In 1986, USAir, based in Washington, DC, was a co-sponsor of an event celebrating the premiere showing of the movie Top Gun. It was a spectacular event, with the Navy’s Blue Angels flight team arriving at National Airport, parking their aircraft near a USAir hangar being used as part of the event and reception.

For this colossal event, USAir had invited dozens of high-ranking Navy leadership, politicians by the score, and me. My friend, who was heading up public relations for USAir, asked me, and I gladly accepted. It was fantastic; this was indeed a celebration for US Navy Aviation. 

Since his follow-up movie, “Top Gun: Maverick,” was a smash hit, and he is playing a US Navy aviator with the rank of Captain, I suppose in his next “Top Gun” movie, he will finally be promoted again. We are all waiting to see Admiral Maverick in action. Carry On, Tom.

Since I’ve lately been on a rip thinking (and writing) about some of my favorite hotels worldwide, I must include one of my all-time super-star hotels, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu.

While I have stayed at many hotels in Waikiki, there’s only one Royal Hawaiian. Over the many years I’ve visited, the grounds around the hotel have changed, but the hotel remains the most marvelous, comfortable property in Honolulu. There’s nothing else like it.

On every visit, as soon as I check in, I head to the Mai Tai Bar for one of their world-class drinks, yes – their Mai Tai cocktail. It may not have been invented here; however, once you have one, it’s the Gold standard for any others that follow.

Their Mai Tai bar is ground zero for the famed Hawaiian Spirit. In minutes I’m lost in the colors and spirit of the hotel. The beach is steps away; The Surf Room is next to the bar, and their casual lunch menu offers many of my favorites, including their famous Surf Salad.

I’m not a big fan of the Luau experience. However, their Royal Hawaiian Luau takes everyone back to a time when a luau was a real cultural experience. It’s held on the Royal Ocean Lawn, so everyone has a terrific view of the beach and Diamond Head.

Guest rooms are incredible, especially the Queen Kapiolani suite, and while I enjoy the rooms in the tower, I always try to get a room in the “old” building. No matter where you stay, you will have experienced the most beautiful part of Hawaii. When you leave the Royal Hawaiian, you will be a lifelong fan.

Mahalo, my friends.

My dearest friend is a tenured professor, a teacher of early childhood development (which is why my antics don’t surprise her), and a librarian.

We both love to read; she knows I learned to read at a very early age, and I read everything that catches my interest. She’s somewhat critical of my fondness for a well-known newspaper based in New York City; however, we manage to respect each other’s preferences.

Naturally, we love book stores and libraries. One day, we were wandering through a well-known chain bookstore that, sadly, is no longer in operation. At one point, I said to her, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could take brand new books home, without buying them, returning later for more?” She turned to me and said, “You can visit your local public libraries more.” Now you see how valuable her early childhood development skills are to our relationship.

Thanks to my mom, I learned to read at an early age. A large part of her teaching included her reading of our morning newspaper to me, while she sounded out the words. By the time I began kindergarten, I was already a whiz at reading. While print newspapers are nearly fading away, I read several newspapers every morning. The New York Times has more digital readers than home subscriptions.

With everything being available online, reading in schools is no longer as important as it was in years past. I don’t think anyone in my family reads anything; no books or newspapers. While I understand why people don’t read, it seems to me they are missing a valuable part of knowledge as a whole.