One of the odd aspects of my childhood is that moving around so much means I’ve taken part in the cultural celebrations of many different...

I forgot about American Thanksgiving coming up. Perhaps because nothing could top our photo from last year. [Faux puritans. Thanksgiving...

My partner bought himself a pair of winter boots yesterday. I pointed out that he had inadvertently bought the exact pair I’ve owned for...

One of the facets of my travel-loving family is that they went into places back when the only travelers to an area went there as...

I went to a university that runs its own Emmy-style awards show.  It’s even won awards for being such a high-quality awards show. Let...

I just saw the movie Ender’s Game at a pre-screening and I have a lot tangential thoughts to share. [Hailee Steinfeld & Asa Butterfield...

The Halloween costumes of my mother’s youth doubled down on her opera training. Here are three from her teenage years. They were living...

These people. They make even the hideous fashions of the late 60s look chic. Maria Baroni & Helene Lasserre 1970 Verdon, France. Helene...

My people, going way back, must be a seafaring people. I want to discover pirates in my family tree. No, I probably won’t. I’ve always...

In America, I was an awkward child. It’s because I’m a time traveler. Opera singers, more than many other artists, spend their entire...

Felix E. Kudelka is one of my talented nephews who grew up in Nice, France. [Felix in Nice, 2000.] Like many of my family members, Felix...

Governor’s Island, New York City hosted a vintage French carnival this summer. I rode a  Vélocipèdes and took in the sights and sounds...

The French have developed a friendly sort of relationship with fleas. Of the many creatures that historically live around humans, the...

It was a lovely day. I took Metro North from my beloved Grand Central Terminal and rode up America’s most southernmost fjord (thanks,...

New York City is a silly place. It’s a place where I want to stop into a store to investigate a cute side table, but I can’t, because...

It’s August and I’m returning to NYC for the first time after a long absence. There was a moment when I became a New Yorker and I can...

I’ve flown hundreds of times and most of those flights were more than four hours long. I’ve done a few back-to-back 14-hour flights....

New Zealand has been good to us. It’s been a five-year vacation from the grime and absurd pace of New York City. I had to stop saying...

My Canadian friends have offered advice about what winter wear products I’ll need to survive my first proper cold season. I was having a...

My great-grandfather, Hector Lasserre, on the left with my grandmother, Hélène, in the 1930s. Libourne, France. Here is a sketch she made...