Okay, so here’s an odd/interesting list of the world’s great cities. TimeOut magazine asked 24,000 people in 150 cities around the world about their fave cities, and then balanced that with views from their team of city experts to come out with a new ranking. I’ll give them credit for including some smaller or lesser-known destinations such as Bath, England and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Lagos, Nigeria. But, for the life of me, I don’t know how ANYONE can come up with a list of great cities of the world and put Paris in the 22nd spot. That boggles Read more
Colorado
I had some wonderful visits in the U.S. and Canada this year, including a monumental train trip from Colorado to Utah, a wonderful six days in Prince Edward Island and great stays in Los Angeles, southwest Ontario, southern Florida and northern California. I also got to visit one of my fave islands, Molokai, and spent four nice but sobering days on Maui to see how they’re recovering from the devastating and still unfathomable wildfires. It wasn’t all pretty, but I had many a remarkable experience and more than a few great meals along the way. Thanks to everyone who helped Read more
A new airline is coming soon that promises low fares from Canada to the Caribbean. Arajet, a discount airline based in the Dominican Republic, says it will launch flights to the D.R. this fall from both Toronto and Montreal. Canadian Press notes that the announcement by the year-old carrier marks the latest entrant to an already crowded field of low-cost airlines, including Lynx and Flair, and comes two weeks after U.S. budget carrier Breeze Airways made a pitch to Quebecers bound for Florida. By the end of next year, Flair Airlines aims to beef up its fleet to 26 planes Read more
A lively downtown with great, old-time architecture. Terrific food. Stylish hotels. And the Rocky Mountains in your back yard. Denver wasn’t exactly high on the list of trendy cities 30 or 40 years ago. But an influx of tech companies and people looking for more wide-open space has made it one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. My wife and I spent a day in the city in late April prior to boarding the Rocky Mountaineer train for their “Rockies to Red Rocks” two-day trip, and we loved it. I was there 30 years to cover a Denver Nuggets-Toronto Read more
A Canadian parliamentary committee is calling for sweeping changes to Canada’s air passenger rights rules, including better compensation regulations for those facing delayed or cancelled flights, and tougher enforcement of the rules. Canadian Press reports that the recommendations, tabled in Ottawa on Tuesday (April 18), comes after chaotic travel seasons over the summer and winter holidays brought on by soaring demand, labour shortages and winter storms. The House of Commons standing committee on transport offered 21 recommendations, including stronger monetary penalties, smoother processing of compensation claims and automatic payout offers after cancellations, significant delays or denial of boarding. The Globe Read more
