HANOI – I arrive in Vietnam and the first sign I notice on the side of the road is a giant, powder-blue sign affixed to an apartment building with giant red letters that scream “English for Future.” Yeah, I guess you could say this country has adapted rather quickly. It was only 40 years ago that the USA, the country where I was born, was bombing the living bejeezus out of this part of this most beautiful of countries for reasons most Americans never quite understood. But a lot has changed. The government here labels itself as a Socialist republic, Read more
travel
MIAMI BEACH – I have a new favourite hotel. I spent Wednesday night at the Soho Beach House in Miami Beach. Even with lousy, Hurricane Sandy-influenced weather I absolutely loved the place. Soho House began as a private club in London in 1995 and now includes restaurants, hotels, cinemas and more in cities across Europe and North America. The latest is in Toronto, adjacent to the new Shangri-La hotel. Soho Beach House is located on Collins, just north of 43rd, in the heart of Miami Beach and on the site of the Sovereign Hotel. And it’s a stunner; without doubt Read more
ST. LUCIA –I was floored. It was my first visit to St. Lucia, in the fall of 2009, and I was in a cab, heading from the international airport to the Sugar Beach resort, nestled between the iconic and awe-inspiring Pitons that rise up out of the Caribbean. The song on the radio was a country music tune, with somebody doin’ somebody wrong. The next song was also a country number, something about a dog and maybe a grandma. The third song? Yep, country again. I didn’t want to be rude so I asked my driver what was up. I thought maybe it was a tape Read more
HALIFAX – We all know about the harbour here; the tall ships and the Titanic connection and the seafaring history. We also see those pictures of the Citadel’s green, rolling hills and the beautiful clock tower. And we know Peggy’s Cove waits just a few minutes down the road, waiting to seduce yet more camera-toting visitors. (And a quick nod here to the 13th anniversary of the Swiss Air 111 flight departing from New York for Geneva, which crashed near Peggy’s Cove on this day in 1998; a very grim mark on an otherwise beautiful place). There are lots of Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – For years I’ve been getting nudges from the San Francisco tourism folks to check out the Mission district. It had gone from something akin to derelict to a trendy, fun area and was well worth investigating, I was told. Even our former mayor, David Miller, mentioned it in passing one day when we chatted about his travels. I finally got around it on a recent visit, and had a great time. Mind you, it was one of those postcard-perfect spring days in the city; about 18 or 19 Celsius with hardly a whisper of wind and the Read more
