NYC Subway Ad

How to Recognize a New Yorker

Imagine that you’ve come to NYC, and you need a local. (I’m not sure why, since Google Maps is so wide-spread, but let’s say you need one.) Here’s how to differentiate the locals from fellow visitors and recent transplants: 1) They wait to cross the street in the street. New Yorkers don’t like to wait. Unlike the…

Poem Snippet

If I Were In Charge of the World

This is only a travel post if you consider memory lane to be a destination… When I was in sixth grade, I discovered writing. Don’t get me wrong: I wrote before then. In fact, I recently found my school journal from third grade and cringed through page after page of descriptions of my favorite color (pink?!?) and my…

Daffin's Bag

What We Saw in Sharon

We spent an afternoon exploring Sharon, PA, because why not? Philadelphia Candies: (Technically, this is right over the Sharon “border” into the adjacent town of Hermitage, but I’m going to count it.) This is a big candy store, with everything from chocolate-covered potato chips to chocolate bars in the shape of cows or fancy truffles. I enjoyed the hazelnut…

Lisbon, Ohio

How to Recognize Someone from NE Ohio

B is from northeast Ohio, near the border with western Pennsylvania. And while I’ve lived in this region of the US (the Midwest) for ten years and in eastern Pennsylvania for another four, I’ve found that people here have unique characteristics. If you ever need to spot someone from this part of Ohio, here’s what to look for: Needs Done: People…

Mummers Museum

Mum’s the Word

On our only Saturday in Philly, I woke up early. B had gone to sleep late, so I showered and left without stirring him. Whether because of the hour (past nine, mind you) or the area I strolled through, almost no one was out to admire the city streets with me. I walked in the sunshine from…

Italian Train

Americans May Not Realize…

There are a number of things that are part of living in the US* that Americans may not realize are unique to this country. Here are five things that are very American – and not found worldwide. 1) Flags In the US, American flags are all over. Many schools have flag poles with one, many houses have one in the…

San Francisco View

A California to Wisconsin Road Trip

When we were plotting our return to the US, we thought we might need to drive our car from San Francisco to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, some work circumstances changed, and we came up with an alternate plan that didn’t require such a road trip. However, the work of planning the trip was already done, so I…

Walking in Tokyo

Two Americans Return to America

The re-entry process is never quite smooth when you’ve been away for a while. Here are some observations from our return to America: Japanese bathrooms are small: a small tub, a toilet, a sink, and room for you to actually enter the bathroom. I mean, airplane bathrooms are bigger! So, it wasn’t exactly a surprise when I managed…

Upstate NY Winter

Reverse Culture Shock

I’m back in the US for just two weeks, and here are the top 10 things I find myself surprised by, ‘back home:’ Driving on the right. I keep checking if I’m on the correct side of the road or not! This is something unique to cold places in the US: people wearing t-shirts in -5 degree Celsius weather.…