Things to do in Ithaca, NY
Three years ago when I moved here, practically everyone I met volunteered things to do in Ithaca, so as not to be bored. They felt it vitally important to share with every newbie—and potential former Ithaca resident. I kept hearing the exact same three things from the different people who live here. Someone would say “ohh if you like Mexican food, we've got the best Mexican downtown it's called Viva …Gimme Coffee has the best coffee…of course you’ve got to go to the famous Ithaca farmers market .” These things always came up as a tri…
5 Days in LA: Day 1
Oh holy night! 5 or so day in Los Angeles, and I'm on the final day. Earlier today I saw the 'Hollywood' sign from the Observatory at the top of Griffith park--a sight I didn't realize I wanted to see, until I did. Pretty darn cool. To be fair we didn't see much more than varying views of downtown LA for most of this trip, as me and my colleague are in town solely for the purpose of presenting at the annual conference of our professional association. Our topic was selected from over 4000 submissions. Last autu…
London for a gig (part 1)
Vegetarian lunch at Nostimo A Day & A Night in London I found NOSTIMO Greek Restaurant in Russell Sq—in that old Brutalist building I love so much (The Brunswick Centre)—anyway, ordered the veggie platter—which comes with chips. I forget that Britons love chips more than any side. The platter came with a gorgeous fresh salad, tahini, made-to-order pita, hot and crisp, and what looked like 2 generous slices of grilled polenta. When I cut the first of these medallions open, it spilt out fresh cooked peas and carrot, still a bit firm. What a…
Why did I Choose Whitby?
Because, I have never fallen as quickly or thoroughly in love with a place, since first visiting Puerto Viejo over a decade ago. Sunset over Whitby Rail Station, January 2025 I hopped off the train and strode purposefully toward the pier,toward my lodgings for the next four days. The seaside resort town was awash with the amber glow of sunset, and I had minutes to spare before oranges gave way to purples, then blues, then black in the night sky. 50 meters from the station, I turned around, grinning at the world and snapped my first photograp…
England 2025: Friendly Recommendations
I can recommend joining an online group that feeds your passion, and befriending at least one group member; asking them questions and sharing messages (not in a weird way). I can recommend cultivating a real friendship with this person, and growing to share your life's challenges and triumphs with this friend. I can recommend planning to visit your new friend whenever you visit their country, and perhaps have to cancel if one of you gets sick. I can recommend maintaining the friendship, speaking via text or phone for the next year or so be…
England 2025: One Great Night in Whitby
I Found the Buck Inn After another beautiful North Yorkshire day of photography, walking,and making humorous videos to send to friends via WhatsApp, I opted to skip dinner at my pub and grab something light. After my fruit and nuts tea, at about 5 or 6pm, I sauntered down the road to find that many pubs were closed of a Monday...but not the Buck Inn. Inside was a nice mix of folks, women, men, younger and older—all drinking age. I grabbed a pint of Guinness and an open seat toward the back of the pub, to write up the details of my day. Withi…
England 2025: Manchester
Technically it's Day 3 I caught the train from Euston Station in London, to meet Emma at Manchester Picadilly, for an epic day out. We planned to eat in at the world-mentioned Kingfisher chippy in the Northern Quarter, then take a self-guided street art tour. If you don’t know about the Manchester art scene, it is filthy with tags, graffiti art, slaps, mosaics, and full-on building height murals. While it’s not the City of Angels, it is not to be missed! We grabbed me a fish n chips platter…still a meal too big for me to finish (and I ke…
England 2025: Getting to Whitby
On the North Yorkshire Coast Okay, why do they call it the Transpenine Express , since it hits every single stop between Manchester, and where I want to be. I’ve had to swap trains at Middlesboro, just to ensure that I go to every dale, ware, and kil before reaching my final destination. Perhaps rebrand it as the Transpenine Omnibus? Just a thought. Besides having lost phone service for the last 8 stops of the journey, it is magnificently beautiful to travel by train, in a warm sunny winter, through the dales and up to the coast. The Boro had …
England 2025: My Favorite Italian
Good Fare Italian Restaurant I awoke to another day pregnant with possibilities, in a newly renovated room on the 4th floor of the President Hotel (I need to find somewhere else to stay one day...ha. this is my 5th time!). Anyway, I'll admit to taking an early morning nap after breakfast. That was probably all of my jet lag, which was pretty mild this year. When I finally made it out--feeling like I've thwarted jet lag--I strolled through Camdentown and hit three of my favorite places: (1) the Mind charity shop, (2) the art supplies …
England 2025: The North Sea (restaurant)
Tuesday, Day 1 Okay this is weird, because I can totally see Professor Bill Davis here, sat belly-up to a table on his own—like me—with a huge plate of haddock and chips. There is a take-away attached to the eat-in restaurant. I know from past experience that is preferable to make a reservation to this establishment, so a month ago I booked my 5:30pm dinner for one. Professor Davis at the right-front, detail of the North Sea menu, and my plate of haddock. At 17:30, the main dining room is 'filled' with American patrons. Four tables…
New Orleans 2: Jaguar Tattoo
Over the past two or three years, I completely cyber-stalked a henna artist in NOLA, the daughter of a friend from MD who now lives in Singapore. Swan of 504 Henna has been creating beautiful works of art in plant-based pigments for years, and her neck henna tats have had me enthralled. I once promised myself that if ever in New Orleans, I’d find her and get her to create something beautiful for me. Having never met her, or knowing where to find her this was to be a big task. But, serendipitously, I find myself in the French Quarter of NOLA.…
New Orleans 1: First Time
I planned this trip a few weeks ago, when I learned that my favorite uncle was heading out on the cruise of a lifetime—to see the ancient ruins of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya civilizations. While I couldn’t take the equivalent time from work (new job), I was able to book a few days off, in order to meet my uncle and cousin on their way back. So here I am in New Orleans, for the first time, sat poolside at the Best Western in the French Quarter. I have never been to New Orleans before, but did spend some time in Baton Rouge as a teen—back when I…
On Socials