Dispatches From Upstate NY

Read more about the article Driving U.S. Route 1 from Northern Maine to Key West; a new book

Driving U.S. Route 1 from Northern Maine to Key West; a new book

During the summer of 2014, I embarked on a solo drive that had roots stretching all the way back to epic road trips with my family as we followed my Air Force father on assignments here and abroad. In late-June 2014, I set out from my home in upstate New York to drive the entire length of U.S. Route 1 from remote, forested northern Maine to artsy, bucolic Key West. As it snakes along the East Coast for over 2,400 miles, this famous -- but somewhat ignored -- highway winds through some…

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Read more about the article Actions speak louder than words; Starbucks and crisis communications

Actions speak louder than words; Starbucks and crisis communications

Below is my Op Ed on the Starbucks arrest matter in Philadelphia, and how the company handled it. This column originally appeared April 27, 2018, in the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y.  (Photo credit: AdWeek) ------------------ Starbucks Backs it Words With Actions Actions speak louder than words. Just ask Starbucks about the value of this old adage. The large coffee house company is driving home a lesson many of us learned when we were young. To learn about responsibility and accountability, teachers, mentors, parents, and others employed this old saying to help…

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Read more about the article Cutting the cable TV cord: Our experience

Cutting the cable TV cord: Our experience

(photo credit above: AARP) We reached the end of our rope with cable TV in December. It seemed that every month our bill from Spectrum (or Time Warner or Charter...it's pretty confusing) was higher. When we asked about it, we were basically told that rates were going up, and would continue to increase to $200 per month later this year. That's a lot for a family that buys the basic cable TV package with one set-top box, phone and internet access. We don't buy any premium services like Showtime or HBO. The…

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Read more about the article The Guggenheim walk

The Guggenheim walk

(This is the second in a series of posts about hikes I've taken through New York City and elsewhere) New York City. There is, in my opinion, no other city in the world that so easily reveals an eclectic mix of history, arts, entertainment, business/finance, retail, architecture, and simply people from literally every corner of the globe. All are slowly unveiled while walking the avenues, streets, bridges, and alleys of The Big Apple. Over the last decade, I have embarked on many New York City hikes to experience the wonders of this…

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Read more about the article Walking from Manhattan to Brooklyn, 1880s style

Walking from Manhattan to Brooklyn, 1880s style

A set of bridges sits just south of where I live in Saratoga County, north of Albany. The small suspension spans carry interstate highway traffic across the Mohawk River between Albany and Saratoga counties. The bridges are formally known as the singular Thaddeus Kascsiusko Bridge, but most locals know them simply as "The Twin Bridges," or even "The Twins." I've gone along with this for years, but I've always felt twins was a better moniker for two not-that-similar looking, historic bridges that link lower Manhattan with Brooklyn. Viewed via Google Maps from…

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