Chicago is one of the world’s great cities, home to amazing architecture, sensational food and warm, welcoming people. Here are seven great things to see, do and eat, as well a wonderful place to lay your head at night, when you visit. CHICAGO DOGS Portillo’s main restaurant on Ontario Street downtown is as Chicago as it gets; a wild emporium packed with sports paraphernalia, old cars hanging from the ceiling and other kitschy but fun pieces. They serve everything from Italian beef sandwiches to massive salads and desserts big enough to feed the starting five of the Chicago Bulls NBA basketball Read more
Italian food
TORONTO – I don’t pretend to know everything about the food scene in the city. But if there’s a better restaurant in the city than Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto I haven’t eaten there. I also haven’t seen it, haven’t read about it and haven’t even dreamed of it. My wife and I recently had the chance to have dinner there (I also got to attend an opening lunch a few weeks ago) and were, quite frankly, overwhelmed by the inventiveness and quality of the menu, the whisper-quiet but friendly service, the presentation of the food and the variety of the Read more
A cool hotel in a fabulous part of Manhattan. A new, educational attraction from National Geographic. And a thoroughly enjoyable boat ride around the southern tip of one of the world’s great cities. A weekend in New York City is never a bad thing. This past weekend was better than most, owing to great weather (around 12 Celsius on Saturday) you wouldn’t normally expect in January. My wife and I had two nights at the recently opened The Frederick Hotel in lower Tribeca. I don’t love the upper end of Tribeca with its fancy shops and hipsters, but this seemed Read more
BOSTON – We see those silly “duck boats” all over the place these days. At least we do in cities with major waterways. I always resisted the temptation but the folks from Boston tourism had me try one Thursday here in this great city, setting me up with Boston Duck Tours. And I was really glad we went. Not so much because the car suddenly rolled into the river and turned into a boat, because it IS kinda cool, but because the tour itself was so interesting. Things didn’t start out so well, I must say. A bunch of kids Read more
