Brian Cicioni

Los Angeles: Little Armenia, Thai Town & Hollywood Forever

Posted by Brian Cicioni | Mar 14, 2016 | California |

Los Angeles is home to the only Thai Town in the United States. For the past 50 years, Thai people have been settling in the six blocks along Hollywood Blvd between Normandie and Western Avenues in East Hollywood. The area was officially named Thai Town in 1999 and has been referred to as the 77th Thai province (the other 76 Thai provinces are in the motherland). Just south of Thai Town is the only Little Armenia in the United States.

2016 Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show: A Review

Posted by Brian Cicioni | Mar 11, 2016 | California, Event Reviews |

Started in 2004, the Travel and Adventure Shows have a mix of exhibitors from around the world and celebrity speakers with some culture-focused entertainment thrown in for good measure. The 2016 Los Angeles show featured speeches followed by meet and greets with the likes of Samantha Brown, Pauline Frommer, Peter Greenberg and Rick Steves.

Pearl Jam: My Dream Setlist

Posted by Brian Cicioni | Feb 25, 2016 | Music |

Pearl Jam are known for their varying setlists, but the shows I saw between 2009 and 2010 had the most surprises. Although Iâ€™ve seen Bruce Springsteen play some 165-minute shows in New Jersey, Pearl Jam played 200 minutes that final night at the Spectrum and nearly three hours the last time I saw them.

Bensonhurst & Sunset Park in Brooklyn

Posted by Brian Cicioni | Feb 18, 2016 | NYC |

The D train connects Norwood in the Bronx with Coney Island in Brooklyn. In Manhattan, it stops near historic sites like the Apollo Theatre and Hamilton Grange in Harlem as well as tourist havens like Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park in midtown. Before crossing the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, it also stops in Little Italy and Chinatown.

A Pennsylvania Native Spends His First Day in Pittsburgh After 36 Years

Posted by Brian Cicioni | Jan 16, 2016 | Pennsylvania |

When I meet someone who’s not from my home state, I tell them I’m from Pennsylvania. The east coast people tend to ask how close to Philly I am, while everyone else asks if I live near Pittsburgh. Until recently, my answer was that I’d never been there, as it’s on the other end of the state. I’ve always been curious, so for the first weekend of the New Year, I finally explored Pittsburgh.