Meet the Writer: Glynnis MacNicol
Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario. Now living in Brooklyn.
Occupation: Writer.
Favorite destinations: NYC. Paris. Spain. South Dakota.
Dying to visit: Kenya. Buenos Aires.
Bizarre travel rituals: I'm not sure I have any beyond a nearly paralyzing fear of flying, which I deal with by sitting absolutely still and wide awake no matter how long the flight. Somewhere in my flying history I convinced myself that my full and total concentration was needed to keep the plane aloft.
In-flight relaxation regime: "Relaxation." See above.
Always in carry-on: Beryl Markham's West With the Night, water, iPod.
Concierge or DIY? I endeavor to one day be able to answer "concierge."
See it all or take it easy? See it all. Preferably by foot.
Drive or be driven? Drive, baby! (Or walk, as the case usually is.)
Travel hero: My friend Kimberly Burns. Who knows everything, and if she doesn't she knows someone who does.
Weirdest thing seen on travels: Frequently the strangest things I see happen on my nightly walks home across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Best hotel amenity: The beds.
I dream about my meals at the now-closed Grange Hall in New York City. Their raspberry dressing owns some prime real estate in my memory. Also, the chicken and cider at Casa Mingo in Madrid. And pain au chocolate at a small Muslim bakery on Cours Saint-Louis in Marseilles.
Everywhere I go, I check out all the places I've read about in my favorite books.
When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by walking everywhere.
I always bring home receipts. If I'm not keeping a proper journal, this is second best. I dream of one day turning my receipts into some sort of (very fascinating!) art installation.
If I never return to _____, it'll be too soon because _____. Actually, I'm pretty happy to go anywhere. But I recall one very, long, very cold night spent in the waiting room for the ferry from Germany to Denmark that even now, nearly 20 years on, I hope never to repeat.
I travel for the view.
MORE GLYNNIS
Twitter: @GlynnMacN