Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
April 21, 2020
Adam Rodriguez is known for his long-time roles on shows such as “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: Miami,” as well as his work in films like “Magic Mike” and “CHIPs.” His latest project is Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.” Born in Yonkers, New York, and currently a resident of Los Angeles, the actor says he’s looking forward to returning to Italy one day. “It’s an unlikely choice given the current global health crisis,” he said. “But Italy is my favorite place to vacation. You’ve got great food and wine, mountains, beaches, beautiful countryside, not overly populated if you stay out of the major cities during the high season, friendly people and on and on. I have a very basic handle of the language. At times, it’s still a challenge to communicate. I enjoy that. Having to figure things out with the use of hand gestures and little bits of English or Spanish thrown into my very broken Italian is a constant reminder that I’m actually traveling. That keeps things feeling a bit more adventurous.” Fans may stay in touch with him on Twitter and Instagram.
Q. Are you good with foreign languages?
A. I speak conversational Spanish and work to pick up bits of other languages when I can but retaining what you learn is difficult when you’re not using it regularly.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. Porto Ercole. It’s a small fishing village about an hour and a half north of Rome. It’s quiet, clean and beautiful.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. My mom worked for United Airlines while I was growing up, so we got to take some great trips for very little money. These experiences made travel a very natural part of my life from a young age and I’m really grateful for that. The first trip I remember clearly would have been Disney World in Florida, but my favorite was Hawaii. I loved both places!
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. That people are the same the world over. Friendly, distant, open to strangers, closed to strangers, embracing life itself or running from it. Living to say, “Yes!”, or dying to say, “No.”
Q. Are you a street cart or fine dining kind of guy?
A. I would choose the fine-dining experience but honestly, there’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal prepared by someone who personally cares for their guests. A quaint restaurant where the owner is also the cook is usually the best.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. Anywhere along the California coastline. Go north, go south, you can’t lose. It’s all beautiful.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. Anywhere you can watch Mother Nature in action while being next to the person you’re in love with. For me, that’s been everywhere from Italy to Iceland, fancy hotels and Volkswagen buses, to Big Sur or my own backyard.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. Outside of North America I would say Florence (Italy), Sydney (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa), Mumbai (India) and Paris (France).
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Sydney reminds me of Los Angeles and Paris reminds me in some ways of New York. But in terms of being made to feel at home, Dublin, Ireland, has made me feel that feeling of warmth.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Cuba.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. A night guard so I don’t grind my teeth, dental floss, a lacrosse ball or travel roller to get the knots out of my neck and back from long flights and carrying luggage.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. I would like to sail around the world.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. No guilt on the road. Travel is the time to really live every day like it’s your last. Eat, drink and be merry to the fullest. But make sure you’re also moving your body! Long walks and getting a little lost, if I can, is another guilty pleasure.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. Very little. Most of the research I do prior to a trip is to get the best bang for my buck in terms of flights and accommodations. I like to figure the rest out as I go along.
Q. What is your best vacation memory?
A. A two-week road trip in a 1977 orange Volkswagen bus that my then-girlfriend and now wife drove up the California coast. We camped, stayed in a few nice hotels, went to see a few great concerts and were beginning to build a life we could only have imagined.
© 2020 JAE-HA KIM
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