My trip to play golf at St. Andrews, site of this year’s British Open.

Every golfer who has been somewhat serious about golf must make a pilgrimage to the home of golf, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.  The earliest recordings of golf date back to 1456, several years before Columbus got to the New World. The opportunity arose in 1999, due to a business trip to London to see a famous physician.  Our friends, Mike and Susie joined us, though the ladies do not play golf.  They were good sports in letting us have this golf outing of a lifetime.

Several days in London, though fun and busy, went by slowly in anticipation of the trip up to Scotland.  We landed in the very industrial city of Glasgow, rented a van, and drove through Edinburgh on the way to the university town of St. Andrews.  Mike drove most of the time, as I had a lot of trouble remembering that those darn Brits drive on the wrong side of the road.  But the Scottish countryside is a beautiful part of the world, with quaint little towns along the way, and herds of sheep dotting the rolling, green hills of the Scottish Lowlands.  Later in the trip, we would make our way to the southwest area of Ayr and bunk down at the famous Turnberry Hotel.  We also visited a castle or two, but once you have seen one, you have seen them all.  Golf courses are different!!!

We got to stay at the famous Old Course Hotel, right on the Old Course at St. Andrews itself.  We were also playing other famous courses, like Carnoustie, Turnberry, and Prestwick.  We warmed up with 36 holes the first day in anticipation of the big day.  The hotel, while renovated in Scottish modern, still had a warmth and charm to it.  Dinner on the top floor required a jacket and tie for men, suits or dresses for women, and we took a must visit to the Road Hole Bar to taste one of hundreds of single malts Scotches available.

Everything you have heard about Scottish food is true.  It is not very appealing, though very hearty and rough.  The highlight was trying the haggis, which is sheep innards encased in a animal organ.  They told us that a vegetarian version is also available.  Our dry scrambled eggs and boiled potatoes looked wonderful at this point.  But when in Scotland, forget the food, and concentrate on golf and good Scotch.  Though many people said the food has improved, we are just too spoiled here in California. 

On the big day, we killed a few hours driving to some cute little villages, had some coffee and Scottish pastries, and tried to find the famous Scottish woolen outlets for some gifts.  We had one of our best meals at the Old Course Grill consisting of a hamburger and a beer.  We then realized the hour was upon us, so we ambled over to the starter’s hut near the 1st tee.  The hotel had our clubs there, we met our caddies, and an older couple who would complete our foursome.

We tried our best to warm up on the putting green but were just too excited.  When they called our starting time, we stepped on to the 1st tee.  The starter announced my name, my muscles got tense, my mouth dry, and I just prayed I could hit the ball somewhere, anywhere on what is about a hundred- and fifty-yard-wide fairway.  I managed a decent 3 wood onto the fairway, then watched the others hit their tee shots.

It turns out, Mike’s ball landed on a road, and he proceeded to take a drop.  His caddie stopped him and told him to play it where it lies.  He told us that “you bloody Americans” are always trying to change the game of golf!!  So, he picked the ball cleanly with his iron, and made a birdie on the first hole.

We had to wait on the 2nd tee for quite a while before we could tee off.  The four caddies sat down on our golf bags and proceeded to smoke.  We had one female caddie, since the rule then was that female players had to have a female caddie.  The difference was that she rolled her own cigarette, smoked it to the nub, then squashed it out on the back of her hand.  My caddie told me that she was the women’s golf champion of St. Andrews.

The round of golf was magical, and we were able to have some nice conversations with the caddies.  One was in a coma for several weeks after getting hit in the head with a golf ball.  Mine wanted to hit a ball with my clubs.  We started talking about life in Scotland, so he told me that he lives to caddie, drink, and chase girls.

It turns out that he lives at home with his Mom, while his Dad is out leading safaris in Africa.  I asked him what time he usually got home after one of his binges.  He replied with a matter of fact 3 or 4am, taking a quick nap, and getting to the course in the late morning.  When asked if his Mom got upset with him, his response was:  “I get home before she does”. 

