My Year-End Jimmy Awards: Best Travel Experiences U.S. and Canada 2024

It’s that time of year. Time to thank all the people who’ve been nice to me in my 2024 travels. And, more than likely, time to annoy all my friends who feel like I’m bragging. It may seem that way, but I really am just trying to send another thank you to the hotels, restaurants and destinations that hosted me this year. It’s also fun to look back a bit, and to post some silly or inspiring photos. So, without further ado, here are some great experiences I had this year in Ontario, Florida, Alberta, Alaska, Hawaii, Vancouver, New York City, Washington (Seattle), Michigan (Detroit), Las Vegas, Quebec (Montreal only, sad to say), and, yes, California. 

Best Boating Experience: My wife and I piloted a 42-foot ship from Le Boat on the Trent-Severn Waterway in southern Ontario in late May and early June, navigating 21 locks and managing not to crash. I’d never really piloted a ship before, and my wife was very skeptical. But we both did great, and we had an amazing trip. The scenery was lovely and the boat handled like a dream. But it was the nice people we met along the way that made the trip memorable. Which brings me to …..

Nicest People I Met All Year: It was a windy day  and the current was strong (no, really) when we got to the Lakefield Marina. I tried docking at the north end but there wasn’t enough room for a newbie like me. There was one slip open but it was way too tricky. Some locals dashed out to the end of one of the docks and showed us one slip at the far end that might work, just behind a beautiful, large boat. I got us close with the help of the incredibly useful side thrusters and my wife tossed a rope down. I think five or six people, including a little girl of maybe eight years old, helped pull us in. Not only that, one of the fellows lent me a power cord so I could recharge. So nice. The Parks Canada staff on the locks were also super friendly and helpful, not only helping me with how much throttle to give or when to back off, but helping tie up the boat and offering restaurant recommendations. THANK YOU!

Best Glacier Expérience : Our Holland America cruise ship, the Eurodam, was one of only a couple ships allowed into Glacier Bay to nestle up to the Margerie Glacier on our Alaska cruise in August. It’s a powerful experience to see an ancient, icy, blue-green glacier that swoops and swirls among majestic mountains. A powerful sense of peace and awe enveloped me the entire time I was on deck admiring this tremendous product of nature.

Best Uber Driver: My sister, Christine. She must have picked me up and dropped me off at San Francisco Airport 16 or more times this year. Always provides service with a smile, and she has great family rates!

Best Waterfront Resort: I loved Margaritaville on Fort Myers Beach in Florida. Lots of Jimmy Buffett references, of course, but very tasteful rooms.

Best Tourism Event in USA: There was a fabulous reception at the Getty Museum in West Los Angeles during this year’s US Travel/IPW event. Such a beautiful setting.

Best New Island Visit: When I was a student at UCLA, I could see a part of Catalina Island from my dorm room. I’d always wanted to go, but never got around to it until a visit last spring. I fell in love with the casual vibe, the lack of cars (the numbers are strictly limited, so most people drive golf carts), the food and the natural beauty. We rented a golf cart and had a fun time bopping around and checking out the views from the hills around town. NOTE: Catalina Express and nearly 20 hotel partners — including for the first time Banning House Lodge in the town of Two Harbors —  are sharing its popular “Best of Winter” ferry and hotel packages, providing up to 50% off for visitors who enjoy more room to roam and cooler weather, now through March 14, 2025.

Best Bike Ride Along the Beach: I had a fun ride from Santa Monica to Venice and back as part of this year’s IPW event in L.A.

Best Photo with Cartoon Characters: At the Visit California plaza at the IPW travel conference in Los Angeles.

Best Restaurant Sign: This one, in Ketchikan, Alaska. I guess they have to appeal to as many palates as possible.

Most Memorable California Meal: A tie between Trader Vic’s in the SF Bay Area and a fine family dinner at Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, where there’s a gorgeous garden and a series of rooms that cascade down a hill towards a small, pretty creek. There’s also a funicular to take you up or down the hill. A unique experience, and good food.

Most Beautiful Bar: The Vanderpump a Paris at the Paris Las Vegas hotel. Smashingly good cocktails and a gorgeous interior space filled with beautiful plants.

Best Airport Meal: I snagged an invite to Air Canada Signature Suite Event at Toronto Pearson, where we tasted some of the work of renowned Canadian Chef David Hawksworth and sipped the finest French champagne. There’s a reason my pants don’t fit as well as they used to.

Best BBQ: Smokin’  Woods BBQ on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland; about three blocks from my Dad’s old house. Tremendous ribs and brisket, with the best BBQ sauce I’ve ever had.

Best Tour Guide: Pastor Lopez, who showed my wife and I around Catalina Island. He’s an engaging, interesting fellow who’s lived here his whole life and who tells it how it is. He’s also an avid surfer and father of six kids who served in the Vietnam War.

