Like many major cities, San Francisco faces its struggles. The popular “doom loop” narrative often paints the entire city as a dystopia. Some neighborhoods are facing real trouble, but the city is very much not a dystopia. I made the following video to counterbalance that narrative. I wanted to show that, while there are many (many) critical problems to fix, SF is still a beautiful place worth visiting.
Continue reading “The Best of San Francisco in Beautiful 4K Video”
It’s the 8th century BCE. Colonists have arrived in Sicily from Corinth, a city-state between Athens and Sparta, to establish settlements. On this southeastern part of the island, across the Ionian sea from the motherland, rises the great capital city of Syracuse. Allied with Corinth and Sparta, Syracuse will one day help dominate Magna Graecia, growing as large as Athens in the 5th century BCE.
Continue reading “Palazzolo Acreide & the Ancient Greeks in Sicily”
Seven years ago in a lifetime far away, before I had ever been to Europe, when I still thought bruschetta was pronounced with a sh, the first native Italian came into my life. I decided to pick up the language, now having someone to practice with; I ditched French and embarked on a voyage into la bella lingua. She was from a small town near Milan, and, since then, I held a fascination for the bustling Italian metropolis. Seven years later, I finally saw the city for myself.
Continue reading “Milan – Elegance, Nightlife & Expo 2015 (Videos)”
The shade is halfway down to block the sun, but it’s already burning inside the train. A group of teenage scouts in uniform of some troop brigade chats loudly nearby, in front of me is a young law student, and, to my right, two ragazzi speak in thick dialect. I can barely understand them when they ask if I can close the shade completely. The regionale train takes nearly three hours to reach Rome from Naples, where I had just visited, and I am without water, slowly sweating out what little precious liquid remains in my body. But, hey, at least I don’t have to pee.
Continue reading “Revisiting Rome – Hidden History, Vespa Rides & Private Club Dining”
Yes, you read that right.
Taking the Italian rail across the Strait of Messina from Sicily to mainland Italy requires what could be one of the coolest experiences in transportation: riding a train that boards a ferry.
Continue reading “Going Across the Strait of Messina on a Train in a Boat (Video)”
What do Gondor-esque castles, Duff Beer and vintage Fiats have in common?
They can all be found in the Republic of San Marino!
Located within Italy along the border shared by the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche, the Republic of San Marino is an independent microstate that rises high into the sky. Constituted in part by the Apennine mountain range, its capital city, the City of San Marino, offers breathtaking views and quite the bit of exercise. Continue reading “Finding Castles in the Sky and Amazing Views in San Marino”
I often hear newcomers express their surprise that the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco should be so popular. I almost want to shake them, screaming, “Well, it’s the largest Asian heritage celebration in North America and one of the largest outside of Asia!”
Legal reasons prohibit me from doing thusly. Continue reading “Walking with AT&T in the SF Chinese New Year Parade 2013”
