New York: Donald Trump
Bangkok: Thaksin Shinawatra
The populist billionaire and exiled prime minister “looms large in the cultural imagination. He’s a Donald Trump mixed with a Sarah Palin.”
New York: Bike-Lane Wars
Bangkok: Sidewalk Wars
They’re filled with everything besides pedestrians: “Fruit sellers, orange-juice-makers, guys grilling sausages. Motorcycle taxis will drive right down the center in the wrong direction. It’s transcended annoyance—you just become accustomed to it.”
New York: Prestigious, Land-Grabbing University (NYU, Columbia)
Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University
Busily redeveloping its surroundings—and demolishing older shops. “Metastasizing is the right word for it.”
New York: Mayor Bloomberg
Bangkok: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
Younger than Mayor Mike, but a powerful (and controversial) technocrat in his own right.
New York: Food Trucks
Bangkok: Pop-Up Bars
“Sometimes pushcarts, sometimes motorcycles, occasionally a modified VW Beetle or truck (as seen above), they can be found roving around the city until the sun comes up.”
New York: St. Marks Place
Bangkok: Khaosan Road
The backpacker district. “You’ll probably find the same T-shirts.”