I am interested in the effectiveness of the provincial government's health measures during the second wave. So I summarized the measures and the subsequent case count during the second wave in Ottawa, Peel, York and Toronto:
Timeline of the second wave responses

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Ontario

Date	Case Count	Response
09/08	185	Ontario government announced four week hold on further lifting of restrictions
09/25	409	Province-wide restrictions were introduced on operating hours for bars and restaurants, restricting the sale of alcohol to an 11 pm last call, and the closure of the establishment at midnight. All strip clubs were ordered fully closed
10/02	732	Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto implements capacity limits on bars, event facilities, gyms. Province-wide mandate on the wearing of face masks when social distancing is not possible, would take effect on October 3
10/10	809	Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto rolled back to Modified Stage 2
10/19	712	York rolled back to modified stage 2
11/06	1003	Peel moved to red level (control).
11/13	1396	York moved to red level (control).
11/16	1487	Ottawa moved to orange level (restrict)
11/23	1589	Toronto and Peel in lock down

This illustrates the five days moving average of Ottawa, Peel, York and Toronto during the second wave.
Here is a summary of the measures. Please see the following links for full descriptions:
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/58842/ontario-moving-additional-region-to-modified-stage-2
https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#orange
Modified stage 2

• Social gatherings and organized public events: max 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors
• Prohibiting indoors food and drink service in restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments, including nightclubs and food court areas in malls
• Closing of gyms, casino, cinemas, performing arts centres and venues, museum, galleries, zoos... etc.
• Prohibiting personal care services where face coverings must be removed for the service (e.g. makeup application, beard trimming);
• Reducing the capacity limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors for services such as tour and guide services, in person teaching such as cooking class (exemption: school, universities... etc.)

Orange/Restrict

• Parties, social gatherings, wedding receptions limited to 10 people indoors, 25 outdoors
• Public events limited to 50 people indoors, 100 outdoors
• Religious services and ceremonies limited to 30% indoors capacity and 100 people outdoors.
• Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments
  • Maximum 50 indoors;
  • max four people seated together
  • Require patron contact information
  • Close from 10 pm to 5 am; liquor served only between 9 am to 9 pm
• Sports facilities and gym limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors, 2 meter physical distancing unless in a sport, maximum 90 minutes, require reservation
• Retail 2 meter distance and face covering required.
• Personal care allowed except for those requiring removal of face coverings. Idiotic services such as Oxygen bars, sensory deprivation pods closed but not soon enough.

Red/Control

• Organized public events and social gatherings limited to 5 people indoors, 25 outdoors
• Religious services and ceremonies limited to 30% indoor capacity and 100 people outdoors.
• Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments
  • Maximum 10 indoors;
• Sports facilities and gym limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors, 2 meter physical distancing unless in a sport, maximum 90 minutes, require reservation
• Retail 2 meter distance and face covering required.
• Casinos, bingo halls ... etc. limited to 10 people indoors, 25 outdoors

Lockdown:

• No indoor organized public events and social gatherings except with members of the same household or with individuals who live alone.
• outdoors organized public events and social gatherings limited to 10 people outdoors
• Religious services and ceremonies limited to 10 people indoors capacity and 10 people outdoors.
• Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments: no indoor or outdoor service.
• Indoor sports facilities and gym are closed
• Outdoor recreational amenities (e.g. ice rinks, ski hills) open with restrictions.
• Community centres and multi purpose facilities (e.g. YMCA) allowed to be open for permitted activities (e.g. child care services, day camps... etc.)
• Non essential retail allows curbside pick up only.
• Essential retail such as supermarkets, hardware stores, liquor stores, pharmacies 50% capacity limit.
• Some indoor retail such as motor vehicles, garden centers are allowed by appointment only.
• Outdoor markets permitted with restrictions.
• Mall are allowed access to business allowed to open.
• Personal care services are closed.
• Casino, bingo halls etc. are closed.

Hello, you may know me from DD posts about IVZ and 3DP. I'm still heavily in these. But today I bring you SBW.
Ok for real, this might be the laziest DD you've read because it was copy pasted direct from hotcopper. But it will also be the best DD you've read (no offence to u/bigjimbeef recent DD on this but he's always drunk and while his DD did get me interested in this, I think maybe some people didn't take his post seriously because the post read like he had a beer in one hand and his dick in the other).
But I've been thinking lately... wouldn't it be nice if I could, for once, jump on a stock, before it rockets? Like... Every stock I've been in so far has holders who are already 10 bagging. How do they find these stocks and how can I become one of them?
Well, here is your chance. Full disclosure, I'm in at 26.5c, closing price today is 24.5c. It IPOd at 35c so we are still at bargain prices. No rocket yet. If you can think of a reason not to buy, please say so, before I take a larger position tmw morning, as I am trying to keep myself from getting overly keen on yet another stock but so far I can't find a good reason to put money anywhere else.
Copy pasta below:
I thought it was about time that I made the “Ultimate Guide to SBW” and consolidated months of research and analysis into one comprehensive post. Then we can add bits to it from there as more positive news develops.
Let us start with capital structure.
Capital Structure and Why This Is Important!
There are currently 139 million shares on issue, sitting at a price of 32 cents.
This gives a Market Capitalization of approximately ~45 million AUD.
Keep this in mind when we discuss partners and peers later - it’s arguably a more important metric than share price.
The Top 20 shareholders of SBW (which includes key management as the Top 2 holders) have about 90% of the stock on issue. The interests of management are well-aligned with shareholders.
What does this mean in plain English? It means management are extremely incentivized to perform, and are not just idly sitting by collecting an easy paycheck like so many other ASX companies. They have as much at stake as you do! Probably more.
The Core Business
The core business is a profitable operation which has been selling weighing systems to both retail and healthcare sectors – with reliable recurring revenue from customers including, but not limited to, household names like Toshiba and Fujitsu.
SBW have a combination of weighing + artificial intelligence + advanced mathematics which cannot be easily duplicated. The company was first founded in 1971 and was one of the first to shift from mechanical to digital weighing and ultra-thin IoT load sensors.
If you are interested in reading up on some of their patents, please see this link:
https://patents.justia.com/search?q=Shekel scales
I found 11 separate patents here, which are probably not an exhaustive list, but ranging from weighing vehicles in motion, to load cell devices (this is the flagship technology), point of sale apparatus and infant weight systems (for their medical customers)
SBW's three main technology pillars, including patented ultra-thin high precision load sensors, can distinguish between Coke, Fanta & Pepsi - even if they are all in 1.5 litre bottles!
The Hitachi Project (Hitachi’s Market Cap = roughly ~33 billion USD at time of writing, SBW = ~45 million AUD)
http://hlds.co.jp/product-eng/1079
[Translated from Japanese] Hitachi-LG Data Storage. Inc. exhibited in “NRF 2020 Retail’s Big Show” which took place at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York from 1/12-1/14/2020, where Unmanned Store solution using 3D LiDAR(TOF) was jointly exhibited with Hitachi America, Hitachi Vantara, and Shekel Brainweigh (Israel).
Some quotes I found from Hitachi themselves
“Micro-markets are the fastest growing segment of convenience shopping. We see them exploding in high traffic areas, such as workplaces, campuses, train stations and airports,” said Hideki Hayashi, Sales and Marketing Manager, Hitachi EU Ltd.
“Deploying the joint Shekel-Hitachi solution enables retailers and micro-market operators to provide the 24/7 frictionless shopping experience consumers demand without sacrificing accuracy, performance or profitability.”
“As the manager responsible for LiDAR products in EMEA markets, I consider the R&D and commercial collaboration with Shekel Brainweigh to be the perfect partnership as we both bring our respective capabilities to develop a seamless consumer shopping experience. We are extremely pleased to collaborate with Shekel Brainweigh, which we believe is the best digital weighing technology developer globally."
“The collaboration builds on our expertise in optical motion sensors, together with Shekel’s advanced Product Aware Technology, and further strengthens our commitment to overcome the challenges, and address the significant opportunities, in global retail store automation.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-uxk2Ycoqw
The Open Retail Initiative
https://www.lfedge.org/2020/02/13/n...ensor-fusion-for-intelligent-loss-prevention/
For the one-year anniversary of ORI, six initiative members Edgify, Flooid, Shekel and LF Edge members HP, IOTech and Intel inspired by the initiative, worked together on a demo for the Intel booth that showcased the value of Real Time Sensor Fusion for a loss prevention use case at self-checkout. The retail environment has become incredibly complex. The latest technologies enable data-driven experiences and unlock business value like never before, yet there is still a lack of interoperability making it difficult for retailers to deploy integrated solutions with speed and ease. The demo illustrates how integration roadblocks can be a thing of the past.
The demo pulls together real time data through the EdgeX middleware from different common systems including POS real-time transaction log, CV-based object detection, scale solution, and RFID, and data fusion—all in a single pane of glass.
Here are some PowerPoint slides of IBM, Intel & Hewlett-Packard talking about the joint solution
https://wiki.edgexfoundry.org/downl...amp;modificationDate=1579904283000&api=v2
The Fast Track Project
https://www.edgify.ai/retail/
Reduce time at till and selection at self-checkout by up to 98%. Computer vision-based product recognition, that continuously learns directly on the till, so the accuracy of the detection always increases.
Friction-less stores are great in theory but extremely complicated to scale in practice. Our edge training solution makes autonomous stores scalable, by having all the AI train directly on the camera. No infrastructure costs and no added complications.
Reduce incorrect selections by up to 90%. Either intentional or unintentional, use computer vision that is trained directly on the SCO itself to reduce loss by more than half!
No barcodes, no packaging, no worries. Simple USB cameras can detect the produce at close to 100% accuracy. Use as a decision support for cashiers, or to avoid consumers having to go through long and confusing menus.
https://www.edgify.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Retail_Intro.pdf
https://twitter.com/Edgify_AI/status/1277859718413930505
https://twitter.com/Edgify_AI/status/1230534216133332997
Shekel’s Visual Recognition Platform embedded with Edgify’s machine-learning training framework is the world’s first cloudless software that automatically recognises products, including fresh produce, at a retail self-checkout.
This ~45 million AUD Market Cap company allows retailers to potentially bypass expensive cloud services from Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
Sending data to the cloud is a very costly process with the Google Cloud Platform charging 1,000 stores more than US$7.2 million in cloud computing power per annum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrpZ56IdFtg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpqwqQ1tJ4A
You can see the Shekel system 35 seconds in.
Patnership with Madix (2nd Largest Retail Shelves Manufacturer in NA)
https://www.bloomberg.com/press-rel...ade-product-aware-cabinets-to-retail-industry
NEW YORK -- January 13, 2020
Madix Inc., the second largest retail shelves manufacturer in North America, and Shekel Brainweigh Ltd. (ASX: SBW), the leader in advanced weighing technology, today announced the availability of ready-made Product Aware shelves and solutions for the retail industry.
“By seamlessly integrating Product Aware shelves into our hardware, our customers are armed with accessible data giving them reliable inventory visibility and assisting them in addressing over-stock and out-of-stock problems, as well as better control over shrinkage” said Steve Kramer, VP Sales, Madix.
“For the retail industry, this is a defined competitive edge that promotes the opportunity to increase profitability.”
Conclusion
So, remember - the core scales business is what drives the revenue we see today, but the innovation division is where the real potential resides. That will take a few more months/years to play out. I think most people are buying for the fully autonomous frictionless retail technology which comes with a huge addressable market. That’s still being undervalued in my humble opinion.
Considering there are quite a few ASX-listed tech companies with no revenue and over 100 million market cap (some even @ 1 billion market cap right now…
I don’t see why SBW couldn’t move past ~45m market cap in the near future.
Now if you read all this - links included- I commend you for your diligence. It should be obvious now that the Capsule (in partnership with Hitachi) is the “crown jewel” or “holy grail” of retail disruption technology plays (look at the success of Amazon GO for example).
So you are probably thinking: "This sounds great @verce but it’s all just aspirational and hypothetical. When will it be put into operation?" Well I’m glad you asked. The answer might surprise you. And it may be sooner than you think.
The SBW Half Year Report from 31 August 2020 had a little snippet that I think a lot of people missed. Specifically, the following text:
“Flagship micro-market project Capsule is in an advanced stage of pilot in Europe, and expected to be open to the public for trial in the second half of 2020.”
Now you are probably wondering: "That’s great but what if it’s just some obscure insignificant corner store somewhere?" Again, the answer may surprise you, and requires a little digging.
Enter Groupe Casino. A historic player in French retailing since 1898, the Casino Group is one of the world leaders in food retailing with more than 12,200 stores worldwide, located in France, Latin America and the Indian Ocean and a turnover of 37.8 billion euro.
In their Annual Report this year, they mentioned an exciting new disruptive project they were working on with a relatively obscure company.
https://www.groupe-casino.fwp-content/uploads/2020/06/RapportActivite_Casino_2019_EN.pdf
And we have some commentary from SBW featured on Page 42-43 of their Annual Report plugging "the first fully autonomous store in Europe". I'll leave it to readers to determine the significance of being mentioned in the Annual Report of a leading mass-market retail group with billions of Euro in revenue.
The same group who claim to be the source of many innovations such as the first distributor's brand in 1901, the first self-service store in 1948 or even the display of a sell-by date on consumer products in 1959. They are always pushing the boundaries of innovation, and it's an exciting partner to have.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that issuing shares are not the only mechanism by which to raise money. And that a placement at a premium to a sophisticated cornerstone investor can yield great results. Kind of like what happened with 3DP and IHR.
If I was them, I’d be asking Hitachi to chip in.
SBW also have the luxury of generating enough revenue (we are talking USD millions) in 2H20 from the core scales division, that a capital raising may not actually be necessary at this point in time. So they can wait for a better outcome.
Source: “Post 30 June 2020, the business has seen a resurgence of orders for Shekel’s products, resulting in July 2020 sales exceeding July 2019 sales by approximately 18%.”
The final thing I would like to add (if you have in fact read my other two posts which are worth reading) is coming to an appropriate valuation. This is the tricky part, especially with microcap stocks which are valued on their future potential.
We do know that there are medium to high barriers to entry, and that SBW have accumulated a competitive edge with their technology iterated over several decades, with certain patents in place.
We also know that the opportunity is global in scope with a huge total addressable market (TAM) - and that traditional retail is ripe for disruption.
Remember when there were more human checkout lanes at supermarkets than self-checkout? Now it's the other way around. We are even starting to see self-checkout in Bunnings. The trend for autonomous and friction-less shopping - what some term "Grab & Go" - was inevitable. And coronavirus has only accelerated this trend.
https://www.ibtimes.com/5-tech-tren...-end-year-result-coronavirus-pandemic-3011819
5 Tech Trends Expected To Shape Retail Through The End Of The Year As Result Of The Coronavirus Pandemic
“Retailers and brands will need to collaborate more than ever with technology startups to futureproof their businesses and be better equipped to meet fast-changing consumer demand and behavior,” Coresight said.
Coresight reported the pandemic has piqued consumer interest in cashierless models.
Technology firm Shekel Brainweigh said 87% of respondents to its global consumer survey indicated they would choose stores with self-checkout over those with only cashier lines.
So if you ask me, when you consider all the different technology projects SBW are working on - most of which we now know are "close to commercialisation*" - is 45m AUD market cap really fair value for something that has the potential to roll out globally? I personally think it is still undervalued, but the market will eventually decide one way or the other.
Even at 70 cents per share, the implied market cap with only 139 million shares on issue is about ~97 million AUD. Which is still less than 100m. And still quite low when you compare SBW's proven technology and revenue to a lot of unproven technology companies with no real customers whatsoever. And extremely low when you compare SBW's market cap to their collaborative partner Hitachi (ranked 38th in the 2012 Fortune Global 500).
Even at 32 cents as it currently stands, we are still below the IPO price when SBW first listed at 35 cents per share. How does that make any sense?

