Five weeks after release, I saw “Oppenheimer” on National Cinema Day and “Barbie” the day after. You may well have seen one or the other by now, if not both. I highly recommend each. My moviegoing experience is the subject of my Friday column.
(Writing this one was a reminder to myself that not every column needs to be reported in some way and that they can just be for fun — especially at the start of a holiday weekend when fewer people will be reading.)
My Wednesday column is absent, more or less, due to a cold. I wrote a few paragraphs anyway to explain. I hope to be back Friday!
Highlights of my visit to Minneapolis include the Mary Tyler Moore statue downtown, a Bob Dylan mural, Hmong food and a Twins game (Ballpark No. 16 for me). I write about that in my Friday column.
In Wednesday’s column, I visit San Francisco, where I watch the Giants, climb stairs, browse for books, eat well, gaze at gardens and reject the doom spiral narrative for the city. It’s troubled, but it’s still a great place. (The headline will make more sense when you see the accompanying photo.)
If you have an hour to kill, and morbid curiosity, here I am speaking to the La Verne Historical Society on a rainy Jan. 9, reading from “100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair, 25 Years of Stories” and taking semi-audible questions! It’s the first time someone has filmed one of my presentations (and possibly the last). Thanks to LVTV’s Claudia Gonzalez for the filming and editing. If nothing else, it’s a keepsake for me.
I’m recovered from my mild case of COVID — although I could use a nap. (Couldn’t we all?) Many of you responded by email, phone or social media to my column last Friday about it, including a few “never-hadders.” I excerpt some of your comments in this Friday’s column. Stay safe out there!
I escaped COVID for nearly three years until testing positive this week. Well, it was a nice run. I write about it in my Friday column and mention all the events I would have attended the past few days. Now you know why my Wednesday column was absent.
What did I do on vacation in San Francisco, the one to which I flew from San Bernardino? A lot of walking, as well as bus riding and train hopping. I focus on the walking aspect, including a self-guided tour around one neighborhood with a mystery writer connection, in my Sunday column.
I didn’t miss any columns, but I did spend a long weekend in Portland, Oregon, one of my favorite places. Here’s how it went, as chronicled in my Wednesday column.
On vacation in New York, I bought a MetroCard transit pass and used the heck out of it over the next few days. Best $34 I ever spent. I also did a lot of walking and stair climbing. I talk about the experience, and recount some highlights (and one lowlight) from my trip, in my Sunday column. Have you been to New York? Did you love it, hate it or somewhere in between?