Boston, MA — “Come sky with me!” could well be the lyric of David Breashears, who climbs higher than some airplanes fly. If Breashears were a social climber, his picture would be on the cover of People and Vanity Fair. But the only thing I’d climb with him, maybe, is an escalator, or to the top row of the Museum of Science’s theater the next time I see his superbly chilling … [Read more...] about A MAN WHO REACHED THE HEIGHTS; DAVID BREASHEARS TELLS DRAMATIC TALES ABOUT MOUNT EVEREST
Travel
IN SANTA FE, MIXING FIRE AND LIGHT; FROM TORRID NEW MEXICAN FEASTS TO SPLENDID ART GALLERIES, THE CITY ENTICES
SANTA FE – She’s got to have it. Hot! Hot! Hot! My friend, Aurelio, can’t help herself. She lusts for hot, hotter, hottest chili peppers, a habit she picked up as a child and cannot shake. Not that she’d want to, as long as she can sneak into Mudville (a.k.a. Santa Fe) for an annual weeklong fix. Addiction amid the adobes. Even though she’s lived in Boston a couple of … [Read more...] about IN SANTA FE, MIXING FIRE AND LIGHT; FROM TORRID NEW MEXICAN FEASTS TO SPLENDID ART GALLERIES, THE CITY ENTICES
IT’S THE ORIGINAL BOSTON; A PLEASANT, FRIENDLY ENGLISH TOWN THAT LENT US A NAME THAT GOES WAY, WAY BACK
BOSTON, England – Caroline Wilson says, “Oh, you’re from that other Boston? We’re told it’s a nice place. Bigger than ours, and on a river, too.” “Well, it is, but your Boston is very nice as well. Very nice,” says my friend, Aurelio, as Caroline sets a late breakfast on the garden table: bacon, eggs – and baked beans. Baked beans in the original Bean? Ah. Perfect. Is … [Read more...] about IT’S THE ORIGINAL BOSTON; A PLEASANT, FRIENDLY ENGLISH TOWN THAT LENT US A NAME THAT GOES WAY, WAY BACK
SCANNO, ITALY: A DIZZYING DELIGHT AT 3,500 FEET
SCANNO, ITALY – The village is a cliffhanger, all right, long in the tooth and stuck against a molar in the snow belt of Abruzzo. Scanno poses an adventure in walking tilting, cobbled streets, wondering if you’ll get out of town the fastest way – falling head over heels into the lovely Sagittario River valley 3,500 feet below. Well, maybe that’s a slight … [Read more...] about SCANNO, ITALY: A DIZZYING DELIGHT AT 3,500 FEET
LECCE IS SO PLEASANT THAT EVEN THIS LION SHOULD SMILE
This lion has a face like Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz.” Insecure, melancholy, timid, weary. Just a big old ‘fraidy cat. His stony countenance appears to whimper, “How long is this going on anyway? I want out; I want to go hide.” No chance. Bert, as I call him, is stuck in this pleasant southeastern Italian city, Lecce, soaring but not roaring … [Read more...] about LECCE IS SO PLEASANT THAT EVEN THIS LION SHOULD SMILE