Remember when you would get in your car with your family or a friend or two and go for a leisurely drive, with no particular agenda or destination? If so, it’s probably a memory from a long time ago, when driving wasn’t a hassle, when roads weren’t littered with potholes and road ragers, when traffic was light, and when gasoline and tolls were affordable. But anyone eager to hit the road just for the heck of it shouldn’t be discouraged. There are still plenty of places where a casual drive — punctuated by mesmerizing scenery — is delightfully possible. Read more about the top five drives in the world >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Seattle’s Art World at Its Most Brilliant
Another gray, wet day in Seattle had me searching for indoor activities. The tall, black, steel man with the hammer on a downtown street corner caught my eye, even through the rain and from under the shelter of my umbrella. Unperturbed by the tail end of the morning rush hour, he maintained a steady and soundless rhythm as he beat at the air high above the corner of University Street and 1st Avenue. He also lured me to the building behind him, which quickly ended my quest: the Seattle Art Museum. Read more >
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A Sweet Life at an Old Sugar Plantation in St. Kitts
Feeling chilly? Weary of scraping ice off your windshield and shoveling? Starting to fantasize about a tropical location, where rock salt is replaced by the salt on the rim of your margarita glass? Then think about it no further and book a stay at Ottley’s Plantation Inn. Long gone are the days of backbreaking labor in the sugarcane fields here. Today, it’s a polished — and exceptionally well-run — oasis on the balmy Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Read more >
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Get Your Motor Runnin’ at the Gilmore Car Museum
Even if you could not possibly care less about cars and the automotive industry, you can’t leave Michigan without having developed, at the very least, a passing fascination with them and the urge to head out for a beautiful drive. To cultivate that seed of interest, or to fuel a passion that you already have, cruise over to the expansive Gilmore Car Museum in tiny Hickory Corners — one of the largest car museums in North America. Read more >
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Treasures Among the Towers: Finding the Best Buildings in Toronto, Ontario
As Canada’s largest city, Toronto has been a hub of finance, politics, culture, trade, industry, and education for a couple of centuries, all of which lends its urban landscape an impressive variety of structures. Although seemingly drowning in a sea of characterless skyscrapers right now, it still boasts plenty of unique buildings scattered around town that will enrich your visit to the “Queen City.” Read more about my top five buildings in Toronto >
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Fine Dining on the Beach in Grand Cayman
Every night, after a late afternoon swim in the Caribbean Sea and yet another glorious sunset, I would walk past the beachfront Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa on my way back to my hotel across the street and note the very satisfied customers enjoying dinner at the hotel’s Beach House restaurant. On my last night in Grand Cayman, I decided to be one of them. Read more >
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The Best Depictions of the Real Meaning of Christmas
December 25 is rapidly approaching, and for 2.2 billion Christians around the world, the Christmas season is in full swing. Although the secular aspects of this important holiday increasingly garner all the attention and overshadow the real meaning of Christmas — the birth of Jesus Christ — all you have to do is look at a Nativity scene (or listen to Linus’ beautiful soliloquy in A Charlie Brown Christmas) to be reminded of what it’s all about. For centuries, artists have been depicting that day that changed the world in Nativities in every type of media imaginable. Some of these painters, sculptors, glaziers, woodworkers, and other talented experts broke the traditional mold of just showing the Holy Family in a stable with some hay, farm animals, a couple of shepherds, and the Three Wise Men. I found these works in particular to be the most imaginative, and most memorable. Read more about my top five Nativities in the world >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 7
On my last day, I took an early train to Cologne, my thoughts consumed by Christmas, chocolate, and the cathedral — a trio of delights for all my senses. By the time I left the city about 12 hours later, I had seen the prettiest Christmas market of my entire trip, learned everything there is to know about chocolate (and eaten more of it than anyone should in a day), and explored one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 6
Of the seven cities on my itinerary, Heidelberg was the one I was anticipating the most. From the train station, I walked for about a half-hour on streets that became increasingly more engaging as I made way to the Old Town. Beguiled by its bosky hillside, mountaintop castle, gentle river and graceful bridges, and outstanding architecture, I thrilled at the thought of spending a full day here, rambling through its Christmas markets amid the most romantic setting possible. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 5
As I strolled through one of Düsseldorf’s city parks, beautified by a little river and a couple of lakes, I marked the absence of people. I had arrived on a Sunday morning, and every store was — and would stay — closed for the day. Few pedestrians or joggers utilized the path along the Rhine River. It seemed everyone in the city was staying at home on this overcast day. But all that changed when I reached the first of three increasingly interesting Christmas markets. Read more >
Stephen Travels 