Rising from the rubble: Impressions of Raymond

Some of my best days are days when I travel. And the best of my traveling days always seem to be those times when I talk to locals and ask them something about the place where they live.

I've noticed that if I do this one thing right - that is, engage with the locals - I am "off to the races," as the expression goes, and having the time of my life as I gather all sorts of first-person information about the places I visit.

No tourist map or guidebook comes close to this. No guidebook is going to buy you dinner or another round of beers, either.

Even if no one buys you anything, you feel as thou...