Journeys
Journeys is a collection of essays and photographs of places I have lived in or visited, along with personal history, involving New York City, Chicago, North America and Europe. Over 50 articles appear under the following headings:
New York City
This section explores the neighborhoods and streets of the incredible, legendary city where I have lived the longest in my life and which is very much my home. There are few cities that are as large, diverse, fascinating, intense and sometimes as remarkably frustrating or rewarding as New York. There are locations that I have often visited or lived in over the years as I roamed throughout this endlessly interesting and varied city. New York is filled with famous places but there are quieter, lesser known areas of surprising magnetism.
Chicago
The city of my birth and my youth has a special and honored series of entries in this journal. Chicago is a city of marvelous architecture, warm neighborhoods and one of the most magnificent waterfronts to be found anywhere. If your visits have been confined to a few parts of downtown (as great as that business center is) then you have entirely missed the assets that natives know so well and that make the city more impressive, friendly, livable and appealing than other places.
California
My original visit to San Francisco, Berkeley and Los Angeles was one of my most memorable experiences and it gave me views of a few locations in which I thought I could live permanently. But the road that united them all was Pacific Coast Highway and a highlight was driving through Big Sur.
America
Over the years I have had the opportunity to travel to other urban areas in the United States. I am always open to different ways of living and I have discovered many places that have their own wonderful qualities. This section surveys the architecture, neighborhoods and surrounding areas of just a few of the other American cities to which I have traveled. Each location has its unique gifts. Boston is historic, Washington, D.C. is essential as the seat of our government and West Coast cities are particularly enjoyable for their natural beauty.
Canada
Toronto, the largest city in Canada, has a special role in the history of my family. It is the city and surrounding area of my father's ancestors. The city of Toronto is also a place I visited on my own, via a long car drive from Chicago to New York City in the summer of 1977 when I was 24 years old. Astonishingly, I didn't see Toronto for another 36 years. It was only after my father died that I returned to the city three times, related to his passing. But I also spent time getting to know the city itself. On its own, it is one of the most wonderful places in North America.
Europe
I have had the privilege of traveling to Europe on business four times (so far) to three great cities and I have learned why these locations are so wonderful and timeless. Paris has extraordinary art and beauty at every turn and it justifies its renown. Cambridge, U.K. has one of the oldest and most important universities in the world but it also contains much more. London, a royal city in which I could easily live and thrive, matches the breadth and fullness of New York in its offerings but it presents everything with a different radiance.