I have two modest goals in life. The first is to own a Jet Ski. If you own a Jet Ski, that means you have enough money in the bank to waste on a Jet Ski, which is nice. It also means you live on a body of water, and I would very much like to live on a body of water. All the better for dumping all the political canvassers I murder at my door.
My second goal is to live the exact same kind of life that Anthony Bourdain leads. That’s him in the above video, eating a live cobra heart. Mmm… dangerous. I watch Bourdain go to a new country every week on “No Reservations,” eating insanely good food and getting blitzed with locals on a nightly basis. Now THAT’S a solid life. Go anywhere you fucking want, know someone everywhere you go who knows exactly the best places to go, and stuff your fucking face. Oh, and presumably do lots of local brown heroin. Bliss. There should be an Anthony Bourdain Travel Agency, where you can just do all the shit he does in any given episode. I’d take that over Liberty Travel.
So, in the spirit of Bourdain, we bring this week’s draft of cities to own a luxury residence in. The rules:
1. Serpentine Draft
2. 3 rounds
3. Once a city is taken, its host nation is off the board
4. You get a luxury penthouse/home in any city you choose
5. It is assumed you have enough money in the city you choose to go out and dine as you please. A car and driver are also provided.
6. Your marital status is unchanged for this draft (ie, flub and I still have a wife and kids to worry about and what not).
One rule I forgot before we started this draft was to, you know, PICK A FUCKING CITY. As with any draft we hold, what started as a nice exercise in travel porn devolved into petty squabbling over exactly what constitutes a “city.” The dictionary refuses to provide a solid population figure for guidance. Fucking dictionary. And so, we spent an inordinate amount of time trying to define an abstract term which shouldn’t really ever be abstract. (My argument is that cities are, you know, REALLY FUCKING BIG AND HAVE BUILDINGS AND SHIT.) That didn’t stop Punter and habitual rule breaker Maj from trying to draft obvious non-cities. Morons. Anyway, the order:
Ufford
Drew
Punter
Maj
Ape
Flub
And we go.
1. Ufford – New York City, USA

Simply put: the best city in the best country. Although a high-rise penthouse in South Beach might’ve been nice.
2. Drew – London, England
I’ll pick a warm weather city later. For now, I’ll take a penthouse overlooking Hyde Park, drink in every possible pub I can find, go to rock shows at the Astoria, and stuff my face with tikka masala.
And here’s where the draft began to go wrong…
3. Punter – George Town, Cayman Islands
Great weather, high standard of living, plus no income tax or capital gains tax. Lots of golf, too, if you can get past the fact that they use non-conforming balls they use for the shorter courses. But then, my balls have never been conforming.
Wonderful, but it only has a population of 20,000. NOT A FUCKING CITY, ASSHOLE. Punter argued that population density and the fact that George Town is a capitol should factor in. (As if the Cayman Islands really needs a capitol seat of government). Whatever. FUCKING QUINZEE HAS A BIGGER POPULATION. YOU’RE NOT ADHERING OT THE SPIRIT OF THE DRAFT, TUBBY!
4. Maj – Amsterdam, The Netherlands (duh)

You know, for the Anne Frank House.
That Isolator hash sure is pricey. Though I bet it lives up to its name and then some.
5. Ape – Tokyo, Japan

All the tentacle rape I can handle!
/can’t handle very much
Ape also neglects to mention that you can head to the fish market in Tokyo, have them filet a live mackerel in front of you, and eat the mackerel as it’s still alive and wriggling around, nailed to the cutting board, watching you eat him. NICE.
6. Flubby – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7. Flubby – Paris, France
I’ve never been to either one, but I would have them running on Flubby Standard Time inside of 6 months.
8. Ape – Sydney, Australia
FUCKER TOOK MY BIRTHPLACE! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS, MONKEYMAN!
9. Maj – Vancouver, Canada

Maj actually first selected the town of Whistler (pop. 9,000), outside of Vancouver. Again, NOT A FUCKING CITY.
10. Punter – Hong Kong, China
Am I picking cities in which to relax or just organizing a multinational banking conspiracy?
11. Drew – Florence, Italy
Always wanted Tuscan villa.
12. Ufford – Barcelona (pronounce it BARTHELONA), Spain
Two words: Catalonian. Tapas. Wait, no. Those are the wrong two words. I meant to say, “Spanish. Chicks.” Plus it’s right on the Mediterranean, so my luxury residence is gonna have a hell of a view.
13. Ufford – Buenos Aires, Argentina
It’s nicknamed the “Paris of South America.” So basically somebody took a major European metropolis and filled it with South American women. How did I not select this city first?
14. Drew – Acapulco, Mexico
Had to take a Mexican city for my last pick. Always looked so inviting when they featured it as the main prize on Tic Tac Dough.
15. Punter – Antarctica
Well, someone’s being a stubborn wiseass.
16. Maj – Nassau, Bahamas

