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…

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…

Western Wall Tunnels

What’s in a Name?

My last name isn’t very long, and it’s not super unusual. But it’s not exactly “Smith” or “Brown:” it’s an “ethnic” family name. So, when asked for my name, I always spell it with phonetic references – as in, “McAdams, that’s M like mom, C like cat, A like apple…” (Last name changed to protect the not-so-innocent.) Given the…

Plane to Toronto

Fear of Traveling

I have a friend back home who’s afraid of flying. Though I’ve never actually discussed it with her, I imagine she thinks I don’t understand that feeling at all. After all, I’ve taken at least a few dozen flights just this year! I also tend to argue for flying over driving, and I don’t take…

Uogashi Nihon-Ichi

You Have to Visit This Tokyo Restaurant

There is a restaurant in the Nakano neighborhood of Tokyo that you need to visit if you go to Tokyo. We didn’t see it in any guide book or site; we just happened into it one day. And then we came back twice more, despite the fact that Nakano wasn’t near much that we wanted to…

Otaku Costume

Mediterranean Looks

A few days ago, we visited the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, which specializes in exactly two things: electronics and comics-related costumes. We were there for the former, trekking from store to store in search of a new phone for B. We hit up several superstores, like the old Best Buy or Circuit City, but times…

Kyoto Botanical Garden

No Tea for Us

Our last day in Kyoto was rainy and depressing. What started out as precipitation devolved into the kind of rain that makes you feel damp right down to your skin. We were out in it because we had been working for a few days, so this was our last chance to see the city. On a friend’s…

Osaka Order Form

Our First Meal in Japan

When we last left our beleaguered heroes, they were collapsing into a fancy bed after a long day of travel. So, it comes as no surprise that by the time they woke up, got ready, and figured out the Osaka trains, it was one in the afternoon. And they were hungry. They saw that the subway station had a…

Backpack Strap

The Slowest Immigration Line in the World

Our first day in Japan was not our smoothest arrival. Our flight got us into Osaka (the second- or third-largest city, depending on how you count) at 10:30 pm local time. Check-in at our long-stay apartment-style hotel closed at midnight, and a cab was supposed to take half an hour, so we needed to make it through baggage,…

Bangkok Market

Hipsters Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink

For many of the cities we visit, I look up events happening during our stay. We don’t attend many, since they tend to be performances of international artists or bands – and we’ve come to that country to experience their local art. However, in Bangkok, we did. I had read about a market/festival that had gotten rave reviews the…