As we made our way around the course, it was fun to recall the famous players and events that preceded us on this hallowed ground.  The caddies would point out where so and so had hit a magnificent shot, or a hole in one was scored by a friend of theirs.  This was fine, as Mike and I were both playing fairly well.  Until…..

We got to the famous Road Hole, where your tee shot must clear the corner of our hotel, before landing on the fairway.  When the caddie told me to aim over the upper left corner, not too far from our room, I just stood there, and asked him to repeat it.  Mike hit a magnificent shot, exactly where he was told.  I, on the other hand, chickened out and pulled my shot into the next fairway.  But then it got worse.  I landed my 2nd shot in a bunker (sand trap) that was deeper than I am tall.  The first shot had to go sideways, just to have a full swing to get out.  I managed it on the 2nd shot, much to my surprise and the caddie’s satisfaction.  The caddie then told me it took Nick Price (an excellent professional golfer) five shots to get out!!!

As we proceeded to the last hole, we were still as excited as when we started.  While we were waiting to putt on the 18th green, people outside the fence would watch, and remark and ask if we were famous or not.  The nerves came back, the mouth dried up, the muscles got tense.  But I sank my putt for a par in the shadows of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse. 

We met our wives as we stepped off the green, paid our caddies, and decided to head directly to a pub to celebrate our great rounds of golf.  Then it began to sink in, we got to play golf where it was invented and immortalized.  Whether it was an old timer like Old Tom Morris, or Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, we got to walk in their footsteps for a few, brief, and glorious hours.  The rest of the trip was great, but this was the day that I will always remember.

And who knows, fast forward to 2022, and I may return the Home of Golf!

MSN Espresso just listed the world’s most magical streets.  These postcard-pretty streets are home to unique architectural features and historic sites. People usually flock to the most beautiful streets in the world for their unique character, history, and atmosphere. Let’s take a virtual stroll down some of the most magical streets in the world.  

Here is my opinion about their choices.

Avenue des Champs-Elysees   Yes, definitely prettier at night

Bourbon Street Very tacky, but I still find it interesting and fun

Las Vegas Strip   A place to visit only once!

Broadway and Times Square   I enjoy it, for about two days, max!

Boulevard St. Laurent   The best street in Montreal

Steiner Street   Who does not love the “painted ladies” of San Francisco

Shibuya   Tokyo’s busiest, with two million crossings each day, exciting, fun and home to Hachiko

Fifth Avenue   Another Manhattan two-day visit

Oxford Street   One of London’s overrated places

Khao San Road It makes Bangkok feel like Times Square!

Lombard Street   I can understand why its residents are upset!

Yonge Street   Who would think Toronto has the world’s longest street (1178 miles)

Avenue Istiklal    One of Istanbul’s most enjoyable places

Beale Street   Why not love the blues in Memphis?

Hollywood Walk of Fame   Forget it!

Route 66 and Santa Monica   It is a long, long route

Grand Canal   I still say Venice stinks

Ocean Beach    A most overpriced area on Miami

Arbat Street   Moscow’s best souvenir shopping street

I commented only on the ones I have visited.  But here are some more:

The Magnificent Mile   No visit to Chicago is complete without it, big time retail therapy!

Riverwalk   San Antonio’s best street is a river

Ginza   Tokyo will change your life!  I love it.

Knightsbridge Road   One of London’s classiest streets, including Harrod’s

Kurfurstendamm  No longer a walled off city, Berlin is still a magical place

Any street in Plaka   One of my new favorite places in the world, Athens is special

Van Baerlestraat  Any street that borders great museums (Rijksmuseum and van Gogh) makes Amsterdam a great place

Avenue de Champagne   You knew my favorite street in Epernay would be on my list

Stradun  In general, Dubrovnik was a big tourist trap, but the street is unique

Electric Avenue  The one is Siem Reap, Cambodia, not Anaheim Disneyland.  No longer a dusty outpost!

