Fittingly, my first exposure to the now famous Canadian flag was at a hockey game. Oddly enough, it was in Oakland, California. I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco and always enjoyed sports. Once, perhaps as part of a school field trip, we went to a game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena to see the California Seals play. I remember, I think, the white skates. I definitely remember trying to figure out what icing meant. The rules confused me and I didn’t really understand what was happening on the ice (something my kids will say has stuck with Read more
Fairmont Hotels
OTTAWA – Great food. Sleek new hotels. And lively neighborhoods. Ottawa is a city that’s most definitely moving in the right direction. Here are five things you need to do on your next visit. Oh yeah, Ottawa’s legendary Tulip Festival runs May 12-23. PARLIAMENT HILL – I hadn’t visited our nation’s Parliament for at least 20 years. They offer wonderful tours, with fun stories about the history and architecture contrasted with very sobering areas, including the Memorial Chamber near the base of the Peace Tower. A few minutes watching the House of Commons is a fascinating experience, and the main Read more
Big. Bold. Impressive. Epic. Those are the kinds of adjectives being used by the folks at 2017 Ottawa as they get the nation’s capital ready for next year; the 150th birthday for Canada. I don’t know what I was expecting when I got a briefing last week off things both ready for publication and still not yet public. But I was totally blown away by the variety and depth and quality of what they’ve got planned. There are some things I was sworn to secrecy about (literally) and others still to be organized. But I saw and can report was, Read more
MAUI, HAWAII – I’ve spent more time on the Lahaina-Kaanapali side of Maui over the years. But the Fairmont Kea Lani resort in Wailea might convince me to try that side of Maui more often. I spent a couple of nights at the property last month and came away hugely impressed. Not to sound all uppity or anything, but I see a lot of gorgeous hotels in my line of work and a lot of places with four or five or supposedly six stars leave me a little flat. Not this place. Not by a long shot. It’s beautiful, sure. Read more
