Beirutista

What an incredibly rare chance we get as parents to share with our children the same experiences that brought us so much joy as children ourselves. Last week, Toys R Us ushered in guests at its first stronghold in Lebanon inside ABC Mall of Verdun during an exclusive ribbon-cutting event complete with a visit by the mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, a live band, hors d'oeuvres, balloons and goodie bags for the little ones.  This event was catered to the little ones! It was epic! All the name brands you'd recognize from overseas, including Mattel, Playmobil, Marvel, Play-Doh, and hundreds more, were on marvelous display, as children rushed to have a go at various demo tables and to explore the winding aisles. Demo tables are everywhere inside Toys R Us Lebanon! In truth, I was heartbroken years ago when I discovered a beloved fixture from my childhood in California -- none other than Toys R Us -- had filed for bankruptcy in North America and was shuttering its branches in my hometown...

If you’re like me and launched a blog during the heyday of the blogosphere – back in the early 2010s, when Twitter and tweet-ups reigned on high – you’re probably feeling like a fish out of water these days. I know I am. Assailed from every direction by Tiktok accounts, followers in the tens to hundreds of thousands, fancy reels, and a lexicon I can’t even decipher, I feel like a helpless fixture from the past harkening to a day when words were once swords and readers tuned in to validate our self-appointed journalistic endeavors. I started Beirutista in the summer of 2012, drawing inspiration from the prolific profiles of BlogBaladi (Najib Mitri), Gino’s Blog (Gino Raidy), Ivy Says (Dana Khairallah), and Plus.961 (Rami Fayoume). I had recently transplanted to Lebanon only a year before, and I ardently felt a need to document my adventures in the motherland as somebody who grew up abroad yet identified strongly with Lebanese-ness. My lens was unique, and I was eager to share it with ...