If you’re looking for a place to stay in Chicago with history, elegance, and great food, the Gwen Hotel has you covered. The Gwen Hotel is a Marriott Luxury Collection property in a prime location, just north of the Chicago River off Michigan Avenue. The building is an historic (1929) Art Deco property designed in part by Chicago sculptor Gwen Lux, whose facades and sculptures decorate the exterior. The hotel entrance is off Rush Street, but if you wander a few feet over to Michigan Avenue you can gaze up and see some of the dramatic architecture, including signs of Read more
architecture
One of the world’s most iconic sights turns 50 next year. But she doesn’t look it. The Sydney Opera House, a building derided by critics when drawings were first unveiled, will celebrate its half-century birthday the weekend of October 21-22. The Opera House has a series of events planned for October to celebrate, including a dance program called Message in a Bottle that features songs from Sting, a new indigenous restaurant by First Nations Chef Mark Olive, performances by ne of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, St. Martin’s in the Fields, and the unveiling of a new First Nations public Read more
This is the second of my “Europe Shorts” posts, which are aimed at people who don’t have a lot of time but want to read about cool destinations in Europe. VIENNA – This stunningly beautiful city is known for prancing stallions, high-brow music and fancy coffee shops. But there’s also a rich, vibrant modern side to this city, with rooftop bars that blast pulsating dance tunes, wildly inventive architecture, and funky shops based on Monty Python sketches. When I was there last year, tour guide Alexa Brauner, an engaging and enthusiastic art lover, took me on a three-hour walking tour Read more
It was a pretty good year for travel outside Canada, with numerous trips to California, a couple to Hawaii, one to Florida, a river cruise in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, and two weeks in Western Australia and New South Wales. From Santa Monica to Sydney and Maui to Vienna, here are some of my top experiences, fave foods and hotels of 2022. BEST ISLAND PHOTO: The Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia, as seen from my scenic flight with Geraldton Air Charter. We spotted pods of dolphins from the air. You also can take a trip that includes a nice swim Read more
As a board member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), I was privileged to spend a week in Bogota, Colombia earlier this month. I didn’t see a lot of the city, but I spent a good deal of time in the old, Candelaria district, which I found utterly delightful. Here’s a slide show of some of the highlights.
