2 days ago
Veteran Broadway actor Richard Topol on hanging with Larry David — and that time his car was impounded
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
I've been dying to go to Machu Picchu. I'd like to do the few-day hike all the way up — something about the combination of a vigorous climb through forests and highlands to reach the top of a mountain, where you find an unfathomable man-made structure, seems like the magical pairing of natural beauty with human creation.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?
Depends on where I'll be going, but my sister-in-law is a travel agent and I often like to go through her.
Advertisement
Thoughts on an 'unplugged' vacation?
I'm headed to the High Sierras in California for a week of backpacking in August with three of my college buddies. Can't wait. Unplugged for sure.
What has been your worst vacation experience?
Can I let you write about this? My girlfriend and I were traveling back from Canada in her old VW bug, and we got stopped at the border because we looked young and scruffy — or at least I did. It was during [the elder] George Bush's 'war on drugs.' I had one joint in my backpack, and they took us out of the car and searched everything. When they found my joint, which my girlfriend begged me to throw out the window before we got to the border, they impounded the car, and we were stuck at this isolated border station in Vermont. Luckily, they said we could buy the car back, and it was an old VW, so its Bluebook value was only $250. The Border folks had to drive us 20 minutes to the nearest town so we could withdraw that cash from a bank and buy the car back. The most expensive joint I never got to smoke.
Advertisement
What is your favorite childhood travel memory?
So many. Maybe my favorite was our road trip from the Adirondacks through Canada to Quebec City, Montreal, and the Thousand Islands to Toronto, or the summer where we swapped houses with a family in Richmond just outside London.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
Yes, yes, and yes.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation?
I've been trying to crack open both Colm Tóibín's 'The Magician' and Michael Chabon's 'Summerland.' The former seems just the right kind of intense and the latter the right kind of magical.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
Larry David, with whom I worked on Broadway in his show 'Fish in the Dark.' He might complain a lot, but we'd get to play at all the best golf courses, and he'd make me laugh, even if our flights are delayed, our food never comes, or our luggage gets lost.
Advertisement
What is the best gift to give a traveler?
Advice on the best places to eat, where they are going. Seriously, remember not to over-plan so much that you can't be open to the new world right in front of you. I think you are asking for a tangible physical thing, but I think this is more important and useful.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
I do like a few clementines or some fresh fruit because there's just so many tasty salty snacks out there that are hard to say no to.
What is the coolest souvenir you've picked up on a vacation?
A beautiful handcrafted wrought iron water basin with a mirror that my now wife and I picked up on the vacation in Italy where we got engaged.
What is your favorite app/website for travel?
I just Google everything.
What has travel taught you?
That the world is a big beautiful planet filled with magical places, interesting people, and incredible history. Get off your butt and be inspired; learn and grow from experiencing it.
What is your best travel tip?
See the previous answer and the answer to the question about the best gift to give a traveler.
