I need a place to crash on the night prior to a conference, and a colleague recommended Airbnb. I asked my wife what she thought. "I heard they were racist”, was her reply. I guess Airbnb had some problems in brand management? And so my first experience was key. Who would be the host? Well, if I was looking for someone like myself (African American male with an Ivy League degree whose first name was Norman), that’s exactly what I got. Except, he went by his middle name, Kyle. Coincidence, certainly! And the initial experience was straight espionage: Walk to the door, dial the specified number on my cell, and receive the instructions: 20 paces uptown, turn the to right, you will find a telephone. Under the telephone, you will find a lockbox. On the side of the lockbox is a dial with numbers. Turn each of the dials in sequence to form a specific combination. Push the box, and it opens, revealing a key set. Walk 20 paces down, turn to the right, towards the glass door, use the black handled key to open that door, and the next. Walk two flights of steps, to the end of the hallway, until you reach the door on the left, Turn the key from 12:00 to 4:00, and the door will open. Turn to the right and walk down the hall to the room, open the door, and there it was! Candle by the bed, Large Television Screen, and Netflix! I ate at a fantastic Thai restaurant recommended by Kyle. And upon my return, I met him and his lady friend, we compared memories of Los Angeles and Ithaca, and I retired to the bed after blurting out a really bad pun. All in all, a good experience. And I made it to my conference in time after a sprightly mid-town walk.