At Fiskars Village, Sharing the Finnish View of the World
Tonight I joined a local couple, Deepa Panchamia and Ivan Kulvik, for a beer at their local pub in Fiskar Finland. Over dinner we had discussed many of the topics that always interest me when I travel. I love the contrasts between people’s lives around the world, as well as […]
Turku Finland is Full of Fascinating People and Ideas
Today we met a host of very interesting local people in Turku who are pursuing great ideas and blazing new trails. First we visited Logomo, which is a large event arena and workplace just outside the city center. Janne Auvinen, the events director, took us on a tour of this […]
Turku, Finland, Where the Big Ships are Born
We flew into Turku to face what we left behind in Mass–the chilly breezes and cold temps of early spring. Turku is Finland’s oldest city with about 189,000 inhabitants on the Baltic sea. Here, the biggest industry is a German-owned shipyard builds the largest cruises ships in the world. Carnival […]
Finland is Our Next Destination
I told a friend who I play music with that I was going to Helsinki over the weekend. “Oh the music club in Hudson, NY?” he asked. “No, actually, Helsinki, Finland,” I replied. It’s a new city and a new country for me, and Paul Shoul and I can’t wait […]
Pink Talking Fish Torches the Hinge with The Music of Three Great Bands
Pink Talking Fish blew me away last night at the wonderful 2-story Hinge, with me looking up at the band as they torched the place with 1980s hits from Talking Heads and famous jams from Phish like Bathtub Gin, Possum, and Down with Disease. They segued seamlessly to through their […]
When We’re Young: Aren’t We All Still and Forever Young?
The title of this movie starring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts is a riddle. When We’re Young, as in, they still are young. But the whole point of this funny and poignant movie is that nobody stays young, and no amount of young hip friends will ever make you young […]
Baltimore: A Tour Yields Fun Facts About Charm City
I love taking trolley tours. Mostly because I want to know the lay of the land in a new city, and also because of what the guides tell me. I love those interesting facts that are shared as we gawk out the trolley windows and click pictures of the sites. […]
Annapolis is Full of Friendly and Bursting with History
I’d heard about Annapolis Maryland for many years, and made my first visit there this week. I now know what everyone has been talking about. What makes this small capital city such a great destination? Here is what I found. One thing that makes a place better is to have […]
In Annapolis, Capistrano Barbershop Promises a Closer Shave
If you want to know where the best crabs can be found, and other fun facts about Annapolis, you have to get a haircut. We met a popular barber named Faraj Capistrano today, who runs Capistrano Barbershop, a hang-out for men who want a place to relax, have a beer, […]
Amtrak for Eight Hours is a Breeze Compared with Flying
train We showed up at the Greenfield MA train depot for a 1:07 departure for our long train voyage down to Baltimore. Not surprisingly, we were told that the train was running 20 minutes late, so we got a coffee at the little cafe there and waited. When the five-car […]
Monadnock Int’l Film Fest: High Culture in a Resurgent Town
We were honored to drive one of the artists to a local film festival held in Keene New Hampshire today. Kyle Gilman is Mary’s son, and a well regarded film and video editor who lives with his wife Maggie in Brooklyn. Maggie Lehrman wrote the film that we would be […]
It’s Great to Hear from an Old Boss, Who Is Now a Friend
I got a bolt out of the blue today, an email from a guy I worked for from 1996-2002. Frank was a good boss, he knew what the important things were and what really mattered. He had to balance a family dynamic with a powerful older brother but he always […]
Great Falls Harvest Is a Delicious Friendly Place!
We had a really delicious dinner tonight at Great Falls Harvest, a small family restaurant in Turners Falls. What did we love? Both of our entrees, one was a roasted beef shank with a big pile of broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, bacon and cheese. I had the roasted tofu atop rice […]
Time to Turn to the Yard and Get Overdue Tasks Done
Yesterday I got some help in my yard. It was good to be outside in the sun, and getting to little tasks that have pestered me for so many years felt great. There are always those tasks you never find time to get to–but this time I had my son-in-law […]
Antoine’s: New Orlean’s Oldest Business Turns 175
Rick Blount is clearly pleased to be where he is today. We met the CEO and fifth generation proprietor of Antoine’s at one of their private dining rooms yesterday where they were marking the momentous occasion of having been open since 1840. That’s quite an accomplishment in a city that’s […]
Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette: Now That’s Some Zydeco
It was a late night, we’d been on the road since 7:30, and dinner didn’t end til 9:30. So when we were taken by our Lafayette Louisiana hosts to a local nightclub, I wasn’t sure if I’d pass, or just watch a song or two and go back to the […]
Northwest Louisiana’s Highlights on a Glorious Spring Day
We set out from Shreveport early this morning on a tour across Northern Louisiana, beginning on an interstate but quickly getting off on the smaller blue highways lined with pine trees, some clear cut, and some showing the replanted trees for a future harvest. Our bus trip took us for […]