A day of freezing ice and rain in New England is best spent at the Peabody-Essex Museum, ogling the eerily atmospheric Yin Yu Tang Qing dynasty merchants’ house. As the historic Chinese house’s only visitor today, I was alone with the two guards, amidst the trickling raindrops and grey natural light of the atrium.
My New [...]

Months since my last Manhattan footsteps, contemplating the after-college depression-era job market, I read an article on “How the City Hurts Your Brain.” The pace of urban life not only tends to put people in foul moods but also impairs a person’s memory and ability to focus. Jonah Lehrer’s article touches on a phenomenon that [...]

The only relief that comes with New Year’s Eve is that it marks the end of the frustrating string of holidays. The season from mid-November through January 1st reinforces the conventional and exhausting notion that a person should be a part of an intact family unit and a romantic couple. New Year’s Eve is especially [...]