After two week here, my wife and I have turned to our regular traveler’s conversation: Could we live in Paris happily?
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The French Way of Open Space
This is all possible because France strives for a monoculture. Yes, there are lots of immigrants, and they have different ideas about what a proper society should be like, but the mere fact that this is a struggle – are you allowed to wear a hijab to school? – is an indication of how France views itself.
The grinding realities of Parisian life
Now that we’re about to kick off week two of our French residency, the shine is coming off. We’re beginning to understand some of the realities of French life.
I’m visiting Paris for two weeks and I’m trying not to gloat.
The big headline: Paris is a pretty easy place to be as a human. The streets are clean, the public transit is ubiquitous, car traffic is limited to 18 miles an hour, there are lots of little shops for just about everything you can imagine – everything is at a human scale.
My Montréal love note
It’s a big, diverse, cosmopolitan city with amazing public transport and bike lanes everywhere, and its Frederick Olmstead-designed Parc du Mont-Royal in the middle of the city is an incredible treasure.
Chicago Public Schools Has Stuck Us With Two Bad Reopening Options
In Chicago, public school is scheduled to start September 8, in just over six weeks, and the choices are not looking good.
None Of Us Want To Be Here
None of us want to be here, but there’s more bad news coming just over the horizon.
To Catch A Thief
My busted in back door frame. We replaced it with a metal one. Pulling into my backyard last Tuesday, I saw him come out of my house. Tall and heavy,...
Observations on Philadelphia: Better Than You’ve Heard
I traveled to Philadelphia last weekend to visit my friend André Natta, check out the city and to attend The Roots Picnic, an annual music festival put on by the Philly-based band, The Roots, whom you might know as the backing band from The Tonight Show on NBC. I hadn’t been to Philadelphia since 2001, and I’d heard things had improved a great deal since then, so I was anxious to check it out.
When Mayberry Becomes Too Expensive
What happens to Mayberry in the City when it becomes a place just for the well-to-do?
American Equality Versus Equity
Part of the American ethos is to promote the survival of the fittest. As a capitalist nation, we extend Darwinian values into our social fabric by celebrating the biggest and...
Eight American Cities in Eight Days: Some Observations
My son, Nicolas, loved climbing rocks in Central Park. My wife and I loved that it was an easily accessible respite from the city. This year for Spring Break, my...
Five Reasons Chicago’s Coming Election Will Indicate America’s Future
Chicago mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle. Credit: Mike Fourcher and WBEZ Unless you’re a local, American mayoral elections can seem provincial and quaint. “How could a contest for...
After A Visit To New York, Some Reflections On American Cities
[caption id="attachment_295" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Second Ave. and 60th St in New York City, taken by me from the Roosevelt Island Tram, which floats above the street.[/caption] I visited New York...