The inside cover of my guide book seemed to have a tough time finding a pleasant way to sell São Paulo to the common tourist. The opening paragraph was full of words like “polluted” and “ungainly”, “concrete” and “sprawling”. If I hadn’t booked the flights before doing the reading, I might have had second thoughts about spending the second part of my Brazilian trip here. … Continue reading São Paulo is a City
Header photo sandwich board credit to Cup and Spoon – supplier of my commute coffee and morning wit. I’ve never been a staunch believer in wind chill. I like to think that when the thermometer says it’s -15 degrees, it’s going to feel like it’s -15 degrees. Why shouldn’t it, goddammit? Recently I changed my views. Because Chicago. I’m from Scotland. I spent 22 years of … Continue reading Weathering Chiberia
Day 1: I finally arrived in Toronto after an unscheduled overnighter in London. My flight from Dublin to Heathrow was delayed and the Aer Lingus lady who checked me in failed to actually check me right through to Toronto, so I missed my connection. No worries though, I was put up in a lovely Heathrow-area Novotel and given vouchers for a 3-course dinner, buffet breakfast … Continue reading Maple Leaf Hunting
Everyone loves a good bridge, right? Majestic, strong and really quite useful, the right bridge in the right place can become more than just a piece of infrastructure, it can become an icon. Of course, the most iconic bridge in New York City has to be the Brooklyn Bridge, a Hollywood favourite and one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US, but all good … Continue reading A Tale of Three Bridges
Quite honestly, I can’t be bothered writing a lot right now… It’s after midnight, and I think I exhausted my writing resources for today with my earlier post. Anyway, I’m in New York City now, in an awesome wee hotel called the Bowery House. I spent the afternoon in Pittsburgh before flying into La Guardia. I liked Pittsburgh. The buildings were pretty. Meh, I’m just … Continue reading Pittsburgh to La Guardia
the lost scot 