Innovative Electric Trucks Make Companies Shine Greener
Electric cars are in vogue now, and I read with great interest about another category that’s moving even faster. That would be electric delivery trucks. The math makes sense: a diesel truck that Frito Lay uses to deliver chips around New York City gets about 10 miles per gallon, and every […]
Chris Isaak at the Calvin Gives Us One Holiday Glimmer of a Lover’s Hope
I was stunned when I thought about how many years back it was that I last saw Chris Isaak and his band perform in concert. It was at the Oakdale theater, in the 1990s, but tonight when I saw him again at the Calvin Theater, the show felt similar, and […]
Like a Neighbor Polishing His Bentley
Jason Gay’s column in today’s WSJ about the Patriots and Jets rivalry had me laughing out loud as we flew back from Florida on JetBlue. Here are few of my favorite lines, as he described the two teams and how they compare this year. First, the rivalry, which is not […]
Life’s Simple Pleasures Are Hard to Beat in South Florida
I’m a simple man and simple pleasures make me happy. How about a cheeseburger and a beer in a hotel room with a Wi-Fi connection, satellite TV, and an entire Sunday to look forward to with absolutely no obligations? I’ve got all of that after a Saturday night on Ocean […]
In Tripoli, If You Can’t Read Arabic, There’s Nothing to Read
At breakfast at our hotel I read a review by Graeme Wood of Nicholas Ostler’s new book about language called “The Last Lingua Franca. He begins with a story about walking through the airport in Tripoli, Libya. It seems that the dictator, Gadhafi, doesn’t like English, so instead of signs […]
Light Duty in Dania Beach Florida
The size of the cruise ship business was pointed out to us tonight as we spoke with Mark Akst, the GM of Cambria Suites Fort Lauderdale in Dania Beach. He told us about ships now cruising out of this port with 2500, 3500, and even 6500 passengers. And a good […]
If She Said It’s Ugly, It is…But If He Does…?
Just as I take the stuff out of my suitcase, it’s time to pack again for a little vacation. Well, sort of. We are heading to a suite in Fort Lauderdale, where we promise to do a white-glove inspection and share it with our readers. We are fitting in a […]
The Dogs Are the Stars of the Quail Hunt in Alabama
I’m blogging up here at our cruising altitude and thinking about what I enjoyed the most during our trip to Alabama. Besides the comraderie and fun of traveling with a good friend, I’d have to say that quail hunting tops my list. The trip was full of excellent most manly […]
Ray Scott Regales Us with Fishtales and Stories of a Life Well Lived
Ray Scott is a marvelous host. He greeted us warmly when we met him in his office in Pintlala, Alabama where the walls are decorated with photos of the businessman entrepreneur with his close friend, President George HW Bush, and he told us one of his favorite stories. He said […]
A Welcome Chance to Be Silent in the Alabama Woods
I woke up at 4:15 am and was in a Jeep bumping over a dirt road by 5:30 am. I was joined by our guide Josh, Joe Estenes, a former police officer and hunter from Sarasota Florida, and riding shotgun, our favorite Shooter, Paul Shoul. We were headed to a […]
A Creative Chef Helps Put Birmingham Cuisine in the Spotlight
Last night we sampled the handiwork of a local legend in Birmingham. Chris Hastings spent years under the tutelage of Frank Stitt, one of the city’s top chefs and in 1995, he and his wife Idie opened the Hot Hot Fish Club, in a round building downtown. The elegant mood […]
Birmingham AL: An Unsung City that Owns its Past, Loves its Future
I love unsung cities that cry out for attention and deserve it. That’s been a favorite theme on GoNOMAD and again and again, we find stories that demonstrate examples of places that, once you scratch the surface, are full of interesting foods, people, and sites. We’ve spent a few days […]
ROLLLLL TIDE!! Sweet Home Alabama on the Speakers
Rolll Tide! Watching Alabama play Auburn in the 2011 Iron Bowl game in Tuscaloosa Alabama. What a thrill!
Waiting for the Iron Bowl, All of Alabama Is Ready to Watch
It’s a sleepless night in Birmingham for many football fans…because tomorrow is the 75th Iron Bowl, as the National Champions Alabama meet their most hated rivals the Auburn Tigers in Tuscaloosa. Shoul and I will be there–but first we meet a family of Roll Tide tailgators to take in the […]
We’re ‘Bama Bound: First the Game, then Hunt the Game
Tomorrow, instead of joining my family in ceremonial eating, I shall be airborne, heading to Birmingham Alabama. I am going to spend the next five days in a dizzying display of manly arts—hunting f0r quail, hunting for whitetail deer, and taking in a museum full of thousands of motorcycles and […]
Plenty of Room in the Pews
It’s a tough time for believers, say believers. A story in Christianity Today described the problem of young people leaving the church. ” Other survey results have been grimmer. At the May 2009 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, top political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell presented research […]
Bob Dylan Never Tasted This Pizza
A story in today’s Gazette shows the terrible power of celebrity, and that like most of us, we believe it when somebody ‘famous’ wants something big. Matt Pilon wrote about a late night visit to Antonio’s Pizza in Amherst by a man wearing backstage credentials for the Bob Dylan show […]
Floating in a Parabolic Apogee of Pleasure
Some writers inspire me, others make me envious that they are so talented at lining up just the perfect words. I laughed out loud at the cafe while reading Dan Neil’s review of the new Mercedes CL63 AMG. Here is a snip, as he describes opening up the throttle on […]