Near Miami’s luxe hotels is a place that drew me in with all my senses. I was in Miami, but was I really? This was Little Havana - authentic and easy. Miami has more than a million people of Latin origin who live and work there. It’s an American city with a...
If you’re wondering why the price of potato chips, an American snacking staple, has been rising so rapidly, there are two reasons. General inflation is one; according to the the Federal Reserve, the US dollar has lost 87% of its purchasing power since 1971. But...
Auguste Escoffier, a chef of acknowledged genius, published his Le Guide Culinaire in France toward the end of his career. To the end of his days, he mastered no more than a few words of English because, as he would jokingly explained, if he spoke the language, he...
Cheese plates and cheeseboards are a fantastic way to elevate the end of a meal or titillate the palate at a friendly gathering. With so many cheeses available in the market from all over the world, you can go overboard and create a spread that overflows with a...
Jagged white peaks speckled with pines, stretches of parched terrain alongside vast lakes, glacial blue water sliding into creeks, and black ridges iced with snow. These are among the images that stick with you when you travel through the remarkably diverse landscapes...
More cruise ship bans. The city of Nice, France is banning cruise ships that carry more than 900 passengers. Overtourism is becoming a major problem, especially in popular European destinations. Venice increases tourist fees. Venice is on the forefront of the...
Picture gazing out over the unpolluted sparkling royal blue waters of the Adriatic Sea, breathing in salt-infused, pure, sweet air and the fragrance and beauty of dark-green pine forests silhouetted against the azure sky. All the while, 1,100 aromatic herbs and...
People are fascinated by apes and monkeys, probably because they appear to be so human-like in many ways. Around the world, the variety, adaptations, and behaviors of these creatures will intrigue and fascinate any traveler. Here are 15 apes and monkeys around the...
When you think wine, your first thought is Missouri, right? No? Well, it doesn’t have to be your first thought, but it should certainly be on your radar. I’ve visited a lot of local vineyards around the U.S., and admittedly, I’m rarely impressed. The one I visited in...
Istanbul is, without question, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here are some of my favorite images that I took during my stay in Turkey. Istanbul. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Istanbul. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Istanbul. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Istanbul....
Our hearts go out to all those affected, including the figure skating community, by the horrible American Airlines crash with the military helicopter in Washington, D.C. Hotels and immigration. With the new administration in the White House, hotels could end up...
If you happen to be in Peru, you would be hard pressed not to find the quintessential Peruvian drink – a Pisco Sour. It's so celebrated in Peru that they have designated the first Saturday of February every year as National Pisco Sour Day. This year, it falls on...
I have always wanted to spend a night at New York's iconic Algonquin Hotel, and I finally got my chance. Was it all it's cracked up to be? Well ... not exactly. But I still enjoyed my stay. As a writer, the Algonquin holds a special allure because of the famous...
The Ropa Vieja dish was first cooked more than 500 years ago. It's a dish with many regional variations in the Canary Islands, South America, the Philippines, and mainland Spain. It's supposedly of Sephardic Jewish origin, where they would slow-cook a hearty meat stew...
Frozen meals are an American invention that I still have to get used to, even though I’ve lived in this country for more than 50 years. As far as I’m concerned, they're either an exceptional hit or a massive miss. And the problem is usually either texture or flavor....
We found a rather quirky but unique restaurant with exceptional food in the Northern New Jersey township of Park Ridge at 7 Hawthorne Avenue. Longtime restaurateur Tommy Greco, along with cousin and partner Chef Nicolas Pescatore, returned to their New Jersey roots...
A quiet island? In the Thames? A 40-minute train ride from London? Near bustling Windsor Castle? Lead me to it! And Monkey Island Estate did not disappoint. With its borders of huge white hydrangeas, resident geese amidst the verdant grass, and low white buildings,...
It’s a shame that so many tourists think only of visiting beach destinations like Cancun when they travel to Mexico. Mexico City simply has so much to offer and is a relatively safe place. No, you can’t swim or sun on a beach, but you can experience Mexican culture,...
When we first started making fondue, we doubled the recipe, which meant we needed a larger pot to prepare the meal. We found that the Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Cocotte spreads the heat evenly. It isn't as light as a traditional earthenware coquelon, but it has two...
Some of rum’s history isn’t pretty. Rum or rhum - depending on whether you're in an English or French-speaking area - is the Caribbean’s most frequently produced spirit. It's also produced in the Southern USA and Central and South America. Every island and every...
