Category Archives: Commentary

  The shooting of eleven people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh pushes me to re-examine my identity.  The Anti-Defamation league reported a very large increase in anti-Semitic violence.  Do these people hate us?   Earlier in the week, I was …

  While many apartments in Manhattan have high ceilings, there are a small number that push up even further, with one or two double-height rooms and, frequently, a mezzanine that overlooks their open volume.  These large apartments were built as …

  After two months away, I landed at Newark late on a Tuesday night in early September and came home to a steamy New York.  Customs and baggage were uneventful, as was the taxi ride home, a “mere” $100 including …

  I have taken a break from writing about France, partly from fatigue and partly from the fear that what I am sharing has become too personal.  But I am increasingly overwhelmed by the power of what I am seeing, …

  I was heading back to Paris, by high speed train from Amsterdam remembering my first visit many years ago.   Paris was not on my first trip to Europe.   Mom took us to Rome in about 1967 and maybe …

Marseille, July 29, 2018     Despite its mixed reputation, I was hoping to like Marseille.  I took a hotel room in an attractive, not-too-expensive place recommended by a friend of young friends, in a residential area not too far …

Montpellier, July 25, 2018   After Bordeaux, I took intercity rail service to Montpellier.  The train line passes through Toulouse and continues to Marseilles, but I stopped in Montpellier to see one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in France. …