PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND – Dave Wilmer, the owner of the Inn at Bay Fortune, is credited by many as being the guy who, along with chef Michael Smith, turned PEI from food afterthought to food sensation. His inn is great; with nice, warm and large rooms, most with fireplaces. And it sits on a pretty stretch of property overlooking a large bay, with big trees and a big lawn and large gardens ablaze with orange and yellow nasturtiums, pink sedum and other flowers. I learned later why the nasturtiums when a group of them arrived on my charcuterie plate at Read more
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND – I love it. The first (well maybe not, but close enough) road sign I see on my first trip here in 16 years gives me the distance to the nearest town. Below that is a blue and white saying with an arrow pointing north and the words “Liquor Store, 13 km.” Now THAT’s what I call a good tourism concept. In all seriousness, I had a great first day on the island. I got an 8 a.m. ferry with Northumberland Ferries Ltd. and was heading to Montague, PEI by 9:45 or so. It was windy as Read more
ON THE CABOT TRAIL IN CAPE BRETON – It’s like going back to your high school reunion and finding that sweetheart from grade nine even prettier than you remembered. I drove the Cabot Trail once before. But it was with three kids and my wife in a mini-van maybe 16 years ago. They’ve since changed, of course, as kids do, but at the time I remember them looking at my wife and I as we drove along beautiful beaches and high sea cliffs and thinking we were crazy. “We’re not view people,” my daughter said, or words to that effect, Read more
CAPE BRETON, NOVA SCOTIA – I pulled into the Nova Scotia tourism centre on the tip of this island and got to chatting with a woman about my two-day visit. We talked about where I was going and what I was writing and where I should stop. And then she paused for a minute. “Have fun,” she said. “Do us proud.” No problem on that front, my dear. Short of landing in a hurricane, I can’t imagine anyone not having nice things to say about this slice of Canadian paradise. Over the course of a little more than 48 hours, Read more
Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic win could be good news for Toronto after all. My first thought, having watched and covered the Olympics and Olympic bidding since back in 1988, was that supporters of a Toronto 2024 bid would’ve preferred to get Europe out of the way and were pulling for Madrid or Istanbul, which is in Europe but on the cusp of Asia. But the more I think about it, and that’s a dangerous game when you talk about the International Olympic Committee, the more I think this could play out nicely for North America. The 2022 Winter Olympics appear destined Read more
Random Thoughts on the way to Cape Breton 1. I am SO THANKFUL for Sirius radio on a road trip. Give me the 60’s on (channel) 6 and I’m a happy, happy, happy guy. Okay, they play the occasional crap song but then I can switch to the 70’s on 7, as long as it’s not disco. Or the 80’s in a pinch, but not so much. Or, almost always, E Street Radio to hear Bruce Springsteen songs I don’t often hear, such as one the other day that was an outtake of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out with different lyrics Read more
PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS – A great way to get to a great destination. Last time I was on Cape Cod, back about 28 years ago, my wife and I drove from Boston to Hyannisport and then up to Provincetown. Short on time for this trip, we opted for the fast ferry from downtown Boston to Provincetown. It’s a big boat and takes only 90 minutes to make the crossing, passing through the harbor islands I mentioned in a recent blog. The price is just $87 return for an adult. They have a concierge on the second deck who can provide maps, Read more
