Tequila, Drugs and Torture: The Spending Binge of Two Crypto Bros That Ended Behind Bars
For the guests, Smithland sat in the middle of nowhere, at a bend of the Ohio River, in a county where most liquor sales are banned. That wasn't a problem. The plane was stocked with Dom Pérignon Champagne. One of the hosts, William Duplessie, doled out caviar en route.
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Travel + Leisure
37 minutes ago
- Travel + Leisure
I Spent 20 Days in Antarctica and Learned Epic Life Lessons—Here's How You Can, Too
I've traveled the globe as a luxury travel advisor, but after spending 20 days in Antarctica, crossing glaciers and sleeping under the midnight sun, I returned home with a host of profound realizations that are more valuable than any passport stamp. Here are five life lessons that I learned on the frozen continent—and how you can experience them for yourself. A trip to Antarctica is the ultimate invitation to slow down. I went fully offline once I arrived, and only took photos with a proper camera. I was determined to truly see the sights in front of me: the shocking blue of an iceberg, a humpback whale breaching, even the quiet delight of a hot shower after sleeping on ice. I would suggest doing the same on your trip. Unplug, keep a journal, and celebrate little luxuries, like sipping champagne from crystal glasses on your final Zodiac boat ride. Research shows that the act of mindfully enjoying an experience amplifies our happiness. Exploring ice caves with White Desert Antarctica. White Desert Antarctica Echo There's nothing like standing on the ice at a high-end camp, surrounded by thousands of miles of untouched wilderness. This vastness makes everyday stress feel trivial. Antarctica has been forming for over 35 million years, so your inbox can wait. Whether you fly in, cross the Drake Passage, or choose a hybrid route, just getting there shifts your perspective. Part of my itinerary included a trip to South Georgia Island, where I stepped off the Zodiac boat into a world that didn't feel like mine. Penguins porpoised from the sea, the wind howled, and I had the distinct sense that I was the novelty the animals had come to see. At that moment, I was fully immersed—no past or future, just deep presence. That state, known as flow , brings a quiet joy that lingers long after a trip ends. To experience it, don't skip South Georgia. It's imbued with an emotional richness that you can't replicate. King penguins on South Georgia Island's Gold Harbor.A year after I sustained a major injury, I found myself flying to Antarctica from Cape Town for a mountaineering expedition. I was nervous, but I learned to use crampons, rappel, and cross glaciers safely. That experience rebuilt my sense of self-efficacy—the belief that we can do hard things. Since then, I've summited Grand Teton, earned a master's in positive psychology, and even transformed my business to focus on using travel as a path to well-being. If you're looking to push your own limits, White Desert's Echo Camp offers comfort and challenge in equal measure. A ship traversing the Drake Passage in Antarctica, nature calls the shots and weather scrambles even the best plans. Living with uncertainty like this reminded me how little we control—and how that can ultimately feel liberating. This acceptance that you're not in control of everything is a powerful feeling to bring back to your day-to-day life, and career. If you're looking for a journey that can transform you as much as it thrills you, Antarctica delivers. Approach it with intention and you'll leave with lessons that linger long after you've returned home. Sarah Groen is a member of Travel + Leisure's A-List and specializes in trips to polar regions. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Groen at [email protected] .