There are any number of other streets that might qualify.  A few might be:  Beacon Street (Boston), Constitution Avenue (Washington, DC), Peachtree (Atlanta), Robson Street (Vancouver), Wilshire or Sunset Boulevards (Los Angeles), Avenida 9 de Julio (Buenos Aires), Orchard Road (Singapore), Sukhumvit Road (Bangkok), Avenida Atlantica (Rio de Janeiro).

What might be some of your favorites?

Did you read this from Food and Wine?

 Italy finally approved the sale of Prosecco rosé as of January 1, 2021. Formerly, Prosecco’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status didn’t allow for rosés. Wineries found a work-around by labeling pink fizz as spumante, but no longer. New regulations allow for actual Prosecco rosé, as long as it’s made from Glera (the grape of Prosecco) plus 10% to 15% Pinot Noir (hence the color). The Prosecco consortium estimates that total production of Prosecco DOC rosé may climb to 30 million bottles per year; cue the cheering from rosé and Prosecco fans alike.

Top Prosecco Doc Rosés

2019 Mionetto Prosecco Doc Rosé ($15)

Very pale pink, with a ripe citrus–red apple aroma, this bottle from one of Prosecco’s best-known names is appealingly fruity without being overly sweet.

2020 Villa Sandi Prosecco Doc Rosé Brut Millesimato ($17)

This salmon-pink wine has a distinctly crisp, refreshing zestiness. Its strawberry and green apple flavors end on an appealing dry, saline note.

2020 Bisol Jeio Prosecco Doc Rosé Brut ($18)

Bisol’s Jeio rosé upholds this top producer’s high standards. With delicate bubbles and scents of toasted bread and cherries, it offers a lot of complexity for the price.

2019 Val D’oca Prosecco Doc Rosé ($15)

Founded in 1952 by 129 farmers, Val D’Oca is consistently high-quality, which is rare for co-op wines. Its lightly spicy rosé is lively and bright, with a faint toasty note.

2020 Tiamo Prosecco Doc Rosé ($16)

One of the few Proseccos made with organically grown grapes, this pale pink bottling recalls watermelon Jolly Rancher candies (but without the sweetness).

2020 Angelini Prosecco Doc Rosé ($12)

This effusively bubbly sparkler offers plenty of juicy watermelon and apple flavor and heads into a slight licorice note on the finish. Chill it and drink it all summer long.

Sparkling Wine Summer Bargains

NV Faire La Fête Brut ($19)

France’s Limoux region made sparkling wines as early as 1531. A good crémant de Limoux like this one is delightful, with smooth bubbles, pear and apple fruit, and a lightly bready note.

NV Roche De Bellene Cuvée Bellenos Brut ($18)

Crémant de Bourgogne is the sparkling wine of Burgundy. This toasty, apple-scented one is a dead ringer for a brut nonvintage Champagne, except for the price.

NV Malvirà Rive Gauche White ($20)

Malvirà specializes in Piedmont’s Arneis variety, making several excellent non-sparkling single-vineyard versions of it, as well as this vino spumante, with its earthy, toasty finish.

2018 François Chidaine Brut Tradition ($23)

This wine from Loire Valley star François Chidaine offers flamboyant quince and pepper aromas; on the palate, it’s savory, intense, and completely dry.

NV Ferrari Trento Brut ($25)

Unlike Prosecco, this classic sparkler from Italy’s Trento region is 100% Chardonnay, which gives it an elegance and crisp focus that’s hard not to love—as is the lingering, creamy finish.

2017 Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée ($37)

This graceful, brioche-scented bottling from a top California producer isn’t inexpensive—but it can easily go head-to-head with much pricier Champagnes.

June 2021

If you have never tried Prosecco rose’, I suggest starting your tasting adventure at Trader Joe’s.  They have several Prosecco rose’ choices at a very reasonable price.  And they are pretty good!

Did you see this?

Airports with the Highest Likelihood of Delays

The percentage shown indicates the percentage of arriving late or canceled flights between July 2019 and July 2021.

