Life in this Place

Rice Lake
PublishedJanuary 4, 2013-One Comment
Over the past 59 years, the city’s population has only grown by 3,000 people. It’s a city of familiar faces.
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Hong Kong
PublishedAugust 27, 2012-No Comments
The collective energy of the people was too much to overcome, and within a half hour my frustration gurgled like a turning climber halfway up Everest.
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Philadelphia
PublishedAugust 23, 2012-No Comments
It's known as the birthplace of America, the city of brotherly love, but I couldn't think of it as home -- until I discovered the passion we shared.
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Beijing
PublishedAugust 21, 2012-No Comments
A full on mass of Chinese people, set in their path, unwilling to move for any obstacle -- or other person -- that crosses their trajectory. It’s one big game of chicken, really. It’s chaos.
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The Jersey Shore
PublishedAugust 21, 2012-One Comment
Okay, yeah, I love a good pair of hoop earrings. And sometimes I obsess over how many coats of mascara I need. And my friends from school always tell me, “There’s the Jersey comin’ out."
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Bordeaux
PublishedAugust 21, 2012-No Comments
Like a lovable but unapologetically stubborn grandparent, even the loveliest gems of people I met would chide me about not turning the bottle adequately when serving them wine.
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Pretoria
PublishedJuly 23, 2012-No Comments
Even the voices and movements of the people are rich and diverse like the colors on a painter’s pallet. If variety is the spice of life, then the people of Pretoria offer the spiciest of spices.
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Venice
PublishedJuly 12, 2012-No Comments
Giovanna wanted us to be lost. She sent us out into the city as soon as we arrived. I resented her for trusting us. I wanted to be coddled, patronized, and guided, but no one was here to hold my hand.
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Paris
PublishedJuly 11, 2012-No Comments
When I did go out, sitting at cafés meant grazing elbows with someone at the table next to me – a person, who, naturally, knew I was American the instant I ordered a Nutella crêpe.
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Madrid
PublishedJuly 11, 2012-No Comments
Our street ran through the heart of the gay district of Chueca. Posters of buff men in leather thongs were plastered on every open surface inviting me to erotic parties. I stuck to my guidebook’s suggestions instead, but I’ve heard some interesting stories.
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