Most chefs worth their salt have a dream to captain the kitchen of a 3 Michelin-starred restaurant. The award of 3 stars is an indication that the anonymous reviewers of the Red Michelin guides thought the entire restaurant, not just the kitchen, was “worth a special...
As a travel writer and frequent flyer on many different airlines around the world, I am seldom impressed with onboard flight innovations that usually are designed to appeal to an elite, select few. But Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier for Türkiye (Turkey), just...
It's a massive understatement to say that the Appenzell region of Switzerland has character. It's exactly how you hope the German part of Switzerland will be. Well-known among the Swiss as the most traditional area in the country, its inhabitants remain astoundingly...
River cruises are among the most popular forms of vacation, offering virtually every amenity available on larger cruise ships but at an affordable price. They also feature enticing, unique itineraries often unavailable with their bigger rivals. My favorite river...
Vegan and French cuisine sound like quite the mismatch, but Delice & Sarrasin in Manhattan's West Village makes it work. There aren't that many vegan fine dining establishments, even in NYC, but this place qualifies. The ambience is elegant but not fussy. The...
FTC in the U.S. passes law about "junk fees." This new law prohibits bait-and-switch pricing that hides fees at hotels and in live-event ticketing. It's about time, right? But bear in mind that this doesn't prohibit fees, just the hiding of them. Free city tours...
I decided to go back and reread some of the theatrical plays of antiquity that I had read many years ago as part of my high school curriculum. I dusted off my copies of Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes and started going through them, especially looking at what...
Some 60 feet below us stretched the Irish Sea. Distant waves swept barely audible sounds onto the shore. Apart from the twitter of birds, we couldn't hear anything else. Quite a difference from New York City where we live! My wife, Roxie, and I were following a narrow...
A galette is a French flat, round, crusty cake or even a flatbread. It's associated in the French-speaking world with the celebration of the Epiphany. January 6th is the feast of the Epiphany that celebrates the biblical story of the arrival in Bethlehem of the Three...
If you're going to a concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall (pictured above) in the near future, you may wonder where to have a meal. There are countless restaurants in the area, but here are my favorites. La Grande Boucherie is my number one choice. It's a classic...
What a lovely blast from the past! Motown legends The Temptations and The Four Tops practically defined popular American music in the late 1950s and 1960s, along with the other performers on the Motown roster. They will be in concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts...
I don’t think I have a personal prejudice against low calorie, no-alcohol wines. Still, through the years, I have tasted a number of these bottles and thought most had very little to no taste. But the product line, Ventessa by Mezzacorona, has proved to me that I can...
New UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Travelers from the U.S., Canada, and Australia will have to apply online for an ETA to enter the UK starting January 8, 2025. It can take up to 72 hours to process, so you need to apply in advance with your passport...
Back in the day (1920s to 1940s), the port city of Tangier had a reputation for depravity, where everything and anything was available ... as long as you paid the price. Tangier is located in the Straits of Gibraltar, at the very tip of the African continent between...
Many hotels fancy themselves as “Grand” and “Royal,” but in the case of Vienna’s Hotel Imperial, the description can be taken literally. Custom-built in 1863 as Palais Württenberg, it was designed and constructed as a residence for Duke Philipp of Württemberg, who...
I had occasion to visit Yosemite National Park in California recently. The only downside to seeing the park in fall is that it’s quite dry, which means the famous waterfalls are almost nonexistent. You have to be there during the spring to see the falls in all their...
Fegato alla Veneziana is a fried calf’s liver recipe that is probably one of the best known dishes of La Serenisima, together with risi e bisi (rice and peas). Walk around Venice, and you’ll see it on most restaurant menus, from lowly bacari to high-end luxury hotel...
I just received a copy of a cookbook I have been looking forward to called Sri Owen's Indonesian Food from an imprint of Interlink Publishing. As I've mentioned in the past, I’m very partial to Asian dishes, and I have a good number of cookbooks from different Asian...
Las Vegas offers a variety of shows, entertainment, and special events that will be sure to please travelers coming to this desert haven. What’s even better is that many shows are geared to different price points and audiences, which means there is something for...
There are a number of travel hazards that you may not be aware of, so follow these guidelines to be safe during your holiday vacation: Social media hazard. If you have holiday travel plans, DO NOT announce them on social media or blogs, where other people, not just...
