Back in 1997, before we had kids, we bought a slightly neglected three-story house in the Hollywood Hills that was designed by an architect on the brink of becoming a superstar. Our house, the one where Franny was born (or at least the one she arrived at when we returned from Cedar-Sinai) was one of […]
OUR CUB REPORTER: SEVILLE GARBAGE STRIKE
In an otherwise ridiuclously beautiful city, we arrived in Seville to find the Andalusian capital in the grips of a mounting garbage workers strike. We sent the youngest of our tribe to investigate the situation and, in doing so, we can all learn a thing or two about global economics through the prism of a […]
OFF-SEASON TRAVELERS
There’s high season. There’s low season. Then there’s January 27th. One of the great joys of traveling for a whole year is that for large swaths of time, you get the world to yourself.
AN ARTIST IN BARCELONA
As we explore the planet, one of our favorite things is getting up in other people’s business. Our M.O. is “Shoot first and ask questions later.” At El Ingenio, a shop dedicated to papier-mâché costumes, puppets and carnival masks since 1830, we slipped quietly into the back room and filmed the artist in his workshop. He […]
FOUR FAVORITE FILMS (SO FAR)
As of this writing — at the unofficial halfway point of our journey — we have made 68 short films. We make these “souvenir films” for two main reasons: To share our experiences with our friends and virtual travel companions around the world — and ultimately for ourselves, so one day when our memory fails […]
KERALA SUNSET
We’ve seen a lot of sunsets on our journey — but only one worth making a movie about. They call Kerala “God’s Own Country.” Maybe these images help explain why. With this short film, we bid farewell (namaskār) to India. When we arrived in this country, the kids were a little afraid to step out […]
LAUNDRY DAY
When we set out, we knew laundry management would be one of the big challenges of the trip. In general, it’s been easier than we expected and we’ve only gotten down to our emergency underwear supply on a couple occasions. More often than not, we find a place that will wash our clothes for us […]
HOTELS ARE LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES
We’ve slept in over one hundred different beds so far. Many of them have been apartments, some have been cramped quarters on ships, other have been sleeper bunks on overnight trains, and a few of the best have been guest rooms belonging to friends or acquaintances. We live our lives surfing airbnb.com and hotels.com, trying […]
A NEW YEAR (TO THINK)
Every morning at sunrise, 365 days a year, Indian people arrive at the shores of the Ganges river to bathe in the sacred water, to mourn and burn the dead, to pay homage to their ancestors with offers of floating candles and flowers petals, and to pray. This is the holiest hour of the day at the […]
THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY
Here’s a little something you should know about riding an elephant. Having done it three times — in Laos, Thailand, and now India — it’s a meditative, almost soothing experience, balancing on a loveseat strapped to the elephant’s back, lumbering along with the giant beast through the jungle. Our first two pachyderm rides were essentially […]