Roughing it on the way to the island of Ponza, Italy...well, not really roughing it

PONZA - There's no such thing as an undiscovered island in the Mediterranean. Or any other sea or ocean or bay or lake or other body of water in the world. Everything has been pretty much mapped and GPS'ed to death by now.

And you couldn't say this island is "off the beaten path," either, given that two ferry lines deliver hundreds of people a day from the port of Anzio, a one-hour train ride from Rome. But it definitely feels like a place that gets overshadowed by bigger, more famous cousins such as Sardinia and Capri.

It's just as well, as it's a treat to be in a place that doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. I've been here only a couple hours but the place feels decidedly working class, with tattered, battered boats in the harbour draped with fishing nets and floats and not laded with cases of Cristal or Dom Perignon.

There are lovely pink, blue and peach pastel buildings rising in the hills above the port, but the buildings just off the water's edge have almost as much paint peeled off their fronts as they do anything that sticks. But I like that.

And, as the girl at the front desk of my hotel, the Grand Hotel (a tad presumptuous given the fact my room is maybe 8 by 12 feet) Chiaia Di Luna, pointed out, it's not about the port. Or the promenade that sits just above the water. Or about the pizza or the restaurants or the inexpensive clothing shops or the souvenir stands selling garishly painted coral with blue dolphin shapes and a thermometer for seven Euros. No, it's about the water; blue-green Mediterannean magic that surges in and out of grottoes and laps against twisted, dark rocks and quietly rolls into the bay next door with chalky-cliffs that drop perfectly straight down from a height of a perhaps 200 feet or more and form a perfect half-circle.

It's a beautiful spot, even on a slightly murky evening with more clouds than sun on the horizon.

The town is just a town, but the cliffs and the grottoes and the water are beckoning me for a boat ride on Saturday. And I just might respond.

Anna Maria, the girl at the front desk, who grew up in Connecticut and speaks perfect English, thank goodness, tells me the island is mostly populated with Romans and Italians, with a sprinkling of folks from Northern Europe. A magazine I spotted on the boat on the way over had a spread on celebrity sightings, and mentioned that Jude Law and Sienna Miller were here a couple weeks ago.

The hotel here, the Almost Grand Hotel Chiaia Di Luna, does have a very nice pool with a deck all around it. Nice views of the harbour, too. Today they were quietly playing some Euro-beat versions of North American songs, including Stevie Wonder's wonderful "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" and, something I might not forgive them for in my lifetime, a bizarrely hip-hop flavoured version of "Free Fallin' by Tom Petty."

On the other hand, there was an intriguing song with a lovely Spanish guitar and electronic bird sounds, complete with that scratch-the-record/backward sound that deejays often use in dance halls, or whatever they're called these days, and, yes, that might possibly the worst description of a musical number in the history of western civilization...

Anyway, this is a cool spot. And if you're ever in Rome and need a quick, seaside break, I highly recommend it.

Doing the sights in Rome, but loving Trastevere neighborhood...

ROME - Great overnight flight on Air Canada, arriving shortly before noon. And it only took 52 minutes for the first bags from our flight from Toronto to show up on the baggage carousel here in Rome. That's even worse than Pearson.

But at least it made it, and so did I. I was a touch nervous when I landed at the Roma Trastevere train station and the taxi driver had never heard of Residenza Santa Maria, which is in the Frommer's guide. But we found it okay, and it's a lovely, small hotel in a wonderful neighborhood. Great help at the front desk, too.

I'd never stayed over on this side of the Tiber (hence the name, Trastevere, over the Tiber), but I quite like the narrow streets, small cafes and shops and just the overall, relatively quiet feel. But it's only a 10-minute walk to the Forum.

Had a wonderful buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto pizza at a place called Cap Unto; a nice, family spot where the owner or managers' kids (maybe six years old?) were in charge of doling out change from my 20 Euro note. I think they got it wrong, but I didn't much care.

The Forum wasn't nearly as crowded as you'd expect in July, and up at the Palatine Hill it was almost empty. And on a perfect day, with a temperature around 28 and a nice breeze.

Gonna try some local spot tonight for a nice meal and a glass or two of Italian wine. I hear it's not bad.

Tomorrow heading to Ponza, an island about an hour and ten minutes by boat from Anzio. It's a spot a lot of Romans go, but apparently not many North Americans. But it looks quite pretty.

No time to do more. The adapter I bought at Pearson won't work in my hotel room and my battery's about dead. Talk to ya later....

