Hiking Adventures in the San Francisco Peninsula and Beyond
If I cannot travel, I might as well reminisce. Viareggio is a quintessentially Italian seaside town on the Tyrrhenian, equidistant from Pisa and Lucca (https://johnpavolotsky.wordpress.com/2019/11/30/lucca/), our base for a 3-day visit to Tuscany this past October. The vibe is art deco. A certain timelessness pervades Viareggio; it seems that little has changed, and but for … Continue reading Viareggio
In many places, where to go for a morning run is not self-evident. In others, it could not be more clear. In New York City, it’s Central Park, on a…Lucca Hard to believe this was only 5 months ago. Let’s hope we find the new normal sooner than later. In the meantime, please enjoy the … Continue reading Lucca
via Venice
37,000 feet above the Atlantic, half asleep, nursing a recalcitrant head cold, Venice, the first stop on our 10-day Italian vacation, could not have been farther away. Nonetheless, I persevered, willing my way through the ten hour flight, layover in Frankfurt, short flight to Venice, longer transfer via the Alilaguna water bus to San Zaccaria, … Continue reading Venice
In many places, where to go for a morning run is not self-evident. In others, it could not be more clear. In New York City, it’s Central Park, on a gorgeous, fresh, August morning after a torrential downpour. In Washington, D.C., it’s the Mall, climbing and then rounding Capitol Hill before sunrise, with the Washington … Continue reading Lucca
For the most part, Trastevere, meaning beyond the Tiber, is a solidly residential neighborhood. Standing on my balcony, above the leafy Via Portuense, with Rome whizzing below, I pondered my limited options for a morning run, perhaps the best way to experience a new city. Run northwest, toward the iconic Piazza di Santa Maria, and … Continue reading Rome
Final score: RCD Espanyol 3, Villarreal 1. I have been fortunate to attend a number of soccer matches, including the World Cup (1994) at the old Stanford Stadium, where I saw Brazil overpower Russia, and more recently, a spirited Irish League of Premier Division match between Galway United F.C. and Drogheda United F.C., on a … Continue reading Barcelona
It has been almost 40 years since I first traversed Golden Gate Park, en route to an apartment in the Richmond District, more than 6000 miles from home. For some reason, I recall the corner of 25th Avenue and Geary Boulevard, streetlights that probably should have been brighter, the Doggie Diner on the northeast corner. … Continue reading San Francisco
One of my guilty pleasures is House Hunters International (https://www.hgtv.com/shows/house-hunters-international), on HGTV. There is a domestic (House Hunters) version as well, but for many reasons, it is utterly uninteresting. I’m sure there are many interesting apartments and homes in Los Angeles, New York, and Peoria, but after a long day, for refocusing the mind, these … Continue reading Living Abroad
Art imitates life, and vice versa. Standing on one of the many terraces of Hase-dera (736) (http://www.hasedera.jp/en/), in Kamakura, a sleepy seaside town about an hour south of Tokyo, in Kanagawa Prefecture, I could not help but think of the atmospheric woodblock prints of Hokusai and imagine the confluence of meteorological events giving rise to … Continue reading Kamakura
The Peninsula Hiking Club 