What’s Hot with Lena
Episode 3:
Top 5, Top 5, Top 5 + A Dramatic Intro
From controverial rap songs to dining destinations around the world, indulge in a few top 5 lists to keep bookmarked for all of 2024 (or your entire life)!
Written by: Magdalena O’Neal
January 16th, 2024
I’m going to share more relevant information below that applies to everyone's interests (I think), but of course it wouldn’t be What’s Hot if I didn’t share a tidbit about this week's personal breakdown.
While I am totally living la vida yolo, as stated last week, I am also totally losing my marbles on a daily basis. This week has been a true test of mental strength and sanity. It’s hard to keep your wits about you when the universe keeps throwing you curveballs.
There is a sexy female version of Brad Pitt from Fight Club living rent free in my head and we fight. I’m a gemini, it’s normal.
This week just felt like one thing after another in terms of things falling apart. If it’s not pointless arguments with the love of my life it’s encroaching job insecurity (the struggle of being a full-time freelancer).
Alas! I am dumping all of this onto you, my most loveable readers, to share that there is so much power in finding a silver lining in any and all situations. When my man and I fight, I remember how lucky I am to have found the love of my life and that long distance relationships are the definition of hard work. When my actual job starts to get wobbly I am reminded that if I end up jobless, I will have so much time to take care of myself, something I don’t do enough of as is.
Let’s all just stream Beyonce’s Best Thing I Never Had and be grateful for those situations that feel like they’re dragging us through the mud. Because when you get up, wash all the dirt off and exfoliate, you’re shiny, new, full of valuable lessons, stronger than ever, and you have boosted immunity because that’s what happens when you rub dirt on your wounds.
The Ultimate Top 5 Lists
I have enlisted the help of some industry experts to weigh in on a few topics of interest. While I could bore you all with my favorite and least favorite things, I know that I am not the most intelligent girl in the room when it comes to some things. Last week I chatted on and on about keeping circles small and how this year I’m going full on yolo and also only keeping five friends (my personal top 5).
On this gorgeous Monday (I’m in Mexico City so it is gorgeous outside) we’re diving deeper into top 5 lists. It’s really hard to pick five of something we love—friends, artists, meals—while top 10 is easy and leaves room for least favorites to still make the list.
I set out to find friends who could step up to the challenge of narrowing down their faves from their respective fields. I hope these lists create fruitful vacations, mouth watering daydreams, inner turmoil, strong opinions in the comments, and potentially personal hatred for those sharing (mostly that last one is for Chris because his opinions are controversial to say the least).
Keep reading for the top five places to travel in 2024 from a very seasoned travel writer, the top five cities to eat in right now from the chef of all chefs, and the top five Drake songs of all time from one of the founders of this amazing website.
Top 5 Travel Destinations for 2024
Teddy Minford is a true genius and the definitive life of the party. We met on a press trip to Jackson Hole and spent a few days together indulging in all the great outdoors had to offer before joining forces for a pre-flight bender at Jackson Hole’s hottest watering hole, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. She has written about travel, adventure, and luxury for outlets like Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes, and Travel + Leisure. This week she is sharing with us her top 5 travel destinations for 2024, a list to be coveted by all.
1. Mexico
“I’ve been traveling professionally for over a decade and Mexico is always at the top of my list. This year I’m hoping to get to Oaxaca, but I’m also planning a trip to Mazatlán with my family to see the eclipse in April.”2. Socotra
“I can’t stop watching videos of Socotra, an island in the Arabian Sea. There aren’t really hotels there, so you have to go with a group tour and camp. I’m obsessed with this company called Roam Beyond that does luxury glamping adventures, but even the bare bones camping trips look unreal.”3. Provence
“Even though Yemen is at the top of my travel wishlist, I am, in fact, a basic bitch when it comes to travel. I love France. Provence is one of my favorite places to visit and even though it’s a well-known tourist destination, there are still lots of quiet little villages that feel like something out of a fairytale. A few years ago my husband and I did a village-to-village hike through a bunch of little towns in the Luberon. We stayed at cute hotels and just traveled with a change of clothes in a daypack. I’d love to do something like that again. Plus, visiting the south of France gives me an excuse to have dinner at La Colombe D’Or, one of my favorite restaurants in the world.”4. Botswana
“I have been on safaris before (I had an especially memorable trip to Kenya last year with Micato), but I cannot wait to see more of Africa. Botswana is particularly alluring to me, especially Jack’s Camp (the interior design is what I wish my house looked like) and a handful of new lodges from Wilderness Safaris.”5. Montana
“Sorry to my husband, but my sisters are my favorite people to travel with. It doesn't even matter where we go—we can have a good time anywhere. One of my sisters told me this really depressing/enlightening thing recently: when we get older, we stop thinking in terms of ‘years' and start thinking in terms of ‘times’. So if I get together with my sisters once a year for the rest of my life, that means I might only see them 40 or 50 more times (assuming we all live to a ripe old age). So I’m trying to bring that number up to the hundreds (possibly thousands?) by seeing them as much as possible. We’re currently planning a trip to Montana for my sister’s 40th birthday. Our usual M.O. is to rent an Airbnb somewhere rural and frighten the regulars at the nearest cowboy bar, so watch out Livingston, here we come.”Top 5 Cities to Eat in Around the World Right Now
Me and Tara eating at spas around the world
I don’t have to tell most of you who know me that Tara Thomas is one of my top 5 people in the world. She’s a chef, model, wordsmith, and overall extraordinaire. She’s joined us today to share with us the 5 cities across the globe she will be eating in this year and why. Her IG is @cheftarathomas for those who want to send her further recs. She shared with me that she would like to “spend at least 10 days in these cities and focus on dining, shopping, and enjoying their spa culture.”
