I stopped in at a recent Scenic/Emerald workshop in Toronto to hear more about the magnificent Emerald Yachts from Emerald Cruises. There are three at sea now, the Emerald Azzurra, the Emerald Sakara and the new Emerald Kaia, which launched in April of this year. Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara each have a capacity of 128 passengers and have nearly a one-to-one guest to crew ratio. Emerald Kaia has up to 95 crew members. Because the ships are relatively small, they can get into ports that other ships can’t. A monster cruise ship with several thousand passengers might have to dock Read more
Detroit
This tariff war is not an easy thing to watch, particularly for a dual U.S./Canadian citizen who has called Canada home for 43 years and 45 weeks. Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem at some sporting events and are calling off visits to the States. Americans seem embarrassed at the way their president is behaving, but appear helpless to stop the “51st state” nonsense or the ongoing tariff battle. With that as a painful backdrop, it’s nice to see the tourism folks in Detroit reaching out across the border with a friendly nod and a firm handshake to let Read more
For many years, The New York Times has been delivering a solid, -thought-out list of the 52 best places to go in the world for any given year. For 2025, their list includes a few of my fave places in the world, including Western Australia, Sydney, New York City and the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada, where my wife and I piloted a 42-foot craft from Le Boat on our own last June (and survived). Also making the list was Detroit, which the Times noted has undergone a remarkable renaissance, something I witnessed on a visit in July of last Read more
The travel boom continues for most of the world, and 2025 is shaping up to be a great year. But where to go? Well, that depends on what you like and what you want to pay and how tolerant of crowds you are. If you like Europe, please go. But don’t visit in summer when it’s packed with tourists. Instead, go in spring or mid-to-late fall. If you want to go to a place where the Canadian dollar is relatively strong, try Australia, Japan, or New Zealand. Of course, flights there can be expensive, so you have to take that Read more
It’s that time of year. Time to thank all the people who’ve been nice to me in my 2024 travels. And, more than likely, time to annoy all my friends who feel like I’m bragging. It may seem that way, but I really am just trying to send another thank you to the hotels, restaurants and destinations that hosted me this year. It’s also fun to look back a bit, and to post some silly or inspiring photos. So, without further ado, here are some great experiences I had this year in Ontario, Florida, Alberta, Alaska, Hawaii, Vancouver, New York Read more
