Places where I do my best thinking

There are two places where I do my best thinking. One place is on a wide-open road, like where I was driving when I recorded this. The other place is where I go each morning: it has nothing to do with roads or driving.

New York actor stops by my motorhome

I had some free time one morning while in New York (actually in Jersey City, New Jersey where I camped). An RVtravel.com reader named Chris Lucas had emailed me. "I'm interested in buying an RV to take my two children camping," he said, in so many words. He wondered if he could stop by my motorhome for some tips. He also said he was a registered New York City tour guide.

So I figured I'd trade a little RVing advice for some ideas about what to see in Manhattan.

Well, as often happens to me, a chance encounter turns into something special, in this case a fascinating guy. Chris is an actor. He had a regular role playing Oscar Phelps in "As the World Turns." He has appeared twice on the popular TV show "30 Rock" as Alec Baldwin's younger self "even though I am only seven years younger," he said.

His current project is co-producing a movie about his father, Ed Lucas, who is a legendary New York Yankees sports broadcaster. But what makes Ed extra special is that he's blind. You can learn more about Ed at EdLucas.org.

The movie will star Academy Award winner Stanley Tucci. The crew behind the camera are well respected names in the movie industry. The fact is, Ed Lucas is beloved in New York City and has given it much beyond his words: he has been very active in helping support charitable causes.

To give you an idea of how popular he is, when he remarried, the ceremony was held at home plate in Yankee Stadium. Nobody else has ever received such an honor.

Ed's story is much more amazing than being is a blind sportscaster, and that is what the movie will be about. It should be in theaters in about a year.

But Chris is an amazing man, too. Among other things, he runs a website called the ActorsDetective.com which provides advice to actors and helps them find jobs. He is the author of a book titled "The Guide to Writing Letters to Celebrities." Chris believes that letter writing is a lost art, and he hopes to encourage people to do more of it. In the book he tells the stories about some of his letters to celebrities and offers readers how they, too, can write to famous people with a good chance of getting a response.