 

A cool connection: Toronto travellers take photo of Star man (me) in Ireland

This is kinda cool, I think.

I was in Donegal, Ireland in April, taking a hike around the cliffs known as Slieve League. They're wild and wicked slopes north of Sligo, far higher than the famed Cliffs of Moher but virtually unknown to many travellers, including some Irish folks. I wrote a story about the experience in Star Travel on Saturday, July 24 (also my wedding anniversary, which is kinda connected if you'll hang in a bit).

When I was at Slieve League, my wife and I got to chatting with one of the few other couples who were checking out the cliffs and the surging ocean. They were from the Toronto area. I didn't talk about working for the Star, I don't think. We just talked in general about the area and how wonderfully isolated and beautiful the cliffs were, and left it at that.

I didn't think much about it until earlier this week, when a chap named Peter Davidson sent me a note to say something like, "Hey, you're the guy we met at Slieve League. I saw your story in the Star. That must have been you we chatted with. Your wife was with you and she was researching her family, the O'Keefe's, right?"

Damned good memory on his part, I can say, remembering my wife's mother's family name. Guy should be a reporter.

That was kinda funny, so I sent him a note back saying hope you had a good trip, nice to meet you, thanks for the kind words about the story, all the best, etc...

Then, a couple days later, came another note saying that he had taken a photo when we were at Slieve League but he didn't quite know why he took the shot.

It's the photo you see to the right of my wife, Barbara, who's taking the photo of me at the top of the page, and hold off on the jokes about my windswept hair, would ya? I find this quite funny - and a little spooky, to be honest. Not in a bad kinda way, just a weird/coincidence kind of way.

Funny thing about travel. You never quite know where the road will take you or who you'll meet, to paraphrase Bilbo Baggins, or perhaps Marco Polo, I can't recall. I was in Rome in 1979, having graduated from UCLA (a shameless plug, I know) a month or so earlier, and met up with a group of three Canadian girls travelling on the train from Rome to Florence. One of them I quite liked, and we became friends over three days in Florence. That's her in the photo, taking her goofy husband's picture a couple months before their 29th wedding anniversary.

So just to add to the general timing of all of this six degrees of separation stuff, where am I flying tonight? To Rome, where I met Barbara around about Aug. 1 or 4 (I have it written down in my journal somewhere in my basement), almost exactly 31 years ago. I'm writing a general Rome story for Star Travel and a hotel review, and also taking in the island of Ponza. I'll also be meeting up with my 22-year-old daughter, Kathleen (sorry, Kate), who just graduated from university a month ago (Go Queens) and, like her parents, is backpacking around Europe, checking out museums, art galleries, Mediterranean beaches and sampling the odd pitcher of sangria.

I told her to be careful in Rome while she waits for her father to arrive and that if she meets any Americans named Jim, to run as fast as she can in the other direction.

Hope to blog from Rome tomorrow but not sure about the Internet connections at my hotel...

Hotel happiness factor on the rise..Wanted: more Canadian travel studies!

Interesting piece by Barb De Lollis in USA Today about how hotel guests appear more satisified in the past year than they were in the 12 months prior to that.

J.D. Power and Associates latest study suggests a combination of reduced rates (yeah, that helps makes folks happy) and fewer crowds (ditto) boosted hotel ratings in a variety of categories. Mark Schwartz, in charge of J.D. Power's travel practice, said hotels put more of a focus on service in the last little while, and thank goodness for that.

"All of them are focused on improving guest satisfaction," Schwartz said "Almost all of the chains increased their scores on a year-over-year basis - and not a single hotel chain saw its score drop significantly."

Tops in the luxury category was Ritz-Carlton, with Toronto-based Four Seasons coming a very respectable second, ahead of J.W. Marriott and fourth-place (still quite good, and also Toronto-based) Fairmont.

Winner in the "upscale" category was Omni Resorts, with Delta way down at 15th, while the "mid-scale, full service" category winner was Hilton Garden Inn for the second year in a row. In the category of "mid-scale, limited service," Drury Inn and Suites won for the fifth straight year, while Microtel Inns & Suites copped top honours in the economy/budget category for the, wait for it, ninth year in a row. In the extended stay category, the gold medal went to Homewood Suites.

Sadly for Canadians who like to stay within our own country, a lot of these resorts are U.S. chains with limited or no presence north of the border. I don't see any Canadian locations on the Drury Inn & Suites website. Microtel's website doesn't show any of their own properties near Toronto, Ottawa or Calgary but does link to a lot of other hotels, including Howard Johnson properties and Travelodge hotels.

