Manchester, Vermont

Manchester, Vermont is known more as a shopping mecca today than an archetypal New England town of yesteryear. With a small river gurgling past spectacular snow-topped mountains like Mt. Equinox and European-style mansion retreats, this village used to cater to the rich and famous. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln built a 412-acre summer estate in 1903 he called Hildene. Today, it's home to a museum and numerous art, music, and recreational events. 10 years ago I did a television spot inside that featured the stovetop hat that Lincoln wore in several political paintings with a soundtrack up full of the 1908 Aeolian organ with 1,000 pipes. Right now the museum is closed for the season and re-opens in mid-May but the grounds welcome althetic types to miles of cross country ski trails in the winter. Mutti and I are venturing with high hopes of seeing, feeling and being in snow today. If not skiing, hiking and backpacking trails abound and we've got gear for a vigorous climb to the highest summit in the Taconic Range. Enjoy the weekend!

Positively Pandora About Music

Websites like Youtube, Google, Wikipedia and Flickr broke ground in 2006. So what 'must-bookmark-sites' will be popular for surfer addicts in 2007? Well, let me be the first to share with you the revolutionary wonders of Pandora. Pandora is an internet radio site completely tailored to your taste of music based on one single song or artist's name. The intuitive technology of the Music Genome Project allows the site to compile an endless library of crystal clear music similar in melody, rhythm and instrumentation to your first selection. The first time I tested it I typed in "The Shins" as an example of my genre of music. Sure enough - indie alternative favorites started popping on the screen including new releases and old classics to keep me listening. This went on for hours. After "The Shins" Pandora played "The Impossible Shapes", "Fielding", "Mercury Rev", "The Apples in Stereo" and even a 2003 title track from Warren Zevon's seventh studio album "Transverse City," Essentially Pandora lets you create your own music station and this is the best part, without commercials! There are, in fact, several invasive ads that decorate the free site but if that doesn't bother you, you pay nothing. If it does, you pay a paltry $53 a year and they're banished for good. Great idea, ehh? The site makes money and it's still free! I'd be willing to pay $53 for this site, commercials or not - now, that's ingenius!

No monies were exchanged in the endorsement of this incredible site - just share the advice and support indie music.

Dream Therapy

What's in a dream? This morning I awoke to visions of prehistoric animals, Eddie Fisher and an Indian named Sacajawea. Don't say I didn't warn you...

A blanket of new fallen snow coats Central Park. The full moon illuminates the tracks of a VW bus I'm tracking. My dinosaur Rexxie is lost in Strawberry Fields wearing nothing but bones. I'm tiptoeing uncomfortably with bright yellow Prada's and Little Miss Sunshine's red one piece bathing suit. It's getting colder. The night air coats my lungs and I can't whistle kitchy musicals or familiar broadway tunes to keep me awake. The snow keeps falling, faster now. A baby cries in the distance. I'm alone holding an empty leash wishing that short actors like Eddie Fisher could save me from this misery. Suddenly, Eddie appears from behind an ornamental cherry tree in full bloom. Dressed like a penguin he swoops me into his arms and marches down to the Reservoir where Rexxie is found bathing with Sacajawea. I'm so happy that I ask Eddie to marry me. Suddenly, Director Matthew Broderick yells "CUT" and barks for my replacement - another unknown blond wearing a skimpy 2-piece suit instead.

I really have to start laying off movies in the evenings...

This Santa is Homeless

If your not home this season chances are your homesick. I'm both - home and sick. I guess it was one too many airport delays, crying babies and pushy custom agents flying back from London Thursday. Still, I have nothing to complain about after having read about "Johnny Five" in the New York Times this morning. Johney Five is a fast-talking homeless schizophrenic that's been living below an abandoned train station near Yankee Stadium since 1986. 8 years ago he crawled out from his underworld to help a Bronx Nun deliver food to the homeless. They scale walls, hurl themselves over fences and struggle to reach other homeless living under bridges. They have come to rely on each other and to trust each other. He rhymes and raps like a pro and says he knows God personally. Watch the New York Times accompanying video and you'll get chills hearing how the homeless eventually decide to accept shelter on their own terms. In Johnney's case, “Old age caught me like a thief in the night,” he said. “My body is not the same.”

