Sometime back in the mid-1980's, I cracked open a fortune cookie and out tumbled my fortune, which read, "You will travel far and wide for both pleasure and business." Hoping that particular prediction would come true, I saved the miniature piece of paper for good luck. I suppose it did come true, because I have been lucky enough to travel to some of the world's most interesting cities. While I have made only a dent in my list of must-see places, I think Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Tokyo, Kyoto, London, Paris, Montreal and Vancouver would count as truly exciting places to visit. Not to mention scores of great places around the U.S.

As part of my complete experience in each place to which I travel, I collect little souvenirs, such as tickets, postcards, matchbooks, receipts, currency, etc., relating specifically to my visit. They are stored away in an envelope I make up for each trip. It is fun to go back years later and look at these small memories; sometimes it feels like I've been transported right back to a specific date in a wonderful city, reliving some of the adventures I've had. Here is just a small sampling of the things I have collected. Sure, they may be a little goofy, but they still provide some great journeys back in time.

Oh yeah, I still have the original piece of paper from the fortune cookie. It was just way to small to scan.

LONDON, 1988
One of the many transit tickets I've collected from riding London's very efficient Underground. This one is from December 1, 1988 (for those Americans who don't know that 'December' can be abbreviated as 'DMR').

SYDNEY, 1989
Absolutely awful play, but it was in the Sydney Opera House. So just the venue made it a wonderful evening. And the fact that the tickets were complimentary.

TOKYO, 1990
Since I'm not a fan of sushi at 9:00 am, this is where we ate practically every morning. Sad, I know. But still curiously satisfying.

AUCKLAND, 1989
Whenever I travel to another country, I always take home some of the currency as a souvenir. New Zealand has some of the most attractive money.

BEVERLY HILLS, 1996
Postcard from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Mark took me there for an unforgettable birthday weekend. Sheer self-indulgence. I'm due for more.