SAN FRANCISCO – Head over to the Van Ness/Upper Tenderloin area these days and there – amongst a cultural melting pot (Vietnamese, Indians, Pakistanis have all taken stakes in the area) and the backdrop of San Francisco’s skid row – you’ll find the very impressive gallery, 941 Geary.  This relatively new exhibition space specializes in what is one of [...]

SAN FRANCISCO – When it comes to San Francisco, I have very mixed feelings.  Growing up, I loved spending time there and felt it was one of the best places ever.  But now, after having seen a bit of what else is out there in the world and having looked at what SF has become, I find it less in [...]

  By GARY FONG SAN FRANCISCO – Cafeteria-style service, glass-enclosed serving stations, hand-carved mouthwatering meats, fun side dishes just waiting to be scooped up, and loads of beer and cocktails…what’s not to love?  Known as the hofbrau, this American take on the German pub peaked in popularity back in the 70’s but nowadays you’d be hard pressed to find one [...]

SAN FRANCISCO – Looking for a wicked triple cream or a super crusty sour batard? How about a special brew made from freshly roasted (within the last 48 hours), pesticide-free, shade-grown coffee beans?  If this is the sort of stuff that makes your mouth water or if you just enjoy good food, then check out San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace [...]

  PATTAYA, THAILAND - Civil unrest, political coups and floods… if you’re a frequent visitor to Thailand, chances are, you’ll probably have the unfortunate experience of encountering one or more of these dramas.  For me, it was the Red Shirt Protests, whose leaders chose to make Ratchadamri, my neighborhood at the time, their very own ground zero for all red activity. [...]

    NEW YORK – Admittedly my experience with New York City’s Chinatown has not been lengthy (I have not been going there ‘since we were kids’) but I have done my fair share of exploring the area and have come to know it quite well.  And while I’ve learned a lot – mostly that this overly crowded section of [...]

  NEW YORK:  It was not a good day to do the Met (aka The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  The weather was crap, gray and sad, verging on showers.  The eastside subway connecting downtown to the Upper East Side was on a very limited schedule due to some seemingly never-ending construction (which usually means long waits and packed trains).  And [...]

    NEW YORK – I’m not a huge fan of Brooklyn; it’s a bit too hipster-y for me.  But I’ve always enjoyed Brooklyn’s main museum located over in Prospect Heights.  Housed in a lovely, turn of the century McKim, Mead & White designed building (the same blokes who designed a bit of the Met and that grand entrance to [...]

  NEW YORK – While I’ve only spent a short time in New York City, I seemed to have developed a rather strange addiction during my tenure living there, which I’ve decided to acronym as CBS.  CBS stands for: Coffee – i.e. the corner bodega or street kiosk coffee Bagels – i.e. the crusty-on-the-outside chewy-on-the-inside kind Slices – i.e. the [...]

  LOS ANGELES – Given all that we love about Downtown LA, what would we suggest if you only had one day to spend in Downtown?  If you’re into the arts, we would suggest starting the afternoon with an art crawl (Route #1).  Begin at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo and check out their latest show, then walk a [...]