SARNIA, ONTARIO – A sleek new craft brewery. A stunningly designed art gallery with some of Canada’s top works of art. Inventive restaurants run by outrageously entertaining foodies. This is a city that has come a long way in a short time, with a vibrant and growing downtown that seems to be torqueing up the cool factor on an almost daily basis. Almost everywhere I went during a two-day visit in June I ran into someone with a story about something new in town. At Refined Fool, a wonderful craft brewery, they had just put the finishing touches on a Read more
restaurants.
From one part of Canada to another. Last night the folks from the Calgary Stampede were in town, putting on a humdinger of a party at Rock ‘N’ Horse Saloon in downtown Toronto. The bar was a sea of white hats with red trim, and they had a smokin’ good band called Trinity Bradshaw. They didn’t do a big press presentation, preferring to let the great food and music – okay, and the beer – speak for itself. But I can tell you I went to the Stampede last year for the first time and loved it. The atmosphere at Read more
My first Globe and Mail column ran in the newspaper’s Travel section on Jan. 10 and also appears on-line. Here’s a link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/travel-news/are-you-ready-for-robot-room-service/article22377873/
This is getting harder. Now that I’m travelling a lot more (and not tied to the desk as much as when I was the Toronto Star Travel editor, a post I left in August, 2013), my year-end “Jimmy Awards” are proving a little more tricky. I did a fair bit of travelling in Canada this year, hitting all the provinces except Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Which means I have a great many more things to single out than in previous years. Which is why I’m splitting up the Jimmy’s into two categories: Canada and the rest of the world. I’ll Read more
New Air Canada rouge routing provides direct, non-stop flights between Toronto and Honolulu, Hawaii’s biggest city and a surprisingly diverse destination. Honolulu’s Diamond Head has been a beacon for tourists for years. It sits at one end of famous Waikiki Beach, providing a perfect backdrop for millions of photos. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel has been charming visitors to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu for more than 100 years. They recently completed a fantastic renovation. You’ll find several cool swimming pools at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which is on perhaps the best stretch of Waikiki Beach. The hotel can be booked through Read more
