The leader of the band has forgotten what song he’s playing. He hits a few notes on his guitar, but they are the wrong ones. And they are too loud. He either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. A balding guitarist in glasses, his son, leans in and says something, and the leader nods back. He lets his guitar hang unplayed and sings some … Read on
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Here’s the video link of my appearance on the Today Show yesterday, discussing whether or not you should consider going to Cancún for Spring Break. I’d add this: New Orleans, which recently hosted the Super Bowl, has 30 times the homicide rate as Cancún. The Bahamas has twice the homicide rate … Read on
Next time you’re at 156th and Broadway — not that many New Yorkers or visitors to New York ever are — look west. The Audubon Terrace is a group of eight Beaux Art buildings that come as quite a shock. They’re home to a few institutions like the Hispanic Society of America, founded in 1904. It’s fun. … Read on
Bulgaria is one of Europe’s great roadtrip secrets. In places like Veliko Tarnovo, you can rent cars for as little as $25/day. Roads cross mountain ranges, and buffalo yogurt stands and woodcutter towns and weird monuments like the one below. Years ago I bought a great old Soviet 35mm camera for about $20 at a flea market in Sofia, Bulgaria. Sometimes I remember … Read on
Last year, on the 10th anniversary of my dad’s death, I wrote about taking my dad to one his ‘bucket list’ destinations — before that term was in use: the Black Hills of South Dakota. As I wrote last April: Lonely Planet sent me on a research trip around the Great Plains, and I cajoled him away from work for a few days … Read on
Most Vietnam itineraries connect the dots between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang. Visitors take organized trips from either end, up north to Sapa or Halong Bay, and to the Mekong from Ho Chi Minh. Some might stop at Mui Ne, fly to Phu Quoc, or the hill town of Dalat. Great. But everyone on anything … Read on
