Saturday, November 10, 2012

What the World Costs- New York City


free: paan, for my enthusiasm; internet cafe at the Apple Store
$.50 (4,500 Indonesian rupaih) : loosey
$1.00 (33 New Taiwanese Dollars): small cup of coffee around the city; a slice of NY-style cheese pizza
$1.25 (10 Guatemalan quetzal): Barley-eye drink with honey
$1.50 (15 Mexican pesos): ginger beer at Carib grocery store
$2 (9 Peruvian soles): Chinese noodle soup with sour vegetables; sweet paan; egg and cheese on a roll
$2.10 (250 Japanese yen): veggie patty
$2.50 (14 Egyptian pounds) : one ride on the subway; falafel from the famous Mamoun's
$3 (16 shekels): bubble tea in Chinatown; a bowl of borscht at Krolewkie Jadlo in Green Point
$3.50 (2.5 Jordanian dinars): Onion rings on the Coney Island boardwalk
$4 (245 Pakistani rupees): Happy Hour beer at the Bearded Lady; a knish at Paul's daughter in Coney Island
$5 (20 UAE Dirham) : Student ticket for Asia Society Museum; pair of sunglasses
$6 (270 Indian rupees) : a plate of fried spinach & mushroom and potato &a cheese pierogies at Krolewkie Jadlo
$6.50 (60,000 Lao kip): 500ml Heineken in Central Park
$8 (98,000 Vietnamese dong): Curry Vegetables and rice and peas
$10 (12,500 Iraqi Dinar): Student ticket for the Frick Museum
$12.50: pack of cigarettes (not that I am buying, just noticing the astronomical price)
$16 (26 Turkish Lira): ricotta fritters, oven-baked eggs w/ polenta, ricotta and tomato & bottomless bloody marys at Giovanni's
$17 (55 Malaysian Ringit): One-way Bolt bus from New York to DC's Union Station
$19 (800 Philippine Pesos): 20 minute taxi from Williamsburg to Prospect Heights, including tip; ticket to Mets game
$22 (12,000 Chilean pesos): Chinese foot massage
$27.50 (20,000 Jamaican Dollars): One-way tripper bus from Bethesda to New York
$1,080 (17,820,000 Vietnamese Dong): one month sublet for one bedroom apt in Prospect Heights
$1,100 (A gazillion Zimbabewean Dollars): one month sublet for a room in a 3 bedroom apt in Park Slope

Thursday, July 26, 2012

What the World Costs- Kurdistan


250 dinar (20cents): cup of sweet black tea; bottle of water; public bus in Suli
500 dinar (40cents): bottle of carrot-orange juice; piece of baklava
750 dinar (60cents): falafel in Erbil
1,000 dinar (80cents): shwarma in a triangle pita; kebab on the street; 500ml can of Tuborg beer
1,500 dinar ($1.20): street kebab in Erbil
2,000 dinar ($1.60): large fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juice; 15 minute cab ride in Duhok
3,000 dinar ($2.40): 15 minute taxi in Erbil; 330ml bottle of arak; 250ml bottle of Johnny Walker Bl Label
5,000 dinar ($4): 500 ml beer at Sun Palace restaurant; headphones
6,000 dinar ($5.20): stupidity tax for round trip taxi from Univ of Duhok to hotel for a forgotten office key
6,750 dinar ($5.40): two-piece chicken dinner at Texas Chicken
8,000 dinar ($6.40): veggie pizza at King Foods; shave and a haircut
9,000 dinar: ($7.20): Turkish veggie pide in Ein Kawa
12,500 dinar ($10): laundry at the Hallal Hotel
15,000 dinar ($12): stupidity tax for taxi delivery of  my Kurdistan ID card from Suli to Erbil
20,000 dinar ($16): 1 kilo of baklava for the pesh mergas guarding our convoy to Kirkuk
22,000 dinar ($17.60): a kilo of fish, charcoal broiled at "The Fish Restaurant"
40,000 dinar ($32): nice shoes in the bazaar
55,000 dinar ($44): dinner for 4 at the Sultan Restaurant in Erbil
64,000 dinar ($51.20): 1 night stay at Mondeal Hotel in Erbil w/ breakfast included
75,000 dinar: ($60) 1 night stay at Alborz Hotel in Suli w/ breakfast included
87,500 dinar ($70) 1 night stay at Hakar Hotel w/ breakfast included
159,900 dinar ($130): 1 night suite at Amenuel Hotel as per my commitment to media and public diplomacy
28,000,000 dinar ($22,400): bag money from the ministry

Thursday, June 21, 2012

What the World Costs- Turkey


.5 lira (27cents): 330 ml bottle of water
1 lira (56cents): cup of fresh squeezed oj
1.5 lira (83 cents): cup of fresh pressed carrot juice; cup of ayran (yogurt milk); piece of chocolate baklava
2.50 lira ($1.39): pair of boxers
3 lira ($1.67): cup of nescafe; 20 min ferry from Eminonunu to Uskudar (from Europe to Asia)
3.85 lira ($2.14): 500ml can of Efes from a corner store
4 lira ($2.22): cup of Turkish coffee
5 lira ($2.78): fish sandwich on the quay; 4 piece variety of baklava
5.5 lira ($3.06): french fry and cheese sandwich
6 lira ($3.33): homemade lunch of sauteed tomato stringbeans, rice, bread and yogurt soup at hostel
7 lira: ($3.89) potato kumpir (baked potato with all the trimmings)
8 lira ($4.44): student ticket to Istanbul Modern
10 lira ($5.56): entrance to the Byzantine Cistern; entrance to Istanbul Archaeological Museum
11 lira: ($6.12) efes dark at Aenoman Galata terrace restaurant
12 lira ($6.68): lamb and tomato kebabs at terrace restaurant
15 lira ($7.24): full mezze; melon nargile; leather wallet
34 lira ($18.89): 1 night at the World House Hostel for an 8-person dorm, breakfast included
60 lira ($33.33): hamam with massage
158 lira ($87.78): 1 night for a suite at St. Sofia hotel, breakfast and airport transport included
2,340 lira ($1,300): compensation for being involuntarily bumped