Zagat decided to honor the humble hamburger by putting together a list of the best burgers in 25 cities. Great idea, terrible execution. To remedy this burger atrocity we have put together a burger rebuttal to their list and included a few additional cities that love burgers just as much as any other place. Continue reading
It all started with brunch at the Border Café, a no-longer-extant, Tex-Mex restaurant on the Upper West Side. The draw was not the huevos rancheros, however; it was the free, unlimited Bloody Marys*, margaritas, mimosas and Santa Fe Slushes. We thoroughly overstayed our welcome, by a couple of hours, to take full advantage of the drink offer and draw questionable pictures and slogans on the table-top butcher paper with the crayons they leave out for kids.
The conversation turned to the name of the restaurant and a discussion of borders. The group having established that the closest one was with Canada, one diner volunteered, “I have a car!” at which point the one woman with us quickly bowed out.
You have decided to go to Hawaii. Yay! The tougher decision is, which island? This is a series of posts about Hawaii. In this inaugural post, I will provide a thumbnail sketch of each inhabited island. Over the next couple of months, I will focus on each island separately. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below and I will try to help. Aloha. Continue reading
Another installment in our relaunched series on abandoned places in the world. Expect new entries on a bi-weekly basis. Suggestions are warmly welcomed. Continue reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTRTiOZji6g
Sideshows are common in Oakland, but they are not common during daylight hours and they are not common on a major freeway. This scene happened this past Saturday near the Oakland Colosseum. It should be noted that traffic coming to a complete stop for entirely stupid reasons on 880 is a common occurrence. One more video after the jump. Continue reading
As an unorthodox traveler, I, by default, choose unorthodox destinations. Here are three.
1. Southernmost point of the 50 United States. Ka Lae (South Point), Big Island of Hawaii.
Subjectively, this is the most fascinating of the three. A 12-mile roughly paved road leads you from the main ring road that hugs the circumference of the Big Island to South Point. It is very windy, as evidenced by the funny looking trees; the huge, rusting windmills; and well, the wind. Once in a while, cattle will randomly appear. Continue reading
In 2004, I went to the village in northern China where my maternal grandmother grew up. She left China and her extended family in 1949 when she fled to Taiwan with my grandfather and my one year old mother. She never went back to China. She passed away in 2006. Continue reading
I flew from New Orleans to San Francisco for a series of Grateful Dead shows at the Oakland Coliseum culminating with a Chinese New Year concert. Obviously.
We made a connection along the way, and on the second leg of the flight, we met a hippie couple from New Jersey going to the same concerts and had a fun time partying with them over the Rockies. Although they could have taken a direct flight, they took two extra legs because the chick couldn’t make it across country without a cigarette break. I distinctly remember an empty Wild Turkey bottle rolling wildly around the aisle as we came in for a landing and a stern talking-to by the pilot as we exited. Continue reading
MTV is premiering a new show in January called Buckwild about West Virginia teenagers. These teens, of course, will not be studious or straight-laced. They will be shooting squirrels and going mudding. This is always what happens when someone films in West Virginia. The film turns into The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. They never show a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer or even a competent store clerk. I thought I would show you a few things about WV that you aren’t likely to hear elsewhere. Continue reading
Don’t you hate it when one of your wives tries to escape your loving and protective custody by fleeing to another country? It’s a good thing that Saudi men now get text message notifications when their children or wives try to bug out. Continue reading
