day Fort Worth Bike Sharing Stations Free Explore the city on wheels with a free bike rental courtesy of Fort Worth Bike Sharing and the Blue Zones Project — promo code “92020APP.”
Kimbell Happy Hour Kimbell Art Museum’s weekend happy hour 5-7 pm beverages & bites w/live music by the Allegro Guitar Society.
National Donut Day TX Whiskey 6 p.m. a donut + cocktail pairing, burgers, live music, on-site engraving, & a donut hole bar $35
FWSO’s Concerts in the Gardenl Gates open 6:30 p.m. start 8:30 p.m. Radio Highway Performs the Music of the Eagles *The orchestra does not perform on this concert.
Locals Only Hip Hop Haltom Theater 7-11PM
Live Music on the Plaza, Sundance Square 7-10PM every Fri-Sun
Dial Up - A 90's Party Experience Dial Up Tulips FW 8PM $15
Rhett Miller Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall 8PM $28+
D.L. Hughley Arlington Improv Jun 2-4 times vary
That Texas Meskin Tour - THAT MEXICAN OT Ridglea Theater $40+
Special E.D w\ Dude-Man & MORE Doors 7:00pm, Start 8:00pm Lola's Fort Worth
[Saturday Jun 3rd]
Drag with Me! The Show: Brunch Located upstairs at The Red Goose Saloon the ONLY interactive Drag Show of its kind: 2 audience members will be selected each show to be transformed into a Drag Queen themselves, lip sync battle, & win their very own Drag with Me! Crown! Ticket price inc Meal & Show! 18+
FWSO’s Concerts in the Gardenl Gates open 6:30 p.m. start 8:30 p.m. Chicago Nights featuring Jason Scheff
Zumba Sundance Square Plaza 9:45am - 11:00am
Goat Yoga Bedford! Generations Park at Boyd Ranch 10-11AM $20+
Catalina Canned Wine Mixer Truck Yard Alliance 12PM themed after the movie Step Brothers. Wear your best tuxedo t-shirt for a wine tasting, photo ops, food trucks, & a Step Brothers cover band. Admission is free, but a $15 wine tasting is offered 7-9 pm, ft. six wine samples & a souvenir glass filled w/frose. Costume contests held 5 pm & 10 pm.
Random Direction artist pop up 1-6PM Love Sammy's chef popup 2-7PM Neutral Ground Brewing Company
CyberPunk w/ APT 75 + P!xel Ampersand 5:15-9PM
Miracle Nights Allmo$t Music US Tour Fort Worth Ridglea Theater 6PM
Ill Nino with Through Fire, Dropout Kings and more The Rail Club Live 6:30PM
WOODEYE (One Night Only) w/ Brave Little Howl + Vacation Dad Lola's 8PM $15
FANCY: Queens of Country Party - 21+ Tulips FW 10PM $15+
WOODEYE (One Night Only) w / Brave Little Howl + Vacation Dad Doors 7:00pm, Start 8:00pm Lola's Fort Worth
[Sunday June 4th]
Panther Island Beer Yoga Panther Island Brewing 10:30AM $20
Sunday Supper Club: Courtney Patton and Bri Bagwell The Post at River East 6PM $25+
The Damn Quails Fort Brewery & Pizza 7PM $10
FW Symphony Orchestra’s Concerts in the Gardenl Gates open 6:30 p.m. start 8:30 p.m. Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles**The orchestra does not perform on this concert
Summer Afternoon Tea at Indulge Enjoy 3 courses inc chicken tarragon sandwiches, roasted vegetable phyllo cups, street corn crostinis, scones w/clotted cream & jam, cream puffs, madeleines, & shortbread cookies. The tea service is $65 & begins at 2 pm.
[Ongoing]
Riders of the Purple Sage Hip Pocket Theatre until June 11 Fridays-Sundays 9PM $10+ Featuring action, adventure, & romance in the wide open spaces, it’s a classic Western of the silent film era
“Lives of the Gods” until Sept. 3 Kimbell Art Museum $14+ Explore the divinity of Mayan art at this exhibition of nearly 100 rarely seen masterpieces & discoveries

I know Wilton isn’t technically Elk Grove, but it’s close enough, right?
The only restaurant I’ve heard of out there is the Sheldon Inn, which looks absolutely lovely, but we’ll have a toddler with us. Granted she does really well in restaurants and we make sure that she is quiet and contained, but I don’t want to bring her to a more upscale place out of fear that we would be seen as an inconvenience or acting inappropriately.
My in-laws will be in town, and my FIL is very into the “small town rustic” thing, so we thought a quick trip for lunch in Wilton would be just his thing!
I’ve driven through a few times, but I guess I’m not looking in the right places. I’d like to avoid Mexican food because the in-laws are from the LA/San Diego area and are used to really good Mexican food/have it all the time.
Any advice is very much appreciated! Also, if anyone can recommend an activity to do out there, that would also be so helpful, although we’re not set on doing anything but eat out there.