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Would you pay $600 for a lobster roll? This Iowa State Fair dish has gold, caviar, and Champagne
One of the most expensive dishes at the Iowa State Fair in 2024 brought a two-foot lobster roll to JR's SouthPork Ranch. The standalone restaurant on Rock Island Avenue knows how to bring the fun, gussied up in a chandelier overhead, pigs wearing cowboy hats and rhinestones, pink florals, and meals from breakfast through late nights of music on a stage that attracts in the crowds. That Connecticut-style lobster roll came in at $100, with fresh lobster dunked in clarified butter, served on a brioche roll. JR's SouthPork Ranch also offered shorter versions of the lobster roll at $31 for a 6-inch and $58 for a footlong. And they're back in 2025. If Brooks Reynolds, one of the owners of JR's SouthPork Ranch, has his say in the outrageous dishes coming to the fair, he would add his newest rendition of the High Roller lobster roll to that list. JR's SouthPork Ranch is once again pushing culinary boundaries at the 2025 Iowa State Fair with what may be the most extravagant fair food ever. This dish starts with a brioche roll painted in gold combined with duck fat before it's toasted on the griddle. A quarter pound of fresh Maine lobster fills the bun, that's then dressed in crème fraiche, and topped with Hackleback caviar, a sprig of dill, and flakes of gold. The price? $100. But wait, there's more extravagance waiting. Double that lobster roll and add a bottle of Dom Perignon for $600. Culinary director Heith Sheeley and executive chef Sarah Strong-Tuttle hope to surpass last year's sales of $225,000 in lobster rolls alone. Strong-Tuttle estimated they sold 300 of the two-foot versions in 2024, and it's returning this year. Last year, JR's went through 3,600 pounds of lobster tails and knuckles at the fair. After some flack on social media about the cost last year, the restaurant noted that most of the time, a big two-foot lobster roll is ordered for catering. If the Iowa State Fair vendor does not have a dish listed and approved by the fair, they cannot sell it. So the two-foot version is on the menu if people want to get it and split it. What's the history of JR's SouthPork Ranch? Co-owner Brooks Reynolds along with Carey and Corey Hansen of Greek House Chefs, who handle catering for sororities and fraternities nationwide and also happen to own Hansen's Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, won the contract for the former Diamond Jack's in 2020. After an extensive renovation that included a new kitchen, the outpost opened in 2021. They decorated it to the rafters with a wink and a nod to 'Dallas,' the long-running television drama featuring an oil tycoon family with J.R. Ewing at the helm. At SouthPork, the J and R stand for Jody and Rennie, Reynolds' parents. Reynolds also has the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest that celebrates all things pork as well. At SouthPork, a pun on the setting for 'Dallas' — Southfork Ranch, diners can find everything from bloody Marys and monkey bread in the morning to bacon mac and cheese with pickles and sidewinder fries for lunch and dinner. What's new at JR's SouthPork Ranch for 2025 Chicken Pickle Ranch Rocket on a Stick, $9: This dish was one of the top 11 items that competed in the Best New Fair Foods contest. This pickle-forward skewer stacks thick-cut sweet, dill, and garlic pickle slices chicken marinated in pickle brine and grilled chicken, all drizzled in a zesty ranch butter glaze. It gets a second coat of ranch butter glaze as it's served. More: These top three dishes compete for Best New Food at the 2025 Iowa State Fair Chicken waffle breakfast sandwich, $11: Before the Fairgrounds open at 8 a.m., JR's is making breakfast starting at 7 a.m. This year brings a Southern favorite to the menu with a chicken and waffle breakfast sandwich, with a twist. Last year, JR's introduced a pimento cheese spread, and that spread returns on the sandwich. For those who love maple syrup, that comes on the side. Lobster biscuits and gravy, $12: The breakfast favorite comes to the JR's menu with a lobster twist. 'This one I think I'm really excited about, because a lot of people want to get in on the whole lobster frenzy at the fair, but they don't exactly feel like dishing out the money for one of our lobster rolls. This is a way for them to still enjoy some fresh Maine lobster,' Strong-Tuttle said. The gravy has hints of garlic and lemon, with an ounce of lobster on top. 'We make sure to add an extra ounce of chunks of pieces of the knuckle and claw lobster to make sure you get that full, lobster experience, not just the flavor of it, but the visual of that as well,' she said. AE Party Dip Balls, $10: JR's introduced this dish in 2024, and it's making a comeback this year. This partnership with the local dairy vendor brings the nostalgic favorite, AE Party Dip, together with hash browns and potato chips for a walkable dish. You can order additional party dip on the side for $1. See the entire menu at Where to find JR's SouthPork Ranch Location: Rock Island Avenue, Des Moines Contact: Sign up for our dining newsletter, Table Talk DSM, which comes out on Wednesday mornings with all the latest news on restaurants and bars in the metro. You can sign up for free at If you see a new restaurant opening or a beloved place closing, send me some details at sstapleton@ Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@ This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: This $600 lobster roll at the Iowa State Fair comes with gold Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
15 hours ago
- Forbes
JSX Launches Flights To Major City; They Can't Tell You About It
