Once Around the Fountain

Lawyer and travel writer Alan Behr spent the days he wasn't suited and sitting behind a desk bouncing around Europe, visiting cathedrals and strip clubs, gambling and, against his better judgment, drinking beer for breakfast. It's all well and good, but it gets much better when Behr, back in New York, meets Julie Hackett, and after a false start or two, embarks upon a life of companionship and travel with her. In Once Around the Fountain (the title refers to when Behr insists Julie carry her suitcase from his apartment to Lincoln Center's fountain a few blocks away and back to make sure it's light enough) Behr and his new love revisit the old European haunts in a memoir that charts geographic and emotional voyages in refreshing, often humorous prose. Photos not seen by PW. ( Dec.)