A day or two ago, I posted here if I can get a list of all types of classification of key, value is OSM. I was referred to : https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features. Which was helpful because it was legit and contained all the information I needed. But as it is way too big. It was hard for me handle. So I wrote a python script and made it easy. Source code is available under MIT license in GitHub : https://github.com/maifeeulasad/OSM-feature-extract-python. Anyone fell free to contribute and find out issues in the project.
Thanks everyone, specially to u/pietervdvn and u/maxerickson.
​
Here is the result, the latest version of the result can be found in readme in GitHub. I will be trying to host these data as much as possible. Anyone interested can contact with me.
For API call this : API features

{ "fire_object:type": [], "sorting_name": [], "highway": [ "motorway", "trunk", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", "unclassified", "residential", "motorway_link", "trunk_link", "primary_link", "secondary_link", "tertiary_link", "living_street", "service", "pedestrian", "track", "bus_guideway", "escape", "raceway", "road", "footway", "bridleway", "steps", "corridor", "path", "cycleway", "proposed", "construction", "bus_stop", "crossing", "elevator", "emergency_access_point", "give_way", "milestone", "mini_roundabout", "motorway_junction", "passing_place", "platform", "rest_area", "speed_camera", "street_lamp", "services", "stop", "traffic_mirror", "traffic_signals", "trailhead", "turning_circle", "turning_loop", "toll_gantry", "User Defined" ], "non_existent_levels": [], "wood": [], "junction": [ "roundabout" ], "building": [ "apartments", "bungalow", "cabin", "detached", "dormitory", "farm", "ger", "hotel", "house", "houseboat", "residential", "semidetached_house", "static_caravan", "terrace", "commercial", "industrial", "kiosk", "office", "retail", "supermarket", "warehouse", "cathedral", "chapel", "church", "mosque", "religious", "shrine", "synagogue", "temple", "bakehouse", "civic", "fire_station", "government", "hospital", "kindergarten", "public", "school", "toilets", "train_station", "transportation", "university", "barn", "conservatory", "cowshed", "farm_auxiliary", "greenhouse", "stable", "sty", "grandstand", "pavilion", "riding_hall", "sports_hall", "stadium", "hangar", "hut", "shed", "carport", "garage", "garages", "parking", "digester", "service", "transformer_tower", "water_tower", "bunker", "bridge", "construction", "roof", "ruins", "tree_house", "user defined " ], "service": [ "alley", "crossover", "siding", "spur", "yard" ], "est_width": [], "toll": [], "addr:place": [], "area": [], "cutting": [ "yes" ], "bicycle_road": [], "motorcycle": [], "wheelchair": [], "reg_name": [], "sac_scale": [], "opening_hours": [], "psv": [], "ele": [], "goods": [], "shop": [ "alcohol", "bakery", "beverages", "brewing_supplies", "butcher", "cheese", "chocolate", "coffee", "confectionery", "convenience", "deli", "dairy", "farm", "frozen_food", "greengrocer", "health_food", "ice_cream", "organic", "pasta", "pastry", "seafood", "spices", "tea", "wine", "water", "department_store", "general", "kiosk", "mall", "supermarket", "wholesale", "baby_goods", "bag", "boutique", "clothes", "fabric", "fashion", "fashion_accessories", "jewelry", "leather", "sewing", "shoes", "tailor", "watches", "wool", "charity", "second_hand", "variety_store", "beauty", "chemist", "cosmetics", "erotic", "hairdresser", "hairdresser_supply", "hearing_aids", "herbalist", "massage", "medical_supply", "nutrition_supplements", "optician", "perfumery", "tattoo", "agrarian", "appliance", "bathroom_furnishing", "doityourself", "electrical", "energy", "fireplace", "florist", "garden_centre", "garden_furniture", "gas", "glaziery", "hardware", "houseware", "locksmith", "paint", "security", "trade", "windows", "antiques", "bed", "candles", "carpet", "curtain", "doors", "flooring", "furniture", "household_linen", "interior_decoration", "kitchen", "lighting", "tiles", "window_blind", "computer", "robot", "electronics", "hifi", "mobile_phone", "radiotechnics", "vacuum_cleaner", "atv", "bicycle", "boat", "car", "car_repair", "car_parts", "caravan", "fuel", "fishing", "free_flying", "golf", "hunting", "jetski", "military_surplus", "motorcycle", "outdoor", "scuba_diving", "ski", "snowmobile", "sports", "swimming_pool", "trailer", "tyres", "art", "collector", "craft", "frame", "games", "model", "music", "musical_instrument", "photo", "camera", "trophy", "video", "video_games", "anime", "books", "gift", "lottery", "newsagent", "stationery", "ticket", "bookmaker", "cannabis", "copyshop", "dry_cleaning", "e-cigarette", "funeral_directors", "laundry", "money_lender", "party", "pawnbroker", "pet", "pet_grooming", "pest_control", "pyrotechnics", "religion", "storage_rental", "tobacco", "toys", "travel_agency", "vacant", "weapons", "outpost", "user defined" ], "official_name": [], "traffic_sign": [], "tactile_paving": [], "forestry": [], "maxwidth": [ "Width" ], "surface": [], "amenity": [ "bar", "bbq", "biergarten", "cafe", "drinking_water", "fast_food", "food_court", "ice_cream", "pub", "restaurant", "college", "driving_school", "kindergarten", "language_school", "library", "toy_library", "music_school", "school", "university", "bicycle_parking", "bicycle_repair_station", "bicycle_rental", "boat_rental", "boat_sharing", "bus_station", "car_rental", "car_sharing", "car_wash", "vehicle_inspection", "charging_station", "ferry_terminal", "fuel", "grit_bin", "motorcycle_parking", "parking", "parking_entrance", "parking_space", "taxi", "atm", "bank", "bureau_de_change", "baby_hatch", "clinic", "dentist", "doctors", "hospital", "nursing_home", "pharmacy", "social_facility", "veterinary", "arts_centre", "brothel", "casino", "cinema", "community_centre", "fountain", "gambling", "nightclub", "planetarium", "public_bookcase", "social_centre", "stripclub", "studio", "swingerclub", "theatre", "animal_boarding", "animal_shelter", "baking_oven", "bench", "childcare", "clock", "conference_centre", "courthouse", "crematorium", "dive_centre", "embassy", "fire_station", "firepit", "give_box", "grave_yard", "gym", "hunting_stand", "internet_cafe", "kitchen", "kneipp_water_cure", "marketplace", "monastery", "photo_booth", "place_of_worship", "police", "post_box", "post_depot", "post_office", "prison", "public_bath", "public_building", "ranger_station", "recycling", "refugee_site", "sanitary_dump_station", "sauna", "shelter", "shower", "telephone", "toilets", "townhall", "vending_machine", "waste_basket", "waste_disposal", "waste_transfer_station", "watering_place", "water_point", "user defined" ], "name:left": [], "disused": [], "toilets:wheelchair": [], "mtb:scale:uphill": [], "leaf_type": [], "maxspeed": [ "Speed" ], "ice_road": [], "building:max_level": [], "location": [], "fire_rank": [], "nudism": [], "public_transport": [ "stop_position", "platform", "station" ], "drive_through": [], "loc_name": [], "roadtrain": [], "railway:track_ref": [], "mtb:description": [], "motor_vehicle": [], "addr:street": [], "short_name": [], "produce": [], "overtaking": [], "bdouble": [], "oneway": [], "passing_places": [], "name": [], "parking:lane": [], "motorcar": [], "cycleway": [ "lane", "opposite", "opposite_lane", "track", "opposite_track", "share_busway", "opposite_share_busway", "shared_lane" ], "admin_level": [], "maxlength": [ "Length" ], "turn": [], "tracks": [], "incline": [], "width": [], "hgv": [], "moped": [], "name:": [], "hazmat": [], "mofa": [], "int_name": [], "addr:interpolation": [], "atv": [], "boundary": [ "aboriginal_lands", "administrative", "maritime", "marker", "national_park", "political", "postal_code", "protected_area", "user defined" ], "addr:hamlet": [], "mtb:scale": [], "inscription": [], "railway": [ "abandoned", "construction", "disused", "funicular", "light_rail", "miniature", "monorail", "narrow_gauge", "preserved", "rail", "subway", "tram", "halt", "platform", "station", "subway_entrance", "tram_stop", "buffer_stop", "derail", "crossing", "level_crossing", "signal", "switch", "railway_crossing", "turntable", "roundhouse", "traverser", "wash", "user defined" ], "voltage": [], "ski": [], "addr:city": [], "tank": [], "maxstay": [], "foot": [], "building:min_level": [], "frequency": [], "emergency": [ "phone" ], "addr:postcode": [], "old_name": [], "name_1": [], "maxweight": [ "Weight" ], "bridge": [ "yes" ], "embedded_rails": [], "nat_name": [], "building:levels": [], "layer": [], "parking:condition": [], "addr:full": [], "agricultural": [], "Relation:restriction": [], "golf_cart": [], "crossing": [], "route": [ "bicycle", "bus", "canoe", "detour", "ferry", "foot", "hiking", "horse", "inline_skates", "light_rail", "mtb", "piste", "power", "railway", "road", "running", "ski", "subway", "train", "tracks", "tram", "trolleybus", "" ], "crossing:island": [], "landuse": [ "commercial", "construction", "industrial", "residential", "retail", "allotments", "farmland", "farmyard", "forest", "meadow", "orchard", "vineyard", "basin", "brownfield", "cemetery", "conservation", "depot", "garages", "grass", "greenfield", "greenhouse_horticulture", "landfill", "military", "", "plant_nursery", "port", "quarry", "railway", "recreation_ground", "religious", "reservoir", "salt_pond", "village_green", "user defined", "railway" ], "tunnel": [ "yes" ], "addr:housenumber": [], "mountain_pass": [], "maxaxleload": [ "Weight" ], "charge": [], "abutters": [], "tracktype": [], "start_date": [], "narrow": [], "lanes": [], "ford": [], "tidal": [], "smoothness": [], "driving_side": [], "building:fireproof": [], "addr:state": [], "usage": [], "winter_road": [], "boat": [], "addr:subdistrict": [], "access": [ "designated" ], "drive_in": [], "addr:suburb": [], "bicycle": [], "entrance": [], "internet_access": [], "sidewalk": [], "addr:housename": [], "motorboat": [], "mtb:scale:imba": [], "motorroad": [], "addr:province": [], "noexit": [], "horse": [], "4wd_only": [], "vehicle": [], "addr:district": [], "lhv": [], "building:flats": [], "inline_skates": [], "busway": [ "lane" ], "maxheight": [ "Height" ], "end_date": [], "service_times": [], "leaf_cycle": [], "addr:inclusion": [], "electrified": [], "minspeed": [ "Speed" ], "addr:country": [], "traffic_calming": [], "alt_name": [], "soft_storey": [], "border_type": [], "embankment": [], "trail_visibility": [], "addr:conscriptionnumber": [], "fire_operator": [], "height": [], "lit": [], "covered": [], "addr:flats": [], "operator": [] } 

Christmas Day 2019
This is an update from last year's list which is an update of some list from a year or two ago.
Outdoor Activities
If the weather is good (check forecast[1]), here's some outdoor activities:

• Go to the beach
• Go to the gardens
  • Auckland Botanic Gardens is open for people to wander around but visitor centre will be closed. Sculpture in the gardens (or Our Auckland listing)
  • Parnell Rose Gardens.
  • Auckland Domain. Auckland Domain Walks including a sculpture walk.
  • Albert Park and University of Auckland grounds
  • Cornwall Park. Visitor info has links to the map for Christmas tree trail as well as map for the park.
• Walking Tracks around Auckland - Auckland Council and Department of Conservation.
• Visit the various volcanoes in Auckland. Both Mt Victoria and Mt Eden will have beautiful views of the city. There's public transport. You will need to walk up.
  • Mt Eden (Bus is 27W or 27H)
  • Mt Victoria lookout (or wikipedia) - Take the ferry to Devonport, walk from ferry to the top of Mt Victoria.
  • One Tree Hill (and Cornwall Park surrounding it)
  • Rangitoto Island. Take one or more of the walks there. Definitely ensure you go up to the top of the crater for the view. Some people stay a bit longer and have a picnic morning tea/lunch. You can't buy lunch there. Rangitoto. It is a pest-free island reserve and so you have to ensure you leave it as you arrived. Info about visiting pest free islands. Ferry - Fullers timetable.
  • See 6 volcanoes and never leave Auckland. CNN Travel. 27 June 2017.
  • Auckland Volcano Cones by Auckland Tourism, Wikipedia, GNS science, Science Learning Hub
• Muriwai Gannet Colony.
  • Only an option if you have your own transport and able to walk as it is about 30 mins walk from the carpark. Discussion in 2018 about the duration of walk from carpark.
  • World famous in New Zealand: Gannet Colony, Muriwai. Stuff. Aug 05 2018.
  • Info by Auckland Council, NZ Birds, Wikipedia. Go to the beach too.
• Ride around in a bike (ONZO). Maps and Rides suggested by Auckland Transport and Bike Auckland. On Bike Auckland's site, if you hover your mouse over the "Maps & Rides" menu, you'll find other options like easy rides.
• Auckland Transport's Public Transport holiday timetables from 23 December 2019 - 12 January 2020.
• Scooters - one or two scooter services you can hire by the minute. Flamingo. Possibly Jump, Neuron, and Beam. No Lime and Wave scooters. Articles: NZ Herald or Newshub.