Proper Snooze Techniques

Some attractions need not even the sun to be beautiful. Case in point, the National Gallery at dusk and the Tower Bridge overlooking the Tower of London. Beelining it through London I prayed that the sun would peek through at least once to make for better pictures. At 3:30pm my appeals were met with a sun melting into the horizon casting a gorgeous golden glow hue across the city skyline. Incredible! Tuesday evening, we dined at London's Library of Law with 400 other invitees. We sat in a room identical to the Harry Potter dining hall with 4 long military style tables stretching from one end of the room to the other. Hundreds of waiters and waitress served up four courses accompanied by a different wine selection for every change of plate. Long lectures and insipid speeches couldn't ruin my chowhounding- contrary to what is written about English food I savored every mouthful. Following dinner we tried hailing a taxi in temperatures below freezing. Unlike NYC there aren't nearly enough cabs to go around so we walked home. Not an easy task to do in 4 inch heels and a cocktail dress. A quick nightcap of Bollingers beer and I was out until wake-up call the next morning. In London hotels make "snooze calls" to ease the transition from sleep to consciousness. It took 3 rings but I finally awoke to a kindly recorded voice reminding me that it's time for another big day in the big city. How proper is that? I love this country.

Cinema in the City of London

I've trekked 20 miles with a 50 pound camera/tripod swinging off my shoulder so shooting with one 30 pounds lighter didn't bother me in the least today. From Buckingham Palace to the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben to the London Tower and Tower Bridge, Sony, that's me, shot faster than John Wayne! And despite the authorization I went through to film a considerable amount of Bobbies and Guards stopped my progress. "Excuse me Miss...What do you think your doing?" When I hear those words I shutter and sigh sadly knowing my shot is ruined. London may be film-friendly for profession photographers but videographers or cinematographers better think again. Still, when the glowing sun broke through the ominous clouds the scenes were almost worth the heartache. I'm staying at the Montague on the Gardens. Old English charm, Victorian furniture, a beautiful walking garden in the mews and a shower that rains from the ceiling! Absolutely beautful. More to blog about when I get myself out of the Cinema. I'm catching Cinema Royale with Daniel Craig in a wee minute!

All Aboard the BritRail

As my hot cup of coffee bounces and spills onto the saucer the tunnels aboard my BritRail ride interupt my wifi connection. It's early Monday morning and my time in Lincolnshire elapsed much too quickly. In record time we squeezed in 10 attractions including The Burghley Castle where Lady Victoria spoke eloquently about the new Magic Gardens debuting next Spring. For royalty blue blood her and her castle are no different than the common English bloke. She's fabulously witty, articulate and truly magnanimous with her time. Two spaniels and one black lab run laps around old Victorian furniture while grandchildren hunt for their missing eye teeth for the toothfairy. It's bizzare - an imposing 76- room castle with daily tours combined with a warm and inviting living space for family. She showed us scenes inside where the film Pride and Prejudice were shot - this castle was also the fictious castle for Judy Dench's character. Amazing. Oh no...my platform is arriving and I have to run. Much more later.

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincolnshire has been an absolute treasure this weekend. Who knew that so many major motion films shot in dozens of stately castles, cathedrals and churches here? When Westminister Abbey rebuffed Ron Howard's Da Vinci Code request the film crews came to Lincolnshire and filmed beautiful lcations inside the Lincoln Cathedral. Just down the rode a bit is Kiera Knightly's Pride and Prejudice was filmed. And next summer, Judy Dench stars in another iconic film shot here. This place is more popular than New Zealand!. Of course, I'm having the time of my life! There are so many idyllic cobble-stone streets lined with food stalls, fresh markets, crumbling stone walls, quaint cafes and fresh bakeries. The area is rich with scholarly influence dating back 900 years, long before Oxford and Cambridge were founded. And every 15 minutes the Cathedral bells silence the frenetic masses into quiet contemplation. It's chimes can be heard for miles. Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the The Burghley Castle, it's 76 Fireplaces, the witty and congenial Miss Lady Victoria and a restaurant with 46 varieties of cheese just for dessert. So much more to come.

