Always Victoria, Never Vickie
(GETTY)
Some things you need to know about this new Queen:
She holds 2,000 passengers in 909 staterooms, most of which have balconies in order to wave white handkerchiefs at poor people as one enters and leaves a port. There are 12 decks, several pools and whirlpools, a spa, a Winter Garden lounging area with a retractable roof, and, of course, shuffleboard.
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Queens For A Day
(AP)
Oops, I get ahead of myself. The three, classy, black-and-white-hulled ships will launch from separate terminals on Sunday, Jan. 13 (the QM2 from the Brooklyn cruise terminal, and the other two ships from terminals on the Hudson), and then converge off of Battery Park. Fireworks will greet them as they pass the Statue of Liberty. Good viewing spots will be Battery Park and Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, the Hudson River Esplanade, and, if you time it right, the Staten Island Ferry.
If you've seen the movie "Titanic" lately, you might consider stowing away on the Queen Victoria, which commences a 105-day world tour on Sunday when it leaves New York. But you didn't hear that from me. I personally would sell my children into steerage for a chance to sail on that ship, because I hear that it's remarkably, lavishly gorgeous inside. And I have a thing for tea service. Now step aside, you junkers and cargo ships, and let the Ladies pass.
Let's Go To Rangiroa
I knew that I've traveled way too far and way too long when, two years ago on a long, South Pacific cruise, I went back to Rangiroa – one of the truly most remote places on Earth – and actually knew people. I saw a guy who looked familiar at a scooter-rental place at Tiputa Pass, where a dozen years ago I had one of the most thrilling dives of my life, and realized that he was my old dive leader, Jean-Jacques. Then I chatted up a guy at the Raie Manta dive shop, asked about a hairdresser I had met years before named Valerie, and he said, "I married her and we have two kids now."
Well, life goes on in Rangiroa, too. When people ask me about the most remote places I've ever been, or ask where on Earth I'd like to re-visit, it's usually at the top of both lists. About an hour's flight from Papeete, Tahiti on a bumpy, little, twin-engine plane, Rangiroa is a France-influenced atoll with a narrow little strip of land, less than 100 yards across in many places, encircling a vast, 45-mile-wide lagoon, the largest in the world. There is one little town, one good beachside hotel (the Kia Ora Village and lots of quiet, sandy beaches, handsome Polynesian people and pale, perfect blue water.
One of the great travel experiences is to rent a scooter from Jean-Jacques and ride on the one road into the village to buy a baguette and some wine. If you're lucky, dolphins will be jumping and playing in the churning waters of the pass. The other great travel experience is to dive into the shark-infested waters outside of the reef (and we're talking hundreds of sharks swimming by) and then drift through Tiputa Pass on a flood tide into the lagoon, which is filled with bright tropical fish.
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Well, life goes on in Rangiroa, too. When people ask me about the most remote places I've ever been, or ask where on Earth I'd like to re-visit, it's usually at the top of both lists. About an hour's flight from Papeete, Tahiti on a bumpy, little, twin-engine plane, Rangiroa is a France-influenced atoll with a narrow little strip of land, less than 100 yards across in many places, encircling a vast, 45-mile-wide lagoon, the largest in the world. There is one little town, one good beachside hotel (the Kia Ora Village and lots of quiet, sandy beaches, handsome Polynesian people and pale, perfect blue water.
One of the great travel experiences is to rent a scooter from Jean-Jacques and ride on the one road into the village to buy a baguette and some wine. If you're lucky, dolphins will be jumping and playing in the churning waters of the pass. The other great travel experience is to dive into the shark-infested waters outside of the reef (and we're talking hundreds of sharks swimming by) and then drift through Tiputa Pass on a flood tide into the lagoon, which is filled with bright tropical fish.
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Market Time
Okay, the long holiday season is finally over, trees are being put away, lights are un-lighting, reindeer return to being a protein source, and radio stations are again playing bad pop music after having played carols for the last two months. If you're anything like me (meaning you're male and over forty), you probably don't have the slightest desire to return to a shopping center again. But I'd like to urge you to return to your local public market, or make a city market part of your travel plans this winter.
Hey, you've gotta eat. And right now, great spots like Seattle's Pike Place Market and Portland, Oregon's Saturday Market are still open for business and flinging fish right and left, but the crowds have dwindled to nothing, the doughnuts are fresh, and the markets are still atmospheric and vibrant. From the neighborhood markets of Baltimore to the furtive, pre-dawn truffle market in Asti, Italy, I've always had great, memorable travel experiences in public markets.