[1] Weather forecasts by Metservice and Weather Watch.
Indoor Activities:

• Go to church - you can experience christmas day service in a number of languages in Auckland.
  • St Patrick's Cathedral (Catholic) https://www.stpatricks.org.nz/ You'll find other Auckland Catholic parishes here https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/
  • Anglican Diocese - Christmas Services 2019. Also Christmas at St Matthew-in-the-City.
  • There are other denominations like Methodists, Baptists, AOG, Salvation Army, etc. Just search for them. I suspect the local visitor info centre and hotels have a list for their guests.
  • I think these lists above are services in English. I don't see the services in other languages listed there. You will be able to find services in many pacific island languages and asian languages. It is a case of whether you'll find the particular combination you are looking for in a location you can get to on Christmas day.
  • Use google search if you are after a particular church denomination. Wikipedia list of Church organisations in NZ. Not sure how complete it is. Churches' Christmas message: Waiting for Christmas has a list of clergy,(with their affliation) signing the message at the bottom. While the list is old and clergy may have changed, the church organisations are most likely to be around.
• Go to the movies.
  • Queen St + Manukau Event cinemas open on Christmas Day. https://www.eventcinemas.co.nz/
  • Hoyts https://www.hoyts.co.nz/ Hoyts Sylvia Park, Te Awa (Hamilton), Riccarton (Christchurch) and Entertainment X were open on Christmas Day 2018. Unfortunately site won't load at the moment. There's a chance a few cinemas from this group will be open on Christmas day.
• https://snowplanet.co.nz/ is open every year on Christmas day.
• Skycity Auckland - This is a hotel with the skytower. You can go up the tower on Christmas Day. There will be restaurants open. The casino will be closed.
• Kelly Tarlton's - Opening Hours on their website doesn't say they are closed on Christmas day. They were open in 2018 and previous years.
• Auckland Airport is open.
• Definitely closed: Auckland Zoo, Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery, all casinos in NZ.

Event searches

• Eventfinda search for Auckland on 25 December 2019 or list of Christmas events (which may not necessarily be on christmas day).
• Our Auckland search for 25 December 2019

Public Transport
Auckland Transport's Public Transport holiday timetables from 23 December 2019 - 12 January 2020. Waiheke ferry timetable (pdf).
Food and Drink
Go to the supermarket on Christmas Eve to stock up on food and essentials. No supermarket and most businesses will be closed on Christmas Day. Christmas Day is one of very few mandatory public holidays in NZ, even the casino is closed 24 hours. Only places allowed to remain open are petrol stations, some fast food places and restaurants.
Hospitality businesses (restaurants, cafes etc) are able to charge a public holiday surcharge if they open on public holidays. If they do so they have to state clearly (ie sign at the door, or counter or menu). This public holidays are 25 and 26 December 2018, and 1 and 2 January 2019. FYI 26 December is also known as Boxing day in NZ.
Alcohol cannot be served unless with a meal[2]. So if something that looks like a pub is open, it is highly likely they are open to serve meals and you can order an alcoholic drink with your meal.
Restaurants that are open tend to be fast food places like McDs, KFC, restaurants that are part of hotels, a few ethnic restaurants and maybe a handful of others.
[2] That particular law applies only to Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day as well as before 1pm on Anzac Day. Legislation: Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Despite the date of the act, the law has been around for some time. 2010 news article about it. Sale and supply on Anzac Day morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day restricted: on-licences.
Without any particular order:

• Hotels with restaurants: Christmas Day at The CUT, Rydges Auckland, Christmas dining at Stamford Plaza, Christmas day at Grand Mercure Auckland, Festive dining at Skycity Auckland's Restaurants - Each restaurant has a different offer for Christmas day, Christmas Day buffet at Novotel Ellerslie, Christmas at Cordis Auckland. many hotels with restaurants - I won't be listing them all. Just giving you a few so you have an idea.
• Denny's restaurant (American). Locations on website. There's a popup when you go to their webpage that says they are open on Christmas day.
• Denizen’s guide to the restaurants that are open over the holidays. The Denizen. 18 Dec 2019.
• Post about a restaurant offering free lunch or dinner on Christmas day.
• Christmas and NY Hours in Mission Bay https://www.missionbay.co.nz/mission-bay-christmas-new-years-hours.
• Viaduct Auckland https://www.viaduct.co.nz/2019/12/16/whats-on-wheres-open-at-viaduct-harbour-this-christmas/
• Dairies are open. For tourist: Dairies in NZ are a local convenience stores often found dotted around NZ, usually local to a neighbourhood. Wikipedia). They are known elsewhere with other names bodega, superettes, 7-11 or the shop attached to petrol stations.

Other essential info
Alcohol and smoking in public areas
Please note that there's usually an alcohol ban in many public areas like bus stops, parks, reserves etc. This means you are banned from consuming alcohol publicly unless you are in a licenced establishment (ie restaurant). Alcohol bans are either for an event, for extended periods or permanent. For more information about alcohol ban in Auckland.
Auckland Smokefree policy has a list of places where smoking is not permitted. This isn't limited to indoor areas only. It also includes parks, playgrounds, bus stops.
With NY celebrations coming up I won't be surprised if there's both alcohol and fire bans in popular beach areas and parks too.
Fire Season

• As this is summer, there's usually a fire ban in many areas in NZ.
• Fire and Emergency NZ https://checkitsalright.nz/
• Change in fire seasons for Auckland.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is updating the fire seasons for Auckland. From Monday 2 December it will declare a restricted season across greater Auckland and a prohibited fire season across all the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. A prohibited season means a total fire ban, with any current fire permits for the area suspended from the date the prohibited season starts. A restricted fire season means any open-air fires will need a permit.

• Articles:
  • Auckland to have restricted fire rules from Monday. RNZ. 29 November 2019.
  • Fire restrictions imposed across Auckland ahead of summer. Stuff. Nov 30 2019.
  • Auckland Council page on Outdoor fires.

Below is a list I posted as reply to a tourist's query in /newzealand. I am posting this list here in case there are visitors or new Aucklanders. I realise most of us know about this.
Please be nice and kind to all.
Outdoor Activities
If the weather is good (unfortunately not according to forecast[1]), here's some outdoor activities:

• Go to the beach
• Go to the gardens (Botanic Gardens open for people to wander around but Visitor centre closed. The Domain, Parnell Rose Gardens, Cornwall Park).
• Go visit the various volcanoes in Auckland. Both Mt Victoria and Mt Eden will have beautiful views of the city. There's public transport. You will need to walk up.
  • Mt Eden (Bus is 27W or 27H)
  • Mt Victoria (Take the ferry to Devonport, walk from ferry to the top of Mt Victoria)
  • One Tree Hill (and Cornwall Park surrounding it)
  • Rangitoto Island may not be an option. Fullers timetable says they aren't sailing on Christmas Day.
  • See 6 volcanoes and never leave Auckland. CNN Travel. 27 June 2017.
  • Auckland Volcano Cones by Auckland Tourism, Wikipedia, GNS science, Science Learning Hub
• Muriwai Gannet Colony.
  • Only an option if you have your own transport and able to walk as it is about 30 mins walk from the carpark.
  • World famous in New Zealand: Gannet Colony, Muriwai. Stuff. Aug 05 2018.
  • Info by Auckland Council, NZ Birds, Wikipedia. Go to the beach too.
• Ride around in a bike (ONZO) or scooter (Lime)

[1] Weather forecasts by Metservice and Weather Watch.
Indoor Activities:

• Go to the movies.
  • Queen St + Manukau Event cinemas open on Christmas Day. https://www.eventcinemas.co.nz/
  • Hoyts Sylvia Park, Te Awa (Hamilton), Riccarton (Christchurch) and Entertainment X are open on Christmas Day
• https://snowplanet.co.nz/
• Skycity Auckland - This is a hotel with the skytower. You can go up the tower on Christmas Day. There will be restaurants open. The casino will be closed.
• Go to church - you can experience christmas day service in a number of languages in Auckland.
  • St Patrick's Cathedral (Catholic) https://www.stpatricks.org.nz/ You'll find other Auckland Catholic parishes here https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/
  • Anglican Diocese - Christmas Services 2018
  • There are other denominations like Methodists, Baptists, AOG, Salvation Army, etc. Just search for them. I suspect the local visitor info centre and hotels have a list for their guests.
  • I think these lists above are services in English. I don't see the services in other languages listed there. You will be able to find services in many pacific island languages and asian languages.
  • Use google search if you are after a particular church denomination. Wikipedia list of Church organisations in NZ. Not sure how complete it is. Churches' Christmas message: Waiting for Christmas has a list of clergy,(with their affliation) signing the message at the bottom.
• Auckland Airport is open.
• Kelly Tarlton's - Opening Hours on their website doesn't say they re closed on Christmas day. Their 22 Dec facebook post ends with " We are open as usual every day over the holiday season from 9:30 AM - 5 PM. Come down to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium and see the penguin chicks in their creche!". Thanks to spagbol for the heads up in comment below. new

Public Transport
Public transport will be on a Sunday timetable in Auckland. https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/ Bus, train and ferry Christmas holiday timetables. From 24 December 2018 to 6 January 2019, most public transport services will be operating to a Christmas/New Year holiday timetable.
Food and Drink
Go to the supermarket today (Christmas Eve) to stock up on food and essentials. No supermarket and most businesses will be closed on Christmas Day. Christmas Day is one of very few mandatory public holidays in NZ, even the casino is closed 24 hours. Only places allowed to remain open are petrol stations and restaurants.
Hospitality businesses (restaurants, cafes etc) are able to charge a public holiday surcharge if they open on public holidays. If they do so they have to state clearly (ie sign at the door, or counter or menu). This public holidays are 25 and 26 December 2018, and 1 and 2 January 2019. FYI 26 December is also known as Boxing day in NZ.
Alcohol cannot be served unless with a meal. So if something that looks like a pub is open, it is highly likely they are open to serve meals and you can order an alcoholic drink with your meal.
Restaurants open tend to be fast food places like McDs, KFC, restaurants that are part of hotels, a few ethnic restaurants and maybe a handful of others.
Some of the top restaurants shut down from either today or Monday for a few weeks, unless they are part of a hotel or one of the few known to offer a christmas day meal.

• Hotels with restaurants: The Christmas Buffet at Rydges Auckland, Christmas dining at Stamford Plaza, Christmas day at Grand Mercure Auckland, Skycity Auckland's Restaurants - you need to go to each restaurant to see what's on offer for Christmas day, Christmas Day buffet at Novotel Ellerslie, Eight at Cordis Auckland. many hotels with restaurants - I won't be listing them all. Just giving you a few so you have an idea.
  
• Denny's restaurant (American). There's a facebook message says they are open on Christmas day. Locations on website.
  
• Fast food: McDonald's, KFC, Domino's Pizza - Note at bottom of Domino's front page says 20% surcharge on Christmas Day.
  
• Going out for Christmas? Where to eat out on December 25. NZ Herald. 15 Dec, 2018.
  
• Christmas Day Party & Feast. This is out west auckland. Not sure you can easily get there on Christmas day.
  
• The restaurants open for home delivery this Christmas day. Newshub. 19/12/2018.
  

Free 30+ page travel guide about Budapest, Hungary and bits of Central Europe. Enjoy!
Information correct as of summer 2020. If you find anything incorrect or would like to make requests, suggestions (or just want to say hi), please do that here! You should also drop by in /budapest to see past questions and to get advice from multiple people.
I would also greatly appreciate your post-trip feedbacks about whether my recommendations worked out for you or not! Restaurants, clubs can undergo radical changes and it's not always possible to keep track of every single one.
The local charity I support is the Hungarian Food Bank Association. For every €1 donated they are able to save €30 worth of perishable food and have it reach underprivileged Hungarian families. If you find this guide useful, please consider donating to them!
Some links use URL-shorteners, so I could track how many of you are using this guide. Nothing fishy waiting for you behind them.
See my suggestions in the comments below about:

• Restaurants – Where to eat in the city
  
• Clubbing, cultural and sports events – Beautiful people, pub crawls or dive bars?
  
• Shopping, services, health care - Good excuses to part with the last of your Forints
  
• Off the beaten path – atypical activities – if you have the time!
  
• Countryside tourism, regional travel – getting familiar with the rest of the country and more
  

===CORONA RESTRICTIONS===
The situation is subject to change momentarily, this information is current as of September 2020. Eastern Europe as a whole has largely been spared from the worst of it, including Hungary, and the risk of transmission is low.
Presently foreigners are banned from entry altogether. Exceptions are in place for people with ties to the country (family members, studies, work, those holding residence permits), and people transiting by car on designated highways.
The situation will be revised monthly, with experts saying the second peak is expected for December-January.
In the country, you need to wear a mask on public transport, inside shops, malls, cinemas, museums. You don't need to wear them inside restaurants, cafes, bars, but they must close by 23.00. Social distancing rules are in place, but largely ignored.
===END OF CORONA RESTRICTIONS===
Hungary has a continental climate with 4 seasons. Summer is the main season, a slightly less busy time to visit is April to mid-June and September to October, but the weather is less predictable. Those uncomfortable with 30+C (>85F) temperatures should visit around then as 35+C (>95F) is not uncommon in the summer. November through March has -5 to 10 (20-50F) and possibly gloomier weather – but fewer tourists.
Currency: the Hungarian Forint (HUF, Ft). Fair exchange rates for Euros is around 330-335Fts, for US Dollars around 300. Only use currency exchanges where the buy/sell spread isn't greater than 5-6Fts for these two currencies!
Citizens of 62 countries do not require a visa to enter the Schengen Area and can stay for maximum 90 days within a rolling 180-day window. See here if you don’t know what that entails. EU member countries that are not members of the Schengen Area are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, and the United Kingdom, visits to these do not count toward your 90 days. Non-EU countries part of the Schengen Area are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, visits to these do count toward the cap.
Because we both know you want to do your own research, use:

• WeLoveBudapest, the definitive city magazine in English, from top lists to current events,
• Offbeat Budapest, a new site with the author’s finger very much on the city’s pulse,
• Spotted by Locals, for even more local insight. Their offline city guide is worth $3.99.
• TripAdvisor, a small number of reviews might be bought, but no other site competes with their sheer volume of input. Be skeptical of places with unbalanced (90+% 5-star) reviews, the remaining ones should be accurate.
• Foursquare, with more local input than on TA,
• Wikivoyage, for your encyclopedic knowledge needs,
• Most threads on budapest and a couple more on hungary, which you can search like this,

