The Godfather Makes My Day
It’s great to be back home, despite this morning’s 30 degree chill. I love walking into the cafe and saying hello to all of our customers and my friends who frequent the joint. I’d also like to say hello to someone I’ve never met, but who makes my day every […]
Rolling with Johnny Jet in Manhattan Beach
My trip to Melbourne was memorable. I only wish that it wasn’t so damn far away! The flight was not bad, no delays and no lost baggage, but when I reached Holyoke at 1 am, I was ready for a long sleep in a familiar bed. It’s great to be […]
Strolling the Queen Vic Market and Watching Yawning Lions at the Zoo
Often I compare these journeys to eating tapas. There’s a little bit here, a taste of that there, and you never really settle into a groove because it’s time to go when that finally happens. This week in Melbourne has been splendid, and I must say that Oz is as […]
The Tiny Butterfly Club is Where Talent Begins
In Melbourne, the arts are a seriously high priority. Whether it’s public art in city squares, or nurturing the art of new clothing designers or performers, the arts are a big part of the experience of visiting here. Even the highways coming into the city are lined with gigantic steel […]
Getting to Know the Pleasure Region with Josh Oakes
Josh Oakes says he is raw. Raw as in new to many aspects of running a full time tour guide business here in Melbourne. We met yesterday and he took me to a beautiful part of the country, the spa-focused region of the Macedon Ranges. Here, he said, the emphasis […]
The Convent is Just the First of Her Many Grand Plans
Tina Banitska paused for a moment, feeling a bit emotional when she took me through her 15-year labor of love called The Convent in Daylesford, Victoria. “Excuse me,” she said, sensing that I could tell this made her emotional. She grabbed my arm and continued, ‘I get this way sometimes, […]
The Wines Were Great But No ‘Roos en Route
Today I joined a group of about 20 wine enthusiasts for a trip to the Yarra Valley’s wine country. The van drove down winding roads through wooded hills and then onto more wide open areas with rolling hills and mountains in the distance. It was a gorgeous, sunny, fall day […]
How Much Do Things Cost in Australia?
I had an chat with a man named Murray who runs Melbourne’s Best Bicycle Tours yesterday. We sat by the Yarra river and sipped lattes and talked about how much people get paid here. Then we asked the waitress how much she made, and she wasn’t at all shy. “$18 […]