Aw shucks, folks; we’re speechless. A new study from the folks at usjetcost.com finds that Americans rate Canada as the country with the nicest, most welcoming locals. They also rated Canadians as the second nicest tourists in the U.S.. I’m personally baffled by this, but a majority of Americans in the study said the British are the most annoying tourists, with 31% of respondents naming them as the most bothersome. Next were Germans (16%) and Brazilians (13). I get that Americans overthrew the British government a couple hundred years ago because of taxes and the high cost of tea and Read more
Canada
One of the coolest spaces in Toronto. And some of the best food in the city. If you haven’t been to Chotto Matte in the heart of downtown Toronto (Yonge and Front, inside the gorgeous Brookfield Place), you’re missing a terrific dining and sensory experience; one that doesn’t feel like anything else I’ve seen in the city. Step inside and you’re immediately surrounded by a wildly colourful interior that features what looks like a waving banner and a very cool bar. It feels to me like a bold marriage between South Beach and Shanghai. Which kinda makes sense, as Chotto Read more
RICE LAKE AND ENVIRONS, ONTARIO – A deep-in-the-woods garden with hundreds of Zimbabwean stone sculptures. A new winery run by a young couple who refused to let naysayers ruin their dream. Maybe the best butter tarts in the country. And a great family resort on a beautiful stretch of water. I live in Toronto and have been writing travel stories full-time for 11 years, but I’d somehow never made it to the area around Rice Lake until a recent, late-summer weekend. What I found was a surprisingly diverse array of attractions run by wonderful, passionate people with the kind of Read more
I know food is a huge part of travel. All you have to do is look at Instagram to see 346,193 photos per day of tacos, tender steaks and terrific-looking salads. I am, of course, making up the number of food shots, although I’m sure some geeky underling at Instagram could tell me how many food photos they see posted every day. The point is that food has always been a big part of travel. And now there’s a study that puts an exclamation point on it, and that also points out some different characteristics of Canadian travellers versus American Read more
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO – A shiny new restaurant. The same world-beating view. The new Table Rock Restaurant overlooking the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls in Niagara Falls is a beautiful and tasty addition to one of the world’s most popular destinations. The restaurant, formerly known as Elements On the Falls but originally called Table Rock, was shut down for four months at the start of this year. It re-opened in May, and it’s a stunner. Thanks to the massive windows, you still get the same jaw-dropping views of the falls. But now the décor is equally impressive; deep blues and greys with Read more