Coolest Montreal Hotel: The ALT Hotel in Griffintown is stylish and fun, and the neighbourhood has become one of the hippest areas of the city.

Best View of a Marilyn Monroe Look Alike: At the Visit California plaza at IPW in L.A. Where else?

Best Food Hall: The Tin Building by Jean-Georges Vongerichten in lower Manhattan is a beautiful space filled with lovely food and drink options.

Best Cigar Experience: We had a fine tour and got to roll our own cigars at s J.C. Newman’s El Reloj factory in the north Ybor city area of Tampa. There used to be more than 100 cigar factories in the city, but now there’s just one. They celebrate their 130^th anniversary next year.

Fave New York City Hotel: I quite enjoy lower Manhattan. On our visit in January we stayed at the Conrad New York Downtown, which is quite close to the new World Trade Center. I like the location but I love the room. It’s a former Embassy Suites so you get a two-room suite with a spacious living area as well as a good-sized bedroom. Their onsite restaurant and bar are also great.

Best Boat Cruise: A summer ride on Lake Muskoka on the RMS Segwun, the oldest operating steam ship in North America. Look for the Wanda III next year, the former steam ship owned by the Eaton family. It’s been converted into an electric operation and should be cruising Lake Muskoka sometime next spring. Don’t miss the Muskoka Discovery Centre, and it’s award-winning Misko-Aki exhibit, which focuses on the wonderful contributions of the area’s indigenous peoples.

Best Breakfast Place Name: I had a good egg and bacon sandwich on a biscuit at a place in Seattle called Biscuit Bitch. When you order outside the shop, the staff look at you and say “Hey, bitch, whaddya want?” Maybe not the place to take your grandmother, unless she’s pretty cool.

Best Art Museum: The Detroit Institute of Arts is a beautiful building that’s home to many glorious works of art, Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry frescoes and works from Egypt and Europe. There are 100 galleries in all. It received three stars from the Michelin Guide in November.

Best Combined Karaoke and Sushi Experience: Okay, that’s a narrow category. But we had fabulous sushi and a great karaoke experience in the private room at Hello Sunshine in Banff, Alberta for my sister in law’s birthday.

Best Breakfast Sandwich: Biscuit Bitch was good, but I think SuperNatural Food and Wine in Tampa was even better. It’s a tiny spot downtown, where I enjoyed nice, fluffy eggs on a potato bun with two strips of bacon. They’re also known for their donuts.

Best Wine Experience: We enjoyed a fabulous tasting on the shady patio at Opolo Winery, high in the hills above Paso Robles, California. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is exquisite, and they make a very good pizza at lunch. 

Best Food Market Discovery: One Fine Food Peterborough is a tremendous place to buy fresh food. There’s also a very good Italian restaurant.

Best New Vancouver Hotel: The Azur Legacy Collection Hotel is a downtown beauty, with a very good main-floor restaurant (Dahlia), gorgeous rooms and a fabulous rooftop patio/bar.

Best Southern Ontario Hotel Stay: The Bruce Hotel in Stratford is tremendously stylish and offers beautiful, large rooms in a tranquil setting, with a lovely dining patio.

Coolest Restaurant: I was in Detroit for a Society of American Travel Writers scouting mission (the city will host our convention next year) and had a fabulous meal with tremendous cocktails at the achingly beautiful Pao restaurant. I loved the short rib, as well as  the quinoa risotto with shrimp.

Best Concert: Bruce Springsteen at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in November. Amazing after election. You could feel the fury in his guitar playing early on as he blasted through tunes of hope and despair. He lightened the mood later with raucous tunes such as “Rosalita” and “Dancin’ in the Dark.” Thanks, Bruce.

Best Market: Pike Place Market in Seattle is always a joy to explore.

Coolest Walking Food Tour: I quite enjoyed our morning walk in the Little Havana area of Miami with Miami Culinary Tours. We sampled strong, Cuban coffee, watched locals play dominoes, and noshed on tasty treats such as crispy, fried croquetas.

Best Italian Meal: Rocca is a terrific, lively Italian spot just north of the Tampa Riverwalk that was awarded a Michelin star last year. I loved their agnolotti with ricotta and salami.

Best New Florida Hotel: The Luminary Hotel is a stylish, urban property on the water in downtown Fort Myers. The food at their restaurant, Silver King Ocean Brasserie , is very good and there’s a great rooftop bar overlooking the Caloosahatchee River.

Best Cruise Ship Entertainment: The rock and roll band that played in the Rolling Stone Lounge on the Eurodam during our Holland America cruise to Alaska and back was beyond amazing. The singers took on tunes from the likes of Janis Joplin and Al Green and shone brightly, and the guitarists and drummer were terrific. I think we went five out of the seven nights we were on board.

