Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Category Archives: Just Trippin’

FRANCE FOR THE MOTORIST, 1927

CHARLES L. FREESTON legitimately appended F.R.G.S. to his name. Indeed, he was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences. In the … Continue reading

April 28, 2016 · Leave a comment

DRIVING A PARISIAN TAXICAB

LISTENING TO Gershwin’s wonderful American in Paris, complete with its taxi horns, brought back memories of my stint as a Parisian taxicab driver. It was in the 1980s. Auto journalist … Continue reading

April 16, 2016 · 2 Comments

SWEDISH ROADS AS RUNWAYS—U.S. AND U.K. TOO?

THE TOP SECRET part of the photo shoot was Saab’s EV-1 concept car—not the Viggen jet fighter. And this was why we were on the runway of a Swedish Air … Continue reading

March 29, 2016 · 2 Comments

WILL THE REAL BAYREUTH PLEASE STAND OUT

THE WORD “BAYREUTH” conjures up composer Richard Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen and the Richard-Wagner-Festspielhaus, his opera house built in 1876. Or so I thought until I came upon the … Continue reading

March 27, 2016 · Leave a comment

WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE ESTORIL

THE APRIL 2016 issue of Saveur, my favorite magazine of cuisine (and travel) brought back memories of Ayrton Senna’s first Formula One victory, the Portuguese Grand Prix, Estoril, 1985. I … Continue reading

March 26, 2016 · 1 Comment

PACIFIC COAST TOURING

“AUTOMOBILE TOURING on the Pacific Coast is altogether a different matter from that of tooling about the East.” This claim comes from Charles Fuller Gates, a travel, bicycle and motoring … Continue reading

March 16, 2016 · Leave a comment

PRISON FOOD

WELL, DOES the Casa di Reclusione Milano Bollate sound like a setting for an Italian restaurant? Then again, it is Milan’s Bollate Prison, a medium-security slammer. No matter, because InGalera, … Continue reading

March 12, 2016 · Leave a comment

TOURING EUROPE

MANY OF YOU might be planning motoring excursions in Europe. Indeed, I realize that some of you already live there and don’t really need the following advice. However, maybe even … Continue reading

March 9, 2016 · 2 Comments

THE TALE (AND SCENES) OF GENJI

THE TALE OF GENJI is noteworthy for several reasons: This 11th-century work of Japanese literature has been called the world’s first novel. It was more than just a tale; its … Continue reading

March 5, 2016 · 1 Comment

THE BUDDHA’S TOOTH—WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?

IT MAY SEEM unlikely that I’m learning world geography, history and religion from old Sam Spade radio mysteries, but, in fact, this is how I first heard of Sri Dalada … Continue reading

February 11, 2016 · Leave a comment