They also need the business to get through the winter before the tourists return next summer. Stop by one in the city where you next find yourself, grab the local paper and a cup of coffee, and spend your market time wisely.
Hey, you've gotta eat. And right now, great spots like Seattle's Pike Place Market and Portland, Oregon's Saturday Market are still open for business and flinging fish right and left, but the crowds have dwindled to nothing, the doughnuts are fresh, and the markets are still atmospheric and vibrant. From the neighborhood markets of Baltimore to the furtive, pre-dawn truffle market in Asti, Italy, I've always had great, memorable travel experiences in public markets.
They also need the business to get through the winter before the tourists return next summer. Stop by one in the city where you next find yourself, grab the local paper and a cup of coffee, and spend your market time wisely.
Thinking About Baseball
Although it's the middle of the off-season and football and basketball are in full swing, I've been thinking about baseball a lot this week. Last week I wrote a column for this Web site's opinion page about how baseball's steroids scandal has affected my young son, and it got a lot of attention and comments.
It's easy to say that I'll just give up baseball, as if it were cheesecake and my New Years resolution is to only eat soy products. I can live without baseball, just like I can live without cheesecake, but would life be the same? One of my favorite things to do has always been to arrive at the Seattle Mariners bullpen area a half-hour before a game at Safeco Field to watch the starting pitchers warm up. To see up-close the rockets these guys throw is thrilling, and it is a pleasure that I've shared with my kids and friends who come to visit.
Similarly, walking into Yankee Stadium, or Fenway Park, or Wrigley Field – or any other ballpark that you've only read about and never experienced – can be as fine a travel experience as seeing the Sphinx or the Eiffel Tower, or checking into your first Four Seasons luxury hotel. My dad took me to baseball games as a kid (but not to the Eiffel Tower or a Four Seasons) and I want to do the same for my kids.
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It's easy to say that I'll just give up baseball, as if it were cheesecake and my New Years resolution is to only eat soy products. I can live without baseball, just like I can live without cheesecake, but would life be the same? One of my favorite things to do has always been to arrive at the Seattle Mariners bullpen area a half-hour before a game at Safeco Field to watch the starting pitchers warm up. To see up-close the rockets these guys throw is thrilling, and it is a pleasure that I've shared with my kids and friends who come to visit.
Similarly, walking into Yankee Stadium, or Fenway Park, or Wrigley Field – or any other ballpark that you've only read about and never experienced – can be as fine a travel experience as seeing the Sphinx or the Eiffel Tower, or checking into your first Four Seasons luxury hotel. My dad took me to baseball games as a kid (but not to the Eiffel Tower or a Four Seasons) and I want to do the same for my kids.
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The Guru's New Year's Resolutions
(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
1) I will not snarl, swear or otherwise be snotty to airport personnel, even when they act like idiots, are unhelpful, and give away my seat to other deserving travelers. Rather, I will be grateful that I don't have their job and their stress, and I will happily go on my way knowing that I don't have to come back the next day to face another angry mob of flight-delayed travelers.
2) I will take my kids to Washington, D.C. to view the nation's great museums. I'll probably do this after the elections, or at least the primaries, are over. Furthermore, I vow to visit at least one museum in every city to which I travel.
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Time To Cabo
As mentioned in a previous posting, I have engineered a clever excuse to return to Cabo San Lucas by insisting that I have to attend the Cabo Wine Festival in mid-January at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach resort. It's the first-ever Cabo Wine Festival – possibly even the first time anyone in Cabo has even heard about wine – and that is ample reason for me to go. Landmarks in travel history such as this must not go unreported.
Of course, it has nothing to do with the brilliant sunshine, warm waters and blue skies of Cabo. I haven't been back there for several years and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I'll catch a boat tour out to El Arco, the famous arch at the very end of the Baja peninsula. The last time I was there, I jumped into the water by the arch with a scuba tank on my back and witnessed the glorious sight of a thousand silvery baitfish swimming by in a school that parted and then re-formed as I descended through them.
I'll stroll by Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo bar just to get my quota of drunken-reveler sightings, and then try hard to find that little Mexican restaurant that had the condiment bar with a half-dozen salsas, one hotter than the next. Maybe I'll even try my luck again at sportfishing – on my last try in Cabo, the captain of my little panga fishing boat hooked up three sailfish at once, and we went crazy trying to bring them in. Two of them threw the hooks but the last one fought all the way to the side of the boat, where we got a good look at his blue-green body and long, swordfish bill before releasing him.
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Of course, it has nothing to do with the brilliant sunshine, warm waters and blue skies of Cabo. I haven't been back there for several years and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I'll catch a boat tour out to El Arco, the famous arch at the very end of the Baja peninsula. The last time I was there, I jumped into the water by the arch with a scuba tank on my back and witnessed the glorious sight of a thousand silvery baitfish swimming by in a school that parted and then re-formed as I descended through them.
