No matter where travel takes me, there’s always something that sticks with me long after I leave. In Venice, Italy it’s the sweet smell of the wisteria in spring. When I think of Buenos Aires, I think the incredible dinner and the new friends met at Casa Saltshaker. And in Bologna,...
The other day I received an email with some great news–one of my short stories will be published in the spring 2020 issue of Aji magazine. While all my travels in some way inform my fiction writing, this is the first of my shorts to be published that is directly inspired by a specific...
You go to Bologna, Italy, you have to try the spaghetti Bolognese, right? Uh, no. Because Italians wouldn’t be caught dead serving meat sauce on tiny little thin spaghetti. And hey, I get it–you need a hearty noodle that can stand up to the meat. I’d also heard that the people...
I’m fairly certain that Prague wants nothing to do with me. For the second year in a row I tried and failed to get there. A month before our trip there were plenty of unsold seats, only for the number to dwindle to almost nothing. It’s safe to say that non-rev travel to Prague is...
I’m thrilled to hear that Venice is renewing pressure around banning cruise ships of over 1,000 tons from entering Venice proper (that they’re actually banning them is not correct, by the way). You know, I get that Venice depends on tourism to survive, but does anyone actually think that there...
This year’s trip to Venice coincided with the art biennale, which makes this my second art biennale. Venice is overwhelming to begin with when it comes to art. The art in the churches alone could keep you busy for days, and then there’s the Peggy Guggenheim Collection,...
Chances are, if you’re visiting Venice, you’re a day-tripper from a cruise ship. The city receives 24 million visitors annually–and 15 million of those tourists are cruise ship refugees. But for those of us who plan to spend a few days or more, some decisions need to be...
About a million years ago I had a college class about water–water in New Orleans and Venice, specifically. Both had issues with water. Both had their critics who questioned whether these cities should be saved, given inherent water issues and the inevitability of climate change. And I...
Let us discuss the state of food in Venice. Like a lot of cities that depend largely on tourism, food in Venice can be dismal and overpriced. Shocker, right? I’ve heard stories about rubbery pizza, lasagna heated up in a microwave, and seriously substandard gelato. And then there’s...
I had a plan for 2017. I wanted to make it the Year!of!Italy! Well . . . best laid plans and all that, right? But as it turns out, Italy was determined to at least be a part of 2017 in the form a a two-day solo trip to Italy. Venice, to be exact. I […]