Voyages
« Previous EntriesThe gentleman farmer
Friday, April 26th, 2013I’ve been fascinated by Thomas Jefferson ever since I wrote an article following his 1787 visit through the vineyards and cellars of Burgundy. Four years as envoy to France had made Jefferson quite an oenophile — or, perhaps I should say, oeno-fanatic. When he returned to the United States in 1789, he received regular shipments [...]
Russ & Daughters
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013Living overseas (and by overseas I mean anywhere outside of New York City) there’s one thing I miss the most. A bagel. With cream cheese. And lox. But not just any bagel — I want one with heft, with chew, with a crust that almost crackles between my teeth. I want the schmear to be [...]
Shift change
Friday, December 14th, 2012At first I feared it meant something when I landed in New York City at shift change hour, that hellacious five o’clock period when all the taxis go off duty and you can’t hail a cab for love or money. As I wandered along Third Avenue in the gathering darkness, walking first one way and [...]
The world out there
Tuesday, August 28th, 2012The other day I ate a bowl of sweet black sesame soup by the side of the road. I was at a dai pai dong, one of those Hong Kong eateries whose name translates to “outdoor food stall.” Or, perhaps it means, “delicious cheap eat.” Or, alternatively, “fast food with a dollop of verbal abuse.” [...]
Carte postale: Hong Kong
Tuesday, August 21st, 2012Greetings from Hong Kong! I’m here for work, which means I’m eating at least five meals a day, all in the name of research. I think I might be food drunk.
Côte d’Azur and London
Monday, August 6th, 2012It has been a summer of planes, trains, and automobiles, of overnight bags and mini-sized toiletries. I had planned to document all my voyages but, to my surprise, I was too busy actually, you know, enjoying my travels. Imagine that! Instead of an avalanche of photographs, I’ve got a flurry of snapshots. Instead of detailed blog posts, [...]
City cat, country cat
Thursday, July 26th, 2012Every time I write a post about cats, I fear it will be my last. Felines in France hide, you see, they curl into cozy apartments, or cool shadowed corners. They’re difficult to spot and almost impossible to photograph. But then you see one, and then another, and — here’s the tricky part — capture [...]
La Colombe d’or
Saturday, July 21st, 2012If you arrive in the sharp heat of a summer day, you understand immediately why they flocked here, the greats like Picasso, Matisse, Leger and Renoir. On the Côte d’Azur, the sun seems brighter, the sky bluer, the shadows darker, the light more dazzling. If you stare long enough, the wrought-iron balconies turn Cubist, the [...]
Land of sandwich
Thursday, July 12th, 2012On our drive from Vermont to Cape Cod, we kept seeing signs proclaiming “Sandwich.” Of course they made me hungry. I was a little disappointed, however, to discover they referred to a town in Massachusetts, rather than lunch. Before we embarked upon our New England vacation, my friend, Katia, asked me to document my sandwich consumption on [...]
Green Mountain vacation
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012I never thought I’d say this, but jet lag is a marvelous thing when it wakens you at 5.23 to a soft and dewy Vermont summer morning. The sun, which will set your face on fire later in the day, is still gentle, low in the sky. The air feels like silk pajamas, cool against [...]
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