The name Rao’s Bakery Cafe brings a smile to anyone’s face who lives in Beaumont. There are four such establishments here in town and one in Houston. We met Jake Tortorice Jr, the owner of them all when we stopped by for a groaning plate of his goodies…kolache, spicy sausages […]
I interrupt this continual coverage of my trip to Southeast Texas for a poignant reminder that the world close to us is indeed not free. I just got an email from a man whose first name is Rolando, who lives in Cuba. I had noticed that someone was sending out […]
Last night we got a chance to visit one of Beaumont’s favorite restaurants, which is known for being easy. Wayne and Karen Ingwerson opened up Easy’s six years ago on the main drag, Calder St. here in this oil city. “We wanted to attract an older crowd, and be a […]
I’m at the gate at Logan, having just consumed a delicious bowl of Starbucks instant oatmeal. They give you packets of nuts and fruits so it’s all in all a lot better than a fatty croissant or an even fattier meat-filled breakfast sandie. I gotta hand it to the battered […]
I’ve been on a roll lately watching documentaries about the adult video business. It’s surprisingly easy to shoot these docs, because all they consist of is interspersing 8-10 interviews with people in the business, and throwing in some scenes of them hard at work to make it more interesting. The […]
Continuing my series on life’s little joys, I get to a topic that is lighting up talk radio and the pages of the Boston Herald this week. It’s about the Mass Pike and Fastlane passes. I’ve had one of these little white boxes just above my car mirror for many […]
Uh oh. Being green is starting to mean not reading that ‘free’ newspaper that’s left at the door of every Marriot and Holiday Inn across the land. Reuters reports that they get a huge discount from publishers so it’s not the money. I remember meeting a woman at a conference […]
When James G. Boswell became an adult, he was given 50,000 acres of cotton fields in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He lived until he turned 86, and turned the 50,000 acres into 200,000. His obituary ran in the NY Times on Friday, but he wouldn’t have cared much, say his […]
It’s nice when a Netflix recommendation turns into a great afternoon of moviewatching. On a cold and blustery Easter on Green Lane we watched “Arranged,” a film about two women, one Muslim and one Orthodox Jew, who follow the same path to love and marriage. They meet at the school […]
I think that if I ever owned a bar, it would have to be a lot like the Rendezvous in Turners Falls. Once again I joined my pals Joe and Bill and we headed up to Avenue A to Third St. to the friendly confines of this wonderful Friday night […]
Last night was highlighted by a successful dinner party where for the first time in ages I cooked using recipes and the results were delicious. I even had to punt, skipping some unobtainable ingredients, but it was fun seeing those stuffed baby eggplants and scallops sitting on the plates. I’ve […]
A GoNOMAD Reader named Ginnie Terhunez emailed me, asking for advice about which part of the East Coast to visit. She asked me about the Cape, and about other areas. I replied saying that Long Beach Island and Cape Cod were two great places to visit. Here are the details. […]