One of the unfortunate consequences of the highly politicized and fractured nature of current American public discourse is the extent to which many serious issues are framed in black and white terms. In most cases, looking at the shades of gray between the two extreme positions would be more productive. I bring this up nowContinue reading “The Straw Man of the Ukraine War”
Category Archives: History
Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 3
By our vacationing standards, it felt like Sunday had already been a busy and productive day by the time we returned to our hotel following our visit to the Civil War museum and brunch at Perly’s. But we still had another tourist stop and meal on the itinerary before packing it in for the eveningContinue reading “Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 3”
Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 2
I’ve mentioned in a post or two that I have a particular fondness for old drug stores that are still filling prescriptions and also have a soda fountain and/or lunch counter. They are probably a rarity in every region of the country at this point, but the Southeast seems to have a few more leftContinue reading “Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 2”
Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 1
My wife and I hit the road for the first time in a while this past weekend. Our destination was Virginia, where we spent a night in Staunton before heading southwest to Richmond, the state capital, for a couple more days and nights. Those of you who have read some of my old travel postsContinue reading “Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 1”
The Reading Terminal’s Most Overlooked Sandwich
Near the end of the post I wrote about my last visit to Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, the possibility of my next stop there including a roast pork or meatball sandwich from DiNic’s was raised. I returned to the Terminal for lunch Thursday and it turned out to be the latter. I’ve enjoyed meatball sandwichesContinue reading “The Reading Terminal’s Most Overlooked Sandwich”
Pat’s and Not Quite Geno’s
The two most iconic steak shops in Philly are unquestionably Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. They sit across the street from each other and have been rivals for many years. Pat’s was founded in 1930 by Pat Olivieri, who is credited as being the man who created the cheesesteak. Geno’s goes back toContinue reading “Pat’s and Not Quite Geno’s”
R.I.P.: Queen Elizabeth II
That was one long reign.
Lunch at the Yardley Inn of Bucks County, PA
My wife and I had a lovely Saturday afternoon that was centered around lunch with our friends Tom and Bernadette. They live in North Jersey, at least a couple hours from us, so we decided to pick a place that was relatively close to the half-way point between our two homes and settled on TheContinue reading “Lunch at the Yardley Inn of Bucks County, PA”
Potential Consequences of Digging In on Ukraine
I’ve written about Robert D. Kaplan, a favorite writer and international affairs analyst of mine. One of his favorite sayings is that in order to avoid tragedy, leaders must think tragically. That’s what renowned foreign affairs Realist, Professor John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, does in the piece linked to below. He examinesContinue reading “Potential Consequences of Digging In on Ukraine”
The Orchestral Music of Sibelius and Shostakovich
Most of my favorite composers plied their trade entirely or primarily during the 19th century. Two exceptions are Sibelius and Shostakovich. Shostakovich was the only one in the club to be born during the 20th century, while Sibelius straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, with much of his output coming during the 20th. As IContinue reading “The Orchestral Music of Sibelius and Shostakovich”
BZ Maestro Eats 