Bullet hits Southwest plane. A Southwest Airlines plane was struck by a bullet on November 15th at Dallas Love Field airport. The plane returned to the gate and was taken out of service, and there were no injuries. Spirit Airlines bankruptcy. Spirit has filed for...
Ghost Hill Cellars is a fifth-generation farm in the Yamhill-Carlton District of Willamette Valley, Oregon. The land was purchased by the Bayliss family in 1906 and started as a dairy. Then, it became a sheep farm, followed by a cattle farm. Today, the combination of...
Almost daily in Facebook travel groups and Broadway show fan pages, people ask where to eat in Times Square. Part of the problem is that there are so many restaurants that it can be hard to choose. So below are 10 restaurants that I personally recommend. Most are...
If you've always thought Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice was missing a bikini-clad, pole-dancing Portia, cast members in Batman masks, and puppets fellating each other, the Arlekin Players Theatre and Jadow Productions version at Classic Stage Company will be...
When my friend told me he was leaving New York City for the much smaller city of Norwich, England to take over his dad’s fish & chips shop, I couldn’t imagine why. Wouldn’t he get bored? Then, I visited him in his idyllic town with a population of just over...
All whisky or whiskey is made from three basic ingredients: water, grain, and yeast. But there is a very wide range of products. They depend on where they're made, the legal and tradition-required differences in the water and grain used, how the distilling is done,...
This 4-star hotel, Le Meridien Fifth Avenue, is located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan between East 30th and East 31st Streets. That makes it a stone's throw from the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Penn Station, Macy's, and the West 34th Street shopping...
Staying in luxury hotels, especially the ones known as “The Grand Dames,” you might be given the services of a butler if you book a suite or return as a “valued guest.” Valentin, our butler on the Uniworld River Queen. Photo by Manos Angelakis. Butlers in a luxury...
Hotel rooms inspired by Wicked. New York Hilton Midtown hotel is collaborating with Universal Pictures to create a one-of-a-kind suite inspired by the Broadway show and upcoming movie, Wicked. Canned air? In Lake Como, they're selling cans of the local air for people...
In an organization known for its spectacular displays and events held both indoors and outdoors, the New York Botanical Garden’s display of “Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail” is over-the-top spectacular. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before...
Oops! The wine I just poured tilted to one side of the glass. Most odd. Then, looking around, seeing the low, heavily beamed ceiling and taking into account the age of this place – the house was built about six hundred years ago – I realized that, most likely, the...
In the past, luxury stemware preferred by wine drinkers of my father's generation were fairly thick, ornate, heavily carved, lead crystal glasses. They were produced by companies with a long history such as Baccarat, Moser, Josephinenhütte, Orrefors, Waterford,...
Liverpool has plenty of Beatles memorabilia to lure you, but you might be surprised to learn that it has much more to offer the traveler – even those who aren’t fans of the Fab Four. An old city with both new and historical architecture, Liverpool is big enough to...
The Langham Hotel in London is as close to perfect as you can get. A 5-star property that could easily be given 6 stars, my experience there – from the facilities to the staff – was nothing short of exquisite. And I don’t use such words frivolously. Located on the...
The time that most people purchase sparkling wines is usually just prior to the winter holidays. People like to celebrate either the end of a challenging year or the beginning of a new one, which will be full of expectations for a great outcome. Therefore, we...
In many of the stories, as well as in toponymics (the study of proper geographic names) based on descriptions from the past, we find references to giants. As far back as the Homeric, epics we read about the Cyclops, the one-eyed man-eating giant that Odysseus and his...
My wife, Roxie, and I were heading for Ballygally, a village in county Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. A train from Belfast had taken us to our first stop - the town of Larne, which is a major passenger and freight roll-on/roll-off ferry port....
Notre Dame reopening in Paris. After the devastating fire in 2019, the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris will reopen December 8, 2024! Notre Dame in Paris. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Las Vegas Sphere news. You might have heard about The Sphere in Las Vegas. Well,...
Mussels in a wine and herb sauce, Mediterranean-style is a favorite dish of ours. It’s a culinary delight! On a recent driving trip to the south of France, we stopped for lunch at the fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer known for its Moules-frites or moules et...
Sicily is producing some very interesting white wines. The largest island in the Mediterranean is now one of Italy’s most exciting wine producers. The wines, especially the whites, range from sweet or savory and crisp to complex and startlingly age-worthy. The unique...
