CHICAGO – Okay, I was a little reluctant. I mean, we’ve all see those people rolling about various cities on those silly-looking Segways. And, let’s face it, they look like mall cops. But, at the same time, they look kinda cool, right? I mean, we might not ever make it to the Jetsons but a Segway is at least in the same area code; all futuristic and such. So, yeah, I had mixed emotions when the folks at Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism board, suggested my wife, Barbara, and I take a two-hour tour through Millenium Park and environs the Read more
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NEW YORK – Two girls on a fire escape on a hot summer’s night. A humming corner restaurant with enough noise to rival a 747 at takeoff. Tons of fun bars and a real, edgy feel. I managed a bit of time in this city’s Lower East Side on my recent visit and checked out Schiller’s Liquor Bar on Rivington St. It has the feel of a subway station, with off-white tiles on the walls and floor and a black-and-white floor that had the 70’s music bouncing around like shoes in a washing machine. It was awfully hard to hear Read more
HAINES JUNCTION, YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA – There’s not a lot to this town, which is really just a crossroads on the Alaska Highway about two hours west of Whitehorse, reached by a very pretty highway (see photo). Haines Junction is pretty much a collection of a few small hotels and motels and a couple gas stations. n The Frosty Freeze appeared to be the centre of action on a 13 degree Saturday night, when it didn’t get dark until after midnight, and even then I don’t think ever turned REALLY dark. Then again, one doesn’t venture up here for the Read more
BERMUDA – So, apparently Dark and Stormy isn’t just the name of a popular drink in this island nation. Ba-doom-boom. Okay, so it really was a fairly decent day overall. It’s just that I had desperately wanted a hot, clear sky and plenty of sunshine and ended up with almost no sun and a reasonable amount of drizzle. And it’s raining again this morning as I type up my notes. Still, my half-day on this lovely island was a pretty decent start to a long-weekend. And it looks like we might get a break this afternoon or maybe Saturday afternoon. Read more
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO – A visitor hears Kakabeka Falls outside Thunder Bay is the “Niagara of the north” and immediately thinks lesser of the place. I mean, we all hear that nonsense about how Toronto is Hollywood North and we know it’s not true. Or maybe it’s Vancouver. Anyway, I didn’t think much of the analogy and the photos I saw didn’t quite overwhelm me. But the tourism folks suggested I take the 20 minute drive from the airport out to see the falls so I figured they knew what they were talking about. I made the short drive as Read more
