In the old days, the Earl would have gotten a floral script treatment at the very least. Nowadays, utilitarian Helvetica is all he can hope for. Mangrove lobbying dollars at work. These are not your father’s mangroves, no sir. These are altogether more dynamic mangroves, living on the edge. When I originally read this and [...]

There’s nothing quite like the ringing sense of disorientation and excitement experienced the first time you’re boarding a flight with your own child in tow and you hear the ‘Now boarding families with small children announcement’ and realize that this entitlement now applies to you. Yesterday, we returned home from our third transatlantic trip in [...]

Hey, another travel misadventure! You would think I’d already had enough this year. This time, my own smart-alecky tendencies were largely to blame. Explanation: my friend Will works as an engineer for United Airlines, so he is able to give me so-called ‘companion passes’ that allow me to fly standby for a fraction of the [...]

On Friday, I participated in one of the classic set pieces of human experience, the Cancelled-Flight-Where-Airline-Puts-You-Up-In-Some-Random-Airport-Hotel routine. Here’s some timeline leading up to the calamity: Thurs, 14:00: My travels begin. Wife, son and I set out in the car from Berlin to Prague. Technically, this is the wrong direction. The explanation is that my wife and [...]

Off to San Francisco tomorrow, with a stop in Prague first and then an overnight bus to Frankfurt. It’s looking like a good 30-hour jag of traveling. As always, I hope not to get tea bagged in the William T. Bagley Freeway tunnel.

Next week, I’m making my standard pilgrimage back to San Francisco. Only this time, I’m scrambling for accommodation, having apparently overstayed my welcome at the usual crash pad (long story, but it doesn’t include any episodes of vomiting or trafficking exotic animals this time). As a result, I’ve been thrown to the ravenous clutches of [...]

So, how did the big move to Berlin go? Well, not so great… The plan was to rent a giant van, pack all our stuff inside on Friday night while our kid was sleeping. Then, Saturday, leave him in Prague to celebrate his birthday with a babysitter while we drove the van to Berlin (this [...]

Photo series I took on the steps of the Parthenon during my holiday travels. No, not the real Parthenon– this is the replica Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. Definitely the ‘kitschy Americana’ high point of the trip.

Remember the scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton’s character describes people he meets on airplanes as ‘single serving friends’? I had a good single serving friend experience on our outbound flight to the US right before Christmas. We were standing in line waiting to check in and subconsciously steeling ourselves for the experience of [...]

Our flight from Prague to Boston via London that was supposed to happen on Monday got cancelled due to weather. Though annoying, this result (i.e. sitting in Prague for another four days) is infinitely better than the scenario of getting stuck in the insane, raving madhouse that has been Heathrow Airport for the past week. [...]