This powerful historical fiction is one of our best reads in 2025. The man is real; the story highlights the important points in his life with the author taking some creative liberty to fictionalize some of the minor and unimportant points. This is a gripping novel based on the 26 letters Patrick O’Donnell wrote to Victor Hugo during his last days in the Newgate Prison in London between December 5th and December 17th. O’Donnell was in prison for the murder of James Carey, one of the killers involved in the […]

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Q. Tell us about yourself, how you joined the Museum Of Bad Art, and what you love most about working with the volunteers? I am a native Bostonian, retired from a career as a consultant to small businesses. In 1993, when my brother and his friend came up with the concept of a Museum of Bad Art, I offered to take on the role of Director of Financial Enablement. Around 2000, the other founders moved on to new ventures. I assumed the role of Executive Director. We have strived to […]

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We were a busload of older women off on a jaunt on a hot day in July. Departing from a Montreal seniors’ center, we rode off to Mirabel, located in the Lower Laurentian Hills. In less than an hour we arrived at Routes des Gerbes d”Angelica, a collection of 14 themed gardens which are the creation of 20 retirees who have invested their money and the rest of their lives, it seems, into creating and sustaining a sanctuary of natural beauty. Most of the money earned from this project (from […]

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The name of Montreal’s Golden Square Mile or Le Mille Carré, a square mile of signature historic blocks at the heart of downtown at the foot of Mount Royal, traces its origins back to 1950s real estate developers promoting the area’s prosperity. Today, “Golden” more aptly describes the stellar array of attractions available within such a small radius. In 1983, only 30% of the district’s historic buildings survived the wrecking ball due to its convenient overlap with downtown but thanks to Heritage Montreal, numerous mansionettes built with Scottish sandstone and […]

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One of my favorite things to do when I used to live in Boston was to spend the weekend in one of the adjoining states. I’d load my car with my dog, grab a backpack and head out to either the Green Mountains in New Hampshire or the White Mountains in Vermont. Because the states in the US northeast are so small, getting there was all too easy. So when I visited Boston recently for a conference, I decided to extend my stay through the weekend and once again take […]

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“Under the reflection of the northern lights, we see the head of Ciiwetinustikwaan, the man of the north.” – saying of the Northern Cree After days of adventure travel in the Saguenay-Lac-St Jean area come to a close, I let my fingers meander across the map to find my next would-be destination. This is actually one my of favorite activities: simply pick a remote location on a map and make my way there, never really knowing what I’ll find. I trace my fingers along Highway 167 deep into the interior […]

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“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventure.” When I last left you on my week-long adventure trip to Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac St. Jean region, I had just finished two days of aerial challenges: an exhausting a treetop obstacle course, followed by an even more obscene climb along the 250-meter high Via Ferrata. What was next on the agenda around Saguenay fjord, I wondered? Sea kayaking in the fjord Turns out, that next stop is in the middle of the fjord. On a tiny kayak. In the blasting wind and cold waves. […]

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“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventure.” I admit I only know a little about Quebec, that francophone region located right in the heart of North America. I am aware that it is Canada’s second largest (and second-most populous) province. And that 90% of its population lives within just a couple of hours of the border with the United States. But what about the other 10%? Where and how do they live? What’s there to do beyond Montreal and Quebec City? “I don’t know” is the perfect reason […]

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“Abdul! Are you enjoying the views,” he asks me in his thick, Quebecois accent. “I’m trying not to!” I bark back at him, just barely managing not to suppress a barrage of foul language. Cedric, my guide, watches on in amusement, a thick smirk covers his unshaven face. I’m balancing on the narrow beams of a hanging bridge, 85 meters long but only 20 cm wide, some 150 meters above Saguenay fjord (280 feet, 8 inches and 500 feet, respectively). The scenery from up here is, indeed, glorious. But that […]

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THE BIG 375 The candles are lit, the streamers are ready – Montréal is officially turning 375 this month. And boy, are we putting on a show! We’re lighting up Jacques-Cartier Bridge, inviting Giants over, celebrating history with Cité Mémoire and the St. Lawrence River with AVUDO, and praising the powers that be with AURA at Notre-Dame Basilica. Won’t you come see? THE STREETS COME ALIVE From July 6 to 30, 2017, Montréal’s already animated Quartier des Spectacles will be in party overdrive. Montréal’s entertainment district will welcome the largest […]

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It’s a beautiful resort but it’s not Cuba. More tourists are found here than Cubans. It’s only a showplace for tourists”, the young Cuban lady guide explained, as she began to give us an overview of Varadero. Her words, more than volumes of reporters’ stories, sum up what the local Cubans think of Varadero – the country’s top tourist attraction. Everything in this resort of some 20,000 inhabitants is geared toward foreign visitors who are offered some of the finest tourist facilities to be found anywhere – a world that […]

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Mexico City. Acapulco. Puerta Vallarta. Cancun. If you’re like most people, these are the Mexican cities you are familiar with. However, Puebla, or La Puebla de los Angeles (“the city of the angels,”) is the most beautiful Mexican city that you’ve likely never heard of. Only a couple of hours from Mexico City, I first visited it during a backpacking trip in 2005, more by coincidence than by design, and was astounded by one of the most remarkable architectural delights in the Americas. Poblanos are rightfully proud of their UNESCO World […]

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Working as a tour guide in Philadelphia’s historic district, I must have become a little Pennsylvania-centric on my view of the American Revolution because I was absolutely stunned when I stumbled upon the Trumbull Room at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the thrill of unexpectedly running into dear acquaintances while on vacation – the familiar blue and yellow uniform in the painting of my favorite founding father, General George Washington at Trenton by John Trumbull, a striking contrast to the bright red walls of […]

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AccuWeather Invites Fans to Make Every Minute Magical in “Every Minute Matters” Sweepstakes, with Chance to Win a Magical Disney Parks Vacation Register for a chance to win a great prize instantly each day and a grand prize vacation for six to Disneyland(r) Resort or Walt Disney World(r) Resort. AccuWeather Global Weather Center – January 26, 2016 – AccuWeather, the global leader in weather information and digital media, today announced the Every Minute Matters Sweepstakes available now through February 28, 2016. Outdoor enthusiasts, pet owners, parents – indeed anyone who […]

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Harvest season in Northern California is a hot destination for travelers looking to find work and make some cash in the ever-growing medical marijuana industry. After a long summer of outdoor growing, cannabis farmers have a large amount of product that needs to be trimmed and manicured before it can be sold. Most farmers hire trim crews to get the job done quickly and efficiently. This is the story of our highly irresponsible adventure in Marijuana land. After working a summer season in Alaska, my partner and I wanted to […]

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