See the city in 4K, or with Rick Steves.
However nothing beats having a physical guidebook in your hand! Lonely Planet has the best and most recent issue.
Read up on the concept of coconut and peach cultures, as sometimes the reserved and distant behaviour of locals can be misinterpreted by ‘peach’ visitors as rudeness – nope!
This is a comprehensive itinerary, but leaves out the best museum of the city: the House of Terror, a solemn museum of the Nazi and Soviet occupation and crackdowns (get the audio guide or be prepared to peruse dozens of pamphlets). There's an attendance limit, so you might need to wait up to 30-45 minutes to get in when it's the busiest. When you are around Deák Ferenc tér, drop by in the Tourinform office (Sütő utca 2., the small street near the church) to stock up on free maps, printed guides of the city. WeLoveBudapest prints a comprehensive and free one every year around June.
I suggest 4 full days to discover Budapest, or 3 faster paced ones. Make it 5-7 if you'd like to make a few daytrips (Szentendre - open-air ethnographic museum, cobblestoned, quaint center, Esztergom - Central Europe's largest cathedral and religious center, Visegrád - medieval castle, Eger - medieval castle and wine region). Most of Hungary’s highlights can be visited in 2 weeks. For more details on countryside and international trips, see my comment below.
Meal times and habits are typical to central Europe: breakfast is usually done at home, not much of a culture of eating out in the morning. But a large number of new wave breakfast places have popped up in the past years, which offer ample opportunities for visitors, normally from 8am. Lunch is at midday, after 1pm most places are going to be fairly empty and many will stop serving lunch after 2pm. The standard time for dinner is 7pm, bookings for later than 8pm are unusual. Lots of restaurant kitchens close at 10pm (with the restaurant following suit 30-60 minutes later), finding a meal after that hour is challenging for anything other than street food.
Baths
Gellért is the most aesthetic, Széchenyi the largest and most popular among foreigners (Sparty can get crazy with lots of drinking, puking and sex going on in the pools, but it is wildly overpriced and 100% aimed at visitors). Rudas is a Turkish hamam with swimwear optional, single-gender weekdays (women-only on Tuesdays, coed and swimwear-mandatory on the weekend). Lukács is plain and personally I’m not a fan of it – tourists only visit it because it’s included free with the Budapest Card. For more details on the baths, see this.
For off the beaten path sights, ride the D11 or D12 public boat lines for a cheap alternative to paid cruises (travelcards only valid on weekdays, otherwise 700Ft), check out the Pinball Museum, Hospital in the Rock or check out this section for a lot more off the beaten path ideas.
Shopping
Hungary has the world’s highest effective VAT (=sales tax) at 27%. Non-EU/EEA tourists are eligible for VAT refund on their qualifying purchases if they complete the paperwork (min. €175 value per transaction, passport+reclaim form stamped by customs official).
The most popular and best accessible mall of the city is WestEnd on Nyugati tér. Arena Plaza is larger by floor area and carries a couple brands that can’t be found elsewhere, but is less centrally located (10min walk from Keleti train station). Don’t expect to find bargains on clothing or electronics, prices are similar to Western Europe and over North American or Asian ones.
For more information on shopping and VAT refund, see here.
Paprika Market is a decent souvenir shop in the sea of overpriced, terrible quality crap on Váci utca.
Magma Gallery for contemporary and affordable jewelry, ceramics and home decor items by local designers is just one street over on Petőfi Sándor utca.
Check out the antique bookstores alongside Múzeum körút between Astoria and Kálvin tér, some have Socialist-era posters available for sale from 30€ and up, that could be a unique gift/home decor to take home. Ecseri road flea market for more antiques, go early on Saturdays.
Hungarian cuisine is hearty and filling, with a heavy use of meats. Must-try foods are:

• goulash: a beef soup with potatoes and carrots!
  
• Hortobágy crêpes: Hungary's more sophisticated answer to enchiladas, these savory crepes filled with either stew or minced meat covered in creamy paprika sauce make excellent starters or even entrée.
  
• pörkölt/paprikás: a thick stew without or with sour cream mixed in and what the rest of the world incorrectly believes goulash is – my favorite is catfish with curd cheese&dill noodles, though beef, chicken and the inferior pork are more commonplace
  
• roast sausage and blood sausage (hurka-kolbász): the breakfast of champions! Ideally eaten at an authentic butchershop like Pinczi or Balla with a side of pickled veggies, mustard (or horseradish) white bread and cold beer at 8am on a Saturday.
  
• everyone’s favorite street food, lángos: Hungarians only eat it with salt, garlic, sour cream and/or cheese, the Frankensteinian concoctions with sausage or kebab toppings are 100% aimed at tourists
  
• Somló trifle: a scrumptious walnut sponge dessert with chocolate sauce and whipped cream
  
• Chimney cake: a sweet, spiral pull-apart bread baked over charcoal, rolled in the topping of your choosing (typically nuts, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, cocoa, coconut flakes)
  

For authentic recipes, recommendations for recipe blogs or cookbooks, tips for cooking traditional Hungarian meals, see here
For edible souvenirs to bring home with you:

• Pick winter salami: only choose the original, typically ~6000/kg, comes in sizes of 380, 800 and 1250g and in trays (100 and 250g). The brand has a deli & store (working with regular prices) on Kossuth tér, next to the Parliament, open from 7am on weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
  
• Tokaji dessert wine: aszú being the premium product with the at least 4 puttony varieties suggesting quality, but they make regular whites as well, so check the label. Should cost at least 3-4000 per bottle. Suggested wineries: Disznókő, Oremus, Dereszla. Avoid: Royal Tokaji
  
• Premium pralines in lovely, traditional packaging from Stühmer.
  

Grocery stores include Spar, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl. Avoid CBA and Coop, low quality for high prices. Small convenience stores, many 24/7, also dot the city at higher prices.
The most popular and best accessible mall of the city is WestEnd on Nyugati tér.
Alcohol is sold at every one, but some (mostly residential) districts enact a ban on the sale between 22.00-06.00. The central Pest districts don’t have such limitations in place.
Tobacco is sold at tobacconists (‘nemzeti dohánybolt’ ). These shops are also exempt from the evening alcohol sale ban if you find yourself in such a district. Flavored cigarettes are banned in Hungary, so no Black Devils or Sobranies.
Budgets (per person)
For reasonable comforts, I would suggest aiming for at least €50 per day excluding accommodation. Hotel prices significantly vary in and outside high season.

• Shoestring: <€50 (hostel dorm €10, attractions €5+, meals and entertainment €10+)
  
• Mid-range: €75-150 (1/2 of hotel room or great Airbnb €30+, attractions €20+, meals and entertainment €25+)
  
• In comfort: €150+ (1/2 of comfy hotel €75+, attractions €30+, meals and entertainment €50+)
  

Getting around
Do not buy the Budapest Card, it is not a bargain, even if every travel blogger seems to think otherwise! You would need to visit at least 3-4 museums a day to break even and the free visit to the pretty plain Lukács Baths could mean you’d deny yourself going to the much more interesting mainstream alternatives, such as Gellért or Széchenyi. The discounted museums are second-rate and typically not what most visitors choose to hit up on their own.
Do buy a public transport travelcard, the 1, 3 or 5-day unlimited options require no validation or ID (common reasons for fines). For week-long stays, the 7-day travelcard needs an ID number and that you have the document on you at all times. Please do not try to get around by using single tickets!
The travelcards are economical (from €5/24h to €15/week) and easy to use: no validation, you just show it to the controllers. Validity starts immediately by default, or you can select a later starting date (always from midnight). 7-day and monthly passes require an ID/passport number, and you must have the ID on you whenever you travel, otherwise you risk getting fined! Groups of 4 or more can also buy the even more economical '24h group travelcard', but all persons must travel together using that.
Common reasons for fines

• Forgetting to validate single or transfer tickets
• Entering the subway station without a valid ticket
• Not having the ID on you for the 7-day travelcard or monthly passes (if you are fined for this, you have 2 business days to present it to the central BKK office for a reduced fine)

Ticket inspectors (must have an anonymized badge and armband) are notoriously brash, speak subpar English. Paying on the spot lets them give you a discounted fine of 8000 instead of the regular 16000 through postal order or wire transfer, they aren't looking to scam you if they offer you that. Fines are pursued internationally through collection agencies, multiplying the original amount once their fees are added.
Cheapest way to get to the city from the airport is by public transport. I suggest paying the 900Ft supplementary ticket for the 100E bus. The southern portion of the M3 subway is under reconstruction, during that period the 200E buses go beyond their usual terminus, Kőbánya-Kispest and take you to Nagyvárad tér station, where the subway runs from. The purple ticket machines at the airport and all over the city take chipped cards. Shuttle bus is a good compromise between price and comfort and depart when full or close to.
Ignore touts walking up to you offering cabs in the arrival hall, use the official Főtaxi booth immediately outside the building. Rates are centralized: flagfall 700Ft, 300Ft/km, 75Ft/min waiting. The fair price to the centre is around 7-9.000Fts. Rides inside the centre are typically under 3.000. All taxi companies have passable reputations with a few horror stories about each, Főtaxi (+36-1-222-2222), 6x6 Taxi (+36-1-666-6666), City Taxi (+36-1-211-1111) are a few. There are some stories of even company cab drivers trying to rip off naive-looking tourists, especially around train and bus stations, so consider legal Uber-alternative Taxify/Bolt (Android, iOS). Uber is banned.
Most companies have apps, but they have terrible design and might set an unchangeable pick up location 5-10 minutes away from you. It’s much better to order by phone, they have English-speaking operators. If you must use an app, choose Taxify.
Scams
Cabbies are the only ones eclipsing the ticket inspectors in notoriety. I cannot emphasize enough: DO NOT USE THE ONES WITH ‘FREELANCER’ ON THE FRONT DOORS!!! These drivers are nicknamed 'hyenas', work independently, they always have rigged meters and are known to sometimes assault customers who don’t comply with their ridiculous demands. If you hail on the street, be absolutely certain you’re getting into a company cab (logo on the front doors).
A known scam by the hyenas, fraudsters and illegal street exchangers is giving you worthless currencies with similarly high denominations as the Forint – namely the Indonesian Rupiah or the old Belarusian Ruble.
Bag handlers at the airport steal from unsecured luggage. Never put any valuables in your checked luggage!
Overly friendly, attractive women approaching you in broad daylight 'to practice their English' and taking you to scammy cafés where you'll be charged €300 for a bottle of bottom-shelf champagne are also to be avoided. Recently a Redditor reported the same happening to him through Tinder, so be very suspicious of anyone insistent on going to a particular establishment. The scam café was Hajós Café on Hajós utca. Another known scam location is Café Fidelité on Révay utca.
Otherwise general safety cautions should be exercised: watch your valuables in crowded spaces for pickpockets, be wary of overly friendly strangers approaching you and introducing the idea of going to a club or bar by their 5th sentence or of people pretending to be authority.
Policemen typically wear dark blue uniforms and white shirts , sometimes with a visibility vest and can be identified by the numbered metal badges on their chest and their separate police ID card which you can ask to inspect before complying with their orders. Scammers use fake police IDs to part you with your cash under the guise of inspecting the notes for counterfeits. Always ask to see it first: this is real, this is fake – notice where the real one has a serial number, the fake says POLICE. If the issue is anything halfway serious, ask to be escorted to the nearest police station – it will scare away scammers playing dress up.
The emergency number is 112 for police, ambulance or firefighters, there are English-speaking operators (works throughout the EU).
If you get pickpocketed, notify both the police and in case of losing your travel documents, your embassy. Thieves are usually courteous enough to leave papers near trash bins, so walk around in the neighbourhood to see if you can recover them. If you find someone else’s, hand in to the nearest police station.
Getting around
the city is easy, Budapest has one of the best public transport systems of the continent. Use Google Maps for orientation and getting around! Tickets and passes with rates are listed here.
All EU/EEA citizens aged 65+ travel for free on all Hungarian public transport, including trains, distance buses. Picture ID and administrative 0 Ft ticket required. Age 65 is not included.
Student discounts are available to full-time students in EU/EEA countries with a valid student ID. If it doesn’t have it, also carry a picture ID. EU citizenship not required, you only need to study there full-time (not applicable for exchange students unless they get ID issued). The monthly student pass (3450) is cheaper than the 72h travel card (4150) for identical benefits.
The 4 subway lines are coded by numbers and, unofficially, colour (1-yellow, 2-red, 3-blue, 4-green). The busiest, M3, is under renovation until 2021, but remains in partial operation, see details here. The entire line shuts down after 8pm and all day on weekends (replacement buses operate), and one section of the line is always out of service. For 2019 it’s the southern segment, between Kőbánya-Kispest and Nagyvárad tér. During this time the 200E airport bus will take you to the more central Nagyvárad tér stop (from where the subway runs) instead of its regular terminus of Kőbánya.
In Budapest driving is not recommended for the perpetual lack of parking spaces, congestion and because there's really no need to. If you must arrive by car, pick a hotel with parking, use the free parking lot at Kelenföld subway station, street-parking by StarPark at Podmaniczky utca at ~€8/24h, or opt for a more central location (such as one of CarE Park’s garages ) at ~20€/24h, €100/week and do not use it for getting around in the city. Public areas are metered in the entire centre, typically charging 1.5€/h with a cap of 3 hours on a ticket.
The Bubi city bike system is available for anyone’s use. The rates are very favourable (500Ft for 1-day, 1000 for 3 for the pass), but a deposit of €80 will be docked when you register and might take a few weeks to release. First 30 minutes are free, after it's 500Ft/30min on top of the daily pass' price.
Two e-car sharing systems compete in Budapest. I suggest using MOL Limo, as you can complete your licence verification remotely (do it before arrival, they might take a day or three if they are backlogged). Despite the name, the cars are tiny, automatic VW up!s, the majority electric and all automatic. Age limit 18, min. 1-year old national licence, foreign ones accepted, €20 registration fee and €0.25/min rate. Coverage includes basically every area of note to tourists in the centre, except the Castle and underground garages (as well as the airport). Expansion is planned for the future. You cannot park (leave the car) outside the coverage area, but you can drive through.
Sightseeing
The best rated tour bus company is Big Bus, Giraffe (aka. the red Hop On Hop Off ones) tends to get mixed-to-negative reviews. Segway tours also available.
Free thematic walking tours of the city depart in front of the lion fountain on Vörösmarty tér daily. A tip of 2000-2500Ft/person suggested, but they're are chill about it, you can give less if you're on a budget.
River cruises run during the day and the evening, including dinner (usually not great, save for one) or party in the latter case. The most popular is Legenda, partiers choose Boat Party.
One standout cruise is Pannónia Gastro Boat that goes above and beyond the standard quality of service of other operations and often host guest chefs from innovative countryside restaurants.
Public transport alternative is the D11 or D12 boat lines between Boráros tér going up to Népfürdő utca (or getting off at Jászai Mari tér or Margaret island 1 or 2 stops prior). Tram 2 between Jászai Mari tér and Boráros tér hugs the Danube on the Pest side and loops around the Parliament for a similarly nice experience. Seasonal operations, normally from March through October.
Money
The currency of Hungary is the Hungarian Forint (1EUR=330HUF, 1USD=300HUF in November 2019), but I’ve listed prices in Euros (€). Check for current rates here.
Don't exchange Forints at home, bring USD/EUGBP in cash or a chipped card with you – the withdrawal fee is far smaller than what you’d lose by the atrocious rates available to you at home (exception: neighbouring countries).
With cards, Visa, Mastercard are best, Maestro acceptable. Avoid Amex, Diners Club and other uncommon non-European issues.
CAD/AUD/JPY/CNY will be exchanged at slightly worse rates, but still much better than if you’d exchange Forints at home. I don't recommend bringing currencies other than the ones I've mentioned and those from neighboring countries, but if you do, Tichi Change exchanges almost every valid currency in the world at as good of a rate as you could realistically hope for.
When the ATM asks you if you want to be charged in your home currency, say no and opt for Forints or you'll lose up to 30% due to the poor conversion rate! Learn more about the rip-off of dynamic currency conversion here and steer clear of the ATMs operated by Euronet. Besides the dynamic currency conversion ripoff, they will also prompt you to withdraw ridiculously high amounts of money (equivalent of $500 or more) that you will not be able to spend in 3-4 days.
Don't exchange any money with bright orange Interchange they use ripoff rates (>30% spread). They hava e monopoly at the airport and are also present throughout the city in premium locations, such as Váci utca. Street exchange is illegal and a good way to get scammed.
Tons of fine currency exchanges around the city, the best USD and EUR rates are at Gold Change but use your eyes: the buy/sell spread shouldn’t be more than 1-3% apart for these, or 2.5-5% at banks. Exchange offices and banks do not take cards! You may only use them for ATM withdrawals.
Phones
Make sure to bring an unlocked phone, ideally a dual-SIM one.
The 3 main carriers are Vodafone, Telekom (T-Mobile) and Telenor. The best prepaid package is Telekom's Domino Fix with the 1/3/30-day unlimited 4G add-on, costing 990+9900Fts (€32) for the 30-day option. SIM cards need to be activated after purchase, so buy them at brand stores where help is available instead of supermarkets or gas stations.
Roaming fees within the EU have been abolished in 2017, you will be able to use your SIM in any EU member country, but not as if it would be local. I.e. a Vodafone Hungary-issued SIM will be roaming on Vodafone Austria’s network. Some 'reasonable' data caps remain in place, which are determined by the cost of your service.
Outside the EU there are punitive data rates. I once managed to rack up a $90 bill for 5MB by accident.
Sleep
Rates are for high season (late April through September, Christmas, NYE), might be 50+% lower on other dates