It's a common problem for us Canadians, as so many studies are based out of the U.S. and don't quite work for us. I get a lot of email around the Fourth of July talking about quick getaways, but the people sending them don't understand we have our own national holiday that's already over by then. And I get a lot of form emails in the days right after July 4 saying things like, "Dear Jim, Hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend. Now that you're back to work, check out the great deals at the Dolly Parton Twin Towers in Bosomville, Tennessee," and things like that. (Wouldn't that be a great hotel, really? I mean, we have Dollywood. So why not a Dolly Parton hotel? Of course, here in Canada we'd have to have the Pamela Anderson chain, complete with vegetarian restaurants utterly devoid of foie gras.)

I checked out the hotel ratings and it was interesting to read about the luxury category. Ritz-Carlton was given an overall five stars out of five, while Four Seasons got four out of five stars for overall satisfaction. Looking around a bit more, I found that Four Seasons hotels got five stars for their rooms and four out of five for check-in, check-out, but only two out of five stars for their reservation system. Which makes me think there's something seriously weird going on. I looked at their website today and it seems fine by me, but obviously folks in the study found things they don't like either on the website or on the phone. Or perhaps they're booking certain rooms and things aren't working out when they check in? I can't tell.

Fairmont got three stars out of five overall, but, again, just two out of five stars for reservations. Is there something wrong with our Canadian companies when it comes to hotel reservations, or is this some kind of weird anomaly based on Americans using American websites, or what? Just for fun, I went online this morning and checked out the Four Seasons site. It looked fine to me. I found various resorts around the world and, in honour of the fact that the London Olympics open in just about exactly two years, I clicked on the Canary Wharf Four Seasons Hotel in London. It popped up with a nice site and I easily found a room for a very reasonable 190 British Pounds (I think just a bit more than 300 Canadian dollars) on a Saturday night in late August. I went on the Fairmont site and easily found a room at the famous San Francisco Fairmont for $279 U.S. a night on Aug. 22.

It was pretty painless, so I'm a touch baffled about what reservation issues J.D. Power is talking about. Still, if I was in charge of Fairmont or Four Seasons today I'd be doing some serious reviewing.

The study found that 58 per cent of folks booked their hotel rooms on-line. I'm a bit surprised it's that low, actually. I don't recall the last time I booked a hotel over the telephone, myself.

In a side note sure to set tongues wagging at Expedia and other such places, Schwartz said  guests who make reservations directly through the hotel -- whether via phone or website -- are notably more satisfied with their overall experience than guests who book through an independent travel website.

Great stuff.

Is Turkey the new hot spot for travel? Looks that way...A quickie at the Royal York

The Turkish tourism folks appear to be doing something right.

Word out of Ankara on the weekend was that Turkish tourism investors plan $24 billion U.S. in tourism industry investments over the next 13 years. That would take them to 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the country.

"Our target is to host 71 million tourists in 2023 and earn an income of 85 billion U.S. dollars from tourism in the 100th anniversary of Turkey," said Turgut Gur, head of Tourism Investors' Association of Turkey.

According to recent data, eight million visitors went to Turkey between January and May of this year. Ministry of Culture and Tourism officials say the number of foreigners visiting the country rose by 10.14 percent year-on-year during this period and Turkey expects a 10-12 percent rise in tourist number this year. Which is pretty damned impressive.

I read on the weekend where shoppers from Syria were suddenly heading to Turkey to buy all sorts of things. And Istanbul has been on many folks' radar screens for some time, with its, yes, east-meets-west feel and fascinating Western-Muslim history.

I was there for a few days once, back when Toronto was bidding against Atlanta and others for the 1996 Summer Olympics. I'm pretty sure it was May 1988 or 1989, so it's been a while. But it was pretty cool to check out the markets and the Hagia Sophia, that's for sure. Didn't much like the coffee, but they probably wouldn't want a double-double at Tim Hortons so I guess we're even.

They say the Turkish coast on the Mediterranean is stunning, and it's been a popular spot for Europeans for years. One more to add to my wish list, I guess....

ROYAL YORK AND INTERCONTINENTAL TORONTO

Twenty nine years living in Toronto, and Friday night was my first stay at the Royal York Hotel. Very nice. I love the elegant, wide hallways (you won't see those in newer buildings, that's for sure) and the detailing in the halls and on the ceiling. The rooms aren't large, of course, in such a historic hotel. But they've been nicely updated with modern amenities and there was only a bit of chintz in my room, so they seem to be moving toward a newer, fresher look.

