THIRD PLACE, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA
Justin Forer
Occupation: Consultant, IBB Consulting Group
Band/Artist: The Roots
Album: Things Fall Apart
Our Favorite Reason Why He Thinks He’s the Ultimate Road Warrior: “I once decorated my NYC apartment to look like a hotel room so that I felt like I was on the road when I was at home.”
Third Prize: One three-night vacation for two at the Hilton Papagayo Resort & Spa in Costa Rica
One BlackBerry Storm smartphone from Verizon
One $100
Verizon Wireless gift card
Having already set foot on three continents, we would then head down to
Africa. We would go on a safari through the Serengeti just northwest of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; experience the
Return to Innocence Lost that Livingstone felt while exploring Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; and sip wine at all the great vineyards near
Cape Town,
South Africa. But this would not be
The End of our trip, as
Australia would be the next stop. We would catch the
Spark of fireworks on the
Sydney Harbour Bridge , venture into the Outback where our chance of seeing a crocodile would be
100% (
Dundee would be proud of us). ... ” —
Essay excerpt To read entire entry, click here.
20 Things You Should Know About Me
1. I am a die-hard fan of the
Miami Dolphins, the
Miami Heat and the University of Miami Hurricanes.
2. I was in a TV commercial when I was 5 years old (for Viewtron; check it out on YouTube).
3. My favorite movies are
Raging Bull and
Animal House — both brilliant, critically acclaimed films.
4. I am in the process of starting my own travel-related website: OnTheStandbyList.com.
5. I’m a third-generation Miami native, but I lived in NYC and STL [St. Louis] for 15 years.
6. I still can’t slam-dunk , but I’m hoping that I have one more growth spurt coming my way.
7. My wife and I have visited approximately 40 countries between the two of us — only 155 more to go!
8. I won the Miami Herald Silver Knight Award for excellence in academics and community service in high school.
9. I once sat next to Shakira on an AA flight. I think we have now both been on magazine covers!
10. I played in the 2005 World Series of Poker but came up just short (by about 5,000 people) of winning the grand prize.
11. If I could, I would eat breakfast for every meal.
12. I once rode an elephant through Thailand’s Golden Triangle.
13. Since I am usually on about 10 planes per month, I read and reread
American Way more than any other periodical.
14. I tried to get the Roots to be the band at my wedding.
15. My wife, most of my friends and all of my coworkers have never seen me without a beard.
16. I don’t open my candy at the movies until the opening credits start. Why waste all those Milk Duds during the previews?
17. My wife dreams of a closet full of Louboutins; I dream of a closet full of Reef sandals.
18. I have seen every single
James Bond movie.
19. After Hurricane Katrina, I started a mileage drive to collect frequent-flier miles to donate to victims of the storm.
20. I have an original seat from the Orange Bowl in my apartment.