If you’re a bibulous beer aficionado, Bier Central in Ghent, Belgium, can’t be beat. With 30 draft beers on tap and more than 300 different bottled beers, you can have a different libation almost every day for an entire year. The knowledgeable beer sommeliers make well-educated recommendations for which beer pairs best with your meal. So, between your Flemish food and your Belgian brews, you’re guaranteed to have a memorable visit here. Read about it >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Dinner for Dudes and Dudettes
Thanks to a recommendation from the staff at my hotel, I found my way to Stagecoach, just outside the heavily-touristed core of Sedona. It turned out to be the first good dinner in Arizona after four days of mediocrity around the Grand Canyon. With some pretty impressive plating, Stagecoach brings a sophisticated air to a county roadhouse—even if you’re sitting next to a mechanical bull. Read about it >
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Which Wichita Building Is the Best?
I was spending a few days in Kansas’ largest city, enjoying some great barbecue, a wonderful botanic garden, a good zoo, and some worthy museums. Sometimes on foot, sometimes by car, I continually happened upon some excellent architecture that is easily among the best in the state and that add greater interest to the city. Read about the top five buildings in Wichita, Kansas >
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Latin Lunch
On a Thursday during Hispanic Heritage Month, by pure coincidence I happened to be in the Melrose section of the Bronx, a neighborhood in New York City where 70% of the population claims Hispanic and Latino heritage. What an appropriate time and place to seek out a Latino restaurant for lunch. There’s an abundance of them, but I landed at Seis Vecinos. Read about it >
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The Virgin Mary on a Battlefield and a Dead Miner
Just four miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh, in the borough of Millvale, Pennsylvania, St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church offers a collection of artwork, created by a single artist, that I had never seen in a church before—and I’ve visited a lot of churches. Maksimilijan “Maxo” Vanka created 25 murals that turned the religious art world on its head by graphically portraying war, violence, exploitation, bloodshed, environmental destruction, and selfish materialism. But, in his societal commentary, he didn’t abandon the promise of faith and the tenets of Christianity to make his point: In Vanka’s mesmerizing art, there’s also the promise of eternal reward for those who navigate successfully through the world’s self-inflicted evils and horrors. Read about it >
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Go Slow at Breakfast
Rise and shine, it’s breakfast time! The most important meal of the day is often rushed, and that’s not a reflection of the speed indicated in its name. “Breakfast” originates from the concept of breaking your fast while you slept. Too often, a bowl of cereal, a granola bar, or a piece of fruit on the run constitutes your first meal of the day. But when you have time, it could also be rewarding and relaxing, setting you up for a very pleasant day, especially when you’re on vacation. Whether it’s an inspired creation at your B&B or something outstanding at a local eatery (where, perhaps, the globe of a light fixture will be in the form of a broken eggshell, the bulb a golden yolk-like orb), breakfast can put you in the right mood for the rest of the morning. Read about the top five breakfasts >
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In With the Old, In With the New
Despite a conversion from an apartment building and several complete renovations, the Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Connecticut, hasn’t turned its back on its history. A fixture in downtown since 1881, the hotel has retained much of its backstory while infusing contemporary flair and services, making it not only the sole boutique hotel in the city but also one of its best accommodations. Read about it >
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Buenos Aires’ Belle Époque Lives On
Buenos Aires is largely regarded as the best entrée city to South America for Americans, especially those of European descent. There’s a familiarity here for that group that would be more difficult to find in, say, Lima or La Paz. As an American first-timer to the country, I had to agree. Walking around the city and its distinctive neighborhoods—heavily influenced by European immigrants—is not entirely foreign, and utterly delightful (except for all those narrow and broken sidewalks). All around me, glorious structures from the city’s belle époque—its churches and theaters and municipal buildings—still stand proudly (and, in some cases, in need of a little TLC). Read about the top five buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina >
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Go Polish in Greenpoint
The northernmost neighborhood in my home borough of Brooklyn, New York, Greenpoint boasts fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline, a number of architectural landmarks, and a history of producing a long line of entertainers, such as Pat Benatar, Mickey Rooney, Mae West, and Awkwafina. It’s also home to the second-largest concentration of Polish-Americans in the United States—and that means lots of excellent Polish food, including at Relax Restaurant. Read about it >
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Cheers to Salute!
Downtown Hartford, Connecticut, doesn’t have a huge restaurant scene, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when I walked into Salute and found it packed to capacity. But the absence of a large concentration of eateries isn’t the only reason Salute’s patrons keep coming back to this hotspot—a tireless and attentive staff, an involved owner, and a delicious menu are the real reasons. Read about it >
Stephen Travels 