Room service is one of civilization's finest ideas. I realize this may not rank alongside antibiotics or electricity in historical importance. Still. Food arriving at your door while you are wearing a robe feels like [...]

Funny men are dangerous. Not criminally. Usually. I mean romantically. A handsome man can get your attention. A funny man can get past your defenses. This is worse. You are prepared for handsome. You see [...]

People love saying money doesn't buy happiness. Usually in extremely comfortable rooms. The statement is both true and misleading. Money does not guarantee happiness. Obviously. We have all seen miserable rich people. Some of them [...]

I think dinner deserves better clothes. Not every dinner. I am not wearing silk to eat soup alone over the sink. We remain practical. But when dinner is an event, I want it to look [...]

I have no intention of becoming sensible. Responsible, yes. Sensible, not entirely. There is a difference. Responsible means you pay attention to consequences. Sensible means you stop doing things that might become stories. I would [...]

I love restaurants. Beautiful ones, tiny ones, famous ones, slightly chaotic ones, hotel restaurants, neighborhood places, old institutions with polished silver, new places where nobody can explain the menu without using the word "concept." I [...]

Airports make me strangely emotional. Not airport security. There is very little poetry in removing one's shoes beside a plastic bin. I mean airports as places. They contain an extraordinary amount of human feeling for [...]

I believe in ambition. I believe in work. I believe in having goals, staying curious, making plans and occasionally behaving like a responsible adult. I also believe one day a week should be allowed to [...]

I like manners. This apparently makes me sound approximately 97 years old. So be it. I do not mean elaborate etiquette involving twelve forks and anxiety about which direction the asparagus should face. I mean [...]

I love convenience. I would like to establish this immediately before anyone decides I am about to advocate churning butter. I enjoy having food appear at my door. I enjoy knowing where the car is [...]

Some cities are beautiful. Some cities are interesting. And then there are cities that flirt with you. You know the difference almost immediately. You can admire a place without wanting to have an affair with [...]

I sometimes suspect dogs understand life better than we do. Not everything. My dog has, on occasion, barked furiously at a plastic bag. So I am not proposing canine governance. But dogs seem to have [...]