NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO – The Niagara region has a reputation for great food and fabulous wine. A weekend visit in September hammered the point home in tasty fashion. One of the top places to check out, especially given this worldwide talk of a maple syrup shortage, is the Maple Trail at Maple Leaf Place, just a minute or two north of the Falls on the Niagara Parkway. It’s a lovely, bright shop with folks who know just about everything you can imagine about maple syrup. For example, did you know that 71% of the world’s production of the sweet stuff Read more
wineries
A historic home once lived in by one of the world’s greatest writers. Fabulous food. Great, local wines. And wonderful, walkable downtowns. The Tri-Valley region of California is not only easy to enjoy, but easy to get to. The valley is roughly a 45-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, and easily reached on the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. It’s not an area that gets a ton of publicity, but that’s what makes it so much fun to explore. I grew up about 10 minutes from the area, and a post at the daily Tri-Valley Herald was my first newspaper Read more
You can easily be seduced by luxurious hotels and high-end wineries on a trip to the Napa Valley, known as one of the top destinations around the world. But, with a little planning and local knowledge, you also can explore one of the globe’s top wine regions and still come away with a few bills in your wallet. Here’s one frequent visitor’s guide to how to see the famous Napa Valley in two distinct ways. LUXURY/HIGH WINE Newton Vineyard Newton Vineyard is a private winery (definitely no bus tours) that sits at the top of a steep, winding road on Read more
SCOTTSDALE – The crack of a bat. The sun on your face. And hardly a Zamboni in sight. It’s spring training time in Arizona, where roughly half of major league ballplayers gather to hone their skills in time for the regular season. All big league teams have their spring headquarters in the Scottsdale-Phoenix area, which makes Scottsdale the ideal base. Scottsdale proper is home to three major league teams for spring training: the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. You’re also within a few minutes drive of all the other teams in Arizona, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Read more
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE – Alan Doyle is mugging for the audience at the Jackson-Triggs Ampitheatre on a warm summer night under a full moon. “I started playing this one when I was touring with Great Big Sea, back in 1951,” he says with a laugh. His new band, The Beautiful Gypsies, immediately launches into a frenzied, Newfoundland-meets-Nashville tune with powerful guitars, a splendid violin and a swirling accordion backed by drums and bass. Doyle has perfected the “aw shucks” Canadian approach, and it suits him well. Toss in a generous dash of Maritimes/Newfoundland music with lyrics about lost fishermen signing their goodbyes Read more
