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Hollywood Hotelicide

My most recent visit to the City of Angels reminded me that even in as small an area as the eastern end of the Sunset Strip the options for overnight accommodation - and the quality thereof - can be bewilderingly variable. Sometimes, too much choice can be worse than no choice at all. With that in mind, here's some observations on the neighbourhood's nighteries. ... more »

posted: 29/04/2009 | comments »

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Sky High

The Spitfire I wrote about last month sold at auction yesterday for what is being reported as an all-in price of over £1.7 million. I was at the auction at the RAF Museum in Hendon, and the hammer price was £1,580,000 - so presumably the remainder was made up in various fees and taxes that would be subsequently levied (and which also help to explain why the several telephone bidders stalled what seemed quite early in the range of estimates - Bonhams listed the aircraft as likely to sell for between £1.5 and £2 million). ... more »

posted: 21/04/2009 | comments »

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Just Deserts

Las Vegas could well be my favourite city. Not for all the usual reasons - I don't drink, don't smoke, don't gamble, and am very happily married. Maybe my lack of a participant's interest in all that stuff allows me to see the place with a bit of objectivity: I'm big on context - as anyone familiar with my published writing (principally, I expect, commissioning editors and subs - though I have occasionally come across people who have actually read things I write for either information or something approaching pleasure, and am always delighted to hear from same) may have gathered. And there's a lot of context to Las Vegas... more »

posted: 20/04/2009 | comments »

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First Things First

So: a blog. It's not that I've resisted having one, more that I've not thought I'd ever have the time. But now I feel like I can't afford not to make the time. Why? Not sure. We'll see. Partly because I always have stuff I want to say and no particular outlet to say it. That might sound odd for someone who doesn't work in journalism to hear a journalist saying, but I think we all have tons of stories we'd like to tell that we're unable to convince anyone to publish: maybe some of those pieces will end up here. Maybe someone will see something here that contains the germ of an idea they'd like me to work up somewhere else. Maybe this'll be the shop window that I always thought my published work would be, but usually isn't. Or maybe it's not going to be any of those things, and I'll just end up sounding off about stuff with nobody paying the slightest bit of attention. We'll just have to wait and see.... more »

posted: 20/04/2009 | comments »