Introduction:

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For Further click here

My husband and I have been married 5 years, dated for 3 before that. So I definitely "knew what I was signing up for." But when we were dating, up through pre-pandemic, he was pretty active! He used to run on occasion, would come to the gym with me sometimes, we used to hike and mountain bike and even road bike together. We would do lunch walks or dog walks, kayak when we camped. Like, overall I'd say he was fairly active in his late 20s, early 30s.
During/after the pandemic, he gained some weight (didn't we all), which has made him incredibly self-conscious. I've done all I can to tell him, always, how good he looks, how cute/handsome he is, that it doesn't phase me at all. Because it doesn't! He barely looks any different and honestly I couldn't care less.
After the pandemic, though, his activity levels have plummeted. When we started WFH, he used to still do some light morning exercises with a 10lb kettle bell. He used to still do lunch walks from time to time. I tried to encourage him by getting him an at-home, over-the-door gym set. It's literally never been opened. He also used to play Pokémon GO when that was big, which definitely helped get him out and about, but he's lost interest in that, too.
Last year we took a trip to CA with my family. There was A LOT of walking involved. He honestly put a whole damper on the trip for me because he would either 1) complain about how tired he was and that his feet hurt or 2) complain about being left behind because he's bored by himself in the hotel room. He has diagnosed ADD/ADHD (can't remember which) and is unmedicated. I know keeping him entertained is not my responsibility, but I wish he would learn a little more independence and be ok by himself sometimes.
We have an upcoming trip planned to Paris, another city with A LOT of walking. I'm really worried it's going to turn into another disaster. We'll be with my family again, and I'm always feeling like I have to play referee in keeping everyone happy: making sure my husband is entertained/comfortable, while explaining away his poor attitude and lack of general endurance to my parents (who are very active and sometimes just "don't get it").
I, on the other hand, am very, very active. I do multiple triathlons each summer, and lift weights 3-4x/week in the winters. I love being and staying active, not only for the health benefits but because it makes me feel so alive. I'm absolutely not asking my husband to do triathlons, or even 5ks with me. I just miss having a semi-active partner. When we do any kind of activity, his pace is so low that it doesn't encourage any kind of health benefits, lol. We'll go for a 45 minute bike ride and our HRs won't get above 120.
I've tried some gentle suggestions (buying that at-home gym, suggested getting a walking pad for a standing desk, always invite him out when I'm doing active things), but nothing has worked so far. Obviously we all know the statistic of men dying first, but this makes me concerned because he's only speeding up that process with his immobility. I gently encourage him again today and told him he "just needs to find the activity that he enjoys" to keep him moving, and he said that "no activity" is his preferred activity.
So anyway, idk where to go from here. I keep gently encouraging change, but you can't help someone who won't help themselves. Will it have to come to having a serious discussion with him? I would hate to have to do that.
ETA: for everyone saying I'm condescending by being his biggest cheerleader, he has literally told me his love language is affirmation/words of encouragement. So I do my best to compliment how great the lawn looks when he's mowed, how much fun I had together when we go for a bike ride, etc. Maybe I am coming at this the wrong way, but he has told me he feels most loved when I tell him he's done a good job. So. That's what I'm doing.
ETA2: WOW, some of yall are MEAN. Could you maybe come with constructive comments instead of outright rudeness? Sorry for being a bit dramatic in my frustrations with the title.
Here is some more context/answers to the most common things I'm getting roasted for:
1) his ADHD diagnosis: he brought it up once, 3 years ago, well into our marriage like it was no big deal and I should've known, then never brought it up again. I've asked to talk more about it, and he refuses. I've turned to the reddit ADHD subs for better understanding, and they all agree that they are HIS symptoms, HE is the adult, and it's not my responsibility to manage them or entertain him. They all also agreed, as have other commenters, that I've done a pretty good job compromising on his other symptoms.
2) other shared activities: I've tried suggesting other things to bond together with. Bowling? He's bad at it, so he doesn't want to do it. Farmers market? Too early in the morning, doesn't want to go. Try this new restaurant? He'd rather eat at home. Kayaking, car shows, any other outdoor activity? It's either too hot or too cold; too sunny or too cloudy; too windy or too calm. He's always coming up with excuses to stay home instead. I've also asked him about playing two-person video games, to try and get involved in that with him. Nope. He'd rather just play by himself.
3) the Paris trip: he's expressed interest in traveling internationally, so I'm not leaving him home. We are going with my family because my sister is getting married at the end of the week. I am totally 100% ok with him staying behind and relaxing for any and all activities he's not interested in, or doesn't feel like he can't keep up with. HE is the one that keeps saying it's boring to sit by himself, whether it's 10 minutes or 2hrs. So he either whines about how bored he'll be by himself at the hotel, or whines about how much his feet hurt. He is an adult, he can make the decision about which choice to make. See above for me not being obligated to keep him entertained. Furthermore, I'm doing my best to schedule in "sitting" activities, so he has the chance to relax. I've asked him multiple times for input, and am met with blank stares.
4) my relationship with my parents is definitely something I need to work on.
5) I was wrong in saying that a 45 min bike ride has no health benefits. However, he only does something physically active about once a quarter, which is a stark difference from where we used to be. My point with that comment was that he is a reasonably physically healthy adult male. I know he can push himself, because he has before. I know he can get his HR up, because he has before. For some reason, very recently, he just doesn't want to anymore. And that is frustrating for me. Yall are acting like I'm verbally abusing him or being condescending by treating him like a dog/child, clapping my hands every time he makes a pedal stroke. HE is the one that has told me he appreciates the encouragement and affirmation. When we go for a ride, I let him in front so he can set the pace and not have me feel like I'm pushing him. If I do get in front of him, because I'm going a little faster on a downhill, I'll wait for him at the bottom to catch up and get back in front, so we can be doing the activity together, instead of me just blowing past him and leaving him behind. I never, and will never, expect him to run a marathon or do a triathlon with me. I do, however, expect him to maintain a reasonable level of activity and physical fitness throughout his life in order to stay overall healthy.

