“Ugly Americans” are now in America too
I was standing in the lobby of the fabulous Grandvia Hotel, which sits directly atop the Kyoto Station rail hub located in the middle of Japan’s…
One Wuhan wet market was all it took to turn vegetarian
I wasn’t a vegetarian when I went into the temple, but then I wasn’t really a Buddhist either. I had signed up for a tour of…
A partnership founded on the love of rye whiskey
A fondness for the same rye whiskey brought together the founders of Barber Lee Spirits in Petaluma. “I met them through their winery,” says 38-year-old Aaron…
Glasses don’t always cure myopia, sometimes they cause it
“What’s this?” said the burly biker sitting at the bar and pointing at the delicate rimmed cocktail glass. “It’s the martini you ordered,” I said. In…
Do it right and do it once: do it wrong and do it over
I was nearing the front of the line at IKEA in lovely downtown Burbank California. It felt a lot like being at Disneyland, except for two…
July Fourth or Independence Day? The choice is up to you.
Certain holidays remind me of certain events. It’s funny how I can’t easily remember what I did on my last birthday, but I can remember something…
Save yourself an awkward conversation
It happened so long ago, that my phone rang. It didn’t chirp or beep or buzz, the little bell inside the plastic housing actually rang. It…
Restaurants have always been about making the best of any situation
So here we are, Phase One of restaurant reopening: limited outdoor seating. For some like Novato’s Wildfox, or Fairfax’s 19 Broadway, the last three months gave…
The Art of the No
I sat near the front door of the little restaurant. Limited outdoor seating said the sign. And it wasn’t a lie. Tables were strewn around the…