Hiking Adventures in the San Francisco Peninsula and Beyond
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
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
Call me a bibliophile. Libraries (Suzzallo, University of Washington, pictured above) are exotic bazaars. So are bookstores. Picture Blackwell’s on Broad Street in Oxford (which I visited while on a coach tour and, as luck would have it, had not more than twenty minutes to explore), Powell’s City of Books in downtown Portland, or City … Continue reading Ode to Books
I am drawn to faraway places. Bergen, five thousand miles from home, qualifies. While Bergen is known as the gateway to the fjords, there are simpler, and far more accessible, pleasures much closer to City Center. Wake up early. Go for a morning run through the Fish Market, past the row of Hansa houses on … Continue reading Bergen
It was with some apprehension that I agreed to spend my winter vacation at a dude ranch. I had not been on a horse for more than 30 years. It was summer camp, and one of the horses was named Mr. T, a memorable character on “The A-Team,” a popular network television show from the … Continue reading Tanque Verde
The Peninsula Hiking Club 