On a Robert Thurman Journey

Last night I had the transporting pleasure of hosting an on-stage conversation with Dr. Robert Thurman, pre-eminent scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of Tibet House, professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies at Columbia University, 44-year friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and author of the urgent and compelling recent book “Why the Dalai Lama Matters.” Dr. [...]

Reading Paul Theroux

If you haven’t yet had the great pleasure of reading Paul Theroux’s new book, “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star,” put it at the top of your to-read list. To my mind, it’s Theroux’s best book since his trailblazing “The Great Railway Bazaar,” and in fact, in “Ghost Train” Theroux sets out to retrace the [...]

Local Treasures

Last week I discovered a delightful new lunch place (new for me, that is) on Chestnut Street in San Francisco. It’s called Pacific Catch and the specialty is, as you might have guessed, fish. I had the Grilled Fresh Salmon salad — a hefty portion of salmon tastily grilled and served on a bed of [...]

Frequent Flyer Update

Last week San Francisco CBS-TV affiliate KPIX sent a crew to my house to interview me about changes in the world of frequent flying. Some airlines have tacked on fuel surcharge fees to flyer awards; others are charging service fees if you redeem your rewards in person or on the phone; and some have increased [...]