During my European travels this past summer I had a four hour layover in Amsterdam while en route from Florence to Prague. It was a long enough stop to warrant getting out of the airport to briefly explore the city. I had my Mom with me and in an attempt to make the trip as … Continue reading Milk crates (& bike baskets) of Amsterdam
Category: Travel
City Scenes: KC’s Kauffman Stadium
This past August while visiting Kansas City I got the chance to catch a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, or "The K". While I've visited Kansas City several times I had only been to The K once before, for an off-season tour of the stadium on a brisk November day. During that previous off-season visit … Continue reading City Scenes: KC’s Kauffman Stadium
Milk Crates of Florence
This past July I was able to travel to Florence, Italy for a 20th anniversary reunion with a group of study abroad alumni. The trip involved a potent mix of nostalgic recollection and eye-opening discovery of how much the seemingly timeless city had changed since my last visit. One of the internal changes that colored … Continue reading Milk Crates of Florence
West Coast Reflections
Just as this year’s Fall foliage was flourishing throughout Pittsburgh I slipped off to the west coast to meet my parents who were on their own California vacation. It was a bit of a Southland homecoming for all of us; we hadn’t been together in L.A. since our family lived in the area in the … Continue reading West Coast Reflections
City Scenes: New Orleans, New York, Newark, November
This Fall ended up being travel-heavy for me, with multiple research and work-related trips following in quick succession after a personal excursion to spend time with my parents. As November draws to a close I am recuperating from what feels like a whirlwind of interchangeable liminal spaces and solitary wanderings in strange cities. The physical … Continue reading City Scenes: New Orleans, New York, Newark, November
A cabin trip prelude in KC
My summer got off to a strong start this year with my only proper vacation travel of the season. For the past several years my sister has invited me out to her in-laws’ Colorado cabin, and I was finally able to accept the invitation this past May. Before making the trek out to the Centennial … Continue reading A cabin trip prelude in KC
Maine Relations
For the first time in many years I took a proper trip during the annual academic spring break this past March. Obviously the past two years were disrupted by the pandemic, but even before that I had become accustomed to spending that week recuperating at home (or working my way through student papers). But this … Continue reading Maine Relations
Thanatopsis in Paris, TN
In March I traveled to Tennessee for my grandmother’s funeral. This journey involved convening with my immediate family in Nashville before continuing on for the funeral itself in the town of Paris, TN. I previously wrote gushingly (and verbosely) about Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas after seeing the film for the first time. The film’s evocative … Continue reading Thanatopsis in Paris, TN
Shots from the Block: First snow of 2022
My new year started off with some wild weather. I rang in the new year in Nashville where I was visiting my family for the holidays. The weather on New Year’s Day was warm (nearly 80 degrees fahrenheit) and brought the first tornado warnings of the brand new calendar year. Coincidentally this happened to be … Continue reading Shots from the Block: First snow of 2022
Belcourt Appreciation & Pandemic Media Memories
For the Thanksgiving break last week I visited my family in Nashville. My parents have only been in Tennessee for a few years, so there’s not much personal history connecting me to the place, but after having lived there through the first 18 months of the pandemic returning this time felt like a true homecoming. … Continue reading Belcourt Appreciation & Pandemic Media Memories