1. El Paso, Texas
“I adore Tex Mex cuisine, its comforting flavors bring a new form of nostalgia with the connection to my southern roots and my love for Mexican food. El Paso is the city that represents that cuisine so well. I’ve been looking for an excuse to wear my black cowgirl hat!”2. Istanbul, Turkey
“Walnut Baklava is the most beautiful treat in the world. The perfect baklava is crunchy, drenched in botanically infused honey, and has a center with a perfectly spiced and mouthful of crushed nuts and delights. The best baklava I’ve had is from a bakery in Oslo owned by a Turkish family. It's the next best thing to going to Turkey, I kinda want a baklava wedding cake but I also think I could win in a baklava eating competition. I also plan to bring a second suitcase home full of the loot of baklava, spices, and a year's supply of snacks wrapped in rugs + cashmere. Just the essentials.”3. Dakar, Senegal
“I’ve had my fair share of this cuisine but what made me start dreaming of traveling to Senegal was a mysterious video I saw that showed a Senegalese breakfast street food. Patrons bring their own baguette to street vendors who fill it with a chickpea stew and pickles. I fantasize about joining the community for my baguette sammy that I can sit in a park while listening to the birds chirping with a coffee. Every chef is impacted by French cuisine as it commands the entire industry by ripping the joy from cooking in the form of the Brigade by bringing class with a lot of abuse… anyways… low key all the nations they colonized made French food look stupid.”4. Lima Peru
“When I went vegan in 2016 I dove into the world of superfoods and discovered that many “Superfoods” that were marketed at the time—like chia seeds, maca root, and quinoa—all hailed from Peru. I didn’t love the way these foods were applied in biohacker recipes. I wanted to know how real people for centuries had consumed this. I went to Andina in Portland and fell in love with the simplicity and rich applications of these ingredients and that was a part of my own decolonizing of the palate to create more bioavailable foods rich in flavor that felt aligned to my ethnic heritage. If anyone tells you potatoes are Irish or White they’re dumb, they’re from Peru and White people got access to them in the highlands of Mexico where they were predominantly grown for production prior to colonization.”5. Jakarta Indonesia
“I’ve always loved Indonesian food from a young age. My mother is Dutch and they colonized Indonesia, so when we visited my grandparents for large family gatherings we would order Indonesian catering. South Asian food is my top craving and it began with the ritual of gathering with family around the tangy, fresh, and crisp sensations of the cuisine. I wanna eat all the noodles, umami sauces, crunch peanut toppings, palm sugar desserts, big squares of tofu, and endless herbs as confetti on my food!”Top 5 Drake Songs
Christopher Chance should need no introduction to any of you, he is one of the creators of this here website we are all reading this sentence on. He is like Dexter of Dexter's Laboratory but in the world of advertising and copy, super nerd, and huge Drake fan. While I thought about sharing my top 5 Drake songs, I wouldn’t be able to handle the backlash from fans and haters alike, so I asked him to share his! When I asked him if he was sure, he replied with “Fuck it, 💯”
Before you let your judgements set in, here are a few words from the boss to preface his choices.
“Outside of Internet forums, discords, and group chats—I’ve never really written about Drake. As Lena let the cat out the bag earlier, he’s my favorite rapper. My top 5 Drake songs are a reflection of his, in my opinion, timeless discography. The more I grow and experience life the more the list varies. Currently this top 5 is just what Drake songs I think are the best in context to my current life. I'm about to enter the second half of my 20’s, and many of the bars I thought were entertaining are becoming relatable. The things that were aspirational are now a way of life. I like Drake because despite him almost being 40, for some reason he has made music near and dear to my heart ever since I was 11 years old. Wow, it’s been a long time listening to the boy. Maybe one Day I’ll do a more comprehensive list that can detail my objective top 5 Drake songs on albums vs loosies, who knows. Anyways, Aubrey’s Angel signing off.”
- Christoper Chance
1. Free Spirit
“Free spirit 100% describes my younger years [for context Chris is still quite young, younger than me actually], the second verse was literally my life as a hobosexual 21 year old.”2. 4pm In Calabasas
“60% of my current personality is based off the visual of Drake riding a Ferrari saying ‘hi’ to Kris Jenner.”3. Cameras
“Arguably, the greatest Drake song ever—how did a 25 year old make that?”4. Sweeterman
“While other guys were becoming scammers, fake gangsters, or workout nerds. I settled on being a sweeterman. 8 years later here we are.”5. Furthest Thing
“Furthest Thing perfectly describes my quarter life crisis, the second half is the best hoop mixtape-esque beat I’ve ever heard in my life.”I have kindly made a playlist of these songs in order below for you all to hear and judge! DM me your top 5 Drake songs and I promise I will add them to this playlist so we can all have the ulitmate top Drake playlist in the world.
Until next week, that’s What’s Hot!
*Each and every Monday—unless I’m hungover—you can find my ever-so-eloquent word vomits on this fabulous website for you to peruse, laugh, and take note of. If you love it already and don’t want to miss a beat, drop your email down below for weekly reminders when a new post goes live.*
madeintheurl 2024