I’ve been following the work of Russian journalist and activist Masha Gessen after listening to an interview with her on NPR about her recently released biography of Vladimir Putin, The Man Without a Face on a road trip to Oklahoma City (from Dallas, not San Francisco). Even though I was half a world away from Russia, I still…
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Both Gorgeous & Gruesome in Sicily
Juxtaposed: There’s always more to a place than the stereotypes we’ve heard before arriving or what easily meets the eye… In this case, Sicily’s gruesome history has probably overshadowed the beauty of this part of Italy. Sicily has become synonymous with organized crime, specifically as the home to the Sicilian Mafia (called the Cosa Nostra). But,…
A Tunisian Martyr in San Francisco’s Mission
Much like the assassins bullets that tipped off World War I, the flames that engulfed the body of twenty-six year old Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor living in Tunsia, on Dec. 17, 2010 tipped off a wave of revolution in Tunisia and throughout the Arab world. As a response to the country’s rampant corruption, Bousazizi’s self-immolation served…
A Sandwich and an Assassination in Sarajevo
What does a sandwich have to do with an assassination? How much do you know about the assassination brought on the beginning of WWI? I can’t say I remembered much about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria beyond that, other than that it took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia… Until I began snooping around in the…
Now Brought to You from San Francisco
I’d heard the horror stories about finding an apartment in San Francisco. So I was shocked and thankful when I found two apartments in the span of 48 hours that met my needs and were (mostly) within my budget. It was suspiciously easy, and it all happened so fast. The next thing I knew, I…
This Wall Will Fall in Berlin
Reagen’s famous speech at the Bradenburg Gate was on June 12, 1987. 25 years ago today. Below is an excerpt from an op-ed published yesterday in the NY Times, Reagan at the Wall, by Ted Wimer, about the speech: In a way, it was a no-brainer. No one had ever liked the wall, since its construction in 1961. But…
And It Begins
For nearly as long as I can remember, I’ve had a desire to travel and see the world… My first trip abroad was to Greece during the summer before my senior year in high school to attend a two week long summer camp on the Ionian coast. We spent time in smaller towns and islands…
What To Do With a Rainy Weekend in San Francisco?
Today is a dreary Sunday in Dallas and the sound of the rain falling on the patio reminded me of this post languishing away in my drafts folder, almost completely forgotten… When I wrote it months ago, the 10 day weather forecast for San Francisco looked pretty gloomy. They were predicting days and days of…
Are You Curious to a Fault? Quiz Yourself to Find Out
Yesterday while driving around at lunch time, I caught the tail end of the midday radio show Think, by Krys Boyd on Dallas’ public radio station, it was about novelty and our propensit as individuals to either seek novelty (neophiles or neophiliacs, on the extreme end!) or to shun it (neophobes). “Novelty-seeking is one of…
On My Bedside Table
Below are a few books I’ve read recently* over the last few months. They’re not new releases, but they’re definitely worth checking out. If you’re traveling soon and need some inflight reading, look no further. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, by Rolf Potts This is one of the best…