Best Outdoor Restaurant Setting: My Dad and his lady friend and my wife snagged an outdoor table for lunch at Ragged Point Inn and Restaurant in Big Sur, California. There are tremendous views up and down the coast, and the food’s pretty good, too.

Worst Hotel TV Experience: We stayed at the Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown in February. My 49ers (oh, stop) were playing the Kansas City Chiefs (boo) in the Super Bowl and we wanted to watch the second half in our hotel room. I flipped through the 30 channels or so and couldn’t find  CBS. What? It’s the Super Bowl! I called downstairs and they said the hotel doesn’t have CBS as a TV station option. Incredible. I think someone said they could turn it on at the bar, but we had just come from a bar and wanted to watch it in our room. No dice. I finally found the ridiculous Sponge Bob Square Pants feed on Nickelodeon, but cartoon characters kept popping up on the screen, and they kept pretending to throw buckets of slime on people in the stands. It was godawful. I tried turning down the sound but, for some reason, the audio feed on Sirius XM didn’t match the TV. We couldn’t get rid of the cartoon bits, but I turned down the sound and provided my wife with a running commentary of what was, sadly, happening on the field. Damn Chiefs. They’re just so good.

Best Patio Lunch: Predalina is a fairly new spot near Amalie Arena in Tampa, with a spectacular and elegant white interior, great bar and lovely patio. The spicy chicken sandwich with Calabrian chiles stewed in honey was sensational.

Best Guided Boat Tour: The Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park, Florida. The jokes can be a little cheesy, but it’s fun to admire the lakes and canals and beautiful homes on the Winter Park boat tours, just a few minutes from downtown Orlando. It’s a fabulous, walkable city with great shopping and dining.

Best Hotel Amenity: The “Cookie Hotline” at the Bruce Hotel in Stratford, Ontario. Just push a button on your phone, and some smiling person will deliver you fresh, hot cookies. Remarkably smart idea. And, yes, we took advantage.

Best Art District: Hands down Miami’s Wynwood Art District. The street art is wildly colourful, often beautiful and almost always highly inventive.

Best Urban Architecture: Downtown Detroit is filled with glorious buildings, including the Guardian Building, which features red Tunisian marble and has a soaring, incredible lobby area.

Best Night Show: We witnessed thousands of LED flowers glowing in the hills of Paso Robles, California at the splendid Sensorio grounds. The Field of Light is one of a half-dozen beautiful light installations at Sensorio. We also enjoyed the “Dimensions” display, and had a nice meal with local beer and wine. Highly recommended!

Most Surprising Restaurant: The Yard House in Tampa. The Nashville hot chicken was just-right spicy and very moist, and the ahi poke nachos were as good or better than I’ve had in Hawaii. Astonishingly good for a beer and TV set kinda place.

Best Rooftop Bar: The rooftop Beacon Bar at the posh JW Marriott hotel in Tampa offers tremendous cocktails, and expansive views of Tampa’s waterfront. Come for the sunset and enjoy the greenery as you sip on drinks such as Pistoles at Dawn with Michters small batch bourbon, Montenegro, del maguey vida mezcal, spiced demerara and tiki bitters.

Best Captain Jim Photo: Taken above the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway on our great trip with Le Boat.

Best Fair/Rodeo Experience: Also a narrow category, but we loved our visit to the Calgary Stampede in July. The midway was a ton of fun, and I loved watching the cowgirls and cowboys wrestle cattle and dash about in the barrel racing event. Next year’s stampede runs from July 4-13. Yahoo!

Most Inventive Menu: Edison: Food + Drink Lab is a tremendous place in Tampa. On the night we were there we enjoyed tremendous, potato-crusted oysters with pickle nectar and wonderful ribs with ginger and cashews. 

Best Canadian Bakery: Hard Winter Bakery in Peterborough. Fabulous croissants, a dozen or so types of fresh bread (including sourdough) and other goodies.

Best General Museum: The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is a spectacular place in suburban Detroit, complete with spectacularly restored automobiles and airplanes, as well Abraham Lincoln’s chair from the Ford Theatre, where he was assassinated. One of the top sights is the bus that Rosa Parks rode in Alabama when she refused to give her seat to a white person in 1955. Very powerful, indeed. Next door is Greenfield Village, which has lovingly restored old buildings, including the bike shop owned by  The Wright Brothers.

Best Beach Stay: The Blue Dolphin Inn in Cambria, California was terrific, and I love the town. It’s quite walkable, and has tons of independent boutiques and good restaurants. Lovely beach, too.

Best See and Be Seen Hotel Lobby: The Fontainebleau in Miami. Way too stylish for the likes of a guy like me.