The Count Makes the Case for His Family’s Pencils
Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell is the eighth member of his family to run the empire that makes pencils. That name–it’s gotta be familiar to anyone who has ever filled out an SAT test with a Number 2, or chewed on a yellow Mongol, invented by his brother, Eberhard. In […]
The Dog Stars Is Already a Hit, and Soon, a Movie
Last night we heard my old friend Peter Heller read from his new novel, The Dog Stars at the Odyssey Bookshop. There was a good turnout and we learned from Joan Grenier the owner that she had ordered 300 copies of the book. Her bookstore has a first edition club […]
When Three Sites Combine, Good Things Happen
So many things swirl around my head on this early morning. Good things, swirling hither and yon, things that I’m worried about but not bad things–just challenges.I would much rather face steep learning curves than battle deficits of income…so I’ll get on a conference call with my fellow webmasters today […]
A Man and His Ship and My Uncle the Accountant
When we were growing up, a big part of our family lore was that our great uncle, Frederic H. Gibbs, designed the fastest ocean liner ever built. We used to visit FH and his wife, Bess, at their summer cottage at the Weekapaug Inn on Rhode Island’s coast. Fred had […]
Being Grandpa is Way Better than Being Dad
My mom first clued me in. Being a grandparent is beyond satisfying, it’s like getting a do-over for the mistakes you made when you raised your own kids, until they had kids. I have a few friends who are now just experiencing multiple child rearing, and having completed my stint, […]
Executive Valet is Where I Always Park at Bradley
When you’re off on a trip, you mostly think about where you’ll be staying when you get there. You plan a rough itinerary, maybe leave some wiggle room for whatever might happen along the route, but for most part the plans involve the destination. But what about your car? Where […]
GoNOMAD Travel on Mobile: Read us where you like
I am playing around with my new website and it’s fun. I am finally able to say that we have a better mobile site than I thought we would. As a person who uses an iPhone incessantly, I can say how important the mobile look is. Now a screen tells […]
Saturday Night Live on the Betamax in the Olden Days
At a poker game, I told my friends how funny I thought last night’s Saturday Night Live was. Really? That’s something new, sneered one of them. It’s true. The show is rarely that funny and sometimes borders on simply awful. But on Saturday night, their opening with a dead-on impersonator […]
A Travel TV Show Asks Me to Audition
Last week was pretty exciting when I got an email from a television producer for the Travel Channel who asked me to audition for a new TV series. Of course, I was flattered, but then when they asked me to send my best video clips, I had to pause. I […]
Amherst Should Be Proud of its First Block Party
Last night was a triumph for Amherst–they held a wonderful block party and it felt like the whole town took part. I was proud of this nearby town for getting something this big together and especially for blocking off traffic from Kendrick Park up the top of North Pleasant Street. […]
Mexico City’s Reforma Makes Way for Bikes on Sundays
When I come back from a trip, there is always a highlight…or as I like to say, the elevator story. That’s because most people when they ask you “How was your trip?” will only have time to listen to that one story, or about as long as an elevator ride. […]
Mexico City’s Metro is a Moving Store, Everything’s For Sale
Today I had a whole day in front of me and I wanted to see more of Mexico City. So I ventured down into the vast metro system here and took a ride out to the end of linea numero 3 toward Tlatelolco. This system is vast, and it’s North […]
At the Crowded Zocalo, an Anti-Pena Protest
Last night there was a gigantic protest in the Zocalo, Latin America’s largest open square, near city hall in downtown Mexico City. Thousands gathered beneath what must be the word’s largest Mexican flag to protest against presidential Pena, saying he had cheated to get on the ballot. I was not […]
Carlos MacKinlay Shares History and His Vision
We were honored to have the city’s Secretary of Tourism join us at Izote last night with his lovely Argentinian wife. Carlos MacInlay, an animated and very warm man asked me for my notebook–to diagram the impressive history and struggles that this ancient city has gone through to get to […]
The Temazcal Sucked All of My Worries Away
I left a whole lot of problems, anxieties and worries on the floor when I left the Temazcal today at the W Hotel here in Mexico City. It’s a profoundly moving ritual that took me to a realization of a great and wonderful truth–my anxieties don’t rule and my life […]
Monica Patino is Proud to Serve
We taxied through the choked streets from Santa Fe to the more cozy Colonia Roma neighborhood to attend a dinner party at the home of one of Mexico’s greatest chefs. Warm and welcoming, with kisses for all, Monica Patino delivered the goods. We began with a welcome drink she made […]
McDonald’s to Open Vegetarian Restaurants in India
Where’s the beef? Well, it’s not at some McDonald’s restaurants in India any more. A story in today’s WSJ described the hamburger giant’s plant to open vegetarian outlets in India next year, the first time they’ve ever done such a thing. The chain has already dropped beef and pork from […]
Mexico City’s Vastness is Overwhelming
I got off the plane and began the long drive from the airport to Mexico City’s Santa Fe neighborhood. It’s actually not much of a neighborhood, it’s as my friend Tim Leffel called it, “like Silicon Valley.” My hotel, the Westin Santa Fe, is just one of dozens of imposing […]