I'll stroll by Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo bar just to get my quota of drunken-reveler sightings, and then try hard to find that little Mexican restaurant that had the condiment bar with a half-dozen salsas, one hotter than the next. Maybe I'll even try my luck again at sportfishing – on my last try in Cabo, the captain of my little panga fishing boat hooked up three sailfish at once, and we went crazy trying to bring them in. Two of them threw the hooks but the last one fought all the way to the side of the boat, where we got a good look at his blue-green body and long, swordfish bill before releasing him.
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Singing New York's Praises
(AP)
I mention this because I've come across several people in the last few months who have lingering impressions of the Big Apple as being dangerous and scary. When was their last visit? "About twenty years ago," they said, "and I vowed then and there to never return."
I understand where they're coming from. I lived in NYC in the early '80s and vividly remember the bums shaking coffee cups in your face as you walked down the streets, the neighborhoods you didn't dare enter, and the constant awareness you needed to have of who was following you. In my years there, I witnessed pickpockets trying to open a woman's purse in broad daylight on Madison Avenue, prostitutes hiding behind cars on lower Park Avenue, drug dealers taking over the parks, and a guy waving a knife and threatening people on the Bowery. Times Square still had live-sex shows, Plato's Retreat (the one and only swinger's nightclub) was still open, and the action was raunchy in the gay and S & M bars in Chelsea.
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Last-Minute Christmas Wishes
We're getting down to the wire here, with Christmas just next week, but there is still time to put in some last-minute requests with the Big Guy From the North Pole for a special travel gift.
A few columns back I submitted my own personal travel wish list (and yes, Santa, I am still firm about that warm-weather cruise with whales; no compromises). But this time I thought I'd suggest a few wishes that I hope come your way during your travels.
MAY YOUR PLANES BE HALF-EMPTY AND THE MIDDLE SEATS ALWAYS VACANT.
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A few columns back I submitted my own personal travel wish list (and yes, Santa, I am still firm about that warm-weather cruise with whales; no compromises). But this time I thought I'd suggest a few wishes that I hope come your way during your travels.
MAY YOUR PLANES BE HALF-EMPTY AND THE MIDDLE SEATS ALWAYS VACANT.
Continue »
When You Really Love Lousy Weather
Those clever Canadians; they can celebrate even the worst weather and find little rays of sunshine in the harshest climates. I'm referring, of course, to the Wickaninnish Inn, a handsome boutique hotel that clings to a rocky promontory on the west coast of Vancouver Island near the charming little town of Tofino.
A few years ago, the Wickaninnish (pronounced wick-an-IN-ish) figured out a way to celebrate truly lousy winter weather by promoting winter storm getaways. Let the winds howl! Let the rains lash the windows! May you be stranded on the west coast of Vancouver Island for days and weeks! With a bottle or two of wine from the hotel's bountiful cellar, and a sumptuous dinner in the fine-dining restaurant that is cantilevered over the ocean's breakers, and a warm Jacuzzi tub waiting in your snug ocean-view suite … well, it's not exactly roughing it. We can all enjoy a raging winter storm if somebody else's insurance is covering the roof and shutters.
When the sun comes out there are long, vacant stretches of beach to walk, and Tofino to explore, and boat rides on the wildly scenic, sheltered Clayoquot Sound. The last time I was there we came upon a deserted beach where there were easily a hundred eagles perched in trees, a reminder of how natural and untamed this part of Canada remains.
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A few years ago, the Wickaninnish (pronounced wick-an-IN-ish) figured out a way to celebrate truly lousy winter weather by promoting winter storm getaways. Let the winds howl! Let the rains lash the windows! May you be stranded on the west coast of Vancouver Island for days and weeks! With a bottle or two of wine from the hotel's bountiful cellar, and a sumptuous dinner in the fine-dining restaurant that is cantilevered over the ocean's breakers, and a warm Jacuzzi tub waiting in your snug ocean-view suite … well, it's not exactly roughing it. We can all enjoy a raging winter storm if somebody else's insurance is covering the roof and shutters.
When the sun comes out there are long, vacant stretches of beach to walk, and Tofino to explore, and boat rides on the wildly scenic, sheltered Clayoquot Sound. The last time I was there we came upon a deserted beach where there were easily a hundred eagles perched in trees, a reminder of how natural and untamed this part of Canada remains.
