CALIFORNIA – To some, the train is one of the most enjoyable modes of travel.  To others it’s archaic, a thing of the past.  For me, it seemed an interesting way to spend some of my newfound, Cali-based free time and what I hoped would be a great way to a see a bit of the US. I [...]

  HONG KONG – They’re old-style, double-decker, eco-friendly and come in multiple, cute colors.  They’re called street trams and Hong Kong is one of a few cities to still use the double-decker version.  It’s also my preferred way to get-around the city. Yes, the double-decker street trams…possibly the slowest way to transverse Hong Kong, but also one of the most [...]

  MACAU, CHINA – If you’ve spent any time in Hong Kong, then you know how bloody crowded and claustrophobic it can feel.  If you’ve actually lived there, you also know that there’s only one way to deal with all that craziness – the weekend getaway, the key to making HK living bearable. It seemed like everyone I knew in [...]

    LOS ANGELES – While most visitors to LA flock to the renowned Getty Museum, they often forget about the city’s first major museum dedicated solely to art:  the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Granted, LACMA may not be housed in a beautiful, mountain-perched Richard Meier-designed building (like the Getty) and can’t boast an unrivaled collection of [...]

  HONG KONG – Back in my corporate days, when I was constantly on the go traveling from one city to the next, the airport often became my temporary home, a place where I would eat, drink, shop, shit, work, sleep and even shower, while waiting for my flight onward.  It’s not something I particularly enjoyed (because, like it or [...]

  BANGKOK – Beach, Singhas, massage and go-go bars?  Is that all you have planned for your Thai holiday?  Like to make a bit of difference while you’re there?  Then think about making a donation – large or small – to any one of Thailand’s amazing temples. These so-called “offerings” are the lifeblood of Thailand’s temples, and are essential to [...]

  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 [...]

  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 [...]