Top Spas in the United States
By Haddon Libby
Spas of America released its list of the top 100 spas in the United States. Palm Springs placed first on the list thanks to The Spa at Sec-he by the Agua Caliente Tribe of Cahuilla Indians. In addition to the legendary hot mineral spring spas, the spa uses heated beds of ground quartz and amber as part of the massage table. You can rest in the salt cave where lungs and skin are restored or try whole-body cryotherapy for better circulation, muscle recovery and reduced inflammation.
Coming in second is the Red Mountain Resort in Ivins, Utah, just a few minutes north of St. George. The Agua Caliente Tribe comes in third with its Sunstone Spa in Rancho Mirage. Skana at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY is fourth followed by Spa at the Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, NC.
Top Movies
Time Magazine recently shared its top ten movies of 2023. Topping the list is “Fallen Leaves”, a Finnish rom-com-drama that won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and one named one of the 15 finalists for Foreign Film by the Academy Awards.
Second place goes to “Maestro” – Bradley Cooper’s biopic of composer Leonard Bernstein. After a limited theatrical release, the film is now on Netflix and was nominated for four Golden Globes.
“The Zone of Interest” comes in third. This historical drama tells the story of a Auschwitz commandant who with his wife to build their dream life next door to Auschwitz. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, was named the Best Film by the LA Film Critics Association and is the British entry for Foreign Film at the Oscars.
Top Selling Songs
Morgan Wallen had the biggest hit song for 2023 with “Last Night”. According to tracking service Luminate, the song sold the equivalent of 8.3 million units due to a mix of purchases and billions of streams.
Far behind at 6.4 million units was Miley Cyrus and “Flowers” with SZA only 50,000 units behind Cyrus with “Kill Bill”. Zach Bryan was fourth with 5.2 million units of “Something in the Orange”. In fifth with 5.2 million units was “Calm Down” by Rema of Afrobeats with Selena Gomez. Rounding out the top ten were “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, “Snooze” by SZA, “Fast Car” by Luke Comes, “Boy’s a Liar” by PinkPanteress and “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift.
Top Selling Vehicles
According to AutoGuide, the Ford F-Series was the best selling vehicle in the United States in 2023. Americans bought 727 thousand, some 127 thousand more than Chevy’s Silverado that captured the second spot with 555 thousand units. The Ram Pickup landed third with 445 thousand units followed by the Toyota RAV4 (435K), Honda CR-V (361K), GMC Sierra (296K) and Toyota Camry (291K).
Top Baby Names
While final numbers are not in for 2023, NameBerry.com has listed the top ten baby names for the year. Amongst boys, one of the top ten names is Aire. I know the name Aire was used by billionaire Kylie Jenner and musician husband Travis Scott but who else could think that Aire is a good name? You know people will say Kylie’s child is Airy. Might even be tagged as an Aire head. Could Aire be a homophone for Heir? Royal is a top ten boys name as well so Heir can’t be far off. Other top names for boys include Atticus, Hugo, Arlo, Silas and Theodore.
At or near the top of all girl names is Luxury. How a parent can handicap a child with a name seems odd. I understand other names on the list like Aurora, Evangeline, Luna, Eloise and Alice but Luxury? With the lifespan of today’s newborns expected to the longest in civilization, people might even begin using codes like X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno. Oh wait, Elon Musk already did that.
Haddon Libby is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Winslow Drake Investment Management. For more information on our services, please visit www.WinslowDrake.com
