When you travel a long way to see wonderful things, there is a natural impulse to squeeze in as many destinations and activities and great sites as possible. After all, you might not ever get back, and you’re so close, how can you not go to _______? I can definitely relate. Whenever I plan an…
With just a few weeks until my Beltherway trip, I am spending a lot of time trying to get organized. That involves not just making final itinerary plans, but also making a checklist for packing and pre-trip preparations — things like remembering to stop mail delivery, turn down the heat, and notify my credit card…
I decided that I really want to stay in Amsterdam and not in Haarlem.
My next big trip is just over two months away, so I’ve been putting a lot of energy into making final plans. One of the big questions I had for myself is how to spend my day in Balestrand. On the way between Oslo and Bergen, I have two nights in Balestrand. I depart Oslo…
In most of my travels, I don’t think I’ve stayed longer than three or four nights in one place. And that has always suited me well. Three nights has sometimes left me wishing for one more, but I remember feeling, after four nights in Stockholm in 2012, that I was ready to move on, even…
I did a lot of different things yesterday.
Today was a two-show day, and it was on-and-off drizzly all day, so I took it easy in the morning and just took a short walk from the hotel to Union Square, where the Christmas Market is underway. I enjoyed browsing through the kiosks. Then I walked up to Port Authority and met mom, and…
Lin-Manuel Miranda signed my program. Before that, there was Hamilton.
A few observations about New York after my first full day:
I have arrived in the greatest city in the world, and I’m not leaving for a week! Even though I grew up on Long Island and lived for four years in the Bronx while I was teaching in New Rochelle, just north of the city, I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the…
What is it about New York that I get a great thrill when I step out of the Port Authority bus terminal into the chaos and throngs and traffic of the city? I think it’s the chaos and the throngs and the traffic.
My first trip outside North America was in 1989. It was a choir tour to Germany, Austria, and Hungary, but we flew through Paris, where we had an eight-hour layover, so we arranged for a quick tour around the city. There was maybe just enough time for a quick photo stop in front of…
