Unlike the quiet location of Frans Restaurant where I had lunch the day before, Brasserie Rozenhoedkaai is right in bustling tourist central in the historic medieval core of Bruges, Belgium. Both are impossibly romantic—the former along the banks of the Lake of Love, the latter at a bend of a canal that’s one of the most photographed spots in the city. While you can watch swans and geese glide by at the first, at Brasserie Rozenhoedkaai you’ll be watching a steady flow of tourists becoming just as beguiled with this city as you are, all while enjoying a lovely meal. Read about it >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Richmond’s Religious Riches
Richmond, Virginia, is one of the most historic cities in the United States I’ve ever visited. The past is ever-present, no matter where I looked. A large part of that is the city’s religious institutions. With 1,414 religious organizations and churches in the greater Richmond metropolitan area, there’s one group for every 163 persons in the city. And that means there’s tremendous diversity when you’re visiting and want to see a great range. Read about the top five churches in Richmond >
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A Fantastical Palace for a Portuguese Artist-King
Due to massive crowds, said every source I checked, avoid the city of Sintra, Portugal, on the weekends. Avoid the city on Mondays, they advised, when, again, it’s swamped with tourists, now because the museums in nearby Lisbon are closed. So, I went on a Thursday. Result? It didn’t matter. The National Palace of Pena—former summer home of Portuguese royalty, starting with King Ferdinand II—was jam-packed with people. But who can blame them? It’s the number-one tourist sight in Portugal, and deservedly so. Read about it >
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Cocktails and Time Travel in Hartford
I wasn’t ready for lunch quite yet, but the attractive green frontage of Hartford Flavor Cocktail Parlour and the manicured shrubs lured me in. I felt like I stepped through a portal, back a century or two to Paris or New York, with the “u” in “Parlour” adding Old World dash. I liked it immediately. And when the owner gave me a personal tour of arguably the most interesting interior of any eatery in Hartford, Connecticut, I knew I was in capable hands. Read about it >
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Pisa Lisa’s Premier Pizzas
When the owner and chef of six restaurants in and around Sedona, Arizona, can excel at anything from a high-end Latin restaurant to a simpler place for salads and pizza, you know you’re in good hands. So, when I received two recommendations to try Pisa Lisa, one of those restaurants owned by chef, entrepreneur, author, humanitarian, and award-winner Lisa Dahl, I acted on it without reservation—a very smart decision on my end. Read about it >
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Arkansas at Its Best
I was spending an autumn vacation in Arkansas, tucked into a hotel in the heart of the historic center Hot Springs, which borders and runs through Hot Springs National Park. My focus was on outdoor activities, to take advantage of cool weather and fine fall foliage, but I wisely included urban attractions, too, in a quest to experience the state’s best. Read about the top five things to see and do in Arkansas >
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Why Daily Jam Should Become Your Daily Jam
On my way to the light-rail line in Tempe, Arizona, that was going to take me right into downtown Phoenix, I passed by Daily Jam. I liked the play on words: jam, as in a fruity breakfast spread; jam, as in something that someone particularly likes, as opposed to jam, an awkward situation. Closer inspection revealed an extensive menu, and before I knew it, I decided Phoenix would have to wait a bit while I was enjoying an excellent breakfast. Read about it >
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Bank on It
On a daily basis, there’s little need to go into a bank anymore. You can do practically everything online, and, when you need cash, you just stop at an ATM. There’s even less of a need when you’re on vacation. However, some of the most beautiful buildings I’ve been to are banks, and they deserve some special attention. If you want to be impressed by architectural beauty, visiting them is simply money in the bank. Read about the top five bank buildings >
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Brunch With Giada
If you already like celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and her culinary creations, you’ll absolutely love her after exactly one of her brunches at her eponymous restaurant in The Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Read about it >
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Montreal’s Manmade Marvels
Founded as a Roman Catholic colony by France in 1642, Montreal has been growing fairly steadily for nearly four centuries. The largest city in Quebec, Montreal has expanded to all points of the large island it occupies in the St. Lawrence River. Nicknamed “la ville aux cent clochers” (the city of a hundred bell towers), Montreal teems with beautiful houses of worship of various denominations, but there are plenty of other types of buildings that caught my eye while exploring the second-largest city in Canada. Read about the top five buildings in Montreal >
Stephen Travels 