                   Newark Liberty International (EWR), New Jersey: 24.29%  (I never fly out of here)

1. LaGuardia Aiport (LGA), New York: 22.52% 
2. Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), Texas: 20.77%  (I have been lucky here, no delays in the last 4 years)
3. Fort-Lauderdale Hollywood International (FLL), Florida: 20.22%
4. Palm Beach International (PBI), Florida: 19.66%

Airports with the Lowest Likelihood of Delays

The percentage shown indicates the percentage of arriving late or canceled flights between July 2019 and July 2021.

1. Daniel K. Inouye International (HNL), Hawaii: 11.69%  (Yes, generally great)
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), Georgia: 12.68%  (I think it is problematic with so many flights here)
3. Minneapolis St. Paul International (MSP), Minnesota: 12.73%  (Unless it snows)
4. Salt Lake City International (SLC), Utah: 12.78%  (Unless it snows)
5. Detroit Metro Wayne County (DTW), Michigan: 13.10%  (Unless it snows)

Airlines with the Most Delays

The percentage shown indicates the percentage of arriving flights that were late or canceled between July 2019 and July 2021.

1. Allegiant Air: 27.31%  (They have really improved as of late)
2. JetBlue Airways: 23.20%
3. Frontier Airlines: 21.24%  (I avoid Frontier!)
4. Envoy Air: 19.52%
5. United Airlines: 18.60%  (Count on at least once a year with a terrible delay)
6. American Airlines: 18.55%  (I have had good connections lately)
7. Spirit Airlines: 17.96%  (I never fly this airline!)
8. Southwest Airlines: 16.97%  (They postponed my flight about 12 hours, I call them SouthWORST!)
9. Alaska Airlines: 16.82%  (I have good luck with Alaska)
10. SkyWest Airlines: 15.99%  (Usually small delays, but nothing serious)
11. Republic Airways: 15.73%
12. Delta Airlines: 13.31%
13. Hawaiian Airlines: 11%  (No problems here)

Again, I generally experience fewer delays with foreign airlines, even the discounters like Air Asia, Ryan Air, and Easyjet.  I am not a big fan of Southworst, but it is hard to argue with their fee structure and freebies.  My personal favorites in the US are Alaska, and Hawaiian, but they do not fly everywhere.  Just beware when you fly some of these airlines.

Yes, we have all been to Vegas a dozen times or more.  Nothing surprises us anymore.  The Strip, mega-casinos, and various attractions seem to blend in now.  But I rarely hit the Strip, or even downtown, any longer.  I head out to Summerlin, where my dear friends reside.  Their gated community is an oasis in the Valley and feels like it could be located anywhere in the country.  
So, this trip, like many others, will not involve the Strip, shows, gambling, or fancy dinners.  Instead, and I must emphasize preferably, I will spend my time out in Summerlin, playing cards, and enjoying my friends, Ken and Debbie.

You might ask what we do with our time.  Since I no longer play golf, the TPC Summerlin course sits not more than a 3 wood from their home.  Mostly, we play cards, have some group meals, and just enjoy each other’s company.

That Vegas is just a place where my friends live is an understatement.  The Vegas influence looms over everything, even out here in the suburbs of Summerlin.  For one, most everything is new, rather over the top architecturally, and semi glitzy.  Even the simplest of shopping areas have some bling about them.  Most everything is clean, and well maintained.  The cars and homes are high end.

But my friends are just the best hosts, very caring people, with many friends and relatives always around.  They are my second family!

And we get to have dinner at a Thai fusion place nearby, called Nittaya, owned by some of their friends.

Vegas has become a real sports town, as opposed to a sports betting city.  They now have NFL Ray-duhs, and the NHL Golden Knights, minor league baseball, the NBA Summer League, and the Pac 12 and Mountain West Conference Basketball Tournaments.  Vegas has a plethora of golf courses, and hosts PGA tournaments.

