Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“I am always deeply influenced when I go to Korea. It is an endless source of inspiration for me. I have ties there, so it is special. But I also approach it as an outsider and learn new techniques and cooking traditions. I always look forward to going back again and again.” — Chef Edward Lee, star of “Culinary Genius” and “Fermented.”
“I live in Manly, (near) Sydney,” says Australian filmmaker Mark Lamprell, one of the co-writers of “Babe: Pig in the City.” “It’s a magical part of the world — a spit of land with an ocean beach on one side and Sydney Harbour on the other. You can catch a ferry into the city center in 20 minutes.” Lamprell is also the author of the book, “One Summer Day in Rome” (Flatiron Books, $24.99). We talked with him about his travels in general and Rome in particular.
After impressing critics with his work in films such as “Antwone Fisher,” Malcolm David Kelley was cast to play Walt on the hit series, “Lost.” Now 25, Kelley is one of the stars of the new Kathryn Bigelow film “Detroit,” which is based on the Algiers Motel incident during that city’s 1967 12th Street Riot. “Detroit is a city with so much history,” says the Los Angeles-based actor. “The people are great and truly resilient.”
Los Angeles-based actress Mickaëlle X. Bizet (“American Crime,” “Diary of the MadMan”) formerly lived in Martinique, Paris, Viry-Châtillon and Boston. An avid traveler who speaks French, Creole and Spanish — in addition to English — she says her knowledge of foreign languages has helped her as a tourist. “My favorite travel memory isn’t fancy,” X. Bizet says. “It’s when I got lost by myself in San Juan and I used my Spanish to ask for help and find my way. People I spoke to understood me and I understood them. I was so proud of myself. I didn’t even have a GPS.”
Actress Molly Bernard (“Sully”) likes staying busy, which is a good thing given her work schedule. The star of TV Land’s “Younger” — where she portrays publicist Lauren Heller — also has a recurring role on the Emmy Award-winning series, “Transparent” (Amazon Prime Video). Bernard, 29, resides in Brooklyn, and is a fan of New York in general: “In the summer, I love Fire Island. It’s my main destination and I spend a lot of time dreaming about it during the cold winter months.”
Actor Richard Short says, “Everyone knows the best establishments to dine at when traveling are street carts by the side of the road. I’ve eaten in Michelin star restaurants that, while delicious, haven’t come close to the sensory experience of a simple piece of fruit hand delivered on the Panamanian roadside.”
In her memoir “A Stitch of Time: The Year a Brain Injury Changed My Language and Life” (Simon & Schuster, $26), Lauren Marks recounts her brain aneurysm and how aphasia affected her life. “At the time, I was an actor, director and Ph.D. student living in New York City,” she says. “I was 27 years old and had largely lost my abilities to speak, read and write. I was a foreigner in my native tongue.”
Former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila is the co-host of NBC’s obstacle-course competition series, “American Ninja Warrior.” An avid traveler, Gbajabiamila says he prepares for overseas trips by researching “language for key phrases, history and what the locals enjoy. Of course, I have my top touristy stuff to do, but that’s at the bottom of the list.”
Barry Watson rose to fame portraying the eldest child on “7th Heaven.” In his latest project — the UP TV dramedy, “Date My Dad” — the actor stars as Ricky Cooper, a widowed father of three girls, who tackles raising his young children with the help of his mother-in-law (Raquel Welch).
Born in Kansas, raised in New York and currently a resident of California, actress Emily Wickersham portrays Special Agent Eleanor Bishop on the popular CBS series, “NCIS.” An avid proponent of exploring the world, she says, “Every time I travel, a little piece of that trip comes back with me and it becomes a part of me. Experience is something that adds to anyone’s life and work. For actors, I think the more you know and learn, the more you’re able to add to the richness of the characters you play.”