I've been fortunate to have visited this city twice in the past 2 years. The first time was in May 2020 and like the other major U.S. cities I visited in the early to mid part of 2020, it was a 'ghost town'. Returning this year, it was nice to see some life back in the downtown area. There is no other city like this in the U.S. - its heyday was decades ago, being built as a result of being the site of the early manufacturing of one of the most … [Read more...]
A Memorable Trip to Florida
During cold weather, its like one is always tightly wound. Constantly holding their breath. During warm weather, one can exhale and the mood brightens immediately. It was a welcome relief to arrive back in Florida after the bone chilling artic cold I experienced in the northern states on this same trip. After a stop in Jacksonville to visit a friend's daughters restaurant (The Town Hall) for a delicious meal. I made a last minute reservation … [Read more...]
A Wine Focused Visit to France
One of the most memorable vineyards in all of my travels is the tiny vineyard at the Bordeaux Airport - because whenever I see this vineyard I know I'm within a short drive to some of the most coveted terroir on the planet. And in all my travels around the globe - its not like I've seen very many vineyards planted at airports! The few people on my flight scattered as soon as we landed; I took full advantage of a totally empty airport to … [Read more...]
An Unexpected Night in Cabo San Lucas
The rooftop edges over dramatically - at its most precipitous drop, one would fall maybe 10 feet if they weren't careful. There is no railing guarding the edge of the roof leading to the steps to the lower level. But one afternoon a gentleman showed up with his portable welder and began welding together a metal railing before ultimately installing it. We began chatting - his initial questions were about politics. Always a hook conversation … [Read more...]
Mo’orea Highlights, French Polynesia
Mo’orea (Moorea) is only 30-45 minutes from the port in Papeete via ferry. And the port is only 10 minutes from FAA, Papeete's airport. Despite being so close, this island feels world's away from the often busy streets of Papeete. Need Internet access upon landing at the Moorea port? A Vodafone phone shop is within a short walk of the ferry terminal - located next to the gas station. SIM cards plus data plans can be purchased here. Often … [Read more...]
The Ultimate BMW Driving Experience
Ever wondered what it would be like to sit behind the wheel of a high performance vehicle and try to reach both your limits as a driver and the limits of the car? Idling in traffic on the 110 is certainly no place to test out your character and comfort levels as a driver - and certainly no place for an automobile to fully perform at its engineered capabilities. But we have found a place where you can - the BMW High Performance Center in Thermal, … [Read more...]
Mongolian Homestay & Other Adventures
We left Ulaanbaatar in the early morning under the gloomy grey skies with a persistent drizzle. Depressing weather, but certainly not unexpected. Could be worse. Could be the -30 they often experience here in the winter months. There is a reason I am not here in winter. We stayed with nomads - spending our nights in Mongolian gers - round accommodations that apparently can take only several hours to setup but seem very sturdy. These nomads … [Read more...]
A Visit to a Special Part of the World, The Tuomotos
We arrived at the tiny aerodrome on the island of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia - marveling at the narrow air strip surrounded on both sides by aquamarine waters. Unlike all passengers we did not have any hotel reservations and we lingered around until all the passengers left and the steel gates began to close - completely locking down the small airport building. One guy walked up to us and asked us if we needed … [Read more...]
Arriving in Dakar, Senegal
It was a rough flight heading down to Dakar, Senegal this morning. I was seated next to a mother with two children - she was having trouble getting them buckled in so a flight attendant came over - leaned over me and when she straightened out, mashed her elbow into my face. Then after we were in the air, the mother called the same flight attendant over to open the overhead compartment and when she did so my laptop immediately fell down, with one … [Read more...]
Dalat, Vietnam, City of Flowers and Fun
We drove up from Mui Ne to Dalat - beginning at the coast with hot and humid temperatures passing by fields of dragon fruit plants. As we drove we began to climb into the mountains, leaving the dragon fruit farms behind, replaced by coffee trees growing on steep hillsides. It is refreshing to be in the mountains with the cleaner air and crystal clear skies. We arrived during the week of Tet, the Vietnamese and Chinese New Year and the city … [Read more...]
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