Not Looking Like a Tourist Some places you can visit and blend right in with the locals. If you are not from Hawai’i, you will never look like a local. Don’t bother trying. Don’t try to speak pidgin. You may say “Aloha” and “Mahalo” without looking like an idiot. If you can pronounce place names [...]

So a couple of years ago when Mr. T and I were in Ireland, we took a walk along the rocky shoreline near the Cliffs of Moher in Doolin, County Clare. If you’ve never been to that part of the world, it’s hard to appreciate just how hard the waves can suddenly pound against the [...]

I’ve been away from home for, like, ten days, which may as well be, like, a million. It’s a roundabout path I took — Bay Area to the Midwest to Los Angeles. I had to take a car, a stinking bus, and about a dozen escalators, but I finally made it through security at this [...]

What an odd, awesome, wonderful, noisy, chaotic place. Depending on your perspective, the City Museum is a kid’s fantasy come true or a great place to get tetanus. I explored the caves, the rooms full of steampunk fantasy come true, gorgeous displays of masonry, and found myself sitting alone with a restored 1927 Wurlitzer movie [...]

I have had three experiences this year that affected me profoundly. The first two happened in, of all places, Las Vegas. The second happened today on a frozen, foggy day in Coventry. Back in November I had the chance to see Roger Waters perform The Wall at the MGM Grand Arena. It was an odd [...]

It’s been an emotional few weeks for me. First, the horrific news of USC being severely punished for the crimes of Reggie Bush (may he rot in everlasting pig manure). Then, LA reclaims the NBA throne from the Celtics, which makes up for about 50% of the two bowl games the Trojans are banned from. [...]