In 1987 I attended a summer conference of Ayn Rand’s philosophy called Objectivism. The conference was held at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla and was attended by the Who’s Who of Objectivism. It was organized by George Reisman and his wife, Edith Packer. George Reisman was an economics professor at Pepperdine University and a prominent Objectivist. The UCSD campus was high up on a rock overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful and clean campus. Perfect weather. It was great to be there, and to be alive. I was only 22 years old then. I didn’t have much of an education, but I had a great interest in ideas after reading The Fountainhead .
The Starck Club in Dallas, Texas Philippe Starck’s Concrete Oasis and the Fluid Nightlife Revolution of 1980s My favorite place that I would frequently visit in Dallas was the Starck Club. It was located in the old part of town, where the once life-sustaining warehouses were abandoned and crumbling, right past the forgotten railroad tracks of the forgotten Industrial Revolution. But this one particular warehouse was adopted and remodeled by the French architect and designer, Philippe Starck. Getting into the Starck Club wasn’t easy. There was always a long line, and the doormen were highly selective about who they allowed to enter. In my early twenties, with bleached blond hair, I was hip enough to pass. I wore black parachute pants and white leather shoes—very Duran Duran-esque.