Jostling with enthusiastic eaters at the bar, I munch on my last spider-crab open-face sandwich. A tiny plate of toothpicks is all that's left of my meal. I keep them because this allows the bartender ...

I first visited Bilbao, Spain, in the 1980s, before the Guggenheim Museum was built and the city was featured in prominent TV and film, like James Bond. While my then-beau rehearsed with the Bilbao ...