Avarice Appetite in Airports

PA announcements of flight delays, noisy walkie-talkies, baby outbusts, golfcarts jockeying with passengers rushing down terminals, ahhh, the sights and sounds of Newark airport. I'm off to London for GoNomad and fighting an empty stomach and dry palette waiting for my connecting flight. I knew I should have ate a bigger breakfast before I left today. A blanket of fog delayed my departure from Albany and dozens of frustrated travelers missed their connections. I stayed calm knowing my connecting flight wasn't leaving until several hours after the sun set. So, here I am. Hungry. Needing food asap. Not willing to wait until I'm airborne with Continental. There's Steak Escape to my right, a greasy taco joint to my left, suits pushing up to Brooklyn Bar behind me and the Continental Airlines Elite Club to my aft. I can probably weasel my way into the Elite Club for freebies and riveting storytelling if I try.... Here goes nothing....

Cross That Bridge Mr. Bailey

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary."

Last night, the newly remodeled Palace Theater, circa 1931, debuted a mawkish classic that hasn't been seen since 1946 - Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" with James Stewart and Donna Reed. What a treasure! Oh sure, MST3K fans and SNL can make fun of it all they want but who doesn't weep when Clarence the second-class angel pens "Dear George: Remember- No Man is a Failure who has Friends"? I profess that some things about the movie really bug me - like Sam Wainwright's "Hee Haw", the name ZuZu, George's oldest daughter playing piano and society's definition of "old maid". But for all it's saccharine sentimentality, this film demonstrates the existence of everything that is both wonderful and not so in the world and for that, it's identifiable, especially Pottersville. Pottersville is what the Great White Way used to be like before Giuliani cleaned it up. Contrary to what you might think that's not what makes life wonderful for George though. If it's been awhile since you've caught it on PBS try renting it at your local Hollywood Video. Don't worry if it's out - it can be enjoyed anytime of the year.

Got Milk Run*?

Every since the Warren Miller "Off the Grid" flick on Saturday night I can't get my mind off skiing this winter! It was one of the best flicks of the decade with the Palace Theater packed to the rafters with snowboarders, skiiers and the latest hip-wiggling riders - monoboarders. Until it snows though, most of us will be doing more canyoneering than carving this season. Yes canyoneering, otherwise known as trekking the Adirondacks. I joined the Adirondack Mountain Climbers Club to keep me outdoors with like-minded cross-hikers and adventure-driven granolas like myself even if it doesn't snow. There are hundreds of hikes anticipated for the high peaks and some are elevations over 4000 feet and longer than 12 miles. It's one way I can keep fit for next summer. Headlamps, crampons, an ice-axe, a compass and a heavy-duty sleeping bag will all fit nicely squeezed into a rucksack when I brace for -10 degree temps sleeping under the stars this January. There better be enough body heat to go around to keep from catching hypothermia. For more info, check here.

* Milk run= skier lingo for the first run of the day...or season.

Sweet Vermouth

Can you beleive this boy's a bartender? He should be parading his stuff up and down a Milan runway or the cover of a GQ magazine! I found him playing "Cocktail" at the Circus Cafe in Saratoga Springs, NY this weekend. With just one look, this young pup promises to be the next Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, George Clooney, Jude Law and Brad Pitt all in one. With eye-candy like this you'd think he'd have one huge ego but not our Nick Adie - the chipper Adonis picked my friend's brain all night about volunteering his time with her workplace - the St.Jude Children's hospital. He's got a healthy attitude about the whole prospect - commercials, soaps, modeling, whatever - he'll take whatever has more long-term potential than "shaking" and "stirring" right now.

