I stopped in Chicago, one of my favorite food and wine towns in the entire country. I enjoyed some exceptional wine and food at the Greek Restaurant Avli on the Park on top of a tall building just up from the waterfront. I headed south that evening, arriving in South Chicago. It was very dark. I arrived on a street filled with people running around, yelling, drinking and cars double parked. I felt out of my element. My desired space for the night … [Read more...]
Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage with Holland America: Helicopter Ride + Dog Mushing on Norris Glacier, Juneau
Arguably this experience is one of the most memorable on shore excursions offered by Holland America on a visit to Alaska's Inside Passage. I always gravitate towards unique experiences and this one is truly special, featuring stunning visuals of the mountainous interior from a helicopter including the Juneau Icefield, a landing directly on a glacier and dog mushing, all in the same afternoon. Northstar Helicopters (founded 1998) is located … [Read more...]
A Night in Florida to Remember, But for All the Wrong Reasons
I was super excited; I was flying back to Florida from Medellin, my first time in the U.S. in nearly 3 months. I had booked my hotel several weeks before, remembering the sticker shock of the price for one night, as compared to the cheap living I had experienced in Colombia. I arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport, one of my favorite smaller airports to arrive into after an international flight. No one was at customs, the agent asked me what my … [Read more...]
A Visit to Hump Island Oyster Company: a Shore Excursion with Holland America, Ketchikan Alaska
Hump Island Oyster Company is located about a 30 minute drive from Ketchikan. This visit and on-shore experience was arranged through a Holland America Inside Passage cruise. This business was founded in 2010 by civil engineer Trevor Sande whose family has lived in Alaska since the early 1920s. He located an ideal place along Clover Passage on the shores of Hump Island, only a few miles from his family home - an area that takes full advantage of … [Read more...]
Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage with Holland America
One of the great things about cruising is leaving the logistics to others. Certain destinations are ideally suited to cruises including Alaska, due to its vast geographical distances, remote landscapes and rugged coastal beauty. Our Alaskan Inside Passage cruise was on the Holland America Eurodam, a ship whose inaugural sail was in 2008. We first cruised on this particular ship in 2015 in the Caribbean. One certainly becomes spoiled, merely … [Read more...]
A Quick Visit to Detroit, Michigan
I've been fortunate to have visited this city twice in the past 2 years. The first time was in May 2020 and like the other major U.S. cities I visited in the early to mid part of 2020, it was a 'ghost town'. Returning this year, it was nice to see some life back in the downtown area. There is no other city like this in the U.S. - its heyday was decades ago, being built as a result of being the site of the early manufacturing of one of the most … [Read more...]
A Memorable Trip to Florida
During cold weather, its like one is always tightly wound. Constantly holding their breath. During warm weather, one can exhale and the mood brightens immediately. It was a welcome relief to arrive back in Florida after the bone chilling artic cold I experienced in the northern states on this same trip. After a stop in Jacksonville to visit a friend's daughters restaurant (The Town Hall) for a delicious meal. I made a last minute reservation … [Read more...]
An Unexpected Night in Cabo San Lucas
The rooftop edges over dramatically - at its most precipitous drop, one would fall maybe 10 feet if they weren't careful. There is no railing guarding the edge of the roof leading to the steps to the lower level. But one afternoon a gentleman showed up with his portable welder and began welding together a metal railing before ultimately installing it. We began chatting - his initial questions were about politics. Always a hook conversation … [Read more...]
My Time so far in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
In describing my stay so far to friends and family during the first few days of my travels in San Jose de Cabo, I used the following descriptions: My days are filled with a warm energy and long in-depth conversations through newfound friendships with fellow travelers - bonding over mutual interests and experiences. I rise early every day with the spirit of the dawn. I am refreshed by a cool dip in the nearby bay. This is followed by a … [Read more...]
The Trip to the Desert
After visiting the original Ballarat in Australia about 90 minutes outside of Melbourne earlier this year, I got the urge to visit it's tiny relative in the Mojave Desert, California. I drove across what looked like a salt plane - some rare recent rain had muddied the road and left my windshield covered in white droplets. I pulled into the old town, originally founded in 1897, it's boom was a few short years before the nearby mine shut down in … [Read more...]
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