December 8, 2016: When we last left our wandering Yanks in Canada, my mom and I had just completed a morning tour of Manitoba’s capital, Winnipeg. Back on board our railway vessel, we waited to pull out of the station. I was busy scrolling through photos and organizing them while my mom was attending to her needlepoint projects. So, business as usual. In...
From the hallowed halls of the Manitoba Legislative Building, our tour group headed off towards the lavish neighborhood of Wellington Crescent. Situated a stone’s throw from downtown Winnipeg, this is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in all of Canada. The houses within this neighborhood are big and beautiful. Most of the residents have a median...
My 31st birthday arrived on a dark and frigid Thursday morning in the city of Winnipeg. When my alarm clock went off, the sun hadn’t even risen but in lieu of sunlight, the numerous skyscrapers and their neon marquees shone beautifully in the cold morning air. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night; I was too excited to doze off and all I could think about...
Snow. Nothing but snow. I awoke to a strange new world blanketed by glistening powder accompanied by towering evergreens. In just a few eyewinks, I went from a rain-soaked Torono to a frozen wilderness; a world where Princess Elsa and Jack Frost had definitely worked their snowy magic. No sign of Olaf and Bunnymund, unfortunately. From another view, it also...
Since I was a little boy, one of my dreams has been to ride a train, cross-country. It has been a dream since the first time I laid eyes on the rows and rows of locomotives and cars berthed at the Sunnyside Yard in Queens just a few miles from the foreboding entrance to the East River tunnels. It seemed like a pipe dream as it went unnoticed for years until January...
If there’s one thing I do love about visiting the south, it’s the food. Being from New York means having easy access to a wide variety of foods from around the world. Southern cooking, however, isn’t as common as say, finding a slice of pizza or a hot dog cart. There are a handful of soul-food joints in and around Harlem that do some of the best...
Way down south, past the Mason-Dixon line, down where you see more Waffle Houses and fewer IHOP’s, you’ll find South Carolina. And just 30 miles south of Charleston, along a series of winding roads of willow trees and old churches, you’ll find the gated community resort of Kiawah Island. It is ranked as one of the top golfing resort destinations...
If there is one thing I love about traveling through America, especially in the midwest, it’s sampling the foods and restaurants that you cannot find in New York. It seems that the further west or further south you drive, the more fattening and sinfully good the grub gets. It is a guilty pleasure of mine as I can’t resist the opportunity to dine in at a...
The Hamptons often conjures up images of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with a pastoral, beach setting adjacent. Beyond the upscale boutiques and marinas, you’ll find scores of neighborhood bars and bistros that cater to anyone. Whether you just came from the Hamptons Classic horse show or you’re vacationing for the weekend at a nearby motel...
Deep in the heart of the Buckeye state, just a short distance from the campus of Ohio State, you’ll find a cafe that serves up a hamburger of epic proportions. A hamburger that is the stuff of legends. A hamburger that is so gargantuan, you’ll be almost too tempted not to eat as it just awe inspiring. But, some things are meant to be taken apart and...