I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man dressed in a multi-colored lab coat with the fish skeleton tie. Or the drag queen dressed in a tight purple dress, reminiscent of a plus-sized mermaid. Or the balloon man, who took balloon art to a whole new level by crafting adult-oriented shapes involving Elmo, monkeys and many a phallus.
This was definitely a different kind of Las Vegas show experience.
Sin City has no shortage of comedy shows, to be sure, but this may be the only one that leaves you asking, “Did he just say what I think he said?”
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Posted in: Do, I Love Las Vegas
“Here’s what I love about travel: Strangers get a chance to amaze you.”
These words by Tanya Shaffer open the first story, “Looking for Abdelati,” in A Woman’s Passion for Travel: More True Stories from a Woman’s World (Travelers’ Tales). The anthology was published in 1999 by Travelers’ Tales, Inc., but it’s a timeless collection of travel essays, and I frequently pick it up for inspiration, wisdom and companionship.
A compilation of tales by a spectrum of women ranging from well-seasoned travel writers (including Frances Mayes and Jennifer Leo) to women who could easily be your sisters, this collection of stories keeps me laughing, smiling and dreaming every time I read it.
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Posted in: Reading
The hostess greets us in pajamas and high heels. Classy yet comfortable—this is Sunday brunch after all.
Kerry Simon, head chef and partner at Simon at Palms Place, is no slouch at combining the best of both worlds. His Sunday brunch offers a full-spread buffet and hot-from-the-kitchen specials amid a backdrop of sunshine reflecting from the adjacent pool. It’s a happy, care-free Sunday morning. People wander in wearing shorts and sundresses, and the attentive wait staff—clad in t-shirts and pajama pants—are more than happy to pour a cup of freshly brewed coffee and point us toward the towering baskets of muffins and croissants.
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Posted in: Eat, I Love Las Vegas
I’ve been home from Burning Man for almost two weeks. As I’ve decompressed and eased my way back into the “default” world, the people who I’ve found to be walking common ground are other burners who have also been readjusting to the lives we left behind before venturing into Black Rock City. Some feel lonely and others frustrated or upset. Some have embraced a new direction in life. The readjustment process is not unlike what many Peace Corps volunteers experience when they return home from service. Just as two years of service in a developing nation can never be summed up in a single conversation, neither can Burning Man.
I’ve read articles and essays, looked at pictures and watched videos of this year’s Burning Man event, but none of them truly captures the spirit of Black Rock City. People keep asking me to tell them about Burning Man, but I’m not quite sure what they are asking. Everyone who attends Burning Man experiences something significantly different than everyone else. While we all share the same living space for a week, every experience is intensely personal and profound—and for many of us, it is life-changing as well.
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Posted in: Contemplation
Travel takes us to the deepest oceans, most crowded cities and obscure corners around the planet. But when it takes us to the highest mountains, there is more than just a plane ticket and backpack to consider.
Altitude sickness—the body’s reaction to thinning oxygen above 10,000 feet—can leave travelers feeling sick, tired, in pain and frustrated with their experiences. But that’s not to say you can’t trek through the Himalayas or journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro. With a bit of foresight before you travel to higher elevations and self-restraint once you’ve reached the thinning air, you can help control the side effects of this nasty ailment. So buy that plane ticket and strap on your bag … here are six things you can do to help keep altitude sickness at bay the next time you plan to venture to the highest reaches of the earth.
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Posted in: Resources
Burning Man can never truly be captured on film, but even two-dimensionally the raw environment of the Black Rock City playa is something to be admired.
The Man in an evening dust storm, just hours before being burned.
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Posted in: Photos, Roads Scholars 2009
Like many people who had heard of Burning Man in passing, I admit that I was a bit unnerved by the thought of being surrounded by a hippie culture that was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable in my naïve view of the world. With a ticket in hand to one of the world’s most famous week-long events, though, I wasn’t going to say no.
Nonetheless, I worked myself up over what I would eat for a week (since I’m far from being a cook). What would I do all day? Would I be lonely? Did my costumes stand up to Burning Man standards? If the things in my mind’s eye really did define Burning Man, how was it possible that perfectly “normal” and incredibly friendly people I had met online were so enthusiastic about this gathering of 50,000 humans centered on the notion of radical self-reliance?
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Posted in: Contemplation, Do, Roads Scholars 2009
