The U.S. dollar is strong and the British pound is weak these days, meaning that now is an advantageous time for Americans to visit the United Kingdom—rarely has the country been cheaper for us Yanks.
Unless, that is, one travels with the New York Times.
The Gray Lady has just announced a “Brexit Means Brexit!” trip to London this October. For the low, low cost of $7,930 (not including flights), Times readers can enjoy five days of Brexity goodness. (But take heart—for double occupancy rooms, the price drops to about $6,000 a head.)
Many questions will be explored, the Times promises, such as “Did the voters really know what they were voting for?” (Translation from Times-ese: Those idiots!) Guests will enjoy edifying activities, such as a “walking tour of Westminster” led by a “history graduate from the London School of Economics” as well as a “typical pub lunch” (insert your own joke here). They’ll also queue up with the rabble to hear a debate in Parliament—$8,000 does not, alas, seem to get one a priority space in line. And they’ll visit the British Library, too. (Which, if The Scrapbook recalls correctly, is free to enter.) It all seems a bit dear, but, hey, we get it: The Times needs to recoup some of the losses it suffered when subscribers quit en masse to protest the audacity of the editorial page in hiring a mildly conservative columnist last month. (Yes, this happened.) Oddly, the tour never leaves London, even though the capital city was one of the few places in England to vote strongly against Brexit.
Still, the New York Times seems to be on to something. Perhaps the Times of London can return the favor and offer a Trump tour of the United States. It would make stops in Youngstown, Ohio, and Scranton, Penn. Or maybe Moscow. (Idaho—what did you think we meant?)
