And then a little delicious detail: And the overview… So…I took these on the fly when they were setting up the room for the next day’s event…but next time you’re in D.C., swing by the Phoenix Park Hotel on Capitol Hill and check out the Federal City Room…where you can see this glorious mural handpainted […]
Author Archive
The written words
Once, the tools of writing were precious. People had to invent paper. Use chalk on slate. Carve stone with hieroglyphics. Prepare calf vellum. Make ink. Even growing up in the 70s, pencils, pens, felt tips, chalks, crayons and pads of paper were celebrated birthday and Christmas gifts. Then, those things become cheap and plentiful. And […]
On the buses
You may remember that I offloaded my automobile a couple of years ago…and am now a fierce champion of public transport. In Washington, D.C., public transport is a mixed bag. The theory is fabulous and the practice involves constant frustration and, in the worst cases, tragic accidents for passengers and staff. But, I have become […]
Weighty matters
Being Stella and writing about weight loss seems predictable. It’s a cliché that women are obsessed and oppressed by body image, but I’m going to come out as someone who just lost weight and feels really good about it. In the fall, a confluence of stressful and unhappy events led me to stop eating properly […]
Amsterdam wins?
I have spent many hours in many different airports in the U.S. and Europe. After exhaustive research I propose that Amsterdam Schipohl is the best. It is the only airport I know that provides carts/trolleys for hand luggage. It has a library, a real library. There is a large children’s “forest” play area, which I […]
Cracking up!
One of the highlights of a British Christmas is the Christmas Cracker. Produced for a few pennies, this object, which comprises a cardboard tube, colorful foil paper, a fragile paper hat, a plastic toy, and a bad joke, really gives a lot of bang for the Great British pound. I was going to research the […]
Fragments: coffee shop
In the coffee shop, hunters stalk empty chairs and coveted places on the sofas. They strut to signal entitlement to the next space. Eye contact warns the competition while sweeping the room for openings. They respond to an emptying table quickly, elegantly disarming the competition, reclining as if destined to sit in that seat at […]
The morning after
Thanks to the New York Times, this year’s Thanksgiving meal was a veritable vegetarian feast of this, this, this, and this. And you?
