The enduring Celtic Cross. Photo courtesy Tourism Ireland. Curated by Ed Boitano With the U.S. seemingly winning the battle against the Covid pandemic, there’s a sense of euphoria that envelops our nation. But our hearts go out to T-Boy’s Canadian and Italian writers who are still in the thick of things, struggling with the pandemic. So, the fight continues and …

When I heard that the Los Angeles Zoo had finally reopened a few weeks ago, I knew it was time for a return visit to one of my favorite local attractions. I then made advanced online reservations, which are currently required for all guests, including members. My getaway began when me and the family walked beneath the giant, iconic metal …

Quarantine to me always meant science fiction movies where something untoward has happened to the characters and they are forcibly removed by men in hazmat suits to an undisclosed location. I’d never imagined that for my next vacation I’d be actually booking my quarantine. A bit like shopping for your prison cell: Can we get something with a southern exposure and …

Surrounded by angry neighbors, Costa Rica chooses national parks, wildlife preservation, free health and no-cost education through college. Oars up for these rafters on a quiet stretch of the Pacuare River, a classic pool-and-drop stream. ©Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld. TURRIALBA, Costa Rica – It was 6:01 a.m. when we heard them barking, insistent “huh-huh-huh-huhs” rising above the rain forest canopy. After a …

T-Boy’s adulation continues with the second episode in a series devoted to Celebrity Hotel Rooms & Suites. Part I covered the Ernest Hemingway Suite at the Sun Valley Lodge, the John & Yoko Suite at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, and Paris’ Oscar Wilde Suite at L’Hotel. Here’s three more Celebrity Suites which proved to be both historical …

Let’s look back at a tragedy which dramatically overshadows today’s current event. It is one of the most bleak and secretive tragedies in our past. It is so secretive that my thoughtful guide in Oklahoma knew nothing about it, and I had to direct him to its site. It is the worst race riot in U.S. history.

Wandering the hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in our home base of Montalcino, Italy, a Medieval city of interlocking passageways, steps and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square, I reminded myself I was walking through history spanning eight hundred years. Stopping for lunch, I ordered a glass of the house wine. A bottle arrived at …

I’ve been a tree-lover most of my life. The observation of, and communion with trees has added much pleasure to my existence. So when it became clear that a trip from my home in Seattle to the San Francisco Bay area was in the near future, I decided to drive and see some sights along the way. I planned to …

The 1993 Long Beach Blues Festival was a phenomenal tribute to the blues of the Delta. It featured Robert Jr. Lockwood and Pinetop Perkins on stage, recreating a live presentation of radio station KFFA’s ‘King Biscuit Time.’ There was also an outstanding homage to the work of Robert Johnson; brought to life by Lonnie Pitchford, Keb’ Mo, Rory Block, and …

I am an unabashed enthusiast of idolatry and hero worship and homages and there’s nothing I can do about it. Perhaps color me a patron of the arts, with the closest I’ll ever come to certain artists is by seeing their rooms or suites where they had once slept. Of course, the obvious way to enter the world of an …

El Charro Cafe has sat in the same spot since its founding in 1922. Photo courtesy of Deb Roskamp. Owner Marques Flores marched around our table pointing out historic dishes on El Charro Café’s menu. “Order these three items and it will be like eating at my own home.” Who was I to disagree for authentic is what I desired, …

Once again, I had it all wrong. A friend of a friend had informed me that Tucson, Arizona was still very much part of the Wild West, where people wore no masks, did not participate in social distancing and everything was wide open. I found the opposite to be true, despite my chagrin of all indoor museums closed. The Tucson …

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s latest poll is devoted to something that we all have experienced: Travel Nightmares. Our first entry by the most esteemed Richard Carroll puts the theme in the proper context. It’s really all about ourselves and should serve as travel lessons learned.

There is something special about Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa. The moment I walked through its colorful, luxurious lobby I felt a calm come over me, like I was suddenly on a carefree vacation. This feeling magnified as I walked past a flowing stream and serene garden courtyard.

The last 18 miles of the road leading to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, full of ruts and potholes by design, takes over an hour and a half to navigate. The locals like it that way. And they choose not to fix it because it would be too easy then for tourists to visit.

James Cotton was born into a Mississippi farming family in the middle of the summer, 1935. As the youngest of eight children, his prospects in the Tunica cotton fields held few opportunities beyond hauling water buckets for laborers or endless hours on a plantation tractor seat in the sweltering Delta sun.

I’ve been reveling in the warmth of my recent trip to Costa Rica, and not just because of the heat and humidity. This alluring Central American nation of five million Ticos (citizens), roughly the size of West Virginia, consists of just .03% of the earth’s landmass, but is home to 5% of its biodiversity.

Do you have a dozen or more buddies, besties who’ve been vaccinated for Covid-19 and are itching to get out of the house? Are they the free-wheeling sort, willing to splurge, always up for an adventure? Lastly, are they cheerful and tolerant, relaxed enough to share a house with 21 other people?  

Luther Tucker loved the blues. Born in Memphis in 1936 his path in life seemed pre-destined when he moved to Chicago in the early 1940s. His mother played piano and she would eventually introduce young Luther to some of Chicago’s most legendary bluesmen.

Key West, Florida is more than a place. It is a spirit, a funky energy that enters your soul and takes residence in your worldview as well as your inner vision. A state of mind more than a city; a way of life more than a place to live. It’s a lifestyle, not a destination. All expressed in the absurdist poetry that is Key West, a language not spoken anywhere else in the country.

What is Filipino food really? This was a question posed by a Filipino-American who grew up in New York as he traveled to his native Philippines with the late Anthony Bourdain in the latter's food and travel show No Reservations. Growing up in America, this guy knew for sure what Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cuisine is. But Filipino?

Right now we’re all chomping at the bits to see the rivers and oceans; mountains and forests; cities, towns and villages; and the cultural ramifications and history of our sacred nation. It’s just a matter of time. So, until then, here is the T-Boy Society of Film and Music poll devoted to domestic bucket list destinations.

In fall, 2019, I set out for the West Village in a monsoon. It was the last night of a small, culturally significant exhibit that I wanted to catch. At the designated address, I walked into a darkened courtyard, seemingly the patio of a shuttered restaurant on the far side of the enclosure, certainly not a gallery.

Foreign countries may close their borders and airlines cut their flight schedules, waiting for Covid-19 to disappear, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to a vacation this year in a Colorado hideaway as safe and solitary as it is remarkable.