THIS GUY HAD STUFF! PART 1
GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIO was an Italian poet, patriot, soldier, aviator, hypochondriac, scoundrel, libertine, thrill-seeking meglomaniac, womanizer, proto-fascist and, some say, even worse. Il Vittoriale degli italiani, loosely, the shrine of Italian … Continue reading
THEY’LL HAVE MANHATTAN; I’LL HAVE PHOENIX, OMAHA, CHICAGO, SALT LAKE CITY…
The New York Times, May 28, 2017, celebrated “the celestial eye candy known as Manhattanhenge” with a usual fervor directed to those living immediately east of the Hudson River. Despite … Continue reading
TRAVEL ADVICE
THIS WEEK’S U.S. foray into the world scene prompts me to follow along, armchair style, by way of my Baedeker’s Handbooks for Travellers. I rather doubt that these books would … Continue reading
ICONIC SOUNDS
WHAT SINGLE SOUND best characterizes your home city or country? For the latter, national anthems are easy choices, but not what I have in mind. This quest, by the way, … Continue reading
LANGUAGE TRIPPIN’, GOOFINESS AN OPTION
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL has several advantages over reality these days: No TSA hassles, no visas, no returning worries because of mixups of ethnicity or origin. What’s more, if the guidebook is … Continue reading
DANTE’S INFERNO, A DESTINATION GUIDE
WASHINGTON, D.C. PRONOUNCEMENTS concerning the defunding of Meals on Wheels and of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities are having an … Continue reading
OH! CANADA!
WHAT WITH OUR neighbor, um, neighbour, to the north offering friendship, solace and a border sans a multi-billion-dollar wall, it might be timely to share information about that country. Some … Continue reading
MY RETURN TRIP AT 1370 MPH
SORTING OUT OLD files, I am reminded of a career blessed with wonderful people and adventures. This particular bit of itinerary is titled Monaco ’93 Paris Mom (I visited her … Continue reading
MAKE LITHUANIA GREAT, AS USUAL
WHAT WITH recent executive hawking of an apparel brand tweeted and then promoted by an alternative-facted underling, I thought that perhaps my ancestral homeland might likewise profit from similar hype: … Continue reading
MODENA TO FRANKFURT
IN THE COMPANY of Paul Frère, European automotive journalist extraordinaire, I was passenger on a memorable drive from Modena, Italy, to Frankfurt, Germany. I recently came across some scrubbled notations … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 