The Scuttle-Butt on Europe

Thankyou Lucian and my many writer friends for your 2-cents but I found my European topic that's sure to be folkloric and fun. Next week the town of Jamestown, England as well as Jamestown, Virginia will kick off the 400th anniversary of the sailing of 3 ships (replicas) from England to the New World. Lead by a make-believe Capt. John Smith, the "Susan Constant", the "Discovery" and the "Godspeed" will leave port and venture across the Atlantic to establish America's first permanent English settlement. It will take 5 months for the 105-man crew to reach the New World and as soon as they arrive they will be under constant attack by the Algonquian natives. Disease, faminine and fighting will take it's toll and only 60 men will survive that first year. But turbulent times will finally come to a end when the Algonquian chief's daughter Pocahontas will fall in love with a white man and peace and prosperity will follow. So, that's the story - it has all the elements I need: hope and despair, conflict and failure, tragedy and triumph. There's even a strong genealogy component that will land me in places like Kent and Lincolnshire for a few days!

Jonesing for JetLag

Proust said "Real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new places but seeing with new eyes". I've got another trip coming up next week, this time across the pond, and I'll need more than just sights and sounds to keep the topic fresh. Europe, all parts, have been claimed, charted, mapped and written about countless times (or more than that) so how does one avoid writer's block and make their stuff a shade different than everyone else's? I ask myself this every time I embark on another trip of discovery, uncertainty and mystery. How do I shake up a reader's complacencies and ideologies - possessing them just long enough to want them to go where I've been? It's true that I feel most ALIVE when I'm far far far away from home but how to express that? Putting emotions into words is more frustrating than hailing a cab during rush hour on 6th ave. It's a challenge to stand out in a crowd, especially when that crowd includes the likes of poets and humorous travel writers like Pico lyer, Paul Theroux, Tom Haines, Jim Soliski and Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul. Oh, and of course of the writers for GoNomad. I guess I'm just feeling anxious again to travel - a euphoria I can only compare to being in love.

YouTube Broadcasts

Max Hartshorne, founder and writer extraordinaire for GoNOMAD asked me months ago if I could post "Travel Shorts" online at a popular new site called YouTube. Knowing very little bit about it at the time, I checked it out and snubbed the idea immediately. Here I was, a 15 year veteran shooting Emmy-award winning footage with a top-shelf camera and being asked to compress a HDV signal into MPEGS and run 'em side-by-side with goofy animation, crummy student films and copyrighted footage. I don't think so! The video elitest in me won out and ended the final rebuttal between Max and me. Jump ahead 8 months and guess who swallowing and nearly choking on her own pride? You guessed it. YouTube has more viewers than all the major networks combined and I'd be a fool not to post Travel Shorts there. So, if you haven't already, check them out under the Travel Category with keyword GoNomad. Videos are best seen wherever, whenever and however there's an appreciative audience waiting and popular culture deems that to be YouTube for now. As soon as I recompress my Montana, California, Mexico and Nashville footage I'll get those online as well. Thanks everyone.

100% Tax Deductible

Holiday shopping is such a drag; zero parking, long lines and overpriced Chia Pets. Instead of turning our attentions to great suffering, anguish, ignorance, disease, hunger, poverty, pain and falsehood we're driving each other mad with consumption and commercialism. It's such a conflicted time of year. But I say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and try shopping where you won't waste gas or greenbacks. Buying online is easy on the conscience and there's no knocking it doing it from the comfort of your barcalounger with hot mug of fair-trade coffee in hand. Here's my pick of seasonal shopping ideas that transcend the gluttony of marketing and advertising. This is easy - it's all at one source and I just discovered it today - Justgive.org. This site is a wholesale compendium of charity malls that track down stores like The Gap, Target and The Sharper Image and give a portion of everything you spend to help a charity you care most about. There are also hundreds of links to sites where you can donate money, time and goods, volunteer time, pick a charity, save animals, help children, create peace, help the environment and prevent crime. I can't beleive how vast this site is including this affirmation from Teddy Roosevelt who said it best; "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in." Amen!