Incredibly beautiful island, easy access to and from the US, and plenty of fun to be had (gambling).
Yes Maj, but you’d have to walk outside in a bathing suit. THAT’S NOT PARADISE.
17. Ape – Dubai, Unites Arab Emirates

Quite entertaining if you’re megawealthy enough to afford it, and according to the rules of this draft, I am!
Indeed. Who wouldn’t want to ski in a warehouse?
18. Flub – Hamilton, Bermuda
With any luck, you’ll catch Michael Douglas and his oxygen tank!
Your picks in the comments. We’ll lift the country restriction. Kindly wait 10 picks before picking another city. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to jet set over to Rite Aid to buy a thermometer battery. Not quite Bourdainian existence I had envisioned for myself. Shit. I really need to be rich.


I like your point about Persons, Psychology, and Philosophy. thanks to the stunning images.In addition to knowing how folks consider and react, we can also get lessons and values in these topics that we can incorporate in our writing approach and overall behavior towards writing.Jenny
We’ve just arrived home from a vacation in Nerja. The weather was not great but of all the villages in Andalucia, this was the best. Great wine and food and friendly people. Can’t wait to return.
We’ve just arrived home from a holiday in Nerja. The weather was not great but of all the areas in Southern Spain, this was our favourite. Great food and wine and charming people. Looking forward to go back.
I’m takin’ Omaha, Nebraska…and we gon’ DRANK
Ambitious Drinker was right … you wankers need to get out more.
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Carnaval.
And for not following Flubby’s choice of Rio, none of you assholes gets the picture of Viviane Castro losing her tapa-sexo.
Phuket, Thailand is awesome……..if you like lady-boys(and who doesnt?)
Munich, Germany fucking rocks.
Rome, Italy is amazing.
Dublin, Ireland is a fun place.
La Coruna, Espana is a great get-a-way for those to releave stress.
Padre Island, TX
Ocean City, MD
Quebec City, QC
Amman, Jordan
Nice, France (if this is taken I’m sorry but I Ctrl-F and apparently KSK readers have no vocabulary because “nice” is used to describe every one of their picks.)
Sapporo, Japan
Cologne, Germany
If these drafts work the same way drafts in professional sports worked, with first rounders getting paid ridiculous amounts of money, I would trade down every Friday. There’s always plenty of bargains out there.
Good Night!
Portland Parish, Jamaica.
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Sochi, Russia. 2014 Winter Olympics, Stalin’s winter resort, skiing, good beaches in the summer, vodka and caviar for breakfast lunch and dinner. Fuck and hell yes.
Try the Blueberry. It is highly recommended.
Guess if I’m going to create the El Punani Real, I have to have something in Orange County. Fuck Orange County! But if I have to have a half way house between Cardiff and PV, it may as well be San Onofre. Great surf, locals only (with enforcement by way of surf nazis – fascist swine) and a quick walk away from the border inspection station. Sweet. Not to mention the surf is artificially warmed by the overflow valve from the cooling station at the San Onofre Nuclear Power Facility. I want my next cat to glow in the dark and have a hide like rich Corrinthian leather.
Try and say “If I have to have a half way house” three times without spilling your beer, I’ll buy your next round.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia…live off oil money and women are fully covered. What’s behind burqa #2? Ooooh, i love suprises!
Second pick:
Shimla, India: Ski amazing slopes on the cheap.
Pyongan, North Korea. NO FUCKING NEIGHBORS
Fred Phelps says God hates the Steelers. Something about all the sodomy.
Tel Aviv, Israel…. Best legs in the world… All the women have done military duty, so anything under 30 is still in amazing shape…
Well if you want water, I live next to Lake Erie. It is frozen 3 months of the year thou.
Or Palos Verdes, CA view of the harbor looking east, view of Catalina looking SW. With picks in Cardiff, PV, and Manhattan Beach, I can now set up little missions for poon ala Junipero Serra that are all a days walk apart. Next would be Malibu.
Let’s go with Cardiff, Wales and while we’re at it, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Ca ain’t too shabby either.
As a lifelong resident of New York Fuckin’ City, I can honestly say I’d love a place in Valletta, Malta. It’s got the most perfect climate on the whole fucking Planet, and it’s a quick trip to either France or Italy. My family came from there a few generations ago and it sounds like it was a nice place.
Uh oh. Fred Phelps said God hates Australia. May have to change my pick.