Shopping is another big attraction here.  Two big outlet malls, one near the airport, another just west of downtown attract many tourists.  And when we drive to Vegas, we always stop in Primm, about an hour south of Vegas for more outlet shopping.  All the big names have one or more locations in the bigger casinos, like Caesar’s, Bellagio, Venetian, and ??

However, I do miss the days of big-name entertainment here in Vegas.  Remember the big names, like Sinatra, Elvis, Nat, Wayne, Sammy, and The Folies Bergere?

Can you believe Resorts World Las Vegas just bought a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner?  They can fly 282 guests in a two-class configuration, but only 18 Business class seats.  The range is 8,200 nautical miles.  Crazy?

I am just happy to spend a few days with good friends.

Over the past two years, my visit to Athens has been postponed a half dozen times, due to Covid.  Well, Greece opens up to tourists on May 14.  When will I get there?  May 14!  I plan to fly into Athens from northern Europe, and spend a week here, splitting my time between Athens and the island of Santorini.  You are probably amazed that I have not been to Greece heretofore.

Rather than take you back to Neolithic Age, Pericles, the Ottomans and Greece’s long (3400 years old) and colorful history (you can refresh your European history on your own), let’s just focus on the present.  Athens became the capital of the modern Greek state in 1834.  Best of all, the city’s historic center has been converted into the largest pedestrian zone in Europe.

Let’s save the Acropolis and its surrounding area for another email.  The core of the historic center is called The Plaka (northern side of the Acropolis).  The narrow streets are said to remind people of a time machine with ancient monuments, churches, Turkish baths, museums, and interesting tavernas.  Which ones do you think I will visit?  The Plaka is the best place to shop in the city.

Moving on to Monasteraki, with more narrow streets and small buildings, this is the home to the city’s traditional bazaar (Yousouroum).  And of course, nearby are a plethora of bars, tavernas, ouzeris, and clubs.  This is the center of the city’s nightlife.

Nearby lies the “heart” of the historical and commercial center along Ermou Street, home to over 2500 shops of all shapes and sizes.  The area is also home to the Town Hall, the Municipal Market (meat, fish, and veggies), and Kotzias Square.

Closer to the Acropolis is the Makriyanni neighborhood, with smaller museums, and loaded with bars, cafes, and restaurants.  Downtown with Syntagma and Omonia Squares dominate the neoclassical buildings.  The area is home to the Greek Parliament, the National Garden, monuments, and the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held (1896).  

The various neighborhoods create stunning panoramic views of the city.  Everyone says to avoid the suburbs (just like any big city).  Greater Athens has an area of 165 square miles.  Athenians do not consider themselves to be a mix of European and Asian cultures,  they want to be Greek or Athenian! 

Surprisingly, Athens is considered the hottest city in Europe, with an average summer temperature of 94 degrees F.  The Olympics in 2004 started a dramatic makeover for Athens, including a massive transportation infrastructure, public transportation, and the new international airport.

I hesitate to give you too much history and geography.  It is definitely the people here in Athens who make the city so lively and interesting.  Greeks are friendly and hospitable (courteous) to a fault.  They also believe in intellect, intuition, artistry, and a healthy respect for the past.  But perhaps more than anything else, Greeks love to drink, dance, and eat.  My kind of people!

I have always enjoyed Greek and Mediterranean food.  This is a great opportunity to widen my taste and wine palate.  I look forward!

Just to whet your appetite for Greece, here is a list of their ten most famous writers and philosophers:  Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Socrates, Aristophanes, Aristotle, Nikos Kazantzakis, George Seferis, and Yanis Varoufakis.  I remember reading some of these in high school:  Thesius and the Minotaur, Perseus kills Medusa, Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, and Apollo.

On the other side of their personality, Greeks are also verbose and intense in conversations.  They love and respect logic.  They also exhibit great charm, and may ask a rather personal question, just to get to know you.  While these may be rather generalized personality traits, I found it rather refreshing, compared to Americans back home.