ALBERTA – A snazzy and sleek spot in downtown Calgary. And a totally unexpected roadside surprise outside Canmore. I recently spent four days in and around Canmore, an absolutely breathtaking town that seems to me has most definitely emerged from the shadow of big brother Banff. I went dogsledding on a frozen lake and visited a wolf dog sanctuary and rode the gondola up Sulphur Mountain in Banff and soaked my bones in Banff’s Upper Hot Springs and had a great massage at Solara Resort and Spa, a comfortable, newish property with huge rooms and a good location close to Read more
Canada travel
The other day I gave you some of my top travel bits from 2013. Here’s part two. Thanks again for reading! Most Canadian experience: Helping drive a team of sled dogs across a frozen lake outside Canmore, Alberta. Best Ontario Resort: The Lodge at Pine Cove, north of Parry Sound. Luxurious surroundings on a pristine stretch of the French River. Try a sunrise paddle with the mist rising off the water, or check out nearby waterfalls. Relaxation to the max. Prettiest sunrise: A glorious and clear start to the day in Santa Barbara, California, with the sun popping up over Read more
California Restaurant Month coming, Farewell to a Canadian tourism legend and New Year’s at the Ritz
Quite the week here in Toronto for tourism/travel types. And I haven’t even attended a Christmas party yet! Things kicked off nicely – very nicely – on Thursday when the folks at California Tourism put on a ridiculously tasty lunch at a cooking showcase spot downtown. Southern California chef Suzanne Goin, who owns four restaurants and also has a chef husband who runs a few of his own, made some of the tastiest treats I’ve tried anywhere. Just amazing. Mind you, California has incredible, year-round produce to work with. And Goin used it; luscious red grapes she pounded with a Read more
On Tuesday we had WestJet unveiling its new Disney-branded plane with Mickey Mouse. Today, Air Canada did them one better (and probably more) by announcing its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners will fly the Toronto-Tel Aviv route starting next July with a cool, new interior. Among the improvements on the Dreamliner will be higher humidity, special lights to help ease jet lag, bigger windows and more overhead storage. Of course, a lot of the benefits will go to folks paying the bigger bills. Folks at the front of the plane will get bigger TV screens, fancier seats (some that lie flat), Read more
MONTREAL – New finds in one of North America’s oldest – and best – cities. The other day I talked about some new spots in emerging parts of Montreal. But there are equally great places in the old city; some tried and true places and some new and emerging. On the old front, you simply can’t beat a nice afternoon in Place d’Armes. Montreal has plenty of ordinary, modern architecture (probably it’s worse than Toronto, or just as bad) downtown. But this part of town is something else; majestic stone buildings (mostly) and the hugely impressive Notre Dame Cathedral surrounding Read more
