Judie’s, Amherst, MA USA

Janet waited years to experience a club sandwich with me. Every time we visited, she told me about a new spot for a great club.‎ But neither of us thought Judie’s in Amherst would have one on their menu. A local legend and true institution, Lily picked Judie’s to celebrate her graduation and upon my […]

Picazo Cafe & Deli, Sonoma, CA USA

I was speaking at a conference in Sonoma and, as it came to an end, decided to take the scenic route from the Doubletree Hotel to Sacramento, my next stop. Winding through beautiful countryside, I had no idea where I was going, and I preferred it that way. My phone’s GPS was always there for […]

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The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, CA USA

Grand was The Palace Hotel. If one didn’t know this upon booking, the entrance and lobby said it all (after, of course, I paid $60/night for valet parking).  As I walked to my room I couldn’t tell if I would be staying in an old, rundown establishment in need of a restoration, or a newly […]

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Banyan Golf Club, West Palm Beach, FL USA

My flight from Boston to Beijing on United was $750/roundtrip. A week later, for MLK weekend, it’s $800/roundtrip Boston to West Palm Beach. Perhaps the prefect example of supply and demand, I was caught in the crosshairs of the airline industry’s pricing model. But a weekend family vacation, as rare as they are, is hard […]

Starbucks, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Weekend trip to Amsterdam… why not? Rachel was working her way through the holidays, and I was not going to sit at idle on the couch during this vacation time. 48 hours in Amsterdam… a city I’ve been to over a dozen times, I knew it would be a weekend full of familiar fun. There’s […]

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Wangjing SOHO, Beijing, China

Every time I’m back in Beijing – usually once a quarter – it feels like just yesterday I was here. At the same time, this country – both the physical nature as well as the culture – evolves so quickly that once a quarter tends to feel like years. This year 80million Chinese will get […]

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