• For 0 hours (party hostels, from €10): Grandio, Retox, Carpe Noctem Vitae
• On a budget (well-reviewed hostels, dorm, private rooms €10-35, apartments €40-60): Lavender Circus, Maverick City Lodge, Pal’s, The Groove, Loft, standard Airbnbs
• Mid-range (€80-150): Mamaison, Cortile, Memories Oldtown, Casati, upscale Airbnbs
• In style (€150-250): Palazzo Zichy, Bródy Studios, Moments, Prestige, Corinthia, this palatial Airbnb
• Lavishly (€250+): Aria, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons (the gold standard), Kempinski

Location: if you plan on sleeping, the party district (VII., inside the ring road) should be avoided, as well as VIII. outside of it and around Keleti train station for safety reasons/because you can get nicer digs elsewhere. An under the radar gem of an area is VII. between Múzeum körút and the ring road. Buda is nowhere as dead as tourists collectively imagine it to be (especially around Széll Kálmán tér), don’t shun it if you find someplace nice there.
Eat at

• Rosenstein (best traditional Hungarian restaurant in the country)
• Két Szerecsen (cozy Hungarian)
• Olimpia (casual fine dining)
• Borkonyha (business casual fine dining, Michelin-star)
• Stand25 (Bib Gourmand bistro - don't miss the goulash and the layered potatoes!)
• Kispiac (modern Hungarian)
• Vén Hajó (restaurant ship with amazing panorama and well-done Hungarian food - touristy, but still memorable!)
• Petrus (French-Hungarian, Bib Gourmand)
• Dobrumba (Arabic)
• Tüköry (traditional Hungarian on a budget)
• Ruben (traditional Hungarian on a budget)
• Bors (soups & sandwiches with a cult following)
• Manu+ (authentic Neapolitan pizza).

For more detailed restaurant recommendations, see this comment. August visitors, check the restaurants' websites and Facebook to see if they aren't on holiday!
The quality of service is a common source of complaints, don't take it too hard if it happens to you. Tip is 10% most of the time, unless you’re really dissatisfied or find yourself absolutely elated. Many top end restaurants add a ~12% service charge to the bill, tipping on top of that is not expected, though naturally it will be appreciated.
Neither regular, nor ost fast food restaurants do refills. The only exceptions are all KFCs and a few Burger Kings.
Smoking is banned at all restaurants, bars and basically every facility open to the public. Designated smoking areas can be found outside on the street.
Try pálinka (~40% ABV fruit brandy), Unicum (herbal bitteaperitif, like Jäger), bikavér from Eger and Szekszárd (lit. ‘bull’s blood’, a full-bodied red), Tokaji aszú (similar to white Port, made of hand-picked berries with noble rot, named the "wine of kings, king of wines" from the 18th century) or fröccs (spritzer, white or red wine mixed with seltzer – a lifesaver in the summer)!
More details in the shopping section.
Or get really local and ask for ’fény’, carbonated vodka foam over raspberry syrup. You’ll see the fény (=light) at the end of the tunnel in no time!
Eat a freshly fried lángos at market halls (acceptable toppings: sour cream, garlic, cheese, perhaps ham and cabbage - certainly none of that tourist stuff with nutella, Hungarian sausage or kebab...) and fried sausage from a butcher shop such as 1951 establishment Balla Hús in Városház utca or the more contemporary Belvárosi Disznótoros eatery. The gallery of the Hold utca market hall hosts quality street food vendors, Karaván food truck yard right next to Szimpla.
Nightlife
For more detailed recommendations, including strip clubs, casinos and more, see this comment.
A casual evening

• Doblo - wine bar
• Élesztő - craft beer pub
• Csendes - bohemian hangout
• Nappali - neighborhood bar with great whiskies

Ruin pubs

• Szimpla
• Instant-Fogasház
• Mazel Tov
• Pótkulcs (low-key, occasional folk concerts)

Mainstream clubs

• Akvárium
• Ötkert
• Story
• HEAVEN
• Fröccsterasz
• Raqpart (seasonal only)
• BRKLYN
• BoB

Techno

• Lärm
• Aether
• Arzenál

Rock and miscellaneous

• Dürer Kert
• A38 (a converted Ukrainian barge – a unique experience)
• Barba Negra Track

Gay bars

• Alterego
• Why Not

Get out
See train schedules on Elvira, check for buses on menetrendek.hu (this site combines bus and train schedules, but has no English version, check for the orange or blue icon on the left side to see which is which).
Daytrip options include

• Szentendre: a bit different from its Scottish peer (lit. 'St. Andrews') quaint, cobblestoned artist town, chock full of galleries, art museums, restaurants – and tourists. The biggest attraction requires a short cab ride out of town, the open-air ethnography museum, Skanzen, with authentic recreations of functioning village clusters (open March through October). Best restaurant, oddly enough, cooks up a Caribbean fare at the hand of the Curaçaoan owner and his Hungarian wife: Mjam. Reachable by the H5 suburban railway from Batthyány tér (requires extension ticket for segment outside city limits - that's after Békásmegyer station, you need a 15km extension)
  
• Visegrád and Esztergom: a Renaissance castle with a panorama in the first, Central Europe’s largest cathedral in the second – and all this can be done on a scenic hydrofoil or boat trip in season!
  
• Eger: the location of a key Hungarian victory over invading Ottoman forces, this popular excursion destination is famous for its medieval castle, Baroque center, random museums (Beatles, firefighting and marzipan to name a few), its reputable wineries producing full-bodied, cabernet-like reds (bull’s blood, bikavér) and the limestone terraced natural spa of neighboring Egerszalók. Suggested wineries: St. Andrea, Tibor Gál, Demeter, Bolyki. Eat at Macok restaurant (by the castle entrance), they are excellent!
  
• Etyek: the nearest wine region to Budapest, they focus on whites. Although not as spectacular as the previous examples, it's a worthwhile visit for wine aficionados in the summer and autumn. Typical varieties include Irsai Olivér, királyleányka and Muscat Lunel (sárgamuskotály).
  

For multi-day excursions, including to lake Balaton and detailed information on car rental, countryside and international tourism opportunities, click here

Period: 364.40 days

	Submissions	Comments
Total	1000	29041
Rate (per day)	2.74	79.26
Unique Redditors	424	2001
Combined Score	17134	129842

Top Submitters' Top Submissions

1. 864 points, 128 submissions: jsakic99
   
   1. "It's ridiculous when Mike Love wears a Beach Boys hat" (70 points, 30 comments)
   2. Carolla Man, Poor Man (50 points, 48 comments)
   3. Construct The Worst Possible ACS Episode (37 points, 58 comments)
   4. ACS July-12-2019: Dana Gould (yes!) (22 points, 75 comments)
   5. Adam's Patreon (21 points, 44 comments)
   6. ACS October-21-2019: Dave Dameshek and NO GINA! (19 points, 92 comments)
   7. Adam vs. Howard Stern (19 points, 60 comments)
   8. Why Are You On This Sub? (17 points, 90 comments)
   9. ACS: November-04-2019: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and James Mangold (16 points, 77 comments)
   10. My Ideal ACS Episode (16 points, 10 comments)
2. 487 points, 19 submissions: AGuesthouseInBangkok
   
   1. Can't afford basic necessities starter pack (69 points, 36 comments)
   2. ‘Only acceptable in an airport’ starter pack (56 points, 5 comments)
   3. White Privilege (43 points, 67 comments)
   4. Europe or North America? What Do You Reckon? (37 points, 4 comments)
   5. Spunk Shui The philosophy of setting up a room or area of the house for masturbation with the intent of not getting inadvertenly caught by friends or loved ones. Coined by Adam Carolla - Urban Dictionary (35 points, 13 comments)
   6. I don't Understand Ace's Building Talk, But I Admire His Knowledge and Skills. (33 points, 11 comments)
   7. You Gotta Factor in the Woke Points 🍅 (30 points, 8 comments)
   8. What's that noise in the background? The fucking smoke detector?? How long has it been beeping for? Three years?!?! (28 points, 3 comments)
   9. He's black, so that should give him some points with the critics. But he said that if women have a right to choose to abort a fetus, men should likewise have the option to not pay for the baby. The critics didn't like that. (27 points, 10 comments)
   10. What Can Brown Do for You? (24 points, 1 comment)
3. 393 points, 23 submissions: xmeandix
   
   1. Stop asking if the reason why carollas special didnt get picked up is his politics (44 points, 70 comments)
   2. Listening to fitzdog and Alison's podcast and she brings up carolla not liking people who disagree with him (36 points, 51 comments)
   3. The (2) other reasons why the Adam carolla show used to be good (35 points, 24 comments)
   4. Its painful listening to Gina and Bryan describing what flavors they taste in the whiskey (30 points, 37 comments)
   5. Gina fans. You actually enjoyed her improv on today's show? Please explain. Jeff Dunham episode (26 points, 83 comments)
   6. Adam: "i used to watch jimmy with a razor blade cutting audio tape and splicing it together with scotch tape" (25 points, 13 comments)
   7. Adam asks ray Romano what the dress code is for his comedy charity event. Gina's response... (24 points, 40 comments)
   8. Are we going to discuss how Adam is going to open for Jo Koy to 13k people? (19 points, 66 comments)
   9. Gina and her fucking non sequitur (19 points, 46 comments)
   10. Alison was so good that JOE ROGAN had her on his podcast. Let that sink in (15 points, 53 comments)
4. 376 points, 11 submissions: Shoot_Bald_Bryan
   
   1. When you haven't listened in a while and decide to give it another try but 2 minutes in... (101 points, 55 comments)
   2. Have you ever wanted to walk around and have people look at you like a complete moron? (45 points, 50 comments)
   3. Looks like next Reasonable Doubt Geragos will be calling in from France (42 points, 17 comments)
   4. Just came across Joy on Food Network. He's funny and has a good flow. I'm just waiting for Bobby Flay to make him play an Asian hostess. (41 points, 17 comments)
   5. Hello Adam, it's nice to be here. I'd like to take you out for an imported beer. (35 points, 17 comments)
   6. New bit for Adam to play with the few guests he's getting nowadays. (32 points, 11 comments)
   7. No they didn't record a bunch of shows the same day because Gina and Bryan had different clothes on each time. It's just the wiring of an alcoholic 54 year old man with severe mommy and daddy issues. (22 points, 28 comments)
   8. I don't hate Eat Your Feelings but Adam makes it so hard to listen too. Mmmm, mmruamm, nommm, splatter, mmmngion. It's going into the automatic slip segment along with Good Sports. (19 points, 26 comments)
   9. Good stuff. Details in the comments. (17 points, 11 comments)
   10. If you're looking for something to supplement your pods check out Do Tell Ray. Great episode to start with #27 w/Eric Stromer. (16 points, 0 comments)
5. 305 points, 10 submissions: GabeBlack
   
   1. Chuck Berry’s awkward reaction to Yoko Ono’s horrible singing (57 points, 20 comments)
   2. Police sources: New evidence suggests Jussie Smollett orchestrated attack (54 points, 57 comments)
   3. TIL: Relative to their size, leaf-blowers are among the most polluting machines ever invented. 1/3 of their fuel is released into the air unburned, as an aerosol; and the amount of pollutants released from running one for 30 minutes is equivalent to that of an F-150 driving from Texas to Alaska. (48 points, 34 comments)
   4. "Love Line", the most important, live, sexual medical radio advice comedy show ever on the planet! This is a deep archive channel of Love Line from early 90's to early 2000's featuring Dr.Drew and Adam Corolla. These episodes are impossible to find elsewhere, and are pure classic 90's radio! (1996) (41 points, 15 comments)
   5. Spot on Pete Davidson description (37 points, 23 comments)
   6. TIL Common ravens have been observed calling wolves to the site of dead animals. The wolves open the carcass, leaving the scraps more accessible to the birds. (27 points, 2 comments)
   7. Is Pete Davidson a fan of Adam Carolla? (16 points, 24 comments)
   8. The Harshest Burns That Didn’t Make It to Air - Roast of Alec Baldwin (12 points, 9 comments)
   9. An old funny skit with Shane Gillis (7 points, 9 comments)
   10. Leslie Jones exiting ‘SNL,’ Kate McKinnon back next season (6 points, 36 comments)
6. 289 points, 36 submissions: Martillo_Valentine
   
   1. Yeah, Rosen still hates Adam. (57 points, 193 comments)
   2. 12-21-18: The 2018 ACE Awards (23 points, 37 comments)
   3. The recent ‘Best Of’ episodes... (23 points, 19 comments)
   4. ACS 12-17-18: Dennis Quaid and Gordon Ramsay (14 points, 33 comments)
   5. ACS 11-27-18: Anthony Cumia (13 points, 58 comments)
   6. ACS 12-20-18: Greg Fitzsimmons and RJ Bell. (10 points, 75 comments)
   7. ACS 8-2-19: Jason Whitlock and Heather Morris (10 points, 64 comments)
   8. ACS 8-5-19: Nicholas Cage (9 points, 70 comments)
   9. ACS 9-09-19: Adam, Bryan, and Gina. (9 points, 56 comments)
   10. ACS 11-26-18: Howie Mandel and Larry Miller. (8 points, 30 comments)
7. 264 points, 14 submissions: vivajeffvegas
   