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More On Ixtapa
I should clarify that last crack (in the previous post on Club Med) about there being nothing to do in Ixtapa, the Mexican resort on the Pacific Ocean between Acapulco and PuertoVallarta. There are actually lots of things to do in Ixtapa, but the problem is that you can do them nearly anywhere that there are resorts and sandy beaches.
The reason for this is that Ixtapa was never a real town, but a location picked out by the Mexican tourism agency to develop into resorts. The beach is packed, Miami-like, with ugly high-rise hotel properties, and there are the usual shopping malls and tourist restaurants to visit (and no, in my opinion Se?or Frog's is not an authentic cultural experience). The golf courses aren't particularly good, nor is the diving, and if you want a decent octopus taco, you need to get in a cab and drive to Zihuatanejo, about twenty miles to the south.
The one cool thing to do in Ixtapa, in my experience, is to head out to little Isla Ixtapa, a gumdrop of an island, a quarter-mile or so from the shore, that you reach via private transfers from the dock at Playa Quieta beach. There you'll find a scattering of restaurants lined up on the sand that will happily grill you up a slipper lobster or a huachinango red snapper, and keep the Coronas and margaritas coming until you say, "No mas." The water is warm and sandy, the snorkeling is pretty good and there are four beaches to explore and stroll, with different views and people-watching scenes.
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The reason for this is that Ixtapa was never a real town, but a location picked out by the Mexican tourism agency to develop into resorts. The beach is packed, Miami-like, with ugly high-rise hotel properties, and there are the usual shopping malls and tourist restaurants to visit (and no, in my opinion Se?or Frog's is not an authentic cultural experience). The golf courses aren't particularly good, nor is the diving, and if you want a decent octopus taco, you need to get in a cab and drive to Zihuatanejo, about twenty miles to the south.
The one cool thing to do in Ixtapa, in my experience, is to head out to little Isla Ixtapa, a gumdrop of an island, a quarter-mile or so from the shore, that you reach via private transfers from the dock at Playa Quieta beach. There you'll find a scattering of restaurants lined up on the sand that will happily grill you up a slipper lobster or a huachinango red snapper, and keep the Coronas and margaritas coming until you say, "No mas." The water is warm and sandy, the snorkeling is pretty good and there are four beaches to explore and stroll, with different views and people-watching scenes.
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Family Time In Ixtapa
A note to everyone who enjoys Club Meds and their "antidote to civilization": The Club Med Ixtapa on the west coast of Mexico is re-opening this month after extensive renovations. A lot of money has gone into re-doing the 298 guest rooms, which were comfortable but no great shakes in the past. Now the rooms, which are spread out in casitas across the property, are larger and appointed with stuff like flat-screen TVs and internet access, with 60 family suites available. The public buildings have also been spruced up and a new restaurant has been added.
The property itself occupies a gorgeous slice of beach on the Pacific Ocean, with public buildings done in bright colors with features like arches and Mexican tile. We went there several years ago with a two-month old baby and 11-year old big brother, and everybody had a good time. Club Med long had a reputation as being a kind of '70s-throwback experience of swinging singles and annoyingly peppy "g.o." counselors, but they worked hard to change their ways in the last ten years. Now they cater more to families, with kids' camps that provide supervision and activities for kids who range from infants to teens. Our older son enjoyed the freedom of coming and going from camp activities; the baby just drooled a lot and took his naps at camp while his mother swam and roller-skated.
I've always enjoyed the non-stop activities, such as sailing, paddling, archery and basketball, that don't have to be scheduled and can be done spur-of-the-moment. The buffet food is generally good, thanks to the French influence of Club Meds, and the counselors are always a mix of European, Canadian and American kids who provide a cosmopolitan flair to the place. For active families who also like to laze around a beach and pool, eat well and hang out together (because there is truly nothing else to do in Ixtapa, Mexico), I recommend it.
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The property itself occupies a gorgeous slice of beach on the Pacific Ocean, with public buildings done in bright colors with features like arches and Mexican tile. We went there several years ago with a two-month old baby and 11-year old big brother, and everybody had a good time. Club Med long had a reputation as being a kind of '70s-throwback experience of swinging singles and annoyingly peppy "g.o." counselors, but they worked hard to change their ways in the last ten years. Now they cater more to families, with kids' camps that provide supervision and activities for kids who range from infants to teens. Our older son enjoyed the freedom of coming and going from camp activities; the baby just drooled a lot and took his naps at camp while his mother swam and roller-skated.
I've always enjoyed the non-stop activities, such as sailing, paddling, archery and basketball, that don't have to be scheduled and can be done spur-of-the-moment. The buffet food is generally good, thanks to the French influence of Club Meds, and the counselors are always a mix of European, Canadian and American kids who provide a cosmopolitan flair to the place. For active families who also like to laze around a beach and pool, eat well and hang out together (because there is truly nothing else to do in Ixtapa, Mexico), I recommend it.
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Going Underground In Montreal
They may be hitting the beaches in Australia (see previous blog), but in Montreal, everyone heads underground at this time of the year, because it is so amazingly, intensely cold outside. After a relatively balmy 33-degree high earlier this week, the temps are reported to reach a high of nine this weekend, and a low of four. And I don't care how hardy a hockey player you are, four is four. From there, it's all downhill. When I went last winter, I arrived to minus-30 degree temperatures, which was the coldest thing I've ever felt in my life, and that includes dates in college with philosophy majors.
Fortunately, there is the Montreal Underground, a 20-mile labyrinth of hallways and tunnels (make that heated hallways and tunnels) that connect downtown office buildings, hotels, shops, restaurants and the subway. Begun by I.M. Pei in 1952 when he designed the Place Ville Marie with an underground shopping center, the tunnels have grown and expanded, and provide an easy excuse to never have to go outside and have your nose frozen off. A reported half-million people of the 1.8 million population use the underground every day (the other 1.3 million are presumably in Florida).
The place to be during this pre-Christmas week is the Complex Guy Favreau, a soaring atrium with murals and other artwork that houses a shopping mall, movie theater, Hyatt hotel, YMCA and apartments and government buildings. Get a slice of Montreal sugar pie, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, go ice-skating.
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Fortunately, there is the Montreal Underground, a 20-mile labyrinth of hallways and tunnels (make that heated hallways and tunnels) that connect downtown office buildings, hotels, shops, restaurants and the subway. Begun by I.M. Pei in 1952 when he designed the Place Ville Marie with an underground shopping center, the tunnels have grown and expanded, and provide an easy excuse to never have to go outside and have your nose frozen off. A reported half-million people of the 1.8 million population use the underground every day (the other 1.3 million are presumably in Florida).
The place to be during this pre-Christmas week is the Complex Guy Favreau, a soaring atrium with murals and other artwork that houses a shopping mall, movie theater, Hyatt hotel, YMCA and apartments and government buildings. Get a slice of Montreal sugar pie, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, go ice-skating.
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Hot Times In Sydney
(AP Photo/Glenn Adams)
It's quite something to see. The last time I was in Sydney at this time of year, I in fact watched Santa Claus ride up to the shore in Sydney Harbor on the deck of a motorboat. His jolly red suit and snow boots were entirely inappropriate for the 80-degree sunshine. And by the way he clutched the rail of the boat, he looked like he'd already had a few.
Right about now, the surfers and sun-bathers and beautiful people will be hitting the sands and waves at Manly and Bondi Beaches, the Australian equivalents to Venice Beach and Marina del Rey. And hopefully, the sharks won't, and the nets that Australia puts into place to keep them away from people will be strong and effective this year.
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Cabo Wine Festival
Funny how a little bit of freezing rain, sleet, frigid temperatures, high winds, downed power lines and flooding highways can get me thinking about Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of Baja California. I mean, one minute I'm not thinking about Cabo at all, and then I see the weather report and all I can think about is Cabo.
I mention this in passing because next month will witness the first-ever Cabo Wine Festival, a venture sponsored by the Wine Country Network and Wine Country International magazine that will take place over four days, beginning January 16th. Held at the Pueblo Bonito resorts, there will be tastings from producers that include Louis Latour from France, Chateau St. Michelle in Washington state, Penfolds from Australia and Castillo Banfi from Italy, among many others. Also vintners' dinners and other tasting events, including one on Mexican wines. And if you've never tasted Mexican wines, well, join the club.
Not to mention a tequila tasting party one night and a bourbon tasting party the next. The cost for the event is $275, not including optional dinners, which I'm told will feature celebrity guest chefs and a surprise or two.
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I mention this in passing because next month will witness the first-ever Cabo Wine Festival, a venture sponsored by the Wine Country Network and Wine Country International magazine that will take place over four days, beginning January 16th. Held at the Pueblo Bonito resorts, there will be tastings from producers that include Louis Latour from France, Chateau St. Michelle in Washington state, Penfolds from Australia and Castillo Banfi from Italy, among many others. Also vintners' dinners and other tasting events, including one on Mexican wines. And if you've never tasted Mexican wines, well, join the club.
Not to mention a tequila tasting party one night and a bourbon tasting party the next. The cost for the event is $275, not including optional dinners, which I'm told will feature celebrity guest chefs and a surprise or two.
Continue »
