Month: December 2016

It’s hard for me not to see 2016 as a year of loss and fear. The incredible loss of so many bright stars from our lives. My palpable anxiety over how we can possibly move forward together as a united people. All year long, I’ve been mourning the seemingly total absence of civil discourse. I’ve truly despaired that we will be able to see each other through all that unites us, not just across the spectrum of our differences.

But, 2016 had its perfect moments.  Lots of them. The happy joy of watching two beautiful friends tie the knot on a gorgeous fall afternoon. The special pride in watching my spouse’s artistry in motion. The many happy times throughout the year with family and friends. The accomplishments – large and small – of the many important people in my life.

Of course, there was travel. Lots of perfect travel days in 2016. One such day came in May when my spouse and I set out on a bike tour of the coast of Brittany in France. We began the day in Saint-Malo, a gorgeous, ancient walled city of stone ramparts offering dramatic views of the sea. There’s lots of history in Saint-Malo. French corsairs, i.e., pirates, called the city home in the 16th Century and got rich collecting “tributes” from ships sailing the English Channel. Explorer Jacques Cartier was born here in 1491 and later sailed from Saint-Malo to claim Quebec for France. Today, the city is a major tourist destination and ferry port. Heading out of town on a brilliantly sunny day, we pedaled the busy coastal road trough scenic beachside villages with the aquamarine waters of the Atlantic on our left and the gorgeously green pastures of the Breton countryside on our right. Further on, we crested a hill and came upon Plage du Guesclin, a spectacular stretch of sandy beach, where we stopped to take selfies and enjoy the scene of laughing French children playing in the surf with their dog. Later, we hiked out to the promontory at Pointe du Grouin, a rocky outcrop with precipitously awesome views in all directions, including our first glimpse of Mont St.-Michel, just on the horizon. A few miles on, we ended our first day of riding in the elegant seaside town of Cancale, France’s oyster capital. After checking in and storing our bikes, we enjoyed a late improvised lunch of decadent éclairs and other pastries. That evening, we walked through the quiet streets of the upper section of Cancale until we found the coastal walking path. This led us to brilliant views of the harbor in Cancale with its oyster beds visible at low tide and boats anchored for the evening. Enjoying the pleasant fatigue that comes from a long day of riding, we devoured a fantastic meal of oysters and other local delicacies from the sea.

There were many perfect days in 2016. I’m counting on them to carry me through the days and weeks ahead.

I flew to Kansas City two weeks after the 2016 Presidential election, feeling very much like an unwelcome “other” in large parts of my own country. I had the unsettling thought that I was leaving the welcoming energy of my Baltimore neighborhood for the unfriendly heart of red-state America. On the other hand, I had really enjoyed Kansas City on previous visits, with its pleasing combination of big city offerings and Midwestern friendliness. So, I told myself I should try to experience Kansas City free of my own East Coast bias filter. Instead, I would endeavor to see the city and its people through the prism of how I might find my own place here. This turned out to be an easy assignment.

Straddling two states and two rivers (Kansas and Missouri on both counts), Kansas City probably had to become an important city. It grew from a 19th century riverside settlement and gateway to westward expansion into a Heartland metropolis of two million people. At once easy-going and sophisticated, Kansas City is the kind of the place where your Uber driver from the airport will turn off the meter while you stop at the CVS on the way to your hotel, where you can buy a hand-stitched Italian wool suit from the very friendly owner of a stylish men’s store down near the city’s historic River Market, and where you can enjoy great company and a good meal at a friendly gay bar-restaurant in the historic Westport neighborhood. Home to the Chiefs and the Royals and several Fortune 500 companies, including HR Block, Hallmark Cards and Sprint, Kansas City has its share of big city attributes. Sometimes known as Paris of the Plains, owing to the prevalence of broad boulevards adorned with fountains and statues, there’s a world-class art museum here along with the stunning Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, one of the very few new performance spaces built during the recent Great Recession. The shopping center was stylishly born in Kansas City with the Country Club Plaza, a fantastic pedestrian zone built in the 1920s in a Spanish-Moorish style. KC’s barbeque is well known, of course, but the city’s food scene offers a whole lot more, including a place called the Rieger – the kind of restaurant that makes travel so much fun. The Rieger works with local farmers, brewers, distillers and even table artists to bring you a very delicious and uniquely Kansas City dining and drinking experience. There’s a diversity here that might surprise but one constant is the genuine friendliness of locals who really seem happy you came to visit.

On a lunch break during my recent visit, I joined some local colleagues for a walk from the office downtown to a pedestrian bridge that offers panoramic views of the broad Missouri River and out across the plains. Opportunity. That’s what came to mind as I took in this view. I also was reminded why I like this Kansas City place. I never feel unwelcome. Just the opposite.