Journalist Michael Lester has traveled the globe and self-published guidebooks from such destinations as Israel, Jordan, Panama, Scandinavia, New England; and Mallorca, Spain. For his newest travelogue, Lester set his sights on his own backyard: Benicia. “Dispatch from Benicia” goes beyond listing sites for tourists. It captures the character, history and geography of the town […]
Herald columnist authors new book on Robert Treat Hotel
2016 marked the centennial of the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, N.J. Named after the city’s founder, the 14-story building had its grand opening on May 17, 1916. Among the first guests were then-President Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith, who stayed in what would eventually be known as the President’s Suite. For the next […]
James Garrett: New novel captures spirit of early ’60s high school football
My novel “One Great Season 9-0!” continues to reach people as football season approaches. The fictional city of Homestead, and Homestead High School, is an obvious reference to Benicia and Benicia High School. I wanted to capture the atmosphere of a small town in 1960 as it was in Benicia at that time. Too much has […]