In Rome With Miss Expatria - Monday Morning Coffee Stories

Gentlest reader Jeremy’s first trip to Europe was to visit me in Rome in the spring of 2004. He is now spoiled for life, as you will read below. Jeremy is a union man, a grip in the film industry, a musician, an artist and, at 2.30 in the morning in a dive [...]

The Cost of Things in (My) Europe

This article proposes the unthinkable - skipping a trip to Venice because of the decline of the U.S. dollar.
My advice, in a word? DON’T. Venice is just too amazing to pass up.
But, this article got me thinking about the cost of being in Europe, whether on vacation or living here. As I [...]

Island Fantasies - Or, Ideas for That Year-End Bonus

Cal and I work at opposite ends of the house, although if we sit just the right way and squint, we can see each other. Our cat, Ladybird “Squirt” Johnson, like a child of divorced parents, shuttles herself back and forth all day between the sofa next to Cal’s desk and the chair next [...]

Discount Airlines in Europe

Does everyone know about wikitravel?
I’m sure everyone does, but I feel like it’s my own little secret. It’s basically wikipedia, but for traveling. I really love it and find it immensely useful, but the thing I don’t love is that there is not a specific section describing the gay community in its city [...]

Where to Eat in Venice

Venice is my favorite place on earth. However, there are very limited food options around the places where you’re most likely to want to eat. The best thing by FAR is to go cicchetti hopping - cicchetti is Venice’s version of the Spanish tapas, and you will find the most amazing places here [...]

Where to Eat in Italy - Miss Expatria Reveals (Almost) All

Roughly twice a year, my mother asks me to forward an email I wrote containing highly guarded information to someone we know who is going to Rome or Venice and wants to know where to eat.
Tomorrow is Rome. The next day will be Venice. Florence I don’t love, and I’ve only been [...]