So I found my birth family, and I am absolutely in love with them, and have a drive to want to be with them. But I am very "different".. pick a label.. goth, weirdo, non-binary, shaved head, gay.. and very much like the "upscale" parts of town. Having lived poor most of my life, my entire drive was always to move UP.. never down. I currently live in Folsom, CA (give a look on google maps) If I move I want to rent a nice house 3br 2 ba (mine, office, and guests) with garage, in unit washer dryer, fridge with ice a must and ac) MUST be pet friendly (ideally not have to hide anyone.. i have 4 cats that have never destroyed anything but a lap in their fuzzy lives) But I also love the amenities Folsom has.. ALL the instacarts I could want, a Trader Joes, a Sprouts.. costco, sams, target, walmart, total wine, restaurant supply. I also love Karaoke and gay nightlife acivites (gods i sound soo snobby, but damnit i had nothing all my life till now and I really like feeling this spoiled). My job is fully remote and will let me move out of state and Work from home, so i also need rock solid high speed internet and stable cell reception for on call duties...
Can I get what I want here and be safe, I hear so many horror stories plus all the stereotypes of the bible belt... I think I heard you guys talk about Norman... and I was looking at distances, to be able to visit my sis and OM and everyone in bethany, the TJ is in Nichols Hills (i can live without but it would be nice as i love some of their stuff) I hope I don't sound stuck up, and you undersrtood my short story!
Thank you very much to anyone who answers!
​
Thank you guys soo much for the insight!!! I've put a pin in the Paseo/23, gayborhood areas for sure,and will definitely have my sis take me around when I go out to visit her (I have a sister!!! And 2 Brothers!!!) Tried to make sure to upvote everyone i could, thank you for answering so kindly! Unsure why so many downvotes, I thought I was being nice, but maybe I still sounded too snobby.. apologies if i rubbed anyone the wrong way, not my intention

Hi there! I’ve been working full-time in SF for a few months now but find myself with a lot of free time outside of working hours and would really like to use that time to earn extra income. I’m a female in my early 20s living in a pretty central part of the city with a lot of public transportation (I have a CA license but no car). I completed undergrad in December 2022 (not working in tech space).
Could anyone please share any ideas for side jobs/hustles in the area? My availability is generally after 4:30/5:00pm on M-Th, after 1:30/2:00pm on Fridays, & all day on Saturday/Sunday. I also welcome anyone messaging me directly about a more specific opportunity!
I will also add that I’ve never worked a restaurant/food service/cafe job but would be open to it if the necessary training is provided. Also, I’ve done UberEats delivery on foot, but making money on there can be unreliable. Thanks!

