Hiking Adventures in the San Francisco Peninsula and Beyond
Paraduxx Winery You might wonder how I might be able to tie these three disparate topics into one post. Continue reading. It's been another tumultuous last seven days. In October, I "won" a wine tasting package at a local charity auction. I had been a Board member of San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation (https://www.smfcedfund.org) and … Continue reading Napa, Rick Steves, and Ukraine
It should bother me, perhaps, that in my late forties I have gotten no closer to visiting Brazil than these Mundo Novo beans (pictured above), from one of my favorite local roasters, Liminal Coffee, discovered earlier this year at the San Mateo, California farmers’ market. In response to my third posting in the past week of … Continue reading Morning Musings
A trip to Spain and the purpose of work
Roma Senza Glutine We continue our food and beverage theme (https://johnpavolotsky.com/2021/01/28/in-search-of-the-perfect-cup/), with a trip around the world in search of gluten-free delights. We start in Rome, the mecca of gluten free dining. Roma Senza Glutine, a treasure trove of gluten free breads, crackers, biscuits, and other goodies, was but a short walk from our flat in Trastevere. … Continue reading International Adventures in Gluten-Free Dining
Montecatini Alto, part of a 3-day visit to Tuscany last October, could not be farther from the current reality of 24-hour catastrophe TV, coronavirus memes, no live sports, shelter-in-place (house arrest), new (home-based) co-workers, distance learning (Zoom videoconferences and Google Hangouts Chat), social distancing (isolation), deep cleaning (usually reserved for unpleasant dental visits), hyper-local (neighborhood-based) … Continue reading Montecatini Alto
My first visit to Pisa was in 1988, part of a 2-week bus tour, starting (and ending) in Rome, with overnight stops in Florence, Stresa (on the gorgeous Lake Maggiore), Venice, Assisi, and Sorrento. I was with my grandparents, then in their late 50s. Whether either of them accompanied me on the climb to the … Continue reading Pisa
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
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
The Peninsula Hiking Club 