Every time I go to New York, I try to do a few things I haven’t done before, whether it’s checking out a new neighborhood, a new kind of food, or a major tourist attraction. On this trip, I had Mario with me — not only is New York is his favorite city, but he’s [...]

For the longest time, I thought that I just didn’t like New York.  It just seemed so gray, so drab, so…boring.  And generic.  What was it that got people excited about New York, again? For years, that’s what I thought.  Then on a trip a few years ago, it suddenly hit me — all of [...]

Yesterday I went to watch the Boston Marathon.  A few hours later, we were recovering from a devastating attack on our city. My friends, family, and I are fortunate to be uninjured.  We were watching two miles away from the blasts in Copley Square. Boston: Home to the World’s Best Marathon Boston is a lot of [...]

Big news: after years of filling this blog with my iPhone photos, I’ve upgraded to my first DSLR!  I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D5100 and a Tamron 17-50 lens, the latter a recommendation from my wonderful photographer friend Ed. The camera body retails for $496.95 without the kit lens (I bought it used “like new” [...]

I’ve wanted to pay my respects at the World Trade Center Memorial since it opened, but it has eluded me up until now.  Visiting requires booking a visitor pass in advance, and when I had tried, it had been sold out for weeks at a time. Maybe that was just because it was the summer, [...]

I was visiting my sister in New York last week when I got an urgent call from my dad.  ”You better not come back on Friday like you planned,” he said.  ”We’re getting a snowstorm.  And this is going to be a BIG one.” Big was right.  Soon we would be hit by Storm Nemo, [...]

Living in Boston for four years, and close to Boston for my entire life, I’ve become an ambassador of sorts for the city. In the past two years or so, renting a house or apartment has become incredibly popular.  I’ve rented apartments before, and I’m a big fan of it — it cuts down your [...]

If you’re a longtime reader, you remember how I decided to stop dreaming and actually start traveling.  It began in January 2010.  Within a two-week span, everything in my life seemed to fall apart. First, my relationship ended. Next, I lost my freelance job writing about Boston nightlife. Third, I lost my job. And finally, [...]

When I got invited to join a food tour through New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown, I was excited — but a bit skeptical. Isn’t Little Italy a giant tourist trap?  I thought.  Meanwhile, if you’re looking for authenticity, shouldn’t you leave Manhattan altogether and head to the Bronx and Flushing? I was wrong.  Little [...]

Happy Olympics Opening Day!  I’m super-excited for the London 2012 Games, wondering what the iconic moments will be this time around.  I’ll never forget what it was like back in 2008, screaming my head off as Michael Phelps and his teammates beat the French in that one swim relay they weren’t expected to win. So [...]