Naples: Of moods, mafia and melancholy

We took a day trip to Naples, driving a few hours in a rattly old car and snacking on the dried figs that Chris' aunt had stashed away for us. The radio hummed and crackled with jaunty Italian tunes as we giggled and sang our way across the pot-holed highway, our fingers sticky and our blood sugar soaring. It was a clear sunny day, rich with promise, and as we turned off the highway I couldn't

California Burn

Before the airplane had even touched tarmac, I knew I was going to be in trouble. The famed Los Angeles sun was boiling, high and unavoidable, in the middle of a too-clear sky and the gentle hiss of rubber melting off the wheels as they met steaming black concrete was enough to set my teeth on edge. I should have guessed that the 50-60 degree Farenheit forecast was a bit too optimistic -- not to

No Sand in my Shoes: Travels in NYC

New York City: swirling, kaleidoscopic entertainment central of North America, shopping Mecca of the common masses; food heaven for those with an unquenchably diverse palate; the city that never sleeps. How could it possibly doze beneath the eternal glare of Times Square, the constant grumbling of stopped-up traffic and cursing cab drivers? The city’s clogged arteries chug, fueled by