Homesick coming and going

Having the benefit of two home bases where I’m happy to live and work, I’m always surprised by my random bouts of homesickness. I should be grateful for the variety. I ... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Specialties of the house

By Michael Snyder

I had a dream the other night, and in it, I was at the original Oritalia on Fillmore Street in the mid-1990s when chef Bruce Hill was in charge of the restaurant’s innovative... Read More

Coastal Commuter

By the sea: A lifetime of longing and fulfillment on the beach

By Michael Snyder

There’s something about August that evokes lazy days by the sea — even for those of us who are land-locked. Maybe it’s because this month, above all others, is when w... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Tourism begins at home

By Michael Snyder

There’s a 1979 song by the English art-punk band Gang of Four entitled, “At Home He’s a Tourist.” I frequently feel that way, regardless of what city might ... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Service with a smile or a sneer

By Michael Snyder

I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly comforting whenever I walk into my favorite cafe, and the barista only has to see me to begin brewing up my “usual.R... Read More

Coastal Commuter

When roaches are your dining companions

By Michael Snyder

The destruction of Candlestick Park to make way for new development — shopping, corporate, residential, whatever — brought back many great memories of Giants and Niners games I... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Not-so-grand theft

By Michael Snyder

When you take the leap and decide to commute great distances for business or personal reasons, and one of the twin poles in your sphere is a freeway-laced, car-obsessed place like ... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Begging for answers to the disparity between classes

By Michael Snyder

A couple of evenings ago, something struck me hard while walking through my ostensibly upscale neighborhood in San Francisco — and I’m lucky it wasn’t a blunt object.... Read More

Coastal Commuter

At the Pan-Pacific buffet

By Michael Snyder

So a kid from the East Coast megalopolis moves out to California after college, and shortly thereafter, he learns that Asian cuisine is considerably different from the gooey, over-... Read More

Coastal Commuter

A little resolve

By Michael Snyder

I’ve always been amused by the concept of New Year’s resolutions. That whole charade where people use the turn of the calendar as an excuse or a line in the metaphorica... Read More

Coastal Commuter

A Question of Auto or Not

By Michael Snyder

Since deciding that my career and personal endeavors would be enhanced by sharing my time between San Francisco and Los Angeles, my life has been much more auto-centric than itR... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Eatsgiving

By Michael Snyder

The holidays are growing closer, which means that many of us will be growing larger, because holiday time is traditionally feasting time. Who among us would turn down a good meal �... Read More

Coastal Commuter

To the memory of lost friends

By Michael Snyder

October is here, when thoughts of ghosts and the afterlife are among the pillars of a very popular and fun-filled celebration that’s especially omnipresent in San Francisco. ... Read More

Coastal Commuter

No rain, big flame

By Michael Snyder

As I write this, California is dealing with yet another drought, something that’s been more the rule than the exception in recent memory. It’s kind of bizarre to be ens... Read More

Coastal Commuter

Change and loss in the city of gloss

By Michael Snyder

A day prior to writing this piece, I posted a status update on Facebook about the demise of a favorite Thai restaurant in my neighborhood — a pleasant, increasingly upscale distr... Read More

Coastal Commuter