NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Designer name shops? Check. Celebrity-studded waterfront? Check. Posh hotels with sumptuous spas overlooking the coast? Check on that, too. Newport Beach is known as one of the more elegant destinations in southern California, and rightfully so. But it’s also got its fun, casual side, with waterfront carnival rides and corn dogs, a remarkable set of beach homes you can rent for next to nothing, and an ongoing, decades-old fight between two businesses who both claim to have invented the frozen, chocolate-dipped banana. I recently had a weekend to explore the charms of this popular city, which Read more
boating
It’s easy to forget how lucky we are in Toronto. I live a few miles north of Lake Ontario and often weeks go by without my seeing one of the world’s largest lakes. And then I get down there on a perfect night in late spring and admire the light on the water and the brilliant white sailboats bobbing along and the feeling of sun on my face, and I look at the shoreline and say to myself, “I wish I owned a place right over there.” That’s probably not going to happen, and I’m probably never going to own Read more
We in eastern Canada hear a good deal about Vancouver and Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island. Likely anyone who reads travel stories is familiar with Whistler and probably the Okanagan, home to lovely deserts, wineries and more. I’ve had a good deal of experience with those locations, so when the folks at British Columbia tourism last year suggested The Sunshine Coast, I jumped at the idea. Over the space of three or four days it became one of my favourite spots in Canada; kind of a cross between B.C. and California; with great hotels, lovely scenery, nice spas Read more
A trip along the Sunshine Coast is an outstanding way to enjoy the beauty of British Columbia. This was my first time visiting, and it will certainly not be my last. I fell in love with the people, not to mention the craggy hills and zig-zag harbours. There’s excellent kayaking and boating, as well as hiking and shopping. And the resorts are terrific, too.
ROSSPORT, ONTARIO – I arrived in this small village on the shores of Lake Superior on Monday at 4:30 p.m.. I had notes to pull together from the day’s touring. It was raining lightly. I had a pounding headache. And a 6 p.m. appointment to go out on the lake in a zodiac boat, one of those ones with the rubber-ish bumpers they use on whale watching tours. I did not feel like a zodiac tour and mentioned to Dawn, who runs the tidy Willows B and B in Rossport and my home for the night, that I might skip Read more