I read on a hotel fact sheet that it has 72 kilometers of carpeting, enough to stretch from Toronto to Hamilton. They also have 110 chefs in the kitchen, the largest hotel kitchen in Canada. Makes sense given all the conventions.

I didn't have time to linger in the lobby but I've always thought it was a nice combination of elegance and functionality, with comfortable chairs and a design that makes you feel regal without being too stuffy. And, yes, there are lovely photos of Liz and Phil on one wall of the hotel, which was the tallest building in the British Empire when it opened in 1929. I felt pretty small when I saw the names of some of the guests over the years: Bob Hope, Francis Ford Coppola, Drew Barrymore, Conan O'Brien, Jane Fonda, Frank Sinatr and Queen Latifah. But then I spotted Richard Simmons and suddenly felt pretty good about myself.

Didn't have a chance to try the restaurant or the bar this time, as I had booked a dinner at Azure at the Intercontinental. I didn't know what to expect but I had a great salad with lentils and a nice dressing and a very nice main course of (small) Cornish hen with veggies. My wife had pasta with lamb that was very good. It's a nice spot to look at the lights of downtown as the restaurant is in a ground-level atrium with wonderful views. Best feature was our waitress. I can't recall her name but she was knowledgeable and friendly and a sheer delight.

Speaking of the Royal York, though, I see that Fairmont is continuing with its "Everyone's an Original" program, which they say offers substantial savings. As well, they say anyone booking between July 26 and August 5, 2010 will get a $50 dining credit or a free night with the Everyone’s an Original Summer Offer*. For information: www.fairmont.com./summer

PORTER SALE

Porter Airlines has three days (including today) left for its 20 per cent off sale. For information, go to www.flyporter.com. The deal ends July 28.

Good times - and couscous - in Niagara (as long as you avoid the casino)

NIAGARA REGION - A couple days to re-connect with familiar sights in Niagara and to meet some new folks was a heaping helping of mostly good times.

I'll have more later in the pages of Star Travel, but suffice to say I got in some hiking, biking, boating, gambling, eating, drinking and more during something like 42 hours in Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, not to mention St. Davids and a great tour at a relatively new - and terrific - winery called Ravine Vineyard Estate. I'd asked the tourism people to give me some of the real touristy things to do so I could experience some of the items in their "Break Free Niagara" campaign (yes, the one that caused such a momentary furor in the media the past couple days).

So I took a ride on the aerial tram over the whirlpool, hiked down the beautiful Niagara Glen trail past towering trees and enormous boulders to watch the jet boats fire up on the rapids, rented a bike in Niagara-On-The-Lake (don't forget the hyphens), did a three-course lunch at the Queenston Heights Restaurant with a tasting of Ontario wines, dined magnificently at the Oban Inn and at Ravine winery, did a Brazilian steakhouse thing at Brasa at the Hilton Fallsview, stayed on the 50th floor of the Hilton and watched fireworks go off below my feet, which was a first, and rested overnight at the lovely Oban Inn in N-O-T-L. The highlight, and I can't believe I never did this on previous trips to Niagara Falls, was the Maid of the Mist.

I don't know why I never tried it before. I've stood on the edge of the falls many times, but usually I was just there for a day and maybe I thought the crowds were bad, or maybe I thought it was just a silly thing to do. But on this occasion I had plenty of time and a perfect, hot day, so I walked down the road from the hotel one afternoon and got in line for the Maid. It looked ominous, but the line was really only 10 minutes long to get to the elevators, and from there it was a short walk and maybe a five-minute wait for our boat to arrive.

It was, in a word, stunning. It's one thing to stand at the brink of the Canadian Falls (or American) and watch the water thunder over the edge, but to see the majesty of it from below is something else. The first part of the trip is quite clear and mostly mist-free, so you can take photos with your regular camera. Birds whirl in the air above the green water, and rainbows appear every three seconds, sometimes in full 180 degree glory. And the water roars. And roars. Old folks clad in silly blue plastic sheets grin like idiots, lovers kiss and giggle and even jaded journalists can't help but wonder at one of the marvels of the natural world.

I had neglected to check the charge in my waterproof camera and it was, of course, dead as a proverbial doornail. But I managed to get off a couple snaps with my regular camera before quickly thrusting it into my reasonably waterproof backpack.

We got to hover near the base of the falls - it's not nearly as scary down there as it looks from above, by the way - for several minutes before heading back to dock. For $15.60, it's about as great a deal as I can imagine.

