A little bit of luxury when you’re on vacation is always a welcome thing. In Helsinki, when you want to treat yourself and combine that luxury with a roller-coaster history, tasteful elegance, flawless service and a perfect location in the heart of the Finnish capital, you stay at Hotel Kämp. Read more >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Man Meets Montana Moose
When you’re hiking in the woods, you never really know what to expect when you hear something rustling in the trees beside you, especially in Glacier National Park, which teems with wildlife. Is it a cougar, a gray wolf, a grizzly bear? Perhaps it’s just a chipmunk or a pygmy shrew. Maybe it’s only the wind. But when it turns out to be a female moose, and you’re only 20 feet away from it, your little stroll in the forest transcends a mere hike. And when her mate shows up, sporting a full rack of antlers, you become positively giddy — until two crotchety senior citizens show up and ruin the mood. Read more >
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Steep Your Dreams in History
One of the largest and best urban historic districts in the United States, Heritage Hill in Grand Rapids, Michigan, exudes a friendly charm. Streets lined with grand homes from the 19th and early 20th century encourage you to spend hours exploring all of the district’s 3,500 acres. And once you’ve been seduced by the neighborhood’s elegance, you can call it a night right in the midst of it all at the Brayton House. Read more >
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Sure Things in Saratoga Springs
October in Saratoga Springs, New York: Racing season is over, the thoroughbreds are on vacation, and the smart set has returned home. Picking a winner now does not revolve around our equine friends. Rather, it becomes a wager on where to have dinner.
Saratoga Springs doesn’t have countless options, but the choices that do exist will more than satisfy foliage seekers who’ve come to revel in the autumnal leaves in this attractive city of beautiful Victorian homes from the late 1800s. For a hearty meal in a historic setting, the Olde Bryan Inn is a sure bet. (Read more about the Olde Bryan Inn > ) And if you’re in the mood for something more elegant, the fine American bistro Maestro’s at the Van Dam will be the big payoff. (Read more about Maestro’s > )
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Fine Dining in the Capital of Croatia
I’ve never been a fan of hotel restaurants. Often overpriced and a deterrent from going out and exploring local eateries, they’re never my first choice. Nor my second. They may prefer an international menu rather than a good selection of the regional cuisine, and I’d prefer to dine among locals rather than other travelers. From the second I stepped into Radicchio, the restaurant in the Hotel Arcotel Allegra in Zagreb, Croatia, however, I changed my mind. This is, by far, a superior restaurant I would have regretted missing. Read more >
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Hiking With Huskies in Finnish Lapland
In Rovaniemi, the 16th most populous city in Finland, straddling the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, you can visit the real Santa Claus, play with baby reindeer, watch the sun never set during the summer, sail down the Kemi River to an old island lumberjack camp for an outdoor meal, observe a craftsman as he creates knife handles out of reindeer antlers, or spend some time in Arktikum, the city’s leading museum — all of which I did.
But when the opportunity to go trekking through the woods with some husky puppies presented itself, I knew I had just hit upon something extraordinarily memorable. Read more >
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Exploring America’s Other Half Dome
Half Dome.
You just thought of that giant granite rock in Yosemite National Park, right?
Now try a little change in mindset — and letter case — and you’ll conjure up the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, the largest manmade half dome in the Western Hemisphere. It’s chock-full of museums and attractions, but the real star is the building itself. Read more >
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Falling for Iguazú
Deep within South America, in the northeastern arm of Argentina that forces its way between Brazil and Paraguay, Iguazú National Park teems with life. Jaguars, howler monkeys, ocelots, countless birds and more than 2,000 vascular plants thrive in the park’s 212 square miles. But the main draw, by far, is the 275 cascades that compose Iguazú Falls. Wider than Africa’s Victoria Falls and higher than Niagara, Iguazú attracts about one million visitors per year. When I first saw this natural wonder of the world, the adjectives to describe it couldn’t come fast enough: awe-inspiring, beguiling, tremendous, exotic, enchanting. Clearly, I had just arrived at the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen. Read more >
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A “Sea of Sin” in the Very Wild West
One of my favorite cities in the United States is located smack in the middle of nowhere near the California-Nevada border. It’s not on a main — or even a secondary — road, and its permanent population is zero. You can’t get there by train or bus, direct or connecting flight. No art galleries are open for browsing, no parks for an afternoon stroll will greet you, and you won’t be able to refill your tank because there are no gas stations. You can’t book a room for the night, and forget about grabbing something to eat — restaurants don’t exist.
Why on earth is this seemingly godforsaken place one of my favorites? Because it’s Bodie — the largest, best preserved, and most fascinating ghost town in the country. And exploring an abandoned city that used to have a population of about 10,000 more than satisfies my fascination with ruins: What was this place? How did it come into existence? What happened here? Who lived here? And why did it end? Read more >
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Benvenuto!
When I first began to travel in earnest, my goal was to see every country in the world. Given the restrictions of a full-time job and a middle-class income, however, that dream soon evaporated. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to visit a fair share of locations throughout the world. And no matter where I’ve been or what I’ve done — whether it’s hiking in the Andes, butchering the Icelandic language, or sipping a mint julep on the veranda of a Louisiana plantation house — my journeys continually expose me to the beauty of this world and, in the process, hopefully make me a better global citizen.
These are my stories.
Swiss Camels and an Exploding Snowman
While wandering around the streets of Zurich, the last thing I expected to see were a few camels being led by Bedouins. I also didn’t anticipate joining thousands of other people who were waiting to set fire to a straw and cotton wool snowman. But this was the Sechseläuten, and everybody loves a parade. Read more >
Venice Churches Without Masses
The Basilica di San Marco is stuffed to capacity from morning to night, and with good reason — it’s simply stunning. But once I ventured away from Venice’s main attraction in the Piazza San Marco, I found other houses of worship that are just as noteworthy. The best part? I had them all to myself. Read more >
Halfway between Santa Fe and Taos, in the small town of Chimayó, New Mexico, I happened upon a family-owned restaurant that does everything right. Combining traditional and contemporary New Mexican cuisine, Rancho de Chimayó serves up just about the best meal you’ll find in the Land of Enchantment. Read more >
Situated on the South Fork of the Snake River in Rigby, Idaho, the six-bedroom log and stone Blue Heron Inn is the perfect place to immerse yourself in total tranquility. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to spot blue herons flying by, but you’ll always be guaranteed an inspiring sunrise and a delectable breakfast. Read more >
Grand or humble, long or short, vehicular or pedestrian, steel or stone, bridges have long held an allure for me, with their promise of spanning a gap and leading me elsewhere. These are my five favorites. Read more >
Stephen Travels 