The healing powers of Daytona Bike Week
The friend who dropped me at the airport kissed me deeply, and I kissed back, enjoying the rush of endorphins for a moment before pulling away, hopping out, and swinging the door so it latched with a satisfying click. I waved and bounded through sliding glass to the ticket line. He and I had engaged... Continue Reading →
Sleeping at Cezanne’s: Penniless in Provence, I dodged trouble and landed at the Chateau Noir
On a southbound train from Paris with forty bucks in my pocket, I had a simple wish. It was extravagant, but simple: I wanted to spend the summer in Provence. I closed my eyes and leaned back as all of France whizzed by in a blur of green and yellow, and imagined the details. I... Continue Reading →
Romani Pilgrimage
My friends told me not to go, the Roma are "hot" people. "Chaud," they said, "très chaud" - very hot. It was May, 1998. I had arrived in Paris a few weeks earlier with six hundred dollars and a one-month return. I hoped to find work in France and stay longer, but when my money dwindled to half that... Continue Reading →
