NEW YORK – Had a chance to spend a couple days in The Bronx the other day, which was terrific. But I also managed some time in Manhattan, taking in the scene in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. There are few places more cool to hang out on a warm spring day than Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The tulips were a blaze of pink and red and the cherry trees were blossoming and the sky was blue and folks were suntanning on the grass and the jump-rope folks were out showing people how to skip. I Read more
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Jim Byers photo. Wave Hill Gardens, a magical area of The Bronx. THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY – I was torn about what parts of New York to check out for the trip I took over the last few days. It seems there are a lot of stories around focussing on trendy new areas of Brooklyn. And talking about fun things to do in Manhattan and even Queens. But when the tourism board’s representative in Toronto sent me a note and pointed out some things to do in The Bronx, I was intrigued. Really? I used to cover the Blue Read more
HONOLULU – Last week I talked about a golf beauty. Today it’s a golf beast. The Princeville Makai course on Kauai is a gorgeous setting; challenging but playable. Ko’olau Golf Club on Oahu is something much more treacherous. But just as beautiful. Where Princeville is located on a peninsula high above the Pacific on Kauai, Ko’olau is hard up against the jagged, ragged green mountains that spike up the centre of the island of Oahu. At one point the course had a slope rating of 163; one of the most difficult numbers of any course on the planet. It’s a tad Read more
HONOLULU – I’ve always felt this is an underappreciated destination. I feel that way more strongly now. They’ve always had Waikiki Beach, one of the most glamorous and prettiest stretches of sand on the planet, with the extinct crater of Diamond Head looming to the east and watching over things. They’ve always had Pearl Harbor. But there’s so much more to this place. First of all, it’s a major city. It’s also the centre for Hawaiian business and, in some ways, Asia-Pacific business. So it punches above its weight with fascinating restaurants and museums and shopping and culture. Not to Read more
Jim Byers photo The third hole at the Princeville Makai course on Kauai. Golfing magic. KAUAI, HAWAII – I have a new favourite golf course. I had a chance to play Princeville’s Makai course on the heavenly north shore of this Hawaiian island the other day. And fell in love. I’ve played some great resort courses in the Caribbean and around the U.S., and a few courses in the British Isles you wouldn’t call a resort course necessarily, but this one is probably the best. The sister course, called the Prince course, gets higher ratings from the golf geeks. It Read more
