Chicago is widely known as one of the best food cities in the world. There are 16 restaurants with Michelin stars, including the three-star Smyth. Here are some great places to eat, based on my latest visit in August. THE PUBLICAN The Publican, located in the Fulton Market/West Loop area blew me away with some of the best, and most interesting, food I’ve had anywhere. The ham chop is a double pork chop cooked sous vide with fresh hay and then finished in the oven. The hay gives the meat a slightly grassy taste, and it comes out with the Read more
U.S.A.
CHICAGO – It’s a funny thing. As my wife and I recently toured the wonderful Obama Presidential Center on the south side of Chicago, which opened in June of this year, I kept comparing Obama’s message of hope and his reasoned approach to politics to the current administration in Washington. After having spent a half hour or so tracing his Chicago roots and his early years in the White House, my wife turned to me and asked what I thought. I’m a dual Canadian-American citizen who was born and raised in northern California, with a conservative but socially progressive judge Read more
More than nine in 10 visitors to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto said they are likely to return to Ontario for a leisure trip within the next two years, according to a visitor intercept study released today (Sept. 2) by Destination Ontario. Conducted in partnership with Destination Toronto and Context Research Group Inc., the study surveyed visitors during the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Toronto and found high visitor satisfaction, positive perceptions of Ontario and strong intent to return. It remains to be seen if those opinions translate into actual visits, but it’s quite encouraging to see numbers like Read more
Travelling by rail is one of the great pleasures of life. The pace is lovely, you don’t have to hassle with big security lines, you can gaze out the window at wonderful scenery, and you usually get on and off the train in the middle of great cities; not out in the boondocks miles from town. I had a fabulous train trip all around Europe in 1979, including a journey between Rome and Florence when I met my wife, but also trips within England and Scotland, across France, and also Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands. I’ve taken the train Read more
Porter Airlines’ new service in and out of London, Ontario YXU marks another step in its program of regional airport expansion in eastern Canada. Officials say it could even attract American fliers from across the border. Porter and London International Airport officials held a joint press conference at YXU today (August 25) to announce Porter this fall will begin flights from London to Cancun, Montego Bay, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. The Fort Lauderdale route will start on Nov. 18, 2026, with four weekly flights (Monday,Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), while flights to Orlando start Nov. 19, with three weekly Read more
