I am a freelance writer specializing in offbeat takes on familiar topics and issues -- I go beyond the obvious and dig past the same old story to offer new insights and a fresh perspective on ideas and places that you thought you already knew about. My interests, like everyone's, span many subjects but much of my writing falls into a few loose categories: architecture, food, humor, American cultural studies, American politics . . . and most of all, travel. 

My articles, essays, and commentaries have appeared in World Hum (the Travel Channel's online magazine), The Star Tribune, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, American Bungalow, Vita.mn, American Lifestyle, and other publications. Past stories include an essay about my culinary squeamishness when traveling, a critique of starchitects, an examination of the social implications of cup holders, an eater's guide to the Hiawatha Triangle, and field notes from a search for Hemingway's ghost.

To read a few clips, please visit the writing section of this web site.  

In December of 2004, I flew to Scotland to visit my parents, who at that time lived on an island in the North Sea. The town in which they lived, Kirkwall, is home to a curious, fascinating, and mildly dangerous tradition called the Ba' (short for "ball"), which is essentially a rugby match played by a couple hundred men, with the entire town as the playing field, first point wins. I was fortunate to witness two Ba' games, and even more fortunate to live through the experience (with all limbs still attached, no less). An article I wrote about the experience appeared in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

This research continues, with new data being analyzed regularly, but preliminary results suggest that the specimen that most closely resembles the "ideal chocolate croissant" is that found at Gérard Mulot in Paris (76 Rue de Seine). For details of the methods used and variables tested, or any other components of this ongoing study, please contact the researcher.