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Kenneth M. Walsh

@kenneth_212

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Writer, editor and blogger living in Manhattan (so you don’t have to) / Author of WASN'T TOMORROW WONDERFUL? A MEMOIR, available now!

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Back from a perfect trip across the pond that saw — and heard — the music of my youth transport me back in time.

With the Hotel du Vin in Bristol as our home base (the clawfoot tub made it almost hard for me to leave the room!), we kicked things off at the Beacon with Saint Etienne — a band I discovered on KROQ while driving on Wilshire Boulevard in my convertible Volkswagen as a 20something trying to find his way in the world — on their Final Tour.

Although it had its glamour and perks, living in L.A. was a difficult time for me. Pulling in $23,500 a year (while commuting 100 miles roundtrip to Orange County in an aging VW) at the height of the AIDS crisis didn’t exactly provide a solid foundation, which is to say nothing of the endless roommate drama of one’s youth. So music was kind of my only salvation — what I didn’t spend on car repairs went to purchasing CDs, and no artist meant more to me during that period of my life than Saint Etienne. (They did not disappoint!)

From there, we explored Wales — touring Oystermouth Castle, wandering around the seaside village of Mumbles on Swansea Bay (Damian loves to trick me into hikes), visiting Swansea (the birthplace of Dylan Thomas), Cardiff (the birthplace of the Darling Buds, whom we missed by a week!) and Caerphilly Castle. Along the way, we hit a few bars on both sides of the border (the one straight pub we stumbled into wound up being the most fun!).

Then we headed to Exeter for its magnificent cathedral, the best French dinner and Clare Grogan celebrating the 45th anniversary of Altered Images’ “Happy Birthday” — especially fitting since the trip doubled as an early birthday celebration for my hubby. Hearing the album live took me right back to my teenage bedroom on West Kiva, where I never even dreamed I could someday marry a man, much less one as cute and smart as Damian.

Before heading home, we squeezed in one last first: Stonehenge, which was even more spectacular than “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” led me to believe.

The original plan was Edinburgh and Belfast, but unforeseen circumstances nearly caused us to call off the whole thing before recalibrating — and I’m so glad we did. xo taken in United Kingdom by @kenneth_212

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21 days ago

Forty years ago, pretending to work at Record Outlet in Detroit the summer Madonna’s “True Blue” came out. #FlashbackFriday taken in Detroit, Michigan by @kenneth_212

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3 months ago

The Knicks win it all for the first time since my buddy(!) Walt “Clyde” Frazier brought it home in 1973 (and 1970)! I have never watched a basketball game in my entire life, but I couldn’t be happier for my beloved NYC!🗽🎉❤️ taken in Studio 54 by @kenneth_212

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4 months ago

Perfect birthday weekend on the North Fork, a place I’ve wanted to visit for years.

Today is the actual “big” day, and I’m spending it doing what makes me happiest of all – in my chosen city with my husband, my cat and a biography of a fascinating woman from the past, Libby Holman. (The book happens to be a birthday gift I received from a dear friend some four decades ago, which I recently rediscovered in a box and am only now getting around to reading.)

Many thanks for all the birthday wishes! 🎂❤️🙏☘️🗽 taken in Greenport, New York by @kenneth_212

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4 months ago

Rainy but memorable weekend in Vermont, where we met up with my sister and brother-in-law to help pack up my niece Ally’s dorm room. Great spending some time with family — and to sample a state I had never visited before. (Bonus points for finding a converted Texaco station for lodging!)

Here’s wishing Ally the best of luck as she enters the next chapter of her life with her transfer to the University of Arizona this fall! ❤️🙏🌵 taken in Castleton, Vermont by @kenneth_212

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5 months ago

Summer is almost here, so time for a quick dump of a favorite winter memory from when my niece, Ally, came down from college in Vermont to visit her guncles. Final pic is the blog post I wrote about her birth in 2006! ☃️🎭❤️ taken in New York, New York by @kenneth_212

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5 months ago

#throwbackthursday
1987
IRS Records
Dryden Chambers
119 Oxford Street
London, W1 taken in Oxford Street London by @kenneth_212

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5 months ago

Sun, sea and intimacy. Already “homesick” for L.A., but we’ll be back. taken in Sunset Strip, West Hollywood by @kenneth_212

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7 months ago

Westside story taken in Venice Beach by @kenneth_212

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7 months ago

Sunset people taken in Griffith Observatory by @kenneth_212

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7 months ago

Upwardly mobile taken in Palm Springs Aerial Tramway by @kenneth_212

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7 months ago

Tree’s company taken in Joshua Tree National Park by @kenneth_212

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7 months ago