Erm…. Drew….. I don’t know how to break this to you, but the London Astoria shut down last month after a developer bought it to turn it into flats. So it is currently in the process of being demolished…..
the International Space Station
Since I control F’d it and nothing came up I pick Tucson, AZ for the following reasons:
1. Property Value is amazingly cheap there, 1.5 Mill would get me This nice little piece of property..
2. Booze, Cigarettes and Weed aplenty at generous prices
2. The High Quality! Young Women!
“I’ll take the entire Big Island of Hawaii, thanks.”
Best answer on here.
“Sure, if you leave aside the fact that it’s not a city. And the fact that the biggest urban area on the Big Island is Hilo, with a whopping population of 40,000.
Other than that, sure, best answer.”
Take it easy Scrappy doo. I’m fully aware it’s not a city. But, in case you haven’t read the rest of the comments, no one gives a shit.
“Sorry, I’m not into caning. But if you’re an S&M freak and want to live there, be my guest.”
Don’t be so provincial, Otto. Singapore sits at the crossroads of the trade routes between Sotheast Asia and Europe. If it was worth exporting, it passed through Singapore. The best of China, Vietnam, Thailand, and even Australia still find their way there. But if caning is all you know about Singapore then perhaps it is best you keep your amateur act elsewhere.
Following someone else’s lead, I will take Providenciales, Turks Islands. CIty is a bad word to use, but the water…ohhhh the color is so awesome. I am done now too.
All right, very late to the party. Carmel by the Sea, baby!
Male, Maldive Islands.
I spent a week in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and a Swiss tourist told me that The Maldives kicks the DR’s ass. So I choose to believe him.
Going along with what Otto said….I’ve noticed a lot of support for Dubai, but it should be pointed out that the local officials look down on things like public drunkenness and lewd behavior. Now I’m not saying your lady-friend will get beheaded for showing off a little forearm over there, or anything, but local customs have to be taken into account.
Now, give me a house with its own private beach and all the liquor I want flown in, then maybe it’ll be paradise.
Next I’ll take Liverpool, England, so I can go watch games at Anfield whenever I want.
Ehh, screw it. I’ll take Nerja, Spain too. Literally right on the Mediterranean, great night life, just excellent location all around.
I know I didn’t wait 10 picks, but I’ve got shit to do and I want to lock up the few remaining good cities before they’re gone.
@ Slothrop haha, Steamboat MIGHT have 10k people. Aspen and Vail are like sub-6k each. According to BDB those are off limits due to the extremely low populations in comparison (20k-ish for George Town) and the fact the the tallest buildings are almost assuredly 8 story hotels. Guaranteed.
I’ll take the nicest city in Estonia. I don’t know where it is, but the women are unbelievable.
@El Guapo: I’m not disagreeing with you, but be warned that there isn’t any surfing in Cairns (because of the Reef) and it’s humid as balls. Other than that, beautiful area.
Knoxville, Knoxville, Knoxville
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Bartontheroad.png
Tristan da Cunha – the most isolated civilization in the world, just so people will leave me the fuck alone
Hey knuckleheads…Ever heard of Singapore? You might want to try one day.
Sorry, I’m not into caning. But if you’re an S&M freak and want to live there, be my guest.
Camelot is just another white myth, like Larry Bird, or Colorado.
All right, I’ll jump in. Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Right on the great Barrier Reef, tropical, and I don’t need to worry about a foriegn language. Plus, Aussie surfers chicks.
Captiva Island, FL.
Santa Barbara, CA.
Breckenridge, CO.
Porto, Portugal
Palm Springs, CA.
Golf, skiing, fishing and drinking!
Here are some nice fictional cities that none of you assholes can take:
• Atlantis
• Camelot
• Shangri-La
• Xanadu
• Utopia
• Springfield (Shelbyville, Capital City)
• Bronson, Missouri
I realize that I live in Denver and am a hopeless homer, but Denver has to be better than Guadalajara right?
Abu Dhabi. They’ve got more oil than Dubai, so it should last until I die, and its within striking distance of Dubai anyway so I can hop over whenever I feel like.
@ Zack
Go to Ghana- you can stay at my palace. I’ll leave a key under the solid-gold doormat. If you’re a music fan, the stuff you hear in Ghana will sound instantly familiar. West African sounds are a key ingredient in American music.
Branson.
Veracruz, Mexico. Nice Caribbean beaches, hot women, and narcotics easily available at the local pharmacy. What’s not to like?
Hey knuckleheads…Ever heard of Singapore? You might want to try one day.
Orchard Towers anyone? Just know what you are doing first!!! Suckers.
