Photos courtesy of Kaffeehäser und ihre Besucher (Ueberreuter, 2010) The coffee culture in Toronto just got a whole lot richer. Vienna, Paris and Istanbul, take notice. Last week, a new house called Full of Beans opened in Little Portugal. To this latte-loving laptop lugger (yes, there’s free WiFi), this was like the arrival of a […]
Hot off the press
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
Hall of Fame
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
Here are just a few of the writers who amaze me. Gay Talese “New York is a city of things unnoticed. It is a city with cats sleeping under parked cars, two stone armadillos crawling up St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and thousands of ants creeping on top of the Empire State Building. The ants probably were […]
Around the world
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
The Originals
Originally published in September 2010 in FT25
*FT25 was a magazine published to celebrate Fashion Television’s 25th anniversary RIPPLE EFFECT: Douglas Cardinal Architects become “starchitects” when they elevate a building to the realm of art and make our spirits soar. Alberta’s own Douglas Cardinal is a member of this elite priesthood. While fellow Canuck, the schlumpy-sweatered Frank Gehry, was slogging it out in […]
Cruising for Pringles
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
If beer is a food group in Germany (and Ireland and England and Canada), it’s sipped in Holland like a rationed commodity. The Dutch like to serve their suds in small champagne flutes, which doesn’t exactly inspire glug fests. Instead, they binge on Pringles. Maybe they like the uniform design of the chip? (the way it […]
Song for Anne
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.” ~ Anne Frank For the bells Anne heard every day she was in hiding, click on Bells 1 (recorded with my iPhone). You’re listening to the tolling […]
Moon river
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
The history of Europe unfolds like a novel along the rivers. The landmarks along German and Austrian highways aren’t so breathtaking. McDonalds and The Home Depot share the same architects whether you’re in Toronto, Bonn or Salzburg. Also, you don’t have to leave home to see a Mercedes zoom past. So avoid the roads, if […]
Achooo
Originally published in September 2010 in Blog
A Mozart concert in Vienna followed a few days later by a tour of the Nazi Party rally grounds in Nuremberg, including an inspection of the raised dais where Hitler stood (see the shots below). Too many swinging emotions for my heart and body to process. I went and caught a wretched cold. God help […]
