by Michael Shapiro | May 28, 2012 | Blog, Featured, Stories
I always thought if I ever floated down the Amazon it’d be in a dugout canoe on a shoestring adventure. But when the editor of a magazine for country club members asked me to join a luxe cruise, of course I went and had a fabulous time. The local guides were the...
by Michael Shapiro | Dec 7, 2019 | Literature, Stories, Travel
To spark the holiday season, Guatemalans roast an effigy of the devil. I wrote about the spectacle for American Way, the inflight magazine of American Airlines. Here’s how the story starts: The flames rise 30 feet into the air, casting a lurid glow on...
by Michael Shapiro | May 6, 2012 | Blog, Interviews, Stories, Travel
After seeing what FLW did with the Guggenheim, I expected his desert home to be outrageous and astonishing. Of course it wasn’t – the low-slung building fit perfectly with their desert surroundings. Following is my story on the witty and enormously...
by Michael Shapiro | May 1, 2012 | Blog, Music, Stories
Usually when an actor takes the stage to play music it’s mediocre at best. But Hugh Laurie can really play piano and has assembled a top-shelf band from New Orleans. I profiled Laurie in advance of last Tuesday’s show in Napa, which was superb....
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 25, 2012 | Books, Interviews, Literature, Stories
When my book A Sense of Place came out a few years ago I got compliments about being a good interviewer. But here’s the secret: I interviewed people — the world’s leading travel writers — who had something to say. I had a similarly delightful...