Typically, airlines launch new flights with press releases, social media, and plenty of marketing hoopla in the hopes of filling all those seats. However, don't expect to see much from JSX about its newest routes, even though they are launching just in time for the peak winter season, connecting the busiest airport for private jet travelers in the U.S., serving one of the world's most important cities, with three of the busiest airports in South Florida. With per seat prices starting at just $615 one-way (although they range to over $1,000), the new flights are sure to be of interest to both those flyers who want to experience a bit of the Gulfstream lifestyle as well as those who already fly privately, but don't want to pay the give or take $15,000 to charter a six-seat light jet for just one or two people. Of course, to sell the seats on the new flights, you would need to know about the new flights. However, JSX is facing strict restrictions on where it can promote the new flights. So, what are the new routes? The new flights link Teterboro Airport in Northern New Jersey, the busiest airport for private jets, with Palm Beach International, Fort Lauderdale Executive, and Miami Opa Locka Executive Airport. The three Sunshine State airports are all ranked in the top 25 based on private jet movements. The routes should be an easy sell. JSX is popular with flyers. The readers of Travel + Leisure just awarded it best U.S. domestic airline for the second straight year. It doesn't fly big jets with hundreds of passengers crammed together. It flies converted Embraer regional jets. There are a maximum of 30 seats. There are only aisle and window seats. Everyone travels in the same class. You get similar legroom as domestic first class on narrowbody jets. There's also free WiFi, complimentary snacks, and checked luggage. However, the game-changer is that JSX doesn't use the standard airport terminals. It operates from FBOs and private terminals. Customers check in as little as 20 minutes before departure. The compact terminals also mean that instead of long walks from concourse to arrivals, and then a wait for luggage, you can be on your way minutes after arriving. The new flights, however, can only be promoted to members of Club JSX, a loyalty program the company launched just a month ago. That's because the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which runs Teterboro Airport, restricts the type of operations. A Port Authority spokesperson says, 'The Port Authority does not allow scheduled flights that are publicly advertised.' The first public notice of the new flights came via View From The Wing, a website that covers loyalty programs and credit cards. Its editor, Gary Leff, noted that JSX had deftly figured out a way to launch its flights while not violating the rules. The JSX website, where you book flights, makes no mention of Teterboro Airport. Flights are listed simply as New York City. You must be a Club JSX member to see which airport is being used and book seats on the flights. The Port Authority spokesperson explains, 'The Port Authority enforces strict Airport Rules & Regulations at TEB, including no public advertising of scheduled flights with all Fixed Base Operators. JSX operates as a customer of Signature Aviation, not directly with the Port Authority. JSX operates its flights under a membership or loyalty program, which is permitted under the applicable regulations. As long as JSX remains in full compliance with these rules and regulations—specifically by ensuring that flights are not publicly advertised and seat sales are limited exclusively to program members—JSX is authorized to operate without violating the prohibition on public solicitation.' While JSX has proven popular with flyers, executives of big airlines and their unions have sought to curtail its service. While to any traveler, JSX may appear to operate much like the big airlines which fly under Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, its website notes, 'Flights are public charters sold by JetSuiteX, Inc. as the charter operator and Delux Public Charter, LLC as the direct air carrier, subject to DOT Public Charter Regulations at 14 C.F.R. Part 380.' While some airports have tried to either block JSX or make it move to the main passenger terminals, where it would lose the advantage of bypassing long security lines and other hassles, so far the Dallas-based company has grown its network so that it spans coast-to-coast. The new flights to Miami and Fort Lauderdale start in early October, with Palm Beach beginning in early November. With only 30 seats and only operating a single frequency five times a week, it's hard to believe the new flights will put much of a dent in the big carriers. For example, United Airlines shows five daily nonstop flights from its nearby Newark Airport hub to Miami, and six more nonstops to each Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach on a Monday in October. However, it's hard to say for sure. In a 2023 email to customers JSX CEO Alex Wilcox wrote about an effort to have regulators curtail its growth, 'The truth is that two huge airlines – American and Southwest – and their labor union leaders – have been lobbying the FAA, TSA, and elected officials in Washington D.C. with misinformation and unsubstantiated safety claims in a brazen attempt to regulate JSX out of business.' While the TSA made changes to security procedures in January, JSX said it welcomed the changes, and they wouldn't impact its popular airport-light way of flying. In this case, the biggest question might be whether JSX can make the flights successful without marketing the flights publicly. A JSX spokesperson declined to comment on the new flights.
