The Boston Snow Chronicles Chapter 1: Navigating Boston in the Winter Storm Season Boston received more snow last week than any other week-long period in history. And then we had a parade. The two are not connected; the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl right on the heels of the worst snow week ever, […]
Heading to London to celebrate my mums 90th. Of all days British Airways elects to not run their day flight from Boston to London. So, my worst nightmare. An overnight flight with no sleep time and only confirmed in premium economy. Have a couple of plays lined up and with some luck London will feel like […]
Ode to Selfie Stick I gave away my selfie stick. It had traveled with me from Venice to Rome to Miami to Havana, where I left it in good hands. I didn’t take the decision lightly – it was my first selfie stick after all. The selfie stick is a crowd puller for sure and […]
The week just got buried in snow. Honestly. Boston looks like a ski resort. My street has walkways that remind me of those pictures of First World War trenches. Cars are buried, even cop cars, and there is nowhere to put the snow. Didn’t the Russians develop a heating solution. It seems like it would […]
Alitalia – Rome Miami Flying business from Rome to Miami on Alitalia should be a treat. But really the service, the good, and the comfort of the seats on the 10+ hour journey, is a joke. They have a casual approach, I guess, to the whole experience. The movie selection was grimmer than flying TAM. […]
Lunch at Da Fortunato al Pantheon in Rome I’ve been coming to Rome for a long time, yet every time I want a great lunch I always end up at the same place: Da Fortunato al Pantheon. It seems as though the waiters have been there as long as I’ve been going there. They remember […]
Wireless Connections on the Frecciargento It’s not that it’s frustrating; connecting to wireless in most countries can be time consuming, complicated, expensive and unpredictable. But on the high-speed trains in Italy they have developed a system at the very highest level of incompetency. Essentially, Italian law mandates that they must charge you for Wi-Fi which means […]
On the Fast Train From Venice to Rome Imagine this, the water taxi picks you up from the palazzo, you jump into this elegant motor launch which wanders through the tiny canals until at last it breaks out into the open lagoon, and there’s the Salute church in the center of San Giorgio on the […]
The Rialto Fish Market Five Course Dinner I needed to prepare a five course dinner for New Year’s Eve. As luck would have it, I was in Venice and a friend of mine knew a fish guy. My friend had arranged to meet with me earlier in a bar for a cappuccino and we walked […]
Top 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss in Venice Not many things in the world can beat the buzz of the water taxi from Marco Polo to the center of town. We had arranged to stay in an apartment near the Ponte dei Greci, a delightful neighborhood set 10 minutes back from St. Mark’s Square and […]
Virgin Premium Economy to London It’s only 7 hours, not a life sentence by any means. But if you’re tall, Virgin Premium Economy is a lifesaver and the only hope for those who don’t want to pay a small fortune for 7 hours of comfort. You certainly shouldn’t do it for the food, which is no […]
First Impressions I last traveled to Havana more than 20 years ago. We had set this trip up to begin opening up Havana for our market and to take advantage of a People-to-People exchange program. We boarded our charter in Miami (still the only way for us citizens to get there legally), and went through […]
To tell you the truth I was getting quite excited about visiting North Korea. A friend of mine had been there quite recently on a package tour from China; fully inclusive activities with not much room to breathe, but you do get to see a little bit of what it’s like on the other side. […]
I love what the Brits do for the Holidays. They light the streets with elaborate displays, the shops are full of angels, snowmen and Father Christmases. London is home to Hamleys, the world’s oldest toy shop. Every holiday season Hamleys is alive with elaborate Christmas displays and the pubs are full of festive decorations and […]
I like to swim when I travel. It means I don’t bring lots of bulky gym clothes – all you need is a speedo and a pair of goggles. Well, that’s all you need. You also need a decent pool. I travel to London a lot and always use the Marshall Street Baths in Soho, […]