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Although my preferred way of seeing a city is by walking around interesting neighborhoods, inclement weather occasionally drives me indoors – an absolutely great problem to have in a fabulous museum-city like London. But where do you go when you’ve seen the British Museum, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the National […]

“Tsujino-san. You have to go to this little tempura place I found. A pile of tempura for only 800 yen!” “How is the food presentation?” “Oh, pretty simple. Just a white plate filled with tempura.” “I could not eat such food, David-san. Without elegant presentation, food is not delicious to me.” That’s a conversation I […]

Growing up in Millbrae, CA, I had a hate-hate relationship with the hill between my childhood house on Claremont Court and my best friend, Mike’s, place on Evergreen Way. After walking up a steep, lung-burning section of Larkspur Drive, I’d turn left at the stop sign and then huff and puff up an even steeper […]

I go back and forth regarding the “purpose” of travel. On the one hand, I see the benefits of using vacation as a time for rest and rejuvenation. Heck, what is more restorative than a week on the beach, reading a good book while sipping a cold, fizzy drink? On the other hand, travel also […]

“Hey Dave, let’s go see that new RomCom, ‘Anyone But You.’” “Sure, Hon, but I want to read some reviews first.” “It looks fun. Who cares about what other people think?” “I do!” I’m sure it drives my wife to distraction when I dance this particular dance, always seeking out yet another opinion, but I […]

As you probably can tell by now, I love a good treasure hunt. There’s something about going off in search of rare, hidden, objects or services that always gets my blood rushing. I also love plant-based eating. So why not combine the two passions? That was the thinking that inspires my wife, Donica, and I […]

One of recurring themes of my posts is the tension between authenticity and tourism. As travelers, we’re quite-naturally drawn to the “big-ticket” sights: the Great Wall of China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Louvre, etc. When you’re in the vicinity of those locations, you pretty much have to visit them. I mean, can you […]

As a traveler, I’m always on the hunt for “authentic” experiences and thankfully, they do still exist out there in the world. It’s one of the reasons I like countries like India so much – the culture is so thick, dense and historic; you just can’t Disney-fy it! And yet, what to make of places […]

Do you remember that scene in the movie 48 Hours where Eddie Murphy’s character, ex-con Reggie Hammond, walks into that all-Caucasian cowboy bar? Through bravado and bluster, he somehow manages to take control of the situation, at last declaring, “There’s a new sheriff in town!” That’s a little bit of the attitude I adopt when […]

When it comes to zoos, my feelings are conflicted. On the one hand, as an animal lover and a vegan, I find it hard to rationalize, snatching creatures out of their natural habitats and putting them in cages for us humans to gawk at. Isn’t that species-ism at its worst? I’m reminded of a scene […]