   1. Gina trying to get noticed on the podcast (65 points, 19 comments)
   2. ACE Man would concur (45 points, 5 comments)
   3. Man says emotional support alligator helps his depression and grit (32 points, 1 comment)
   4. Grit at the supermarket (20 points, 22 comments)
   5. Attack crows and guard dogs teaming up (19 points, 1 comment)
   6. Better than an emotional support pig (17 points, 18 comments)
   7. ACE probably has the same serial number for his bathroom sink (16 points, 12 comments)
   8. Attack Ravens > Attack Crows (13 points, 2 comments)
   9. More supermarket grit (11 points, 2 comments)
   10. DAG clickbait (7 points, 57 comments)
8. 237 points, 7 submissions: BlazingLadles
   
   1. DJ Khaled gets booed off the stage after 14 failed attempts to get the crowd hype. (72 points, 27 comments)
   2. So romantic (don't tell Ray) (35 points, 2 comments)
   3. Utah keeping it real yo. (Clickit or ticket alternative.) (33 points, 4 comments)
   4. Virgin Toilet Pisser vs Chad Sink Pisser (31 points, 6 comments)
   5. SA Police forced to retract gift card prize for officer who issues the most speeding fines (30 points, 4 comments)
   6. PULLSH (26 points, 7 comments)
   7. Pants on Fire: Not Even Politifact Is Buying What Gavin Newsom Is Selling on San Francisco’s Homeless Problem (10 points, 7 comments)
9. 234 points, 13 submissions: Provigilant
   
   1. 'To Catch a Predator' host Chris Hansen arrested over $13,000 in bounced checks (35 points, 23 comments)
   2. Adam Carolla sells La Cañada Flintridge property for $1.875 million (33 points, 68 comments)
   3. Adam Carolla & Jimmy Kimmel Help Send Bean Off On His Final Kevin & Bean Show (28 points, 13 comments)
   4. Carolla Sold His Other Home in La Cañada Flintridge (26 points, 68 comments)
   5. Adam has a New Champion in His War on Woke Culture (22 points, 10 comments)
   6. Pittsburgh Doctor Claims Antonio Brown Repeatedly Farted In His Face, Owes Him $11,500 He didn't even use a coffee can. (22 points, 17 comments)
   7. ‘I don’t smell!’ Meet the people who have stopped washing (21 points, 8 comments)
   8. Howard Lapides, former manager of Carolla/Pinsky/Kimmel and producer of Loveline/Man Show/Celebrity Rehab, dead at 68. (15 points, 5 comments)
   9. Even Better Than L'Brarian Booker (10 points, 4 comments)
   10. Apple's podcast charts are easy to trick, and a rotten measure of success (9 points, 3 comments)
10. 216 points, 16 submissions: VaughnFry
    
    1. Anyone Else Genuinely Enjoy Huell’s Jewels? (49 points, 24 comments)
    2. Before I Die... (32 points, 32 comments)
    3. Adam Doesn’t Understand IMDB Scores - Shocking (19 points, 16 comments)
    4. Can we talk about the scam that is PragerU? (18 points, 71 comments)
    5. Hobo Power (17 points, 26 comments)
    6. Someone Make Adam Play Crazy Taxi (15 points, 12 comments)
    7. If Adam Met You at Work (13 points, 31 comments)
    8. I told a friend to try and get on the show (10 points, 9 comments)
    9. Good Sports Lyrics (8 points, 8 comments)
    10. Did You Know Gina is Jewish? (7 points, 18 comments)

Top Commenters

1. jsakic99 (7105 points, 935 comments)
2. Shoot_Bald_Bryan (3304 points, 508 comments)
3. rare_comments (2645 points, 352 comments)
4. JohnnyRyde (2607 points, 397 comments)
5. GoBSAGo (2217 points, 517 comments)
6. ParachuteLandingFail (2176 points, 347 comments)
7. xmeandix (1866 points, 427 comments)
8. Provigilant (1820 points, 244 comments)
9. tokie_newport (1581 points, 440 comments)
10. Martillo_Valentine (1358 points, 220 comments)

Top Submissions

1. Officially Done. by elpeedub (109 points, 107 comments)
2. When you haven't listened in a while and decide to give it another try but 2 minutes in... by Shoot_Bald_Bryan (101 points, 55 comments)
3. Adam, who spent a large chunk of yesterday’s show tearing apart a Carolla Classics edit, isn’t even fucking paying Gio. The show also has ads by andrew13189 (99 points, 194 comments)
4. Fadam CaRolla by vincest331 (97 points, 18 comments)
5. "Woke" Culture vs Reality. by IanWhitethe3rd (96 points, 159 comments)
6. Rewatching Man Show... Adam looks like Seinfeld meets Sling Blade by LonrSpankster (92 points, 33 comments)
7. Saw Adam do stand up last night, at the Ice House. by Doc_McCoyXYZ (90 points, 37 comments)
8. Adam Carolla. Drawing by Stephanie. Charcoal and Chalk on Grey Paper. 8”x10”. by jluns1234 (83 points, 17 comments)
9. Adams mortal enemy by j05huaMc (82 points, 14 comments)
10. ACS & Its Advertising Overload by iamchipdouglas (81 points, 78 comments)

Top Comments

1. 121 points: Dick_donger's comment in Took a few years off, started listening again.
2. 88 points: Provigilant's comment in Carolla Man, Poor Man
3. 79 points: JesseMckaneWilson's comment in What the fuck happened to this sub?
4. 77 points: CasinoIndian's comment in Officially Done.
5. 74 points: Provigilant's comment in Adam went on a small rant about 2x4s and how they are not actually 2 inches by 4 inches, and it is to save money. As a master carpenter who likes to educate people, I am surprised he does not know why a 2x4 is actually 1.5"x3.5"
6. 74 points: aint_no_telling68's comment in This seems more like an Adam Carolla hate subreddit.
7. 71 points: nal715's comment in Wonder how Adam feels about this....
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9. 69 points: Roryjack's comment in Stop asking if the reason why carollas special didnt get picked up is his politics
10. 68 points: 100LimeJuice's comment in Do you think Adam will ever realize?

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Estive a ler a wiki sobre o Porto e em comparação com a de Lisboa está bastante incompleta. Gostaria de dar algumas sugestões. Não sei como se edita a wiki.
General advice:

• First thing you want to do when you get to the airport is go to the subway station and buy Andante Card. This will allow you to move through Porto and Gaia and Matosinhos. This sole card allows you to use any bus and subway. You can buy individual tickets (price varies according to zones, to move inside Porto or to Gaia it's usually 1,20€, to go to Matosinhos I think it's 1,50€) or you can buy a pass for one day (I think it's 5€ and it's valid for 24 hours)
  
• If you buy one ticket in Andante, after you validate it once, it's valid for 60 minutes. So for example, imagine you are riding bus to go from one place to visit another but you are hungry, leave in one stop to go eat something and take less than 60 minutes in your snack. Once you are back on the bus, you don't have to pay another ticket, you can use the same card! After the 60 minutes though you have to charge the card again.
  

Where to Eat:

• Alma Portuense, Trindade. Just right after you arrive to the airport, pick up the subway and leave in Trindade. Go have lunch at this place because it's right next to the metro station. Menus with soup/desert + drinks + main dish (you can pick from up to 5 different dishes) for 5€. If you don't want soup or desert you only pay 4€ and if you don't want drinks only pay 3€. Yes you can eat for 3€ in Porto. They also have other dishes, such as Francesinha. On sundays it's a bit more expensive (around 7€-8€).
  
• Café Almada, Rua do Almada (right next to Trindade). There's a lot of traditional Portuguese dishes (Francesinha, cachorro, prego no prato, entrecosto, costeletas, etc). They are all for 3,50€ plus drinks. At first it may look like a small dubious café but at dinner and lunch time it piles up so much sometimes there's lines of people to eat there.
  
• Pão Fofo, if you want a snack or some cake. They fabricate their own pastry and pizza slices are quite good.
  
• DeGema. Artesanal burger restaurant. For 10€ you eat a nice burger plus drinks plus a nice desert.
  
• If you don't want to risk eating traditional food and just prefer some fast food, leave in Trindade, just go down Aliados Avenue, enjoy the walk, and then you can go to MacDonalds in the Imperial building or Subway in Rua Sá da Bandeira.
  

Nightlife - Não sou uma expert nisto, mas Galerias de Paris parece óbvio. Hard Rock Café e Plano B (ouvi uma colega minha que é expert nessas coisas a falar desses).
Where to Go:

• Must do. Walk form Trindade down until São Bento train station. You get to see Trindade Church, Aliados Avenue, São Bento train station. If you are not too tired you can go down to Baixa and cross D.Luis bridge by foot or on alternative, go up, visit Sé and cross D. Luis bridge upper floor. The view is better and you leave right on Jardim do Morro, Gaia, where you can lay on the grass sunbathing. If you are too tired, just catch the subway on São Bento and you'll cross the bridge on subway.
  
• Bolhão. Once again you can walk from Trindade to there and then go to the commercial center of the city, Santa Catarina.
  
• Go up through Clérigos street. Visit Clérigos, then jardim da Cordoaria, Praça dos Leões OR Clérigos Lello library Praça dos Leões. then move to Praça Carlos Alberto and go drink a coffee and eat a piece of cake at Moustache café.
  
• Once in Jardim do Morro, Gaia, you can walk up Avenida da República. There's plenty of street stores and cafés or restaurants. Alternatively you can go down the stairs and walk through cais de Gaia.
  
• Palácio de Cristal. If you like walking and are not too tired, after you eat the slice of cake on Moustache you can easily walk there. You can also catch a bus right next to Igreja do Carmo, though.
  
• Casa da Música. After you visit the peacocks on the gardens of Palácio de Cristal, catch a bus and leave on Casa da Musica. If you got hungy in the meantime, do a stop on Bom Sucesso. There's a shopping mall for fast food, there's a supermarket in the shopping mall and there's also some pastry stores. There's probably a lot more of street restaurants that I am not aware of around there though. After your snack, resume the trip by bus.
  
• Palácio da Bolsa.
  
• FCP Stadium. If you are hungry there's a shopping mall right next to it with plenty of places to eat.
  
• To shop: Rua de Santa Catarina. Visit Via Catarina Shopping mall, CC La Vie (Code, Fifty store) and then move down the street. You'll pass stores like Berskha, Stradivarius, Pull&Bear, Zara, Bennetton, Tezenis, C&A, Calçado Guimarães, Seaside, and many many more. If you are interested in cheap second handed clothing, visit Humana. You have two stores, both very close to Rua de Santa Catarina: one right next to Fnac and the other one in Bolhão.
  
• Catch the subway heading to Santo Ovídeo, leave on stop João de Deus and visit El Corte Inglês. You can find designer brands or cheaper brands too in the different floors. There's also a supermarket and places to eat.
  

Near Porto:

• Catch the train on São Bento train station and go either to Aveiro, Guimarães or Braga.
  
• Catch a subway to Póvoa do Varzim and visit our beaches in Póvoa and Vila do Conde. There's also a casino there and a clothing outlet if you are interested in shopping some more.
  
• Catch a subway or bus and go visit Matosinhos shore.
  

