by Michael Shapiro | Aug 9, 2015 | Blog, Books, Interviews, Literature, Stories, Travel
I first interviewed Paul Theroux in 2004 for my book, A Sense of Place, a collection of interviews with the world’s leading travel writers. Though some consider him brusque, blunt and — this irritates him the most — curmudgeonly, I found him to be...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 8, 2015 | Blog, Food, Interviews, Music, Sports, Stories, Travel
Sometimes, if you’ve worked with an editor for a while, she approaches you with an assignment. And occasionally she opens the door to your dream story. When my editor at Inspirato suddenly had an opening for a feature and asked me to pitch a story about Chicago,...
by Michael Shapiro | May 13, 2015 | Blog, Music, Stories
As a kid in the ’70s, I enjoyed Boz Scaggs’ hits, such as “Lido.” But it wasn’t until I heard his blues classic “Loan Me a Dime” that I realized what a masterful musician he is. It was a pleasure to interview the easygoing and...
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog, Food, Interviews, Stories, Travel
It’s no secret that many of the cooks making New York City’s best ethnic food didn’t grow up eating smoked salmon or corned beef sandwiches. On the upper east side I found two Chinese brothers selling fantastic sturgeon and the guys making the...
by Michael Shapiro | Mar 17, 2015 | Blog, Sports
Below are excerpts from the recent “I hate cyclists” blog post by Sebastopol meat company owner Adam Parks. I read this on his site on Saturday. It’s no longer up, but I can post excerpts and my responses to this despicable rant in which he suggests...
by Michael Shapiro | Sep 6, 2014 | Blog, Stories, Travel
My first New York Times story was a piece about Wine Country real estate: Destination Guide | Napa and Sonoma Vineyards With Vistas By MICHAEL P. SHAPIRO Published: July 26, 2006 An hour to 90 minutes north of San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys...
