With the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, a wave of Vietnamese came to the United States. First political and military allies, then refugees, nearly a million souls came to the US, and were settled in various communities. Slowly, as the late 1970s and early 80s picked up steam and many former refugees became a…
Chicago. The Windy City. One of my personal favorite cities in the country, if not the world. For a little over a year, my former life in the nonprofit world had me in Chicago for a week every month, and I never dreaded those trips. It is a beautiful city of largely wonderful people, and…
A plate of pad Thai and a bowl of pineapple curry. Pandan custard chasing down a heaping platter of spicy larb. A fascinating assortment of groceries in a language I don’t even pretend to understand. A relaxing foot massage. If this sounds like a good way to spend a day, you might want to explore…
The pine forest passes slowly by me. Reclined on a log bench, I stare at the trees and the complex patterns of shade and sun they produce. Birds chirp, and here and there I can spot one overhead as the branches thin. The whistle of a steam engine breaks the forest calm, and all heads…
The morning fog is cool, a gentle breeze blowing in from the Pacific as I get into my car. Highway 101 is just a street here, reminiscent of an earlier, simpler time when major highways were lined with businesses in small towns like this rather than bypassed by interstates. Just south of town, it turns…
I am forty years old - geez that sounds old - and I remember growing up that sushi was an exotic cuisine here in Los Angeles. Today, it seems sushi exists on every block in most metropolitan areas of the US, and even the entire world. What was once a cause for a shudder of…
Blue skies, green leaves, white blossoms, orange and yellow fruits: it’s a pastoral scene we can all imagine, but rarely get to experience, especially in the megalopolis that is Los Angeles. But here, less than an hour east of downtown LA, in the midst of the suburban sprawl known as the Inland Empire, it’s an…
Memphis holds a special place in my heart. It was the first place I visited after starting The Royal Tour, and my first attempt at writing about a destination. (I think I've come pretty far in that respect.) Likewise, Memphis BBQ holds a special spot in my soul. Growing up largely keeping Kosher - the…
Tapas has become one of the hottest cuisines in the United States. However, what we think of as tapas has little to do with the foundational cuisine in Spain. So what is tapas, where does the concept originate, and how has it evolved? Today we will take a deep look at one of my favorite…
Editor's note: getting off the beaten path can lead to some amazing experiences, like this trip to Serbia by writer Sam Spector. When I was in Belgrade ten years ago, I remember thinking that it was going to be a hot destination, but wasn't quite there yet. I'm glad to see it made it! For…