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ASK FOR DIRECTIONS (to Cuba)

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It’s tough enough for one lost man to ask for directions—tougher when four guys sail into the unknown. Unexpected rewards for loyalty are divine. In the summer of 2005, I visited the off-limits island of Cuba. At the time, Fidel Castro was aged but still healthy and in power. I was the monthly travel columnist for The Improper Hamptonian, an amusing print magazine for Long Islanders. When the editor fled to start her own venture […]

Italian Discovery: Affordable, hearty cuisine in NYC’s West Village

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Twenty-four-year-old owner Tommy from Milan is an easy-going restaurateur who declares only one rule inside his cozy, intimate dining room: “It’s a no prosecco zone.” This “red line” is drawn to showcase Franciacorta, a smooth, subtle Italian sparkling wine made via small batches (unlike mass-produced prosecco). This sets the stage for Da Tommy Osteria’s 60-seat getaway, offering high-end cuisine at bargain prices (no entree tops $29). The 10-person elbow-shaped bar, white brick walls, and random […]

High Line ~ Turkey ~ Palestine

Turkey's Mount Ararat (viewed from Armenia)

Roaming is how discovery sounds… DON’T FEAR FOUL BALLS, THEY STILL FLY OVER THE FENCE If you hit a foul ball instead of that hoped for home run, remember it may have still cleared the fence. When people hit a foul ball in life, give them a break. Akin to a Roman ruin rebirth, one of New York City’s elevated railways made a comeback as the High Line. Originally built in the 1930s to lift […]

Latvia: Presuem Small Countries Have Big Outlooks

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Shades of freedom—evolving from red (communist) to green (democracy)… As opposed to huge countries like the U.S., where some residents can live lifetimes without encountering foreigners, residents of small countries with numerous neighbors have global outlooks by necessity. A tiny country with a big reputation for nightlife, Latvia has been free from Soviet occupation since 1989. Its photogenic capital, Riga, is viewed by some untamed party-seeking Euros as an inexpensive binge getaway. It’s not surprising […]

LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER—BUT DON’T ALWAYS TURN BACK ~

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Do we spend the first half of our lives trying to figure out what to do with the second half of our lives or do we spend the second half of our lives wondering just what the heck happened in the first half? Tough call, but traveling can help us figure it out. Going it alone can be lonely. Sometimes, during trying times, we need help from other people to help us rediscover the bright […]

THINK OUTSIDE THE FENCE ~

THINK OUTSIDE THE FENCE

The problem with fences is, once built, you don’t know if you’re inside or outside.  —Thoughts of a Kalahari Desert bushman, roughly translated. In 2003, South Africa was a country in transition, and seemingly on track to begin reversing the atrocities forced upon its native people. After being whisked between South African wineries and safari lodges, I managed a border-crossing revelation. The age-old ways of Africa’s Kalahari Desert Bush people, innately bound to their ancient […]

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