It’s difficult to let loose a sidekick that followed you around the world. From Buenos Aires to Bangkok, it had been with me all the while. Like most things, it outlived its usefulness. So I said farewell this morning to my MLB.com duffel bag. The internet company gave each of its writers one. Some never […]
TOKYO — I’m amused whenever I hear people who should know better tell stories about a stupid thing they did. Put me among those storytellers. While abroad, I thought about the stupid things I’d done after I read what Kevin Hart, a 44-year-old comedian who ought to know better, did last month in his tango […]
Two of my closest friends are world travelers. Their passports look like a bulletin board at Tri-C — stickers plastered everywhere.Now, I’ve lapped my friends in the number of countries visited, but they remain ahead of me in miles logged on trains. I plan to catch them. When I do, it won’t be because I […]
I’m jealous. Yep, yep … I know we’re not supposed to admit that jealousy is an emotion we pack into our lives. But I must be honest here.Why am I jealous?Simple question to answer: My best friend is about to go on a trip to Colombia. Nick and several buddies are flying to Cartagena, and […]
I can’t recall ever using the word “landlubber” in anything I’ve written, and I have good reasons why. I had no need to use it. But as I use it now, allow me to put some context together for you. Six months ago, a cousin asked me to go on a trip with her. She […]
I had reservations about whether to go on safari when I stepped foot in South Africa less than a month ago. Friends who know me well will echo this truism: I’m not an outdoorsman. I don’t hunt. I don’t swim. I don’t camp. Heck, I get lost going downtown, so […]
OK, so what’s the 50th state in the Union?I know what y’all thinking. You got Hawaii on your mind, right?To most people, yeah, but my answer differs from theirs: I say New Mexico.What?Well, I bestowed that designation on New Mexico because it was the only one of the 50 states I hadn’t visited. When I […]
I made a mistake: I left the United States without my iPhone. I felt like the emperor with no clothes. With no my cell phone while abroad, I was, practically speaking, stark naked. Look at how I use mine: for directions; for flight info; for calling an Uber; for staying connected with traveling companions; […]
It’s difficult to let loose a sidekick that followed you around the world. From Buenos Aires to Bangkok, it had been with me all the while. Like most things, it outlived its usefulness. So I said farewell this morning to my MLB.com duffel bag. The internet company gave each of its writers one. Some never […]
On the minibus from Beijing, I spotted The Great Wall of China, long and winding against a backdrop of greenery, miles before I stood at its base. Jumping out of the minibus with the tour guide, I noticed a decidedly American institution in front of me: Subway.American companies have a giant footprint in China, and […]