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…
On Socials