I went to visit my parents for the day, and they offered to buy me lunch. I agreed and they told me they wanted to check out this New Mexican Restaurant. I noticed it was near Target, so when I told them where to go for directions I just said “drive like you’re going to target”. Then my mom said “we don’t go to target anymore, I don’t agree with their choices” and it kind of upset me, so I called off lunch because I wasn’t in the mood and I decided to drive back to my apartment. My mom seemed upset that she knows she said something wrong, and my dad said that I ruined her day.
They don’t know that they have a gay son, I am scared to tell them because they freak out over the smallest things.
I just don’t understand why people give such hate about rainbow capitalism. It doesn’t affect your life, but your hatred affects mine.
Should I just come out now?
Edit: I’m 24, I live independently

Hello all. I have used this sub the last week for travel info during a week long stay in Cozumel. I appreciate all the useful info I was able to grab from here, as well as some tips on SOP in Cozumel.
A few months ago I booked a week stay at the Explorean for a honeymoon destination.
TLDR: Explorean was a nice, relaxed all inclusive with decent amenities and food. Would recommend to those with reasonable expectations. Rated on metrics of check-in, room, food & drink, pools, excursions, and staff: 48/60 (80%).
I first sought out your help (which was immensely useful) at 5:00 AM Monday morning in the RDU airport because our flight to DFW (which would then go direct to CZM) had been delayed and we ended up getting a flight to PHL then to CUN.
Per the advice of this sub, when we landed in CUN, we kept our heads down and headed straight for the ADO bus to PDC. We only had to wait a couple of minutes for the next bus, and the ride was very nice.
We got some lunch at Las Hijas Grill in PDC maybe 5 minute walk from the ferry. The place was a tad pricey but the food was excellent.
We then did the bag drag to the ferry where we waited about 15 minutes and I made sure we got the Ultramar ferry per some reviews I’ve seen here. We bought tickets from a “street representative” where we were certainly overcharged from ticket price by about $20 USD - that is on me for being naive. We crossed to Cozumel and got a taxi to the Explorean.
At this point we were about 5 hours behind the initial schedule, all things considered, is not bad. When we arrived at the Explorean, the front desk was ready for us with drinks and the check in process was painless and quick. No complaints there at all. We were in the room maybe 20 minutes after arrival. Check in: 10/10
The room we got was the “Casita” which was a single king bed. Inside there was a nice bathroom with a decent size rain shower, large dresser, (ground level) private porch with chairs and table, and an inside loveseat with tables. The room had a mini fridge that was restocked with beer, soda, mineral water, and snacks every day. The only thing of note in the room that was mildly irritating was that there is a step down in the room that you need to look out for (it is marked with glow-in-the-dark strips). Room: 9/10
When you book at the Explorean, you have access to the Fiesta Americana and their pool/restaurants. We spent most of our meals there and hung out at their pool and bar maybe half the time during the days simply because they had a bigger bar. The food was above average for a resort - if you choose your meals wisely. Breakfast options included a buffet at the FA and the one restaurant at the Exp. (Lol Kan). We had both and the buffet was always decent while Lol Kan was not great for breakfast. For lunch most days we ate at the Cevecheria at FA where the food was excellent, and we ventured out to Money Bar for lunch and drinks once. Drinks there were good while the food was no better than what we had at the resort. Dinner at the resort was pretty good all around with Rosato (Italian at FA) being excellent, Lol Kan (Mayan at Exp.) being pretty good, and Mexicano (Mexican traditional at FA) being pretty good. The bars were both great, but drinks were no doubt weak during the day which is probably a good call being that its an AI and folks would tend to over indulge. The Explorean bar was very good, and since they don’t offer room service, you could always get drinks to go until 10:45 PM. Food and drink: 7/10
Pools were in awful shape, they were clean but the tiling needs to be completely replaced. This is in line with reviews I have seen in the past, but I didn’t expect them to be as bad as they were. In ~2 hours, my wife and I collected 140 loose tiles. I did cut my foot on the first day and a medic came to fill out a report. Twas but a flesh wound but still an inconvenience. We still used and enjoyed the pools everyday, but with a heightened caution for sure. Beyond this complaint, the pools were very clean and not too crowded. Pools: 5/10
The Explorean offered excursions every day and we went on two, one was a bike ride and swim in a local open Cenote, and the other was snorkeling at Dzul Ha by the Money Bar. These were both well done. No complaints. The other options were nice, we just wanted a more relaxed trip so we opted out. Excursions: 9/10.
All the staff at the Explorean were great. Bartenders and waiters did excellent jobs. We did get pestered a couple times by a timeshare salesman wanting to “take us to lunch” but I pushed him away every time with an “ask me tomorrow”. Both resorts were heavily focused around selling timeshares. I can’t complain too much because they did leave us alone after asking and were always polite. Staff: 8/10
All in for flights, hotel, taxis, tips, & eating out we spent around $3,500. I’m overall pleased with the trip and wanted to share since the Explorean did not have many hits on this sub. If you’re looking for a relaxed vacation at an AI and have reasonable expectations, it could be for you.