adaptable

I was in BA for the first time last week, and I absolutely loved it. I ate lots of steak, drank lots of wine, and had a wonderful time with the welcoming locals. This is high on my list of places I want to visit again.

I spent about 6 weeks here in 2007 and really got to know the place. Beyond the Alamo and the Riverwalk, San Antonio offers some great cuisine (not just Tex-Mex), and the people go out of their way to be welcoming…

Back in May/April we spent 7 nights on the big island of Hawaii. By far the best vacation I’ve taken for many reasons. First of all, we spent half the time at the Sheraton resort near Kona (great) and the other half at the Four Seasons (spectacular).... After a day or so on the island I wondered into the Music Exchange in Kona and got a great education on ukulele construction, woods, and general sound comparisons. I picked up a Hawaiian handmade koa wood concert ukulele. Strumming it and even smelling it makes me feel like I’m on vacation….. I picked it up instantly. After a few evenings of sitting on the hotel room balcony I felt like I had the thing mastered….

Then I went to the Four Seasons awesome Hawaiian Cultural Center and got a lesson…and humbled. The instructor turned me on to some strumming patterns and various chords that are a bit off the radar for guitar….She recommended some great music like Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (what a voice!), Hapa, and the reining Carlos Santana/Steve Vai of the ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro.

I ended up playing a bit of an impromptu concert for my work colleagues…and got a warm reception by all of the locals (I need to make an extra $1M to buy my dream vacation home!).

We ended up seeing most of the Big Island except for the Volcano (we were told it was a bit too far to travel to “maybe” see the lava flow)....but the Northern end of the island was heaven on earth looking at Maui and sipping Kona coffee in Hawi. We also caught part of the Merrie Monarch Hula festival in Hilo (I almost got divorced on the spot)...saw various waterfalls…drank coconut from the shell…stared at the ocean a lot….

I don’t think I’ve ever comeback from anywhere so relaxed and peaceful (including Australia!....no offense, mates). I long to go back and spend a long time there…

I finally made it to England a few months ago, and perhaps I was jaded by the week dollar, small hotel rooms, and too much time in trains and taxis. I found England to be a “nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” After living in Sydney for 3 years, and traveled just about everywhere else… even the most impressive parts of London seemed small in comparison to other places I’ve been. I felt like I had been their before. Definitely the highlights were the people we met and the pubs we spent time in…. but beyond that, at times I felt like I could have been in just about any other major metropolitan area.

Highlights: The Greenwich Meridian Line, sights on the Thames, pubs in Chiswick and Richmond….pub food, London Pride Beer, ladies on hens nights….

Lowlights: Restaurants, crowded trains, expensive taxis, Herrods

Never a dull moment and a very hectic pace… You can find anything here…. Kowloon is the most densely populated place on earth.

Definetely go to the Peak at dusk….get to know the MTR system (subway), and catch a cheap ride on a ferry.

I lived here for nearly four years, and I’ll never forget the wonderful times and people of Sydney. My dream is to spend half my time in California and the other half in Sydney….an endless summer!

It’s one of my favorites in the USA. I particularily love Harvard Square and the Back Bay. They are great hubs of activity and great people watching spots. A giant college town!

I used to hate going to LA because of its emmense size and time in traffic, but I have grown to love it after spending time with some locals and getting to know the ins and outs of how to get around and where to go. After traveling most of the world, I am of the opinion that the most beautiful people on earth can be found here. The best of LA is hidden!

Avoid anything “Hollywood” and go find some spectacular view…. enjoy the beaches as well.

I went in 2000 for Christmas & the millennium. It was a fantastic vacation in a very welcoming city. I particularly enjoyed the dramatic views and incredibly innovative music. Highly recommend the Sheraton Hotel. Incredibly provocative and sensual women as well….

to spend the rest of my life, it would be San Francisco. It’s my favorite city on earth…and I’ve been to a lot of them! San Francisco offers culture, scenery, friendliness, and it’s just small enough to really get to know the whole city in a relatively short period of time.