Actually, the trip was probably three or four times longer than the mere five minutes I spent at the Fallsview Casino, where I dropped $20 in record speed on two slot machines. Maybe it's me, but I've been to casinos in Ontario at least four times and each time they've proven absolutely pathetic in terms of payout. At Fallsview, I put in $20 and did 20 spins at a quarter each and then 40 spins at three credits or 75 cents. I got "paid" back only once in those 40 spins, and it was a measly $1.25. Of course, this being Ontario, you don't actually get the satisfaction of holding real money or seeing real money come out of a chute or hearing the clink of coins tumbling out of the machine. No, you get "credits" on a slip of paper. Sigh.

That wouldn't be so bad if the machines actually paid out, but the times I've gone it's been over faster than a nervous Niagara groom on his wedding night. Maybe I should try blackjack or roulette. Or maybe stick to something more my speed, like the criminal hall of fame or Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville (and is it just me, but does Jimmy seem just a little out of place north of the border?).

Two of my other major discoveries were of the food and drink variety. On Wednesday night at the Oban, I ordered a main course of local pork tenderloin on a bed of couscous. I had tried couscous before and thought it was impossibly bland, not to mention boring and utterly devoid of taste. This was served, however, with Moroccan spices, including cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cilantro and other things starting with a "c" as I rercall, plus a cranberry reduction swirled around the outside. There were five or six thick slices of pork resting on top of the couscous, which also featured diced onion, peppers and dried cranberry. It was one of the best main courses I've ever had. Honestly, it was that good. Just a marvel of tastes and textures and some incredibly tasty tenderloin.

The next day I had the three-course lunch at Queenston Heights Restaurant, hard by the monument to Major-General Isaac Brock that rises high above the heights to commemorate his battle - and his death - during the War of 1812. (As an aside, Tony Baldinelli from the Parks Commission tells an amusing story of the time Winston Churchill came to the Heights and noted there was a statue of Brock, who died during the battle, but not one of General Roger Hale Sheaffe, who came to his rescue and drove the invading Americans back over the border. There's a small statue of Sheaffe on display in the restaurant, but it's not even 1,000th the size of the towering Brock memorial. One could easily make the point there should be more of a permanent memorial to the natives or Indians who fought on the side of Britain/Canada at the battle. There was an impromptu native memorial - I've attached a small photo of part of it - at the base of the Brock column when I was there, and deservedly so.) Anywho, they served smoked salmon, French onion soup (both fine but not extraordinary) and then some wonderfully tasty and perfectly grilled chicken on a bed of small, grain-like thingies. I thought they were baby garbanzo beans or lentils or some such, but I was told they were Israeli couscous.

Couscous??? Again??? What is it with this place? I gotta say it was completely different in style from the Oban, but it was a fabulous dish, spiked with a touch of garlic and a good sprinkling of pancetta. Yum. The wines weren't particularly memorable, but the views out over the twisting (surprisingly to a Toronto guy who doesn't know his geography as well as he thinks) Niagara River.

The next day I stopped for lunch at Ravine Winery, where they serve a fabulous charcuterie plate with local meats and cheeses, as well as wine from their relatively new and fairly small winery.You can dine inside, but there's also a lovely patio with views up towards the Niagara escarpment or down the hill towards Lake Ontario. It's killer wine, especially (at least for me) the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc. Like couscous, I've never really had a Cab Franc that I liked a whole lot, usually finding them too vegetal and a touch funky on the finish. But this was deep and smooth and flavourful stuff that I think would go great with slightly spicy pork or even a steak.

It's a family-run operation, with what's believed to be the largest wood-fired oven in Ontario. They make their own bread, including three types of very good sourdough, and they even do barbeques for dinner on Monday and Friday nights. Can't wait to try that some warm summer's evening.

PORTER-AIR CANADA WAR

Interesting that Porter seems to have won a court battle in which Air Canada sought to get more spots out of the Island Airport. More interesting to me is that Porter chief Bob Deluce is said to be suing Air Canada for allegedly revoking the lifetime passes he says he and his wife were given when he sold Air Ontario and Austin Airways to Air Canada in 1986.

Isn't that awesome? Upstart airline owner suing his rival so he can fly for free on their planes?

You could say he should stick to his own brand, but Porter won't get him to the Caribbean for a holiday, or to San Francisco. Mind you, the way Porter's board of directors is connected to Virgin America you'd think he could probably fly free on any of Sir