I have a load of weird connections with Toronto. It was the only place my parents had traveled long haul before they had us. It was the destination for the only long haul holiday we ever took as a family. My wife used to live there. It's also a lovely place to moderate research. The …
Chengdu
At first glance China seems to be bewildering, impolite and culinarily disappointing. No one speaks English; the signs aren’t even in a familiar alphabet. People are impatient, pushy and sound like they’re locked in a constant battle with their phlegm. The food on the hotel buffet looked grey and gloopy. But, this is all bollocks…. …
Ruislip
For very practical reasons we moved to Ruislip four years ago. For the last two years we have been desperately trying to leave. Ruislip is a rational choice if you work in West London (my wife does), use Heathrow a lot (yep) and your parents live in the West Midlands (mine) or North West (her's). …
Venice Beach
The food in Venice Beach is complex and conflicted. On the one hand Venice Beach is the heart of California's body beautiful cult. In a place where even the homeless have abs everyone's body is their temple. But on the other it's also where America comes to drop out (because Americans even need designated places …
Trump’s America
Venice Beach smells of piss and pot. It's full of tarot readers, henna tattoo stalls and shops selling sloganned t-shirts. My friend (who lives here) calls it Camden on Sea; that's not a compliment. Yet my friend chooses to live here and I have gone out of my way to stay here on my last …
Singapore
I like Singapore. Ok it's organised fun and nothing like Manila, Jakarta or Bangkok, but I found all those cities exhausting. I only like Bangkok out of the three. Look, if you think your Dad funding a trip to Asia will help you find yourself then Singapore is not the place. My understanding is this …
Chicago
I've been to Chicago more than I've been to any other U.S city, and I really like it. Work takes me there but I want to go with Helen, I just don't know how to fit it into a trip anywhere else we want to go. I love U.S. bar culture, that the thing to …
Bucharest
I've started doing this (again) as some people seem to be interested in all the places my job takes me. I always post pictures of amazing meals and cool places when I'm on a work trip, but I when go for dinner with my wife I often don’t take my phone. The reason I post …
Everything in moderation 