Questions for Curiosity
50 things to wonder about.
Hi Hotel Person,
As Substack gains in popularity, I’ve been continually re-evaluating what I want to stand for and represent as Happy Hoteling. The top goal is still to be your most trusted source for special hotels throughout the world. A haven for Hotel People where good taste is the main currency. But also, when I think about my aspirations for my bigger purpose on this Earth, it’s not just to help people make memories through travel, but also to underscore the importance (and excitement) of seeking to understand more – about ourselves, our people, humankind, and our collective world. I’ve mentioned this before, but I really want to emphasize it. I would argue that curiosity is necessary to be an active participant in today’s world.
Today, I’ve shared 50 questions that were written with the goal of piquing curiosity. While it’s a personality trait that many closest to me might wish I could dial back at certain times, I find it to be one the things I like most about myself. I also know that not everyone has the time, nor circumstances to have curiosity as a priority in their mind. Or, perhaps, you have fallen into a period of apathy and want to pull yourself out of it or maybe you want to get more out of your travels and are now just realizing that being more curious might be a way to do that. In general, curiosity means you’re interested, which means you’re engaged, and that’s great. It also means you enjoy the wonder of wonder, which I find to be a key component of contentment.
I think a lot about the notions of both unfair disadvantages and unfair advantages. In many ways, in my case, I think a lot of the former are actually the latter. I have a 88-year old dad, but that gave him the time to deeply instill things like curiosity in me. I’m an only child, but that has given me the gift of never being bored, always being able to occupy my mind. I’m allergic to so much, but that has given me an innate optimism, because I have to just be out here hoping no one is trying to murder me on the daily. And let’s be honest, if I wasn’t so goddamn curious, I wouldn’t be very good at this job of mine. I wonder about the world and I wonder about all the best hotels in it, and then do my very best to find them.
Naturally, as Happy Hoteling is written by one human, one voice – me – the following questions arose from the things I’m most curious about. But also, I put on trained strategist hat to try to grasp at various corners of thinking. Certain questions are easily answered with a quick Google. But, it’s not about the answer as much as it is about the wondering. The letting your mind guide you into new territory and seeing where you come out. Some are totally trivial, some touch upon larger issues. Curiosity, in its most valuable form, doesn’t descriminate.
If you’re not into this and are really just subscribed for the hotels, no problem at all. I will see you Sunday, and we will be back to that. In the meantime, I’m offering a 24-hour sale on paid subscriptions. 20% off, which means $8/month or $64/year (which comes out to $5.33/month).
Questions for Curiosity’s Sake
Ask yourself…
Who built this house I you in? What were their lives like? What years were they alive? Did they take pride in their work, or was it a means to an end?
How would your life be different if you was born a year later?
Was there an inflection point between one month to the next from when the internet wasn’t everything and then suddenly, it seemed like it was going to be?When, why?
What does Anna Wintour wear to bed?
Will the Concorde ever come back?
If someone were playing you in a biopic about your life, what would they wear? What clothes do you feel depict you most truthfully?
Who was the first person in your family to fly on an airplane? Where were they going, and with whom?
How do people choose their wall color? Is it trend? Light? Feeling?
Are spies ever in rest and digest mode? Or is it, by default, always fight or flight?
Do any other animals have an inner monologue? (I know not even all humans do)
How long does it take for a flower bud to open? Is there one specific moment you can see where the opening starts?
What would Picasso or Dali say about AI? How would their responses differ?
Do any of the Spice Girls wish they were one of the other titles?
What country isn’t ranked as the happiest but has the people who actually are?
Who was the first person who had your phone number? Why did they change it?
What was the first thing Martin Scorsese watched on Netflix? Did he subscribe when it was DVDs only?
What was the first day like when my favorite hotel opened?
What were the Pope’s last thoughts about the United States of America?
What is Britney Spears actually thinking right now? How is she?
When was the word influencer first used in its current definition?
What place in the world are flowers longest in bloom each year?
What temperature will be considered really, really hot in the year 2100?
How do dogs always know which person in a room is allergic, and then go to them first?
What is the movie most often mentioned by people as being their favorite film?
Can people born at higher altitudes also hold their breath underwater for longer?
In ten years, what will the base rate be for a night at the Ritz Paris?
What age do most people consider to be the happiest year of their life? What age do you consider to be the happiest of yours, so far?
If North and South Korea reunited and became one democratic country again, how long would it take for the north and the south to reach the same average height again?
Why has there never been a movie or tv show adaptation of The Secret History?
If there were one person, from any time in history, that could have the power to unite the American people at this moment in time, who would it be?
Does Alessandro Michele regret leaving Gucci?
What one brand is present in the most number of homes worldwide?
If Slim Aarons were alive today, what hotels would he be photographing? (I have thoughts about this)
What single TV show influenced American culture the most?
Which OG blogger has retained the most of their audience?
What one item is purchased the most across the world at grocery stores?
Why did they name Siri Siri and Alexa Alexa? Was it immediate or were they products of constant iteration?
What words, that are trans-generationally part of common parlance now, will be out of everyday use in twenty years?
If Seurat lived today, how would he translate pointillism to pixels? What would his subject matter be?
Which museum would you most like to spend a night in if you could?
In what year will we start to have a true deeper dataset about the impact of social media on health?
How, why, when, and where did the dog first become domesticated?
When did people start regularly wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts on planes? Why? Was it fast or slow?
If you were to write a memoir about your life thus far and the title had to be two words or less, what would you call it?
What is a question no one has ever asked you that you would really like to answer?
If Anthony Bourdain were still alive and you had an opportunity to go anywhere in the world with him for one week, where would you like to go?
If you could reverse engineer your life, what childhood hobbies and activities would you take up, what would you major in at college, and what would you choose as your career?
If you could be in active practice of a different faith/religion for one day, to help you better understand the world, what would you choose?
If you could understand any one species of animal, what would you most want to be able to communicate with?
What public figure’s legacy do you most admire? What do you hope your own legacy will be?
And there you have it. 50 questions to make you think, and hopefully have fun while you’re at it. Thinking doesn’t have to be this exhausting and depressing thing. If I were reading this, I would probably take a few that spoke to me most and write them on a note on my phone to think about throughout the week. But also, it’s here to come back to if you’re ever feeling stuck in your mind and thinking.
Goodies from The Archive
The Style Section
A perfect striped poplin skirt (even better IRL)
Thank you so much for being here. See you Sunday!
xx Your Penpal,
Ok but I actually think about if the Concorde will ever come back at least a couple times a month 😭 (I also am very interested to know your take on modern-day Slim Aarons)
I really like this list, and will be tucking a few of these away for future dinner party convos and ice breakers!
Love this!!