Is 10:45 ever too early for a Sunday beer? Not if you’re in San Francisco’s Haight neighborhood.

The Magnolia Pub +Brewery sits on the corner of Haight and Masonic, a couple of blocks from the epicenter of the Summer of Love and the Grateful Dead house. The pub’s decor borrows some hippie sensibilities — swirling murals above the mirrored walls, eclectic music filling the room, and furniture that look 40 years old.

Thankfully the beers don’t suffer from that at all. The Cole Porter is a roasty, slightly burnt beer whose cask-conditioned twin is much more flavorful and fruity. On the other hand, the Proving Ground IPA also pictured here is 7.2% ABV of minty, sprucy, hoppy goodness.

Add friendly staff to the mix, and you can bet I’ll be back.

I’m in Las Vega$ with my parents, and found a decent beer bar while walking around New York, New York — Pour 24.

As you might deduce from the name, this bar overlooking the casino’s main floor has two dozen micros on tap. While none are local, the list was quite impressive — Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Breckenridge Vanilla Porter (pictured here), and others from New Belgium, Alaskan, and other great breweries.

Most were $6.50, but in this town where good beer is not easy to find, I consider that a bargain.

Well folks, 23+ hours after my travel day started in a Kowloon, Hong Kong taxi, I’m back on the ground in the ATL.

While this trip has been a bit of a whirlwind, full of amazing smells and almost oppressive heat, it has also been cathartic on a number of levels. For starters, seeing other those cultures (especially Bangkok) has made me appreciate what good fortune — health, employability, family, friends — I have at home. As much as we tend to take for granted, you have to leave what you have before you can really appreciate what you have.

I also feel at peace with my divorce and job layoff. During the trip I read the book “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it opened my eyes. While I won’t go into a book review here, I got a few meaningful nuggets out of it, and would recommend the book to anyone going through life change like this.

And, of course, the beer scene in southeast Asia leaves a little to be desired compared to North America and Europe.

I’m chillin’ at the Northwest Airlines lounge, waiting for my flight to start boarding.

The nuttiest thing about this beer is the automatic beer machine that served it. I shot some grainy, Zapruder-esque footage of it in action…look for a post update when I get in front of a laptop.

Domo arigato for the beer(s), and the zen-like vibe!

This is my first of two flights today, as I begin the long trek home.

The view here is from the Air France lounge, which my Crown Room Club membership gets me in to. As far as lounges go, I’ve certainly been in better. But having unlimited access to strong coffee and little French breakfast tarts is always a good thing!

Peace out, Hong Kong, and mad props go out to the crew of Northwest flight 002, for taking me to Tokyo this morning.