Cabo San Lucas, MX. Incredible beaches, peaceful Pacific, tons of coke, and incredible burritos!
First, we’ll take Manhattan, then we’ll take Berlin
Kauai. Kauai Not.
“I’ll take the entire Big Island of Hawaii, thanks.”
Best answer on here.
Sure, if you leave aside the fact that it’s not a city. And the fact that the biggest urban area on the Big Island is Hilo, with a whopping population of 40,000.
Other than that, sure, best answer.
@Gino: My cousin works for the U.S. foreign service in Ghana. Perhaps I should plan a visit.
“I’ll take the entire Big Island of Hawaii, thanks.”
Best answer on here. I can’t think of very many places where you can surf, snowboard, see an active volcano, hike, and smoke some of the best ganj this world has ever seen all within one hour of each other.
Zurich, Switzerland
/Going to become an international jewel thief while there
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Guadalajara: chicas y tequila.
Accra, Ghana
Ghana is an oasis of stability and prosperity in a region torn asunder by extreme poverty, corruption and violence. As with my other picks, Ghana has fantastic music and beautiful, captivating women. Also, it’s one of the best weed destinations in Africa. Their herb is potent, tasty, dirt cheap and it’s use is culturally-entrenched.
I’ll import my whiskies, smoke the local, hire my own High Life band and have a team of doctors do a full health screen on any and all of the foxy Ashante ladies who want to come to my palace.
@DougOLis: I love beer, and for that, I believe all you need is a Canadian city. I would think Montreal would do nicely. That was a solid pick by someone. I hear good things about Montreal.
ACTUALLY….Bret and Jemaine are from New Zealand.
I’m super late, but my first pick is still on the board: Sevilla, Spain.
My second and third picks would have been Dublin and Florence, so Drew can go straight to hell.
Brugge, Belgium – a very cool and pretty city in Belgium, one of the actual best countries to live in Europe with the best beers, fries, and mussels in the world. How did it take so long for someone to take a city in Belgium? Does no one like beer?
Mallorca, anyone?
Since Otto Man already took the best city in the worl, Oxford, England, I’ll take Santorini. Okay, technically Santorini is an island but: 1.) it’s in the Aegean; 2.) it’s probably the basis for the Atlantis myth.
http://www.santorini.net/home.html
Since Otto Man already took the best city in the world, Oxford, England, I’ll take Santorini. Technically, Santorini is an island, but 1.) it’s in the Aegean; 2.) it’s probably the source of the Atlantis myth. http://www.santorini.net/home.html
Did anyone pick CanCun? If not, I just did.
morgantown, wv…..
ibiza town, eivissa
ill be the pope of chili town!
Muahahahaha!
I’m perfectly content with my first two picks in terms of where I actually want to live (Durban, South Africa and Naha, Okinawa) so with my third pick I’ll take Durham, North Carolina out of nothing more than spite. I’ll rampage through the strippier parts of town while wearing a Duke lacrosse shirt, and then start burning down as many buildings on campus as I possibly can. I might even challenge some of the basketball players to test their flopping skills against the front end of my Cadillac. And I’ll use my wealth and privilege to avoid suspicion (and eventually prosecution) for my crimes as long as possible, at which point I’ll flee to one of my other luxury residences (hmm…maybe to be safe I should use my next pick to snag a place in a country with no extradition treaty).
I wouldn’t be EP’s Finest if I didn’t grab up EP. I’ll have a penthouse overlooking the Quarry and all the toothless crack hos a man could handle.
@ Ambitious Drinker
My two picks (Belfast, Glasgow) have been based on the local whiskies and the women. Good choice with Warsaw. Those depressed former Soviet Bloc countries have a knack for producing hot women and drunkenness.
Gino Tourettsa took a great choice for the Scotch supply, so Warsaw for Vodka.
Berlin.
Maui, Hawaii. It’s tropical! It’s a place I’ve heard of! It hasn’t been taken yet!
Plus, it’s a city right? Isn’t the whole island considered one big city, or something? Just in case it’s not I’ll sub-choose the province/township/watering hole of Lahaina, Maui. Cheeseburger in Paradise, aw yeahhhh,
I’ve got to leave the house, so I’m taking my next pick even though it hasn’t been ten picks yet.
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. I’ve never been there, but it’s a beautiful setting, and it’s the only city in Australia that has the cooler climate that I prefer.
I’m taking Pittsburgh.
I assume there is still some sort of aristocracy there, and if so I can blend in with the snobs as we all look down on the dirty, stinking, malnourished, unwashed masses of the city.
/would still look down on the Pittsburgh elite, too