“Why are you going to Burlington?” the Niagara Falls Canada Customs officer asked, somewhat dubiously, after we stated our plan to spend the following night there before returning back home to Seattle. “The night life”, we joked, before giving the actual reason of attending a friend’s birthday party. Burlington, a small community of just under…
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Scuba Diving in Cozumel
The Great Mayan Reef is the second largest in the world, stretching 700 miles (1,126 km) along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. After diving the reef during a day-trip to Honduras as part of a Caribbean cruise, we returned a few months later to spend a long weekend diving in Cozumel. An island off the coast…
2025 Summary
We had a memorable start to the year with a fabulous holiday season cruise to South Georgia to take in the region’s diverse and striking wildlife. Our cruising plans for Dirona had long included a visit there to view Ernest Shackleton’s grave in Grytviken, but we just didn’t get that far south. Snowshoeing at the…
Live Music
We’ve always enjoyed live music and this year an unusually large number of bands we like were touring. Live concerts we saw included: Collective Soul, Eddie Vedder, Shinedown, Bush, The Offspring, and Black Stone Cherry. When Jennifer finally got James to drop his “no musicians over age 70” rule, we also caught great shows by…
Manhattan
When James was scheduled for a four-day business trip to attend a conference in Manhattan following a holiday weekend, we decided to turn the visit into two distinct trips. The first was to lower Manhattan the weekend before the conference, where we stayed at the Casa Cipriani overlooking New York Harbor. The hotel is located…
Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ Broadway Theater and Commercial District is the historic core of downtown of the city and is known for its architecturally ornate theaters and department stores. By 1931 the area had the highest density of theaters in the world, with seating capacity for 15,000 viewers, and the many department stores made it the main…
The Maldives
The Maldives in southern Asia are known for their dozens of luxury resorts, most occupying a private island, that are scattered across the country’s 1,192 islets in 26 atolls. The scarcity of land on these islets prompted the Maldives hospitality industry to pioneer the concept of water villas, where accommodations extend out over the water…
Portland
With over 80 breweries in the metropolitan area, Portland, Oregon has a wonderful craft beer scene. The city straddling the Willamette River also is very walkable, and has some 400 pieces of public art to enjoy along the way. We always enjoy our visits there, so when James had some Friday business meetings in nearby…
Snoqualmie
Snoqualmie, Washington is a small town with much to offer. Best known for its proximity to Snoqualmie Falls, the 19th-century lumber town in 2010 started a major revitalization project. Today appealing downtown Snoqualmie is lined with restaurants and shops and also is home to the Northwest Railway Museum, which operates heritage railway rides. We’d several…
Westport
Westport is a small Washington coastal town whose observation tower, perched at the Pacific Ocean’s edge, is one of the best storm-watching locations in the state. The maritime town also has the largest marina on the Pacific Northwest outer coast, with room for 500 boats. We’d long been considering a visit there, and finally did…
