Let’s say that you order the same meal from the same restaurant on two different days. The first time, you eat at the restaurant itself. There’s a small problem with the order — like some missing vegetables — so you ask the server about it. The server quickly brings out the extra items, and you’re […]

When my wife and I travel together, it’s standard practice for me to hold onto our boarding passes and other travel documents, and then present them at the appropriate times. This seems like a more efficient and streamlined approach than keeping them separately, although airport staff do their best to prove me wrong. The scenario […]

Like many travelers, I have often lamented the lack of easily-accessible power outlets in airports and hotel rooms. So, it was a pleasant surprise to check into a hotel earlier this month, and find several power outlets in plain sight. The room designers were thoughtful enough to put outlets above each of the bedside tables, […]

Whenever I stay in a new hotel, I’m always intrigued and annoyed by the design of the bathroom appliances. Inevitably, the sink and shower have some weird design that makes it impossible to guess where cold water ends and hot water begins. In some cases, the knobs or handles just need to be turned a […]

Before boarding a flight at the San Francisco airport, I stopped at a Peet’s Coffee near the gate. I ordered an iced coffee, which was quite good, and polished it off quickly. The nearest trash bins were at the coffee shop itself, so I walked over to dispose of the empty plastic cup. I expected […]

When you walk up to a taxi line at a hotel or airport, the typical protocol is to get into the first taxi in the line. But what if you don’t like that taxi company, or want a different type of cab? In most cases, the taxi drivers and venue operator would say you’re out […]

I live in a tall building, and like most tall buildings, there is a trash chute on every floor. Right by the chute, there’s a sign explaining that you can only put actual trash bags down the chute. There are even drawings of what you shouldn’t force down the chute, including pizza boxes. It seems […]

Not too long ago, Trader Joe’s started selling hand sanitizer. In terms of the product quality and cost per ounce, it’s a good value. However, I would never buy their brand on a regular basis. The reasoning is simple: it doesn’t come in a pump bottle, which means I would have to pick up the […]

Like a well-trained customer, the first thing I do after walking into CVS is head straight to the kiosk and scan my loyalty card. The system then prints out some coupons, which are presumably based on my purchase history and the products they feel I’m likely to be interested in. However, this is rarely the […]

Every time I pick up a prescription, I have to go through a delicate and dangerous process. No, I’m not talking about opening the bottle or taking the medication. Rather, I’m referring to the effort of separating the paperwork from the actual bottle or container, which involves removing between two and four metal staples from […]