So you've been asking and I heard! The latest chapter in The Weight We Carry! I got bit by the writing bug earlier this morning and if my strange writing habits weren't so time consuming I'd have it out sooner. As it is I'm posting this and then going to bed! So if there's any glaring mistakes or horrible things I didn't mean to leave in? Well... shit.
My Stories
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Previous Chapter
Highway Y outside Eldon, Former Missouri. 9:21 am local time, December 25th 2034.
“This… isn’t… a very… good… Christmas.” I looked over my shoulder with a smirk as I saw Sergeant Huertas pedaling along at the back of the group. Wobbling a little as he kept riding.
“What’s wrong sergeant? Don’t you get enough PT? This is just a nice little ride into town.” I looked ahead up Highway Y as we kept riding. Thankfully it hadn’t snowed since the trucks came through so the road was clear enough for the rest of us to follow on our bikes. Since the attack on Fort Sierra the trucks and cars were all being used to move around supplies and equipment, along with our wounded. The rest of us. Myself included, had two choices for transport. Foot. Or bike.
“It’s… not that… this… hurts… my dick.” The sergeant replied which made the rest of us start laughing and I shook my head a little at his rather honest answer.
“You’ve got to adjust the seat sergeant. Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to properly ride a bike?” I asked then as I looked back to see him huff and puff, his breath coming out in big plumes thanks to the low temperature.
“When I was a kid! Not… for this… ride so… long… your dick… hurts… shit.” I couldn’t help but laugh once again. “In the… fishing village… where I grew up… we drove places.” I thought that over a moment.
“Fishing village? Aren’t you from LA?” I asked and he nodded as he kept pedaling.
“Like I said… the fishing village. Fuck… I didn’t… join the army… for no… goddamn… tour de… Missouri shit.” I kept chuckling even as I shook my head and kept moving. Leave it to Sergeant Huertas to make a long cold bike ride more amusing.
“Come now sergeant. Bicycle corps have a long and storied military history. Starting in the late 1800s. Used by the first commandos of the modern age. The Dutch in South Africa.” I glanced around the group of bike riders around me then. Lewis was to my right, Felon was to my left, and the rest of Alpha around us. I was plenty well protected in this group of resistance soldiers riding their bikes into old Eldon. Might as well give them a little history lesson while we rode.
“The Dutch? Weren’t they known for smoking a lot of pot and growing tulips?” Lewis asked which made me chuckle again.
“Don’t let their modern history fool you. The Dutch once held a massive trade empire spanning the globe. New York as first New Amsterdam, and Australia was New Holland. Though for some reason the Brits didn’t rename New Zealand… Anyway they actually started a lot of modern military ideas. The first marines were Dutch. They raided the English navy at port once. Burned up a lot of ships up the Thames river which would be like… the Cubans sailing up the Mississippi and burning shit in Saint Louis.”
“The Dutch?” Felon asked and I nodded as we kept pedaling along, Huertas wheezing behind us.
“Yep. Then their king… or prince? The monarch of the Netherlands at some point became the king of England and shit went downhill for the Dutch after that. The Brits conquered most of their colonies and they were never the same… But anyway back to bicycle corps. In the…” I paused and tried to remember my years a bit. “A few centuries ago the Dutch settled in South Africa and later the Brits showed up and drove them inland away from the coast. The Netherlands had to give up the colony and they became the independent… Boers. Before you ask no I have no idea what Boers means or why the name change.”
“They called themselves pigs?” Lewis asked and I laughed before shaking my head.
“B-O-E-R-S.” I spelled out. “Like I said. I don’t know the meaning. Anyway, the Brits weren’t satisfied with the coastal towns when they found out about the resources deeper in South Africa… and all of Africa I guess. So they took over. Then the Boers began a resistance campaign that spawned the first modern commandos. Hit and run raids, early IEDs, all sorts of guerilla tactics. It was a brutal and protracted affair. War crimes for both sides involved honestly. But back then they weren’t called war crimes.” I trailed off as we kept riding until Lewis spoke up again.
“So… the bicycle corps?”
“Right.” I nodded as he reminded me. “So one of the best commandos at the time realized that horses take supplies and are pretty easy to spot, and only certain people could have them since they were expensive. But they also had bikes. So what’s faster and easier than walking 20 miles? Biking 20 miles.”
“It ain’t… fuckin… easy…” Huertas panted from the back which made most of us chuckle again.
“I said easier. Easier doesn’t mean easy. Anyway, that’s Eldon up ahead.” I pointed to the buildings ahead of us a ways. “We’re not far now. But yeah… the Dutch were the first marines, and commandos, and created the first bike corps. They were in limited use for decades. Even in World War 2 the Danish had them and later on the Germans used them as they got pushed back into Germany. In fact the Boer commando who came up with the idea was the great great grandfather of… that one… actress…” My words slowed down as I tried to think of her and glanced over at Felon. “You remember her right?”
He just shrugged as he kept riding. “Colonel I have no idea who might be related to an old Dutch commando.”
I sighed out then and slowly shook my head. “Shit…” Was all I could mutter. “That’s going to bug me.” What was her name? I could picture her… she was in that movie about Australia. Driving that big war truck thing around. Fuck! What was the name of that movie? I was getting too damn old. I let out another sigh and shook my head. “I’ll remember in the middle of the night.” I muttered knowing that it would eventually come to me when it was too late.
“We’re coming up on the junction.” Felon pointed out the slight curve in the road where Highway Y would meet 52. As we got closer I began to slow down without really thinking about it before finally coming to a stop at the intersection and looking to my left for oncoming cars. “Sir are you expecting traffic?” I looked over my shoulder at Felon and then laughed as I started to get riding down the road as we turned right.
“Old habits.” I answered with a shrug. On either side of us snow was piled up around the old abandoned houses. Most of them had Christmas decorations still up from the invasion all those years ago. Up ahead on the right I spotted some of our trucks parked in front of the old dollar store. “You can finally give your dick some rest Huertas.” I called over my shoulder to a wheezing reply.
“Thank Christ!” I chuckled again and looked over to Felon.
“Get them warmed up and fed. I’m heading down the road a bit to the bank across from that… Gas station with the… what was it? Mobster’s pizza?” I was about to continue when I heard Huertas cry out.
“Don’t mention pizza! Fuck! I’d… I’d fuckin… kill… for a big… greasy… pepperoni… fuck.” Felon just shook his head at that.
“With cheese in the crust?”
“Beer! Beer in the crust!” Huertas called back as I frowned.
“How’s the supposed to work?”
“Science! Fuck… I dunno… just… give me… a way… to eat… greasy pizza… and get drunk… at the same time…” He was trying to stand up a bit as he rode now, one hand adjusting his pants as I heard him mutter something about “cojones.”
“Well they won’t have that here.” Felon called back. “Just soy sludge and hot porridge probably. Warm you right up Huertas don’t you worry.” Most of the soldiers pulled off then to stop in the old parking lot of the general store while Lewis and I continued on.
“They used to have a lot of gas stations didn’t they?” Lewis asked as we rode on and I nodded as we past several local places with gas pumps out front. I could see the old sign for McDonalds further down. By now the golden arches had faded to a pale yellow white. There were still some old cars in the parking lot. The snow covering everything but the tops of the windows and their roofs, their paint stripped from years of neglect. Diagonal from the fast food place was the birck building of the bank and there were more of our trucks out front.
Lewis and I rode up onto the sidewalk then and dismounted our bikes, leaning them against the building as we headed inside. Sergeant Jackson nodded to me as we entered and I let out a happy sigh as I saw an oil drum someone had dragged to the middle of the big room and set a fire in. I walked towards it, glancing up at the ceiling to see it was already blackened from the smoke. But without a fireplace or a heater this was simply how we had to keep warm. Rubbing my hands together after removing my gloves I held them up before the fire and looked around.
All the old desks had been removed or shoved to the side and I could see Reed off in the bank’s small vault with a clipboard in hand. We were storing some of our gear and intel around the town until we could get a new camp. The most important stuff would go into bank vaults. Besides Reed there was Jackson and the rest of Bravo scattered around the place. I’m sure some were up on the second floor keeping watch, but only Lewis and I were huddled around the oil drum fire for now. When Reed finally finished with her checklist she walked out of the vault and over to us.
“Sir, have a nice ride through the snow?” She smirked a bit and I gave a snort. Reed was a good officer. I gave her credit for being so professional despite our resistance conditions. I always felt she was a bit too stern and formal with the soldiers though. She was relaxed and casual when it was just me and Lewis but she held very strictly to the old separation of the enlisted from the officers.
“I did, but Sergeant Huertas was having some problems with his seat.” She just shook her head and rolled her eyes before she went on.
“So, we’ve gotten most of our things stashed through the town. You and Alpha were the last to make it down off the mountain. I got word from Piven that the gun bunnies made it to Barnett. His guns are stashed around Rocky Mountain and we’re going to have to hope the aliens don’t find them.” I nodded at that. We barely had time to get out of the Ozarks before the Unity brought in heavy reinforcements so getting the howitzers hooked up and towed would have been nearly impossible.
“What about Hatchet?” I asked and she pointed to a map up on the wall of the area.
“Same as last report. Unity forces are heading northwest from the remains of Fort Sierra to Versailles.” She was about to continue when Lewis spoke up.
“Is that how you say it? I’ve been pronouncing it ver-sails this whole time.” Both Reed and I laughed at that for a moment.
“It’s French.” I informed him and he frowned.
“The French settled there?” He asked and I shook my head. Sometimes I forgot how little history the kids these days knew.
“No it’s just a name. We’ve got a long proud history of stealing names from other places for use here. Like… Paris Texas.”
“West of us is Warsaw.” Reed added. “North up the 87 is California.” I laughed at that.
“Yeah Missouri has Warsaw, Versailles, and California… and… isn’t there a Nevada here too?” I asked and Reed nodded. “Then… Pittsburg?”
“No that’s on the Kansas side.” She mentioned and I nodded.
“Well I know there’s a Moscow Idaho. And Dublin California.” I listed off.
“New York New York Las Vegas Nevada.” Reed added but I just snorted.
“That’s a casino it’s not the same.” She shrugged and then wagged a finger at me.
“But we’ve also got some pretty original names too like Knob Noster.” I laughed as she reminded me about that.
“Oh yes that’s right. Over near Whiteman airforce base… I never did find out what a Noster is or why it has a knob.” I sighed and shook my head slowly before shrugging. “I just hope that it confused the aliens too while they were invading. So back to Hatchet. They’re moving up and away from us even now? Has he been drawing them up?” I asked and Reed shook her head.
“He’s only instigated minor hit and run raids on convoys for supplies but they’ve been scattered all across from 135 to 52.” She pointed at the highways on the map. “And they’re already moving past his position. They’ve got a heavy presence and they’re searching the town itself but they aren’t really stopping for long. Oh and he said you wanted to know about anything unusual? Two nights ago in one of the camps the dogs went… as he phrased it. Nuts.” I arched a brow at that and she handed me the radio transcript.
Hatchet reported that the trained dogs in the camp began acting strangely shortly after sunset. They would growl at the woods but wouldn’t bark and often would try to pull their handlers away from the edge of the camp and closer to the center. In fact all the dogs formed a ring at the center of the camp that night and didn’t sleep but kept an alert and vigilant pose as he put it. Several combat patrols were made that night but no contact was made and no trace of Unity hostiles were found. I shook my head as he described their behavior just like Reed said, as nuts. “That was two nights ago? Nothing since?” She shook her head as I rubbed my chin.
“We haven’t had time to properly interrogate the pilot either. We’ve got her down the street in the Hardee’s freezer.” I glanced up at Reed then and frowned trying to place the name.
“Is that… the Arby’s out here?” I asked and it was Reed’s turn to frown before she realized what I meant and shook her head.
“No, Arby’s is just Arby’s. You’re thinking of Carl’s Junior. I forget sometimes you’re from the west coast.” I just groaned a little and sighed.
“Well damn. Earlier Huertas was talking about greasy pepperoni pizza and now I just made myself think of a big fat ham and cheese sandwich. I guess I’m just hungry. Was Carl’s Junior… Hardee’s the one that had that special that was just a big pile of french fries covered in cheese and bacon?” I asked and heard Lewis groan a little.
“Would you stop with the food? I’m hungry too.” Reed smirked then.
“I can help you two with that problem. Even get you a ham and cheese.” She nodded at me before looking over at Jackson. “Sergeant Jackson. Go get some sandwiches from upstairs.” The Sergeant nodded and headed into the back of the bank to get upstairs as she explained. “We’ve been picking up some goodies from the farms around Jeff. Including ham and cheese.”
I was feeling greedy and couldn’t stop myself before asking. “What kind of bread?”
“Rye I think.” I got my hopes up for a moment. “Just the light one. Not marbled.” I let out a disappointed grunt and shrugged.
“I really shouldn’t get my hopes up. But one day. One day I swear I will have a Reuben again.” Reed chuckled as I said that.
“For a west coast boy you always go on about Reubens. You sure you’re not from New York?” I scoffed as she asked that.
“You act like marbled rye and pastrami is somehow exclusive to the east coast, when they got it from eastern Europe so really you’re just denying yourself the culinary splendor that makes up America.” She smirked at that. “Anyway it’s about where you find it. We moved around a lot when I was a kid but I always could find a Jewish or Russian deli with good rye bread. It was so much more flavorful than that enriched white bread crap in the stores.” I thought it over for a moment then and shrugged. “But I guess now all bread has to be pretty fresh. Not like I can just walk into a supermarket and pick up a loaf of Wonder bread.”
“The Unity provisioning centers usually have some form of bread.” Lewis mentioned. “But… I don’t think I ever got anything that wasn’t a few days old and pretty stale.
“Well you’re in for a treat today.” Reed mentioned as Jackson came back out with a brown paper bag. He opened it up and handed me a hot sandwich wrapped in deli paper and I couldn’t help but let out a soft groan.
“Oh it’s hot… Just what I needed after riding 10 miles uphill through the snow.” I started to unwrap my sandwich as Lewis chimed in.
“Sir, it was actually more like 5 miles downhill.” I just glanced over at him while he unwrapped his own sandwich until I caught his attention and he looked at me.
“Lewis, would you like to go back outside in the cold Missouri winter and ride 5 miles uphill and then 5 miles back down? Or would you like to just agree with your commanding officer and eat a hot ham and cheese sandwich?” He stared back at me for a few seconds before quickly raising his sandwich to take a large bite, as if I was about to take it from him. “That’s what I thought.” Was all I said and looked down at my meal. It was warm but not really toasted. Not like I cared. Light rye, thick slabs of ham, and also thick slices of what looked like very pale yellow cheddar. Without mass production and consumer demand cheese had stopped being orange.
As I took a bite I kept it small, not wanting to eat too fast or choke on a big chunk. But I nearly went back on that idea as I could taste how damn fresh it all was. One of the benefits of getting supplies from the local farms.Which made me pause for a moment. But I kept chewing and swallowed before speaking. “How did they get fresh rye at this time of year? It’s late December and there’s no crops growing.” I looked at Reed who frowned and then shrugged.
“I’m… not sure? I’m sure they had some stored away for the bread.” I thought that over for a moment as I looked at my sandwich.
I glanced at Lewis who was still chomping down big mouthfulls of sandwich, then Jackson past him. “Did you have one?” He nodded.
“Yes, sir. Why?”
I looked back to Reed. “Did anyone get sick?” She looked confused and shook her head. “No? Is this a trustworthy farm?” Switching back over I saw Jackson who seemed to catch on.
“Yes, sir it is. They’ve always been good about providing supplies for the resistance. I know the rye crop is over but it’s just a grain. I’m sure they had some stored away for bread like this.” I nodded slowly and then shrugged before dismissing that thought.
“Just an old man being paranoid I guess. Lord knows I’m no farmer.” I sighed as I realized that a life of being a spy master had corrupted me permanently and this was just one of the more minor ways. I went back to taking small manageable bites of my sandwich and then had to keep from spitting some out when I looked over to see Lewis with his cheeks bulging. I choked down my current bite and spoke. “I had no idea you were this hungry Lewis.”
When he looked at me he just tried to say something but all I could hear was a muffled collection of sounds that meant nothing to me. “Well try not to choke to death. I’d hate to train a new orderly.” I looked past Jackson and nodded at him. “More in the bag?”
“Yes, sir. I was warming them up to take over to the guards at the Hardees. Got a thermos of hot soy sludge in there too.” I reached out for the bag then which he handed over.
“I’ll take it over. I need to talk to the prisoner anyway.” Jackson nodded and began to head for the door when I spoke again. “I didn’t ask for an escort sergeant.” He looked back at me then seeming surprised.
“You should have an escort sir. We’re not in a secure camp.” I snorted at that.
