Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
I've always wanted to visit the San Juan Islands north of Seattle, known for their idyllic views, quaint towns and whale watching. While I didn't have time for the latter, I still had a good visit to Orcas Island and Friday Harbor (on San Juan island) - two of the more popular destinations. A visit to the San Juans is especially nice in the fine summer weather.
The most practical way to reach the islands is to drive out to Anacortes and take a ferry from there. From Seattle it...
For a view of Seattle's city skyline, I took a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Going on a Saturday morning also meant I could check out the farmers' market - a big plus as I discovered a most amazing cinnamon bun. The ferry ride is an easy 35 minutes and you also get sight of Mt Rainier looming over the sound on the way.
I'm in Seattle for a week visiting relatives and with the unusual run of dry weather, keen to take a bunch of photos. One of the nicest views of the city can be seen...
Chicago's amazing architecture is best seen from the river and doing so at twilight adds something special as building lights illuminate. The Chicago Architecture Foundation's (CAF) river cruise is fun and relaxing and for around 90 minutes, it was nice way to find out more about the architecture along the Chicago River and also a great way to photograph the buildings.
The twilight river cruise starts at 7:30pm and ends at 9:00pm (only runs in the late Spring through Summer) and I...
Despite the rainy start, our morning in Antibes followed by an afternoon walk around the cape ended up being my favourite day in France's Cote d'Azur. Like many of the towns along this coast, Antibes is a fishing village but unlike its better known neighbours like Cannes and St Tropez, it's largely devoid of the glitzy commercialisation. And after our afternoon walk around the scenic cape (Cap d'Antibes), we celebrated with champagne at the majestic Hotel du...
Bodega 1900, a casual tapas eatery by the Adria brothers (of El Bulli) in Barcelona provides good quality tapas while showcasing vermouth. The challenge for this place is that there are a large number of great tapas places in Barcelona and I don't think Bodega 1900 stands out. So while I enjoyed the food, I had more more fun elsewhere and I guess I should just try harder next trip to get into the Adria brothers' other eatery, Tickets.
Part of the reason I think Bodega 1900 was...