by Michael Shapiro | Aug 9, 2013 | Blog, Stories, Travel
Every June, I mark the anniversary of leaving my last full-time job, at CNET in SF. It’s been 15 years with lots of highs and lows, but I’ve never regretted the decision to walk away from the rigidity of full-time work and hang my virtual shingle. Here are...
by Michael Shapiro | May 29, 2013 | Interviews
I love interviewing authors because they have so much to say. I learned that the easy way when I put together my first literary book, “A Sense of Place” — a collection of conversations with travel writers. Last fall I spoke with a hero of mine,...
by Michael Shapiro | May 17, 2013 | Blog, Interviews, Sports, Stories, Travel
In the fall of 2009, Mariner magazine asked if I’d go to Mazatlan to write about the cliff divers there. I’d watched cliff divers in Acapulco during the ’70s on ABC’s Wide World of Sports but didn’t know they were still plunging into the...
by Michael Shapiro | May 10, 2013 | Blog, Interviews, Music, Stories
In the early 1990s, Cowboy Junkies lead vocalist Margo Timmins performed just for me. I sat about 30 feet away from her and she sang one of her favorites, “Misguided Angel” to an audience of one. But I’m not sure she even noticed me. I was at the...
by Michael Shapiro | May 6, 2013 | Blog, Stories, Travel
One of the best ways to see a country is on a slow train. Perhaps the most enjoyable of these are the 19th-century railways of Wales. In 1996, I came across a site called The Great Little Trains of Wales as I was researching my first book on using the Net for travel....
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 1, 2013 | Blog
LAS VEGAS — MGM’s newest mega-resort, a gay-friendly hotel which starts construction this spring and will open in late 2015, will be called the Fellahtio, said spokesman Richard Johnson. The building will be a high arcing tower he said, featuring a curved...
by Michael Shapiro | Nov 1, 2012 | Blog, Sports, Stories
Well the playoffs worked out beautifully for our SF Giants, but I still think a one-game playoff cheapens the season – here’s my comment for The Press Democrat – it’s short, a 2-minute read. October 3, 2012 These are golden times for Bay Area...
by Michael Shapiro | Oct 23, 2012 | Blog, Gambling
One of my poker buddies had an amazing route to the WSOP a few years ago, outlasting about 100 players to win his entry into the most popular tournament in the world. Here’s my story for my gambling column in the SF Chronicle. Click here to read it at SF Gate. I...
by Michael Shapiro | Sep 6, 2012 | Blog, Gambling, Stories
A bunch of guys in a big room playing poker: a typical scene but one that could have led to jail time for its operator. Until a federal judge said game on – here’s the story I wrote for the SF Chronicle. — By Michael Shapiro, Sept. 6, 2012 Anyone who...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 24, 2012 | Blog, Gambling
It’s amazing the lengths these young devout Christians will go to gamble. Yet the players revel in their trips to casinos. When Ben gets kicked out for card counting, he starts wearing costumes, ranging from a goth ensemble to, of all things, an M.I.T. student....