“The nearest Unity forces are supposed to be miles away. And we’re in the center of Eldon. We have sentinels on all the roads. You think I’m in danger walking… what, 200 feet?” The Sergeant shrugged.
“I still think you should have an escort sir.” I glanced over at Reed who shrugged so I then copied the movement and shrugged as well.
“Doesn’t hurt I guess. I must really be showing my age for a young man to offer and help me cross the road.” I smiled and he did as well but the lack of laughter cut a bit deeper than I’d figured it would. We headed outside and I shivered a little at the change in temperature once we were outside. “Did you want to talk to me in private? Is that why you felt the need to escort me?” I asked but the sergeant just glanced over and shook his head. Was I really looking that old and feeble these days? I just rode a bike five miles through snowy roads… I shrugged it off then and kept walking.
The old fast food place was ahead of us past yet another gas station. The once bright and colorful signs faded and worn. I could barely make out a sign about some sort of new hamburger with ham on it and snorted a little. One of Jackson’s men nodded to us from the window as we walked around the structure to the entrance. Inside it was still pretty cold, but not nearly as bad as outside. One of them had a fire going inside one of the ovens.
“Brought you guys some chow.” I mentioned and the soldiers approached, thanking me as I handed out the still warm sandwiches followed by the thermos. I took another few bites of my sandwich as I waited for them each to get a cup full of hot soy sludge and then took the thermos as they handed it back. “The prisoner talkative?”
“Lizzie? She answers questions. Doesn’t venture much on her own except complaints.” One of the soldiers answered me. A corporal based on the smiley face patches on his gear. Just how did that start again? I wish I could remember. How much could I not remember today? I frowned a little and tried to clear my head as something caught up with my brain.
“Lizzie? You guys named her Lizzie? As in… Lizzie the lizard?” I asked and they chuckled.
“That’s her name. It’s on her documents.” Jackson informed me.
“She named herself Lizzie?” I asked then and he shrugged.
“Someone named her Lizzie. That’s all I know for sure.” That made me think for a minute as I just shifted and shook my head.
“See this is why I don’t trust the Isoren. Bregnan have names that sound like you’re coughing up phlegm. The Rekanta don’t even have real names that I can tell. They just have their rank and then a number. But Isoren? They have suspiciously human names. I don’t like it.” I shrugged then and headed to the back of the restaurant. The freezer was pretty easy to spot, as was the icepick they were using to keep it locked shut. I removed the ice pick from the handle and opened it up.
Inside was our captured alien pilot. The reptile was bundled up in thermals and a parka, and ski pants and was still shivering visibly when I saw her. She was just standing in the middle of the room shivering and clutching herself in the cold. “Oh hell you look like a popsicle. Come out here.” I waved her forward and the alien quickly stepped out and then feeling the heat from the oven stood in front of it close enough that I thought she might burn herself on it but clearly the alien wanted the heat.
I stepped into the freezer then and noticed it was about as cold as the outside. “Ah right even without power it’s insulated. Probably kept all the heat from the oven out. Sorry about that. I’m the one who told my men to keep you someplace secure. But that’s not necessary now.” I mentioned and closed the freezer door. I glanced over at Jackson and his men clustered around the old counter as I waved them away to give me and the alien some space.
Jackson nodded and motioned for his men to head closer to the front of the seating area. I handed the thermos to Lizzie then. “Soy sludge.” I said simply and she unfastened the cap so quick I thought she might have just ripped it off before she tilted her head back and started to chug it down. I was about to reach out and try to stop her as I saw the steam coming off the dark liquid but even as I heard her whimper she kept drinking until it was all gone. After that she was shivering less but handed the thermos back, her tongue hanging out a bit as she looked to be in pain.
“Burn your tongue?” She nodded at my question and I just sighed. “Wait here.” I set the sandwich bag on the counter along with my own sandwich and walked outside, scooping up a bit of what looked to be clean snow and walked back inside to press it into her hand. “Suck on some of this.”
The alien looked at the snow as if she’d never dealt with it before. Perhaps she hadn’t. Then she put some in her mouth and we stood there in silence as she seemed to work it around before nodding. “Maybe not burn… just felt very hot.”
“Well I’m sure with how you were shivering in there it’s a hell of a temperature difference to suddenly chug hot sludge like that. Are you hungry?” She nodded then and I was about to tear my sandwich in half when I paused. “Can you eat cheese? Dairy?”
She nodded to that as well. “Given treatment after conquest. Is good source for fat. Need more fat. Cold planet.” I smirked a bit at that and finished tearing my sandwich apart to hand her half. She glanced at it, then me and I took a bite of mine before she began to eat what I’d given her. Once more we just stood there, but now we quietly ate our sandwiches. She finished hers first and waited for me to finish before speaking again. “You said needed to be keep secure. No longer?”
“Well, you’re still our prisoner. But your friends didn’t come looking for you like I thought they would. Hell they didn’t even slow down. They just raced off chasing that Chimera of yours.” She eyed me carefully and I knew she didn’t want to talk about that stuff but I was no longer interested in the fast and sloppy route. “Still hungry?” I asked and she looked a bit confused but nodded once more.
I walked back to the counter for the sandwich bag, just one left so I pulled it out and crumpled up the paper bag they’d been in. I tore it in half just like the other and then reached out with half in either hand. “Which one?” I asked and she hesitantly reached for the one in my left. So she favored her right. I was curious if aliens were lefties or righties and so far I’d seen they were mostly righties. The Bregnan at any rate. I wondered if that meant anything.
This time as she ate I spoke. “Do you have any special dietary needs? We take multi-vitamins to make up for certain deficiencies in what food we can get. I can show you what’s in them. I’m not very familiar with Isoren diet.” The alien pilot studied me carefully and shook her head slowly as she chewed, then swallowed before speaking up.
“No… should be fine with human food. Maybe more… mmhhh… plants?”
“Vegetables and fruit?” I ventured which made her nod. “They’re not as easy to come by in the winter. Hence the vitamins. We’ve got lots of those. Before the invasion people were concerned about eating healthy. We had so much food to eat most of it was very tasty but bad for our health in large amounts. But since it tasted so much better we kept eating it.” I chuckled a little but watched the alien to see if there was any reaction.
“This I was told. Seems so strange… before we get too heavy. Too… mmhh.. Fat. They reduce rations. Why did you not simply reduce rations?” That was interesting. So a pilot had rations? The Unity wasn’t starving. Military habit? I’d find out in time.
“We were free to eat what we wanted. We were successful enough to get fruits and vegetables in any season. But… not any more.” I shrugged. “We’ll see if you can take our multi-vitamins.”
She watched me as she ate a bit more of the sandwich and I took a bite of my half, waiting for her to initiate this time. “So… I am prisoner. But you share food with me? You do not bind me?” I nodded at that. “This is… not as I was told.”
“Have you been treated alright?” I asked then.
“Cold… coldest in that… room.” She nodded past me at the freezer. “But past few nights… not hurt. Fed when able… allowed to wear warmth.” She touched the front of her parka with her free hand. “I thought… maybe just waiting until done running. Thought that room was start. A room to freeze me if I did not talk. But you say mistake?” I nodded.
“Just a simple mistake. I told them to keep you secure. And that room is very secure. It’s just… also cold.” I shrugged.
“I thought… punishment. For not answering questions.” I looked over at Jackson and the other three sitting in one of the old booths up front, talking and drinking their cups of soy sludge.
“Did they ask you questions?” When I glanced back at the alien she was shaking her head.
“No.”
“So… why would we be punishing you for not answering questions we didn’t ask you?” The pilot frowned at that and slowly shrugged. I was curious if shrugging like that was natural to them or learned from us. “Well, no more cold rooms. Soon we’ll move to the houses for the day. Not sure how long we’ll be here. If you keep behaving things should go pretty smooth. Then maybe we can send you home when the fighting dies down.” I shrugged and tried to seem non committal but the alien seemed confused.
“Not here now to… barbecue me for information?” I frowned at that and then laughed.
“Grill you? No. No I wanted to make sure you were fed and doing alright. I’ll have questions later. I don’t know much about the Isoren. All the Unity says is you’re faithful servants. Like the Bregnan.” I made sure not to smile when the alien let out a hiss.
“Not like them! They are brutes! No manners! Too aggressive. We are better. More useful. More civilized.” I raised my hands then.
“Hey that’s only what we heard from the Unity. They don’t tell us much.” She got quiet at that and seemed thoughtful. “I’ll talk with you later Lizzie.”
“Wait… that is all? No… questions about Chimera?” She asked and I shook my head.
“Nope. It’s moved on. I’m more interested in you. Your kind. If you need something let them know.” I pointed to the soldiers up front. “If you get cold where they set up for the day tell them. They’ll find you more blankets, or get a fire going. Just tell them.” I nodded and turned to leave, motioning for Jackson who got up from the booth to walk over to me. I stepped outside with him before talking. “You trust your men to watch her?”
He nodded. “Yes sir I do.”
“Good. Tell them to keep a light touch with this one. Treat her well. Be gentle but firm. She can’t just wander off but don’t tie her down. Keep someone up at all times at night to make sure she doesn’t escape but no interrogation, no mistreatment. They’re free to talk to her. But simple questions only. Nothing about Unity forces or their military. Okay?” He nodded once more and I gave his shoulder a pat as he headed back inside to talk to his men.
While he was in there I briefly considered heading back to the bank on my own without him as an escort but figured I’d just wait. Didn’t make sense to possibly annoy him over something so trivial. When he came back outside we went crunching back through the snow towards the bank. “How was the fight for the supermarket crossroads back at Fort Sierra?” I asked then, realizing I hadn’t done much after action work yet since I’d been so busy with the evacuation and then hiding in the woods.
“Surprisingly easy sir. By the time they started to retreat we were well entrenched and Zeus just moved the barrage up along their path. Did we ever get a final count of the hostiles sir?” I shook my head at that.
“No we were moving out of there too quick. Best guess is around a buck twenty.”
“What about our own casualties sir?” That made me sigh softly. Besides hiding out in the woods these last few days I’d also been carving stars into rocks to honor our dead.
“We got off light. Final count was 34 dead. About the same seriously wounded. We caught them by surprise and hit them hard as we could. You know as well as I how poorly the Bregnan do in an ambush. Especially when they’re outnumbered. Their only instinct is to charge. They’re too used to having the upper hand.” He nodded at that. We’d seen them charge head first into kill zones. The Bregnan were not tacticians. They were bred to charge it seemed. So charge they did.
“Sort of sucks to think that even if we always could kill them three to one there might not be enough of us left.” I nodded as he said that. It was a sobering thought. As we approached the bank I saw a third bike stacked next to mine and Lewis’. When we headed inside it wasn’t much of a mystery to see who it belonged to.
“Master Sergeant Felon. Has Sergeant Huertas’ ass managed to recover from his earlier ordeal?” I asked as Felon laughed.
“Yes, sir I do believe he has. At least enough to stop complaining and start eating.” I smirked at that and nodded. “Either way sir I found us a house Lewis, you, and I can camp out in today.” I nodded at that. Felon was more or less my bodyguard when he wasn’t commanding Alpha.
“Alright well let's go take a look then. Major Reed has he told you where we’ll be?” I looked past him at the Major and she nodded.
“It’s down the street a bit. Not too far at all. If I need you or hear anything I’ll send someone down. Plus Lewis has his radio if things require breaking radio silence.” I nodded then and motioned for Lewis who tipped a cup he was holding up to his mouth to quickly gulp the contents before he stepped back outside with Felon and me. Felon got his bike but was just walking it rather than riding it.
“The snow down the street makes it a bit too hard to ride. We didn’t want to drive our trucks further into town in case a Unity patrol rolls down the highway. It’s not too bad though just a few blocks. I’m sure you’ll love it sir. You’ll fit right in.” I frowned as he said that and tried to think about what was down this road.
“You’re not trying to take me to the funeral home are you?” I asked which made him laugh.
“No sir. You’re not dead yet are you?”
“I most certainly am not. Sergeant Jackson thought I looked so old and frail though he did walk me down the street.” I let out a grumpy harumph which made Felon laugh again while we walked our bikes along the old snow covered street. I looked around as we walked along. Past an old church, then a career center, then a fire station, then another church. Looking back I never understood why we had so many churches. Then again why did we have so many gas stations? Everyone liked their own particular brand I guess.
We passed the funeral home and I glanced over at Felon. “We’ve passed a few houses Felon. Where are we going?”
“Just up ahead. Across from that boat.” When he pointed I squinted to see a boat sticking up out of the snow half a block up. It looked like at one point it had been covered in a tarp but the tarp was torn to shreds and the boat itself didn’t look much better. When I saw the house we were approaching I scoffed a little, looking up at it.
“Did you just find the biggest fanciest house in the area?” I asked as I looked up at the big columns out front and the Christmas decorations littered all over the place.
“Yes, Sir I did. I figure the nicer houses are built better. Besides it’s got a fireplace.” He pointed to the chimney.
“They’ve all got fireplaces.” I replied as I waved my arm around the neighborhood. But either way we were soon walking up the path past the little statue in the front yard sticking up out of the snow and up the brick steps to the front door. I knocked and the other two just stared at me for a moment as I sighed. “Old habits.” I repeated again and tried the door which opened with a loud ominous horror movie creak. But inside was dark and quiet.
“Anyone home?” I called out but got no reply so I knocked my boots against the door frame to try and knock most of the snow off and stepped inside. To the right in the corner was the skeletal remains of a Christmas tree. I sighed heavily as I saw the presents arrayed around the bottom. Still wrapped, but now covered in dust and dead Christmas tree.
“You always call that out when we enter an old house like this.” Felon mentioned as he stepped past me. “Has anyone ever answered?”
“Not yet.” I replied with a shrug.
“Look at this one.” Lewis pointed at one of the presents which was very sloppily wrapped. Whoever had covered it looked like they’d used one giant piece and just wrapped the boxy contents in it, folding it at odd angles and using a giant piece of tape to hold it all in place. Felon picked it up.
“Ah shit… it’s just made out to dad.” I shook my head slowly then as I walked further into the house, glancing at the pictures at the walls. The people were smiling and happy. Were any of them still alive?
“Open it.” Lewis was saying behind me.
“What?”
“Open it. They clearly aren’t coming back for it.” I heard the tearing of wrapper paper followed by Felon’s surprised gasp.
“No way!” I looked back and frowned as I tried to see what the box was he had in his hands. “It’s the complete blu-ray set! The original trilogy, the prequels, and the new stuff! Look!” He held the box out towards me. “It’s the one with the unmolested original trilogy at that!” I arched a brow as I tried to piece that together.
“Unmolested?”
“Yeah you know, like it was originally aired! Without all that bullshit CGI stuff they added later. Thanks George.” He muttered that last phrase sarcastically.
“Are the stand alones on there?” I asked but he shook his head.
“Nah just the core.”
“Well it’s still not a bad find.” I replied before seeing Lewis’ confused face. “Wait… you’ve got no idea what we’re talking about do you?” He just shrugged and I began to look around. “Leo see if the power still works. Lets find the TV. Lewis here hasn’t seen this glorious masterpiece of science fantasy before! We need to correct that.” Felon snapped off a salute to that.
“Sir yes sir!” He said before heading deeper into the house, the boxset held tight in his hands as if he was afraid he’d lose it.
“Lewis head back up to the general store and requisition us snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. You’ve got…” I tried to do some mental math. “Somewhere between 18 and 24 hours of movies for us to get through.”
“What?” He stood there looking even more confused at me. “But… aren’t you worried about Unity or… planning our next move or something?” I was about to reply when there was a loud clack from somewhere in the back and the lights flickered to life around us. So I just lifted my hands to the ceiling,
“It’s Christmas Lewis and we’ve just been handed a miracle! So go get some food and prepare yourself for a spectacle of Hollywood entertainment! You’ve missed out on some of our finest cinema! It’s time to correct that and show you some of what we’re fighting for!” He snorted at that.
“Movies? I think fighting for our freedom is pretty damn important sir.”
“It most certainly is. And that includes our freedom to make movies! So get.” I waved him out the door and then went to find Felon and the house’s TV. I knew I was being a bit selfish, especially with Unity forces just a few miles down the road. But if they headed our way Reed would warn me. And I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat down and just watched a movie. Maybe this Christmas wasn’t going to be so bad.
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