OTTAWA – Excellent changes to one of Canada’s top hotels. And a new wine and food experience across the river. I’ve been in Ottawa several times in the past few years, and it keeps surprising me. I’ve written a good deal about how Edmonton and Saskatoon are Canadian cities on the rise, but I think the same thing can be said for our nation’s capital, where it seems the food scene has been growing stronger by the day. It almost goes without saying that the Fairmont Chateau Laurier is one of the top places to lay your head in Canada, Read more
If you’re a fan of good books, great atmosphere and a perfect New York City location, The Library Hotel is just what you’ve been looking for. Located at a super-convenient spot at 41st and Madison, you’re a block from the city’s main library at Bryant Park, a leafy oasis in Midtown with a stunning interior, a stellar rooftop bar and tons of great amenities. Forty first street in this area is known as Library Way, and you’ll find wonderful quotes about books and literature in golden plaques embedded in the sidewalks along the street. Grand Central Terminal is two short Read more
NEW YORK CITY – I recently had a few days in New York City for the International Media Marketplace, the New York Times Travel Show and some other treats (more to come on that soon). Here’s a look at a few things you should know about what’s happening in the city that never sleeps. LAGUARDIA: A WHOLE NEW WORLD My wife and I flew into New York’s LaGuardia Airport in late January with Air Canada. We got off the plane and walked into the terminal. I looked up and saw a huge, bright space in front of me. There were Read more
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – A sleek and sexy rooftop bar with killer sunsets. Fabulously inventive food. And a cool, Jazz Age history that’s reflected all around the property. This sleepy Florida town, best known by Canadians as the spring training site for the Toronto Blue Jays spring training games, has been something of a sleepy, under-the-radar destination for years. But not any more. With the opening of The Fenway Hotel in town late last year, Dunedin is suddenly on Florida’s front burner. On a recent evening in January it was difficult to even find a place to stand at the rooftop Read more
CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA – It’s late afternoon and I’m nursing a cup of coffee on the patio outside my room at the Plantation on Crystal River. It’s mostly cloudy but I can see some breaks off to the west. The lazy person in me wants to stay and drink my coffee. The photographer in me says, “Hey, sunset!” The photographer wins. I walk out to my rental car and make the 15-minute drive out to Fort Island Beach, a pretty spot on the Gulf of Mexico. I’m expecting maybe a handful of folks on a Sunday night, but I find Read more
OCALA, FLORIDA – The prettiest, bluest springs I’ve ever seen. Terrific tacos. And a crazy good kayak ride. North Central Florida is perhaps best known as the Sunshine State’s horse country. It’s also home to some of the prettiest stretches of rivers and springs this long-time Florida lover and frequent visitor has ever seen. I’ve probably been to Florida 25 or 30 times over the years. I’ve explored remote islands in The Everglades, had drinks at the state’s oldest saloon in Fernandina Beach and gulped down giant oysters in Apalachicola. I’ve toured beautiful, serene waterways, dined at top Miami restaurants Read more
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA – I’ve just pulled into this Atlantic coast town for the first time when I spot a place to eat that fronts right onto the beach. I step inside at The Breakers and find a super casual set-up with touches of Florida kitsch and a huge, long seating bar up against the windows for folks to check out the ocean. I pull up a chair by the window, which is open, and order a blackened mahi sandwich and a local beer from a waitress who calls me “Sugar.” I’m thinking I’ll quietly gaze out at the Read more
