In Chicago we celebrated the last official day of winter with temperatures in the high 60s, plenty of sunshine, and tulip leaves sprouting through thawed soil. But alas, as most Chicago springs go, a wintry mix of snow and wind is in the weekend forecast.When I first heard … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Kitchen Chinese by Ann Mah
I just finished Kitchen Chinese (Avon, 2010), Ann Mah's debut novel and boy am I hungry. My husband bought fixings for Moroccan chicken tonight, so at least we're spicing things up. (We did have Chinese last night!)The thing I loved about Kitchen Chinese was that it went … [Read more...]
Hong Kong noir
I'm a sucker for a good film noir. Or one filmed in an exciting location.I stumbled across The Scavengers on Netflix a couple years ago and while the acting and cinematography are lackluster at best, I pushed that aside and immersed myself into late 1950s Hong Kong.Vince … [Read more...]
Sun Ya Hotel 1960s
When I've traveled with my mom, she's liked to stay at nice places. So when I googled the Sun Ya Hotel, where she stayed on her first trip to Hong Kong in 1962, I was shocked to learn it was in the now-densely populated Mongkok area, miles north of the popular Tsim Sha Tsui … [Read more...]
Why be an armchair traveler?
This Pam Am ad from 1962 dates itself by touting "Europe...the Middle East...the Orient!" For $1253, you could depart New York and visit up to 25 countries. Sounds like a great deal to me! You could jump from place to place, touring for a day or two, or staying for a few weeks. … [Read more...]