When people hear the word “casino,” they don’t necessarily think of the smoky, stuffy rooms of yesteryear crowded with wealthy men at the craps table with cigars hanging out of their mouths and young women hanging on their arms. While those lucky gentlemen may still be a presence, casinos today from Las Vegas to Monaco and everywhere in between offer hundreds if not thousands of games to players of all ages – and some even boast a smoke-free … [Read more...]
The Art of Not Doing: The Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia
In the eager pool of morning light there rises The Rock. It is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the implacable indifferences of inhospitable landscapes, its dimensions timeless, unsummarized. And I want to climb it. There is something in the Western mindset that arouses a near irresistible urge to climb a peak. We look up, we admire, and if possible, we act. It may be related to a primal impulse to conquer a headland, to be king of the … [Read more...]
Eating My Way Through San Juan
When I first started exploring Puerto Rico, I found what I was seeking: Caribbean beaches, stylish hotel rooms by the sea, a capital city with a pulsating beat and genuinely warm locals. What I never expected to find was a mouth-watering culinary scene. Contemporary Cocina Criolla is a fusion that mirrors Puerto Rico’s diversity and is a powerful lens into its history. Its predominate influences are indigenous Taíno blended with an ample measure … [Read more...]
Outback Beyond: 6 Months in Australia
PART I: QUEENSLAND I landed with a thump on a Quantus long-haul flight, back when smoking was allowed and drinking encouraged, like a character out of a Bruce Chatwin novel. I was ineffably in error while reading my Lonely Planet guidebook on the plane--thinking that “Cairns” was pronounced with an “r” in it, when to local “Aussie” cobbers (not “Ozzies,” a common mistake both of Septic Tank Yanks [Americans] and Bloody Pomes [Britishs]), it … [Read more...]
ARIA Las Vegas: A Thousand Ways to Say “Wow!”
When I first arrived at ARIA Las Vegas, I was a mite rough and dry, like the cotton candy you see in those cocktail glasses below. It took only an hour or so before I was flowing with a glow, feeling much as you see in the second shot, that cotton candy in a better mood. The ARIA is transformative—and a little magical—like that: I spent three days there and couldn’t stop saying “Wow!” (And I said that at night too.) I was part of a media … [Read more...]
Visit Saipan – October 2014
Saipan has certainly gotten some bad press in the last number of years with its sweat shops (now closed), Jack Abramoff scandal with the Northern Mariana Islands as a client, high joblessness rate etc, gambling & alcohol addictions etc. This aside, the small island has a unique variety of outdoor activities and attractions that will appeal to the outdoor enthusiast. The Grotto, a deep dive spot connected to the ocean by several tunnels is … [Read more...]
Travel Media Showcase & Lake Charles, LA
Travel Media Showcase is an annual industry event focusing on the USA domestic market, pairing representatives from mostly small to medium sized regions with a variety of journalists. Travel shows for the industry such as this one are a great way for journalists to make personal contact with destinations and brands - learn about some of the latest activities and attractions in each region and help coordinate future visits. This show was TMS's … [Read more...]
Time to Fall for Niagara
Niagara Falls is one of the great natural spectacles that everyone should have on their bucket list. This dramatic set of waterfalls has long since been a hotspot for honeymooning holidaymakers from across the globe, but the LGBT community are catching on fast. Despite not having a designated gay area in any of the three major towns surrounding the Falls (Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and St Catharines), there is plenty to see and do here, … [Read more...]
The Stranger Side of Travel
See dem hills? I live in dem hills… The man pointing at the blue-green hills in question was talking to my mother. He looked like Billy Ray Cyrus -- if Mr. Cyrus had less teeth and a meth-addiction. We were in rural Australia, and this young man with an uncanny resemblance to a junkie version of the popular country singer was doing his best to woo my mother. My teenage sister and I were highly amused. Over a decade later, we still … [Read more...]
The Mauritian Chronicles: Paradise Lost and Found
John M. Edwards grabs his “Beachcombers Card” and does Divali (Festival of Lights) on delicious Mauritius, a paradisiacal Indian Ocean isle--once the roost of extinct dodos, now the boast of professional beachbums--which initially he can’t place on a map! “Incredible!” You are from New York?!” boomed Willy Van Damme, a friendly Belgian restaurateur and former soldier of fortune, in the sleepy resort town of Péreybere. “Very rare! We get almost … [Read more...]
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