No Free Parking? That’s the Last Straw for These Reporters
In Vermont, the reporters for the Burlington Free Press have had it. It’s the last straw. They are seething over…parking. “While people are angry,” said one veteran journalist at Vermont’s largest daily newspaper, this week “the prevailing mood is one of disgust.” “We feel absolutely frustrated and undervalued,” said another […]
In London, Congestion Pricing Worked
I’m going to New York City next week. This made me think about a recent proposal by Mayor Bloomberg to begin charging cars a ‘congestion fee’ to enter the city. I think this is a fantastic idea. London began congestion pricing in 2003, and the grumblings of a few have […]
Aging Baby Boomers Will Love this Fast Track
It’s the fourth of July in the cafe, and we’re getting our reward for sending out emails to our coffee lovers. I got at least six people who said they came in ’cause we sent the email. It’s not that busy but it is always heartening to welcome new folks […]
A Sailor Slips and Spends Naked Time in Nantucket Sound
While I sat out on the narrow balcony of the MV Surfside Motel in Oak Bluffs, I read the MV Times’ account of a harrowing tale a seaman’s disaster. The story of Charles Samuelson, an experienced ocean sailor, who slipped and fell off his 42 foot Beneteau Yaquina sailboat. The […]
Would a Book About the Mayflower Bore You?
I got a glimpse into the worldview of a younger generation the other day, when my daughter Kate returned from a press trip up to Old Orchard Beach, ME. She was there to write an article for GoNOMAD about a family vacation, and told me what she hated most. “All […]
The Man Who Brought Back ‘Gansett
Can one man bring back an old brand by following the advice of an advertising company? Sure. “Just go out and listen,” says Lois Kelly, managing partner at Foghound in Providence. Today’s WSJ tells the dramatic success story of Narragansett Brewery. The aging RI beermaker was resurrected by Mark Hellendrung, […]
A Serene Scene As Two Deserving People Get Together
This weekend was a momentus occasion. Our family gathered for a wedding–my sister Jen, who is 50, finally tied the knot with her wonderful mate Steve Gilbert. We trucked out to the Vineyard for the occasion, staying over in the funky and fun MV Surfside Motel in Oak Bluffs. The […]
Taxes? What Taxes?
Today’s WSJ reports that Italy’s President Prodi has hired a man known to some as ‘Dracula’ to help collect billions in the country’s collective unpaid taxes. In the story Beppe Severgnini, a social commentator compares Italian and American’s reactions to tax evastion and says there is a solidarity among tax […]
South Deerfield Squeeze Play
As I drove up from Holyoke this morning, there was a big back-up on the Deerfield exit off-ramp. Because we so rarely ever have traffic jams in our bucolic pocket of the world, I knew at once it was an accident. The statie who flew by me confirmed it. When […]
I’ve Been Invited to Medellin, Colombia
Today is a high energy day. I’ve got lots to think about and I’m feeling great. The first thing on my mind is an invitation I got yesterday, an answer to a dream I’ve had for a decade. It was from the Ministry of Trade for Colombia–an invitation to travel […]
Grab a Bike and Ride All Over the City
I found this rack of public bikes right next to Bologna’s city offices. Another city, like Copenhagen, embracing the concept of putting out bikes for citizens to use for free. In Denmark, anyone can pop a coin into the rack and use a bike for about $3.65 a ride. In […]
He’s Got 18 Ferraris…and He Drives Them All
Besides the more obvious benefits of being about to use a shorter line to check-in, and being able on some flights to actually lie down flat during a flight, the benefits of business class are the people you sit next to. We flew back from Bologna last night and I […]
Stefano Shines a Light on the Mafia and the Black Market
Sometimes the people you travel with can give you as much interesting information as the local guides. We found this out every night at dinner when our friend Stefano Vaccara would share his thoughts about Italy over glasses of wine and bowls of pasta in Bologna. Our last night found […]
A Day of Dance and Culture in Ravenna
Today’s journey was on a crowded back road to the lovely town of Ravenna, near the Adriatic coast. Since it was Saturday, the autostrada was crowded so our driver chose to take us through small towns from Bologna. Ravenna once had more than 200 churches, we learned from our beautiful […]
Dancing in the Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
Last night we experienced true Italian culture. Sitting in the Piazza Maggiore, the huge square in the middle of Bologna, we enjoyed a program of ballet and modern dance. After one of our group was introduced over the loudspeakers as being a ‘guest from CBS News London’ and the aisles […]
Let the Mamas Squirt in Bologna’s Piazza Grande
This statue of Neptune is famous because at one time the Pope wanted to cover up the God’s privates…and he didn’t like these squirting mamas either. But today, Bolognese like to have it all show, so no censorship is allowed and the water sprouts from these moms on all four […]
"Tortellone Testarossa" Is What We Call It
Today we drove over to a neighboring city that, like Bologna, doesn’t get enough attention from American travelers. That city is Modena, where Enzo Ferrari began making his classic sports cars in 1947. Like the market for private jets and oversized luxury vacation homes, the business of expensive cars is […]