Getting High in Toronto

Can a city with over 5 million residents seem open and uncrowded? It can if it’s Toronto. Canada’s largest metropolitan area is without a doubt urban, yet the feel is neither hectic nor claustrophobic. Toronto’s city planners were careful to include open and green spaces in the waterfront and surrounding business district, lending the city it’s unique feel.
In keeping with this unconfined spirit, Toronto is remarkably bicycle friendly. The city has about three hundred miles of bike paths… CONTINUE READING >>

Can a city with over 5 million residents seem open and uncrowded? It can if it’s Toronto. Canada’s largest metropolitan area is without a doubt urban, yet the feel is neither hectic nor claustrophobic. Toronto’s city planners were careful to include open and green spaces in the waterfront and surrounding business district, lending the city it’s unique feel.
In keeping with this unconfined spirit, Toronto is remarkably bicycle friendly. The city has about three hundred miles of bike paths… CONTINUE READING >>

Lamb on the Lam

“All aboard for Hayward, Hurley and Hell!” the train conductors would yell. Northern Wisconsin had become a playground for gangsters, politicians and the “beautiful people” of Chicago during Prohibition and the Great Depression.

Al Capone had a hideout on a private lake near Hayward where he had bootleg whiskey flown in from Canada on seaplanes. The town of Hurley boasted… CONTINUE READING >>

“All aboard for Hayward, Hurley and Hell!” the train conductors would yell. Northern Wisconsin had become a playground for gangsters, politicians and the “beautiful people” of Chicago during Prohibition and the Great Depression.

Al Capone had a hideout on a private lake near Hayward where he had bootleg whiskey flown in from Canada on seaplanes. The town of Hurley boasted… CONTINUE READING >>

Major in Mustard at Poupon U

 Having just seen the movie “Sling Blade” on video with its classic line “Mustard’s good on ’em to me” we simply could not resist a trip to Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin and its world famous Mustard Museum.

Much to our delight, what we discovered was a confluence of cheesy tourist diversions. A veritable treasure trove of camp with metal monsters, trolls, the great outdoors and of course, mustard.

Before we even made it into town we… CONTINUE READING >>

 Having just seen the movie “Sling Blade” on video with its classic line “Mustard’s good on ’em to me” we simply could not resist a trip to Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin and its world famous Mustard Museum.

Much to our delight, what we discovered was a confluence of cheesy tourist diversions. A veritable treasure trove of camp with metal monsters, trolls, the great outdoors and of course, mustard.

Before we even made it into town we… CONTINUE READING >>

Kalamazoo Appy Crawl

As the tee shirts say, “Yes, There Really IS a Kalamazoo!” It’s the kind of name that makes you want to stop and see what’s going on. Kalamazoo is an Algonquian Indian word meaning “boiling pot” and the city has gained fame through celery, taxi cab production, Gibson guitars, the Upjohn “friable pill” and the Kalamazoo stove. With all of this going for it, we had to drop by and try an appy crawl in this tidy little Michigan college town, proving that appy crawls can be done in anyone’s hometown.

All roads led downtown, which boasts the first pedestrian mall in the United States. Since 1959 it has hosted fun little… CONTINUE READING >>

As the tee shirts say, “Yes, There Really IS a Kalamazoo!” It’s the kind of name that makes you want to stop and see what’s going on. Kalamazoo is an Algonquian Indian word meaning “boiling pot” and the city has gained fame through celery, taxi cab production, Gibson guitars, the Upjohn “friable pill” and the Kalamazoo stove. With all of this going for it, we had to drop by and try an appy crawl in this tidy little Michigan college town, proving that appy crawls can be done in anyone’s hometown.

All roads led downtown, which boasts the first pedestrian mall in the United States. Since 1959 it has hosted fun little… CONTINUE READING >>

25 in St. Martin

Jet wash on the beach in St. MartinSometimes a split personality isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the case of St. Martin, the schizophrenia can be crazy, but hey, crazy can be good. Sint Maarten/Saint Martin is the smallest island in the world that is governed by dual sovereign states, divided nearly equally… CONTINUE READING >>

Jet wash on the beach in St. MartinSometimes a split personality isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the case of St. Martin, the schizophrenia can be crazy, but hey, crazy can be good. Sint Maarten/Saint Martin is the smallest island in the world that is governed by dual sovereign states, divided nearly equally… CONTINUE READING >>

Digging Up History in Porto Torres, Sardinia

Can you imagine? You are building a new train station, and every time you put a shovel to the ground you dig up an ancient statue, vase or Roman coin. This is the case in Porto Torres–a working dock city on the island of Sardinia.

Like a great many cities in Italy, Porto Torres was built and rebuilt, each civilization one on top of the next. Geography played a huge part in the development of this colony, as ships came to the harbor directly from Rome. Prior to the Romans, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians used the harbor as a seaport. The harbor now is serviced by ferry boats shuttling people and goods back and forth from Genoa, Italy and Marseille, France, as well as the island of Corsica.

Invading hoards and malaria have both plagued the… CONTINUE READING >>

Can you imagine? You are building a new train station, and every time you put a shovel to the ground you dig up an ancient statue, vase or Roman coin. This is the case in Porto Torres–a working dock city on the island of Sardinia.

Like a great many cities in Italy, Porto Torres was built and rebuilt, each civilization one on top of the next. Geography played a huge part in the development of this colony, as ships came to the harbor directly from Rome. Prior to the Romans, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians used the harbor as a seaport. The harbor now is serviced by ferry boats shuttling people and goods back and forth from Genoa, Italy and Marseille, France, as well as the island of Corsica.

Invading hoards and malaria have both plagued the… CONTINUE READING >>