Want to learn how to fix your car? Take it on a 15,000-mile road trip. I promise–you will know your automobile, every blessed rattle, squeak, and rumble. Better still, visit someone who owns your car–who knows each nut and bolt. David King (owner of Brougham #615) and I have swapped many photographs and emails right
By now, caught in the fading twilight of a slightly chilly evening, my stomach was in full revolt, rumbling like the Brougham’s exhaust. Though I’d planned on lingering in Bennington, I decided the best course of action would be to prove that I’d been to Vermont, then head on to my final stop for the
Vroom through Vermont Read More »
This is a helluva way to break in a new engine rebuild, but I’m thankful not to have had car trouble since Boston. I have stopped holding my breath while listening to the faint hum of the motor or laying hands on the hood like it’s the altar of Cadillac. I’m not exactly “just driving,”
Putting on the Ritz Read More »
No, I wasn’t lost, thankfully. But somewhere around the quaint city of Hopkinton, my stomach took a turn for the worse. Having been a food critic for years, I know food poisoning. It’s an occupational hazard, that thankfully, I’ve only experienced three times. This wasn’t food poisoning. Yet maybe those sweet potato fries were a
A few friends have asked, “What is it like driving a 1958 Cadillac? Are you uncomfortable?” Good Lord, no. Driving a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado is like getting injected with Novocaine, wrapped in a ball of Fluff, and rolled down a Serta highway. I’m not feeling anything. Just big, fluffy Cadillac. Sure, she wanders a little
Rainy Days and Toll Booths Read More »
The Brougham seemed to be behaving after a week of struggles. Suddenly, in Maine, she began to run cooler and even the generator seems to be charging again. Did she heal herself? Who knows. Today I decided to make tracks for Vermont, barnstorming New Hampshire with a short stop at the State Capital. It is
Best Burger in New Hampshire Read More »
I drove to Rockland, not for its huge contingent of media, but for the “Spring Auto & Antique Aeroplane Show” at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. A friend in the Cadillac and LaSalle Club had recommended the spot, “They fly old planes there and generally get a unique assortment of vintage cars.” Sure enough, when
A Hoot of a Car Show Read More »
Good people of Portland: you are punk. I have seen more tattoos in the past 24 hours than in my past 10 years in the U.S. Navy. And some unusual daily drivers: a right-hand drive 1978 VW Beetle in bright orange; a 1974 Plymouth Fury; a 1961 Valiant. This is a city with an edgy
Docked in Portland Read More »
How do you start a business? How do you fund a new venture? How do you survive? All questions I’m frequently asked on the road. It’s true that capital is currently hard to come by. But it isn’t as dismal as you may think. To quote Stephan Chambers, the dean of my alma matter, Said
Big Bucks in Boston Read More »
As a former travel editor for Southern Living, I have been in more hotel rooms than the Gideon Bible. Check out some of my old stories at www.southernliving.com/travel/ As you might imagine, I’m pretty picky about hotels. So Catherine, our office manager, has to put up with my 20 questions about every hotel she suggests
Top 10 Hotel Annoyances Read More »