The Grand Hotel Amsterdam states a truism in its name, for this hotel is truly grand. The oldest part of the building dates to 1411, and its history includes housing a convent, a Royal lodging, the Dutch Admiralty, the City Hall of Amsterdam, and now a five-star...
Ulysses - archetypal hero of The Odyssey, Homer’s epic morality tale of folly and adventure, wisdom and foolishness, loyalty and betrayal – purportedly journeyed along the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Lazio, southeast of Rome. In Homer’s day, the waters between...
The Greeks or Hellenes were never really a totally homogeneous group. Their language is considered an independent branch of the Indo-European group of languages, and the people came down in successive waves of migrating tribes from North of the Balkan Peninsula,...
The Delta Sky Lounge in the Kansas City airport is fairly new - opened in February 2023. The entire airport was refurbished not long ago, and this is its only lounge. The space spans more than 11,000 square feet to hold 200 guests, but the Monday morning I was there...
North of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea, a group of seven volcanic islands rise from the cobalt-blue waters. They are called Salina, Lipari, Vulcano, Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea, Basiluzzo, and Stromboli. The group was named after Aeolus, god of the winds, by Greek...
Yearning for both a fun and a delicious dining experience to usher in the upcoming Halloween season, we opted for a visit to the Sugar Factory Restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. This was our second visit to a Sugar Factory eatery. Last...
Italy and Switzerland to redraw borders. Melting glaciers in the Alps are the reason for this change near Zermatt, Switzerland and involves a 330-foot-long segment. Delta Partnership with Incheon Airport in South Korea. Currently, Delta Airlines' Asian hub is Tokyo's...
This beautiful 4-star Loews Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri is located downtown right across the street from the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It's surprisingly large for an inner city hotel with 800 rooms and suites and a sprawling lobby that contains many...
Recipe translation by Gabriella Venezia, trevisoguide@hotmail.com On a trip to Treviso, Italy, I was introduced to the city’s proud claim to fame as the place where tiramisù was first created. In the late 1800s, the owner and head cook at a small restaurant and sweet...
Recently, I decided to visit Crete to see the ancient cities that became the cornerstone of our modern culture. They were the precursors of 21st century Western civilization. We flew from Athens to Heraklion and stayed in a lovely small hotel overlooking the harbor...
Nowadays, we hear a lot about symposia. In current usage, it has come to mean an academic or scientific gathering where distinguished speakers present their insights or findings on cultural, archaeological, economic, or scientific questions. The word’s usage in...
Naples wasn't high on my bucket list, but after my recent visit, I'm happy to report that I was captivated by her scintillating charms. I visited one enchanting sight after another and still only managed to cover a fraction of the rich history waiting to be explored...
For ages, honey has been considered the “perfect” food. Produced in many parts of the world but especially popular in the Eastern Mediterranean, it has been used as both food and medicine since antiquity. Attiki Honey. Photo by Manos Angelakis. The Greek thyme honey...
Donate to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. Our hearts go out to all of those who experienced loss of life or property damage from Hurricane Helene. This link will take you to the American Red Cross North Carolina, where the flooding damage was especially...
In Greece, the land beneath your feet is steeped in very ancient history and lore. Many of our current civic, as well as theatrical traditions, come to us from the city-state of Athena, in Attica. So when you visit Greece, keep all of what you'll learn in this article...
Most tourists stay in midtown when they come to New York City, but even if you're not in town for business, you might want to consider staying in other areas of Manhattan, including the Financial District. This area is where you'll find the current World Trade Center...
Unfortunately, bedbugs are a reality these days, and it can be very difficult to get rid of them. But don't panic! I even got them in my apartment (presumably from a package that was delivered, as I hadn't traveled recently), and spraying did kill them because we...
In tropical climes there are certain times of dayWhen all the citizens retireTo tear their clothes off and perspire.It's one of those rules that the greatest fools obey,Because the sun is much too sultryAnd one must avoid its ultra-violet ray. ...Mad dogs and...
The price of olive oil in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, where 90% of the world’s olive oil is produced, is rapidly rising to a very high level. This means that the consumers of olive oil in the rest of the world will be paying much more. For the first...
It seems that the number 13 is considered unlucky by many cultures around the world. And it's considered even more unlucky if the date falls on a Friday! There's even a psychological term for the fear of the number 13, which was supposedly coined by none other than...
