Bryan Pirolli

It wasn't immediately clear why this burger restaurant in Beijing was special. Then Danny, the Airbnb host, explained a 1,000-year-old legend of how donkey meat became popular as beasts of burden were captured during a salt smuggling affair. The burger arrived at the table, fried green peppers mixed with actual donkey meat, served on a shao bing, a flaky bread.

Speakers like travel guru Rick Steves and Wild author Cheryl Strayed are among this weekend's invitees at San Francisco's Travel and Adventure Show. During the two-day event, some tourism agencies are paying special attention to attract more American tourists to China.

As dozens of adults from around the globe sipped Coronas in a Sanlitun bar, pretending to know the lyrics to some Spanish pop song, I looked around, a bit baffled, asking myself what I was doing there on my first weekend out in Beijing. I had just arrived, but it didn’t even feel like we were in China. So was this what it was like to be an expat? After living out of my own country for ten years, as an American in France, I never really knew.
Being an “expat” is a loaded concept, wrapped up in...

I was running the marathon in Lyon and my partner was coming with me. While researching Airbnb options, I messaged a host, telling her that I was coming with a friend — in French, it was clear that it was a male.
She wrote back, innocently enough, “The apartment only has one bed...”
I didn’t read too much into it, but I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I simply said, “Well after the marathon, I’ll be so tired I could sleep on the floor.”
I failed.
All I needed to say was that we were a couple, ...

The French city of Arras unexpectedly delivers the perfect weekend getaway for culture seekers. Blending French and Flemish design it's just over an hour's drive from Calais. Its subterranean attractions make it something of an alternative to visiting Edinburgh, and it includes a visit to the Louvre — but without setting foot in Paris.
A Flemish touch in France
Part of the Spanish Netherlands between the 16th and 18th centuries, Arras’s history radiates through its squares and restaurants. Bu...

An outdoor escape in France awaits travellers to the city of Rouen and the nearby cliffs of Étretat.
The capital of Normandy, Rouen offers visitors more than just apple cider and Camembert cheese — though either is a noteworthy justification for any impromptu tastings. If a jaunt through the UK’s Lake District sounds appealing, then Rouen and Étretat are a great alternative.
Excellent outdoor excursions
Made famous over the centuries by the likes of Joan of Arc and Claude Monet, Rouen mixes t...

On paper, the difference is just one “f” between coffee in Italy and in France — caffè and café. OK, the accent switches, too, but let’s ditch the minutia. In practice, however, the two coffee cultures have much more to argue about with wild, caffeinated hand gestures.
Having lived in France and Italy it has been entertaining to study the contrasts between the two countries.

When there is a line in Paris, you know you’ve stumbled upon something new and trendy. Recently, we waited in a line at the Station F, a small business incubator and one of the newest hot spots in Paris. Housed in a former rail station in the 13th arrondissement used by La Poste, today it is home to Paris’s coolest small business start-ups...

I’m not in London anymore. When I moved back to Paris after a year and a half in the UK, this became clear on many levels. The baguettes. The smoking. The cafés. It was all just as I had left it — almost...

I checked out three properties recently that are worth considering if you’re looking to get away from St-Germain or the Champs Elysées.

Skip the beaten path and explore the overlooked sights of western France on the way to Bordeaux. The country’s fifth largest city, tucked away in the southwestern corner, is an eight-hour drive from Calais. Fortunately, there are countless stops along the way, all easily accessible by car...

Video channel for Paris's only LGBT tour company, The Gay Locals (produced by B. Pirolli).

Where to eat this summer in Paris -- get it all here on Thrillist!