Pan Am Promised Me the Moon
Signing up to go to the moon.…
Heaven on the Edge of a Lake
Before this trip, I had never heard of Queenstown. What I found was a small town on the edge of Lake Wakatipu that felt immense in presence — a place of glaciers and gondolas, cemeteries and laundromats, where even ordinary moments unfold against something extraordinary.…
The Resonance of Laura Pausini
I don't speak Italian, and I understand only a small fraction of Laura Pausini's lyrics. Yet her voice has captivated me for years. Some music transcends language.…
Lara Fabian
In 2018, I saw Lara Fabian perform at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. Hearing her sing live from a few rows away gave me a new appreciation for one of the most powerful and expressive voices I have ever heard.…
Remembering Constantine "Costa" Manos (1934-2025)
In 2002, I took one of Costa Manos's street photography workshops in Maine. I showed him a slide I'd made at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He looked at it a long time — something he did not often do — and said, "It's ok." To this day, I still hear his voice when I look at a photograph.…
Edinburgh and the Stories We Choose
Edinburgh is a city that understands the power of stories. From Harry Potter pilgrims on Victoria Street to the portraits lining the walls of a Victorian gallery, I found myself wondering how places become meaningful—and how much of that meaning we choose for ourselves.…
Mariel Hemingway and a Forgotten HBO Gem
Mariel Hemingway and Ben Cross star in Steal the Sky, a 1988 HBO film of romance and high-stakes espionage. This forgotten film follows the true story of a Cold War pilot defection.…
A Lifetime of Love for Paris
A lifetime of memories, history, and photography has bound me to Paris in ways that are entirely my own.…
Glasgow: A City That Earns You Over
Glasgow did not overwhelm me immediately. Instead, through its bridges, blue-hour streets, universities, museums, and industrial history, it gradually revealed itself as one of the most distinctive cities I encountered in Scotland.…
Inverness: A Castle That Isn't a Castle
Inverness sits in the shadow of Culloden, where the Highlands suffered one of the defining defeats in Scottish history. Yet what I found there was not a city burdened by loss, but one animated by music, books, memory, and a quiet sense of pride.…
Stella Tennant: Grace and Understatement
Photographed by some of fashion's greatest names, Stella Tennant was known for her distinctive beauty and style. What I remember most, however, was her quiet elegance, understated manner, and unmistakable Scottish accent.…
The Americans: More Than a Spy Story
On the surface, The Americans is a Cold War spy thriller about two KGB agents living undercover in suburban Washington. In the end, it is the relationships—not the espionage—that make the series unforgettable.…