Mid the July 4th weekend, I assumed the Brooklyn Museum would be sparsely attended. Nope. Two blockbusters shows brought in crowds—Paul McCartney’s photos and Hiroshige’s woodblock prints of Edo (Tokyo). The museum’s collection of Hiroshige’s woodblock prints is purported to be among the world’s finest. The colors are vibrant, preserved after decades in storage. The subject matter is his hometown … Read More
Paul McCartney’s Photos at the Brooklyn Museum
This exhibition of McCartney’s photos is titled: 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm. It was the period when the Beatles hit it big, starting when they left Liverpool. They began to perform internationally, first in Europe and then in the United States. The photos are the equivalent of home movies—Paul’s take on what was swirling around them. They look so young, … Read More
Balloon Art
You think you’ve seen it all. That, of course, is never true. Yesterday, at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, I experienced something totally new to me: balloon art. The Armory is a vast, flexible open space. It is now filled to the rafters (literally) with a show titled “Balloon Story.” Over 200 balloon artists (who knew there was such … Read More
Beautiful Bridges
In a recent article in Conde Nast Traveler, they listed the world’s most beautiful bridges. I didn’t agree with all of their choices and thought they left some iconic bridges off the list. So, I searched to see what bridges other publications chose as the most beautiful. Nearly all mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge, Tower Bridge in London, Széchenyi Chain Bridge … Read More
Lincoln Center Festival
Throughout the year Lincoln Center presents festivals and special events. None is more anticipated than Summer-for-the-City. Every night, and many days, there are concerts in many genres, dance and theatrical performances, a silent disco, special children’s shows, and food vendors. Best of all, every activity is free or pay-what-you-want, so the festival is affordable for everyone. The campus is decorated … Read More
Architectural details
Anyone who has been following me has figured out that architectural details capture my attention. On my recent trip to Greece and Türkiye the details were stunning, and very different from what I’d just seen in Spain and Amsterdam. The shapes and sensibility harkened back to antiquity, though many of the places were built within the last hundred years. When … Read More
Danger, Danger: White Sands, New Mexico
An excerpt from my new book “Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” out October 4th. The White Sands National Monument is about seventy miles from Las Cruces and is notable for two reasons. First, it is the site of one of the world’s largest above ground gypsum deposits. Gypsum is a widely used mineral found in cement and drywall … Read More
For Cod’s Sake: Newfoundland
For the two weeks I traveled around Newfoundland, cod came up in conversation several times a day. I was never the one to bring it up.
Homestay: China 2007
An excerpt from my upcoming book “Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” which is out this October. Our tour itinerary included a homestay in a small farming village ninety minutes outside of Xi’an, the city known for the Terracotta Warriors. While I didn’t know what to expect, I was looking forward to the experience. It was clear that Xi’an … Read More
Buenos Aires, Argentina
I’m at the airport and will be boarding soon for my return flight home. Last night we went to a tango show. It was great fun, if a bit too commercial for my taste. Today, I spent the day on a tour of Tigre, a neighborhood about fifteen miles from Buenos Aires. The area sits at the confluence of two … Read More