GUIDE(S) TO PARIS
“PARIS, THE capital of France, may justly be termed the centre of the whole pleasure seeking world…” And for the armchair traveller, there’s nothing better than a stack of Paris … Continue reading
THE WEST INDIES—COLONIAL EDITION
THANKS TO Englishman Algernon E. Aspinall, I offer compelling information here on the Montserrat brogue, John Teach (aka Blackbeard the pirate), a Caribbean counterpart of Forty-Niner’s sourdough, and how to … Continue reading
TASTY TIME TRIPPIN’
COOKBOOKS FROM other eras can be fun—and real adventures in the modern kitchen. Needless to say, I have several examples; here are three of my favorites. This isn’t a cookbook … Continue reading
JAPAN—IN 1950
MY COLLECTION of guidebooks on Japan goes back to the turn of the century (that earlier turn, not our recent one). Two of my favorite books, however, are rather more … Continue reading
ZÉCAR AND THE MIL FOLHAS PROJECT
IT’S TURNABOUT of the best kind: A charming little toy car is helping to reforest an area destroyed by highway expansion. The toy is Zécar. The reforestation is Mil Folhas … Continue reading
MACHINE TOOLS BY JOHN ASCHAUER
JOHN ASCHAUER was a model builder extraordinaire. Whereas others fashioned car, aircraft or architectural models, Aschauer built 1/16th scale machine tools. There’s a permanent collection of Aschauer’s models at the … Continue reading
1964 WORLD’S FAIR
IT’S SAID you never forget your first kiss, your first love, your first…. But what about your first taco? Wife Dottie almost rolled on the floor in laughter today when … Continue reading
AUTOMOBILES AND ROOFTOPS
A FORD publicity stunt planned 50 years ago and its imminent recreation remind me of Fiat’s Lingotto facility in Turin, Italy, and the action flick, The Italian Job (the original … Continue reading
MOROCCO, CIRCA 1991
THOUGH MEMORABLE, my visit to Morocco resulted in very little original source material. The press kit, expense report and passport of the era have all gone missing. I have only … Continue reading
ON ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSES
IT’S GREAT fun watching the PBS series Downton Abbey. And one of my favorite mystery movies is Gosford Park. What’s more, through friendship with Rob Walker and his wife Betty, … Continue reading