Tea in the Sahara? Well, I didn't have tea, but I did enjoy myself in the remarkable desert of Morocco. It was a landscape out of the movies, and the bright colors worn by the guys leading the camels just made it all the more beautiful. A camel caravan in Morocco's...
If you've ever watched the TV show, The Zoo, on the Animal Planet channel, you've been behind the scenes at the Bronx Zoo, which is currently celebrating its 125th year. Covering 265 acres, it's one of the largest and oldest zoos in the United States. But did you know...
With indelible memories of a visit several decades ago, I planned a return to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, where Irish lore and history is preserved in a lovely landscape setting. Rescued and restored by Lord and Lady Gort in the 1950s, medieval Bunratty Castle -...
AIRLINE NEWS American Airlines news: Did you know that flight attendants aren't paid for their time during boarding? I was shocked to learn this. But American Airlines flight attendants just signed a new contract that will get them paid for this time. Delta Airlines...
There is a lot to love about Monastero Santa Rosa, the luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It’s the gardens that are my favorite part of this property, however. They’re spectacular, and I don’t use that word frivolously. The gardens of Monastero Santa Rosa...
Are you confused about the difference between port and sherry? Port is fortified during fermentation. Sherry is fortified after fermentation. Port tends to be sweeter, while sherry usually has a slightly higher alcohol content. Now, let’s talk about port in more...
I've seen the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas, but honestly, Morocco's Atlas Mountains may be the most beautiful range of them all. Judge for yourself! Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw. Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Photo by Melanie Votaw....
I just published a piece about the Harriet Tubman historical sites in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, including her home, church, and gravesite. Besides visiting the numerous wineries in this Finger Lakes region, there are many wonderful restaurants where you can...
I’m sure you know about Harriet Tubman, who famously saved many enslaved people during the Civil War by personally transporting them through the Underground Railroad. But I’ll bet there’s a lot you don’t know about her, such as the fact that she settled in Auburn,...
I was aboard a small boat at the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge - 35,000 acres near the Caribbean coast of Honduras. From our boat, we could view the jagged top of famed Pico Bonito Mountain, peeking through the clouds. This quiet treasure of mangroves and waterways...
I have found that many tourists are unaware that they can often see some of their favorite Broadway stars up close and personal in small cabaret rooms in Manhattan. The likes of Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone, Jeremy Jordan, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Sutton...
A lot of visitors and locals aren't aware that you can watch whales from Manhattan and Brooklyn in NYC. And I'm talking some major whale watching! I recently took a cruise from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn with American Princess Cruises, where we saw seven humpback...
New international air routes: There are new routes internationally from the U.S.: Newark to Marrakech on United; Dallas to Brisbane on American; Portland, Oregon to Amsterdam on KLM; Minneapolis to St. Maarten on Delta; Providence to San Juan on JetBlue; Dallas to...
I just discovered a new service called Bounce that has a luggage storage network around the world. They work with local businesses that are willing to hold your bags for a set period of time. The business hours vary, but you can check that information on the website...
Pastitsio is the Greek answer to Italian lasagna, but what sets it apart from the Italian version is mostly the use of numerous aromatic spices in the meat ragù. The other difference is that pastitsio uses a thick, long pasta with a hole, topped by a hearty cheesy...
Towering jagged peaks rise like formidable granite columns, overlooking a pristine white sandy beach that seems at first to fade into low lying clouds further beyond the shoreline and the incoming receding waves. The Lofoten Islands of Norway have many transcending...
Just found another of my mother’s recipes - an aromatic sponge cake that is steeped in orange syrup. This one is a classic Eastern Mediterranean sweet cake called "revani" or "ravani" in Greek or "rebane" in Turkish. it's also very popular in Egypt and Yemen. While in...
Dispute with a travel-related company? Whenever you have a problem with a travel-related company that you're struggling to resolve, check out the contact information for executives in Christopher Elliott's handy list. Don't waste more time - go right to the top!...
Since the invention of alcoholic beverages, hangovers have become a universal curse that every culture has to deal with. From “hair of the dog,” to raw egg sucking, to the South American ceviche, both ancient and modern men and women have had to deal with “the Morning...
About 66 years ago, I got my first taste of European travel when my father said, “We should instill culture in the children.” At the time, I was living in Greece with my parents and younger brother, and I was still in high school. So my mother, a couple of her...