Forget those frozen waffles in your freezer. Instead, reimagine them as a filling breakfast bounty, elevating your expectations to a higher level. Then make them Southern. Done? Now you have the Capitol Waffle Shop in downtown Richmond, Virginia, where “waffles are just pancakes with abs.” Read about it >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Great Churches in the Great Lakes State
By some estimates, there are approximately 12,000 churches in Michigan. Declining attendance in these churches, no matter what the faith, means that many have closed permanently, and many more are headed in that direction, with the very real possibility of being razed. That would be a shame, because these are some very fine buildings that enhance the beauty of cities and towns all around the Great Lakes State. Read about the top five churches in Michigan >
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Italy in Portugal
One of the largest squares in Portugal, Praça do Comércio in Lisbon seems to unconsciously draw people to its 329,000 square feet of space. Perhaps it’s for the cool breezes coming off the adjacent Tagus River, or for the shaded arcades of the yellow government buildings, or for one of the world’s most beautiful arches. Certainly, it’s partially for the restaurants with abundant outdoor seating framing three side of the plaza. One of them, Troppo Squisito, gives you an Italian option when you’re looking to break out from the Portuguese specialties you’ve been enjoying for a week. Read about it >
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The Visual Delights of Malta’s Churches
Estimates of Malta’s Catholic population range from 80% to 98%. Even at that lower figure, this is a country with a lot of Catholics. And it has spectacular churches to support their practice. No matter what city I went to, there was always a gorgeous church, or many of them, depending on the size of the city. Valletta, the capital, alone has 28 churches, in a city that you can easily walk from end to end in under an hour. But even smaller cities seem to have more than enough to tend to the religious needs of a total national population of just over half a million. Read about the top five churches in Malta >
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Italian Heart, Portuguese Soul
The name of Ris8tto, the restaurant across the street from my hotel in Porto, Portugal, Infante Sagres, intrigued me. I liked the “8” that replaced the middle “o,” playing on the Italian otto, for eight, and its similar sound to the final syllable of risotto. And, of course, I like risotto. So it seemed like a good choice for dinner. The handful of outdoor tables were filling up quickly, so it also seemed like lots of other people had the same thought. We were all correct. Read about it >
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Dublin’s Buildings of Distinction
I began my three-week trip to Ireland, naturally enough, in Dublin, before renting a car and heading out to see the rest of the Emerald Isle. Here in the Irish capital, I caught an Oscar Wilde play, indulged in pints of Guinness, touched a real skeleton for luck, and came across three of the country’s best churches, one of the world’s best baptismal fonts, and one of the world’s most atmospheric restaurants. All of the latter were housed in some of the city’s finest structures that go back centuries and centuries and are just as beautiful today as they were then. Read about the top five buildings in Dublin >
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Up, Up, and a Wow!
While lying on my back in my apartment and fighting off a mild case of COVID, I had plenty of time to stare at my ceilings—outdated, white, popcorn ceilings with a little crack way over there in the corner. In between mental debates over whether I should have them smoothed over and redone, I also had an abundance of time to reflect on other ceilings I’ve seen around the world—outrageously beautiful works of art that will make you want to look up and spend hours marveling over their perfection. Read about the top five ceilings >
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Classic Portuguese Culinary Creations at Sebastião
Nobody was sitting at the tables at Sebastião yet. Good sign or bad? Granted, it was early for dinner in Lisbon, about 6:30, but I had built up an appetite from scrambling around the hilltop São Jorge Castle a couple of miles away, hiking up and down uneven stone staircases for sweeping views of the Portuguese capital and the Tagus River. The menu was appealing, so I decided to test the waters. The result: A risk well worth it. Read about it >
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Marvelous Madison
Often ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States, Madison, Wisconsin, gets it very right, which catapults onto a short list of places I’d like to live: a gorgeous setting between two lakes, a lively vibe generated from a massive university and as the state capital, plenty of cultural venues, and a smart restriction on the height of its skyline, limited to no more than 1,032’ for all structures within a mile of the state capitol in order to preserve the view of that building from most parts of the city. That means it’s a low-rise city, and it’s filled with terrific edifices of both historic importance and aesthetic glory. Read about the top five buildings in Madison, Wisconsin >
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Autumn in One of America’s Most Beautiful National Parks
Kids were back in school, summer vacations were over, and the temperatures were cooling to my sweet spot: low 60s during the day, dipping down to the 40s at night. It was late September, and I had just spent a few days in Yellowstone National Park before heading south to Grand Teton National Park. I found it difficult to find the mot juste that would adequately describe the beauty of this park; I kept coming up short. Ultimately, I settled on “perfect,” the only word that could do Grand Teton justice. Read about it >
Stephen Travels 