In most cases, when a popular blogger ends a relationship, he or she can do so discreetly, perhaps without even mentioning it publicly. I can’t do that here.  Dave has been a major presence on this blog for the past year and a half, as I met him in Hanoi, Vietnam; as I moved in [...]

On most days here in England, I somehow end up quoting Family Guy or Anchorman back and forth with my English friends. It’s easy to assume that all of American pop culture translates across the pond. After all, we share a common language, for starters.  Most of the films playing at the cinema are American, Comedy Central [...]

Are you a fan of the Pride and Prejudice BBC miniseries from the 90s?  The one when Colin Firth first stepped into our lives and made us swoon as Mr. Darcy, long before anyone knew who Bridget Jones was? Well, this weekend, I went to see one of its filming locations: Lyme Park in Cheshire, England. [...]

I had never heard of the Birmingham Christmas Market until fairly recently — and soon learned that it was the largest Christmas market in the UK. That was enough of a reason for me to go! Birmingham, in the West Midlands region of England, is the second largest city in the UK, and you’ll find [...]

I have never been to any event that remotely resembled World Travel Market. Picture this: nearly every country in the world has a stand in a conference building ten times the size of most wedding venues in London.  Some of these stands are design marvels, particularly in the Middle East section.  It takes 10 minutes [...]

This week, I’ll be appearing at World Travel Market in London, one of the biggest travel industry events of the year.  It’s also the most important year it’s ever been for travel bloggers like myself.  I’ve booked my accommodation in London, I’ve picked out my four “fancy” outfits, and I’m ready to hit the ground [...]

Shortly after arriving in Florence for my semester abroad, I met a guy wearing a gold belt buckle shaped like a lion’s head, a pair of boot-cut jeans tight enough to cut off circulation on top, a shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel, and the trendiest near-mullet I’ve ever seen. And he was American. This [...]

This weekend, I saw the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing for the first time — also known as the original Dancing with the Stars — and found it nearly identical to the American version.  Same exact show format, same set, same theme music, same costume styles, similar array of D-list celebrities, some of the same judges (Len Goodman [...]

Despite all the stereotypes about British food, don’t be fooled — the Brits do comfort food spectacularly well.  It’s all about the weather.  On the Northumbria coast and country, far up in chilly, wind-swept northeastern England, do you really think the Geordies crave ahi tuna and avocado salads? Again, it’s Northumbria, not southern California. Of [...]

I’m in London and riding the tube from one end of the city to the other with my friend Chris, as we’ve done each day that I’ve been here.  And each time, I find myself drawn into the map of the London Underground, reading the name of each station. And so I ask Chris the [...]