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Go East, Part Two
Whatever it was I caught on the plane coming to New York had dissipated by the end of last week, and Monday, since it was a holiday, my friend, the street photographer/union activist Mike Lee, came to...
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Go East, Part Three and Last
Obviously, with being under the weather much of my first week here and in Boston for part of the second, I had to make up for some lost time if I was going to be a good tourist. So after ascertaining...
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Cajun Taco, Or, A Quick Weekend
A friend who's had a hard year deserved a birthday present, and I had a need to go back to Louisiana and finish the food-buying trip I started in October on my way back from the Ponderosa Stomp. So on...
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SXSW '16: Where Did It Go?
Events that lead off with deaths tend to be muted, and so it was for SXSW this year. Even before it started, the news that my old friend and former Rolling Stone editor and housemate John Morthland had...
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Europe, Spring 2016, Part One: The Backstory
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita...Well, not quite, but it was going through my head a lot, so a bit of explanation may be in order. Early last fall, when I finished my rock and roll history book's...
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Europe, Spring 2016, Part Two: Ola Catalunya/Bon Jour Catalogne
The war room, Gran Hotel Calderón, BarcelonaThe unexpected extra day in Barcelona was good and bad news. Good in that I really like the city and now I had an extra day to do some of the things I'd...
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Article 2
Not about to trust to fate, I got a fairly early start on Sunday, with a plan to see some of the ruined castles of Cathar country. Again, this was a part of the world I'd never seen, and I had no idea...
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Europe, Spring 2016, Part Four: Montpellier: You Can/Can't Go Home Again
Ahhh, Montpellier!There was little enough reason to stick around Narbonne, when I knew that the road I'd parked on eventually turned into the road that'd drive me straight to my next destination,...
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Europe, Spring 2016, Part Five: Spain Again and Out
I'll admit to a certain relief as I steered the Peugeot out of Montpellier and on to the motorway (which was, along most of its length, the old Roman Via Domitia) towards Perpignan to return it. Maybe...
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On Returning, Part...Uh...
Lord, it's been a while since I touched this thing. I have to keep reminding myself it's not just a travel diary, but, then, what else has been of interest recently? I've been contemplating using my...
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Critter Report, Summer 2016
Any day that starts with a lizard in my pants is okay with me. This morning, I walked out of the bathroom, put on a t-shirt, reached for my pants, and saw a swift motion out of the corner of my eye....
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Midsummer East Coast Tour, The U.S.
File under "offer you can't refuse": my agent, David, asked me what I was doing around the beginning of August. His wife is from Hawaii, and every year they head down that way with their kid and visit...
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Midsummer East Coast Tour, Canada And Back
Why the train is relaxing.There are better times to visit Montreal than the ones I've visited in the past. When I lived in Europe, I'd go as I left the country after SXSW, stopping in New York, then...
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It's Almost Time...
In a couple of days, I'm going to disappear to rest up between the promotion of my Michael Bloomfield book, which I've been doing for the past month, and the -- much bigger -- promotion for this, my...
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Spain 101, Part One: Entry
Here's the way I figured it: In September, I'd be promoting my Michael Bloomfield book (you do have your copy, right?). Come late October, and going into November, I'd be hard at work promoting my...
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Surrounded By Jews -- ¿In Spain?
Next stop Toledo. If I could manage it, that is: the brave concierge at my hotel spent 2 ½ hours negotiating the Renfe website trying to get a ticket, and the best he could do was to get a confirmation...
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Valencia: Catastrophe In Paradise
The coating of hucksterism that comes with tourism is annoying, albeit in my case, in a selfish way. I'd have preferred to stroll the streets of Toledo making discoveries on my own and with Naomi as a...
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Tarragona: End Of The Trip, Sorta
The couple seated across from me on the train from Valencia had a couple of English-language local papers for the Costa del Something on the table. There are enclaves of coastal Spain that cater to...
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Barcelona, Back To Texas, Viewing The Ruins
The room might not have been great, but Barcelona still was. I only had the afternoon to do all the things I'd planned, if I could beat back the drumbeat of the oncoming chaos I was sure would greet me...
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Notes From An Attic: The Never-Ending Vacation, Maimondes' Autograph,...
Two months since I've touched this blog? Apparently so. And a very odd two months it's been. To recap: in early October, while on vacation in Spain, I received photos of water seeping outside the door...
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Changes, Part 1
What, no posts since Christmas Eve? But that's what it says here, so it must be true.The why is a combination of things. I was homeless -- technically -- for a couple more months after that last post,...
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When I'm 68 1/2
I don't get asked to do this sort of thing much anymore, which is fine with me, since for the most part I'd rather write about other things or work on my book, but someone was kind enough to send me...
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Thanks, Henry!
Monday morning, I got up, ate breakfast, and started the coffee, after which I headed into my office to see what disasters had befallen the world since last night. I also checked the e-mail and, as...
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Rye Bread and Ghosts
Yes, I'm well aware that it's been six months since I've posted here, but it's been pretty crazy. I'm trying to get this second (and final) volume of The History of Rock & Roll done -- it's due in...
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This Is The Stuff, A Tale of Two Restaurants
Every now and then, it becomes necessary to head over to Louisiana and visit my old pal Mr. LeJeune for some of his superb meat products, most notably garlic sausage and tasso. In the 40 or so years...
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