Making Spirit my Home

Posted by: Neil Chhabra on Jun 17, 2012 | 16 Comments

I am speaking into a microphone on the dock of a small pond in my hometown of Litchfield Park, Arizona.

When I first moved here in 1985, it was a lone oasis of pools and palms amid an expanse of dry and dusty desert. An oasis it remains, though today it glimmers amid strip malls, chain restaurants and cookie-cutter homes.

It is a town that smells of orange blossoms, chlorine and fresh cut grass.

An Open Breakup Letter to the City of Oakland

Posted by: Neil Chhabra on Mar 27, 2012 | 14 Comments

I love you Oakland, but I’m leaving you.

I am your strongest advocate, your most ardent defender. I show off your Michelin-starred restaurants, artisan beer bars and stunning historical theaters. I take visitors to your fragrant forests and canyons, sunny ridges with jaw-dropping views, tree-lined streets of Craftsman homes and double-wide strollers.