There's a huge difference between the more progressive and more regressive parts of America. That's just the way it is.

It's going to have to come to a point where politicians in their own political self-interest think it's safe and advantageous to come out on the side of drug law reform. Right now, they don't care about drug safety. They just care about their standing with the electorate.

Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate sourvenir is a broader perspective.

Travel is intensified living … and one of the last great sources of legal adventure.

I think that people don't realize that the sky will not fall when we legalize marijuana. My contention all along has been use will not go up when it's legalized. We'll just take the crime out of it. It's already a huge black market economy.

As a traveler, I've often found that the more a culture differs from my own, the more I am struck by its essential humanity.

By day, Venice is a city of museums and churches, packed with great art. Linger over lunch, trying to crack a crustacean with weird legs and antennae. At night, when the hordes of day-trippers have gone, another Venice appears. Dance across a floodlit square. Glide in a gondola through quiet canals while music echoes across the water. Pretend it's Carnevale time, don a mask - or just a fresh shirt - and become someone else for a night.