A SHARP RIGHT, THEN SET ‘ER DOWN
THESE DAYS, most commercial aircraft landings are thankfully bereft of drama. A long, straight, and gentle descent. Even St. Thomas’s relatively short 7000-ft. runway comes after a gradual straight-as-an-arrow approach … Continue reading
CAMILLE PISSARRO—A ROOM WITH A VIEW
EXCELLENT EYESIGHT would seem to be an artist’s requisite. Yet many of Camille Pissarro’s finest paintings came after a persistent eye infection affected the way he worked, not only visually, … Continue reading
BRIT GRUB—TASTEFULLY EVOLVED
THERE WAS a time when British food was ridiculed: overcooked veggies, questionable meats, indifferent presentation. However, it’s my theory that, having the good sense to include kippers, they’ve long had … Continue reading
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AND JAPAN
“EVER SINCE I discovered the print,” Frank Lloyd Wright wrote in his 1932 autobiography, “Japan has appealed to me as the most romantic, artistic country on Earth.” The Frank Lloyd … Continue reading
THE MEAL/LE REPAS/DIE MAHLZEIT/IL PASTO
OF COURSE, even jingoistic world travelers need sustenance. And, indeed, mealtimes are part of the pleasure of mixing with foreigners, especially if you know how to order them around. Have … Continue reading
MALTA, ITS KNIGHTS, FALCON, AND PARTYING
MY PRIMARY knowledge about the Mediterranean island of Malta was pretty much limited to its falcon and detective Sam Spade. However, this knowledge expanded considerably upon reading “Malta, Where the … Continue reading
SARAH AND SUSANNAH—THOSE JERSEY GIRLS
WILLIAM LIVINGSTON, the first governor of New Jersey, had three daughters, Sarah, Susannah, and Kitty. Little is known of Kitty, however her older sisters made up for it. Sarah was … Continue reading
THREE FRUITS OF JET LAG
BACK WHEN I traveled internationally, I was pretty good with jet lag after the first night. That first opportunity for sleep, however, was always seemingly at the wrong time for … Continue reading
XI JINPING—MAKING CHINA GREAT AGAIN
“SPOKE TO President Xi of China to congratulate him on his extraordinary elevation.” This, from his American counterpart, Donald Trump, reacting to actions of the 2017 Communist Party Congress that … Continue reading
DETSKOYE SELO (PARKS AND PALACES) LENINGRAD, 1934
IT MAY seem odd that in 1934 the Leningrad Soviet would have a Park and Palace Department. Indeed, it did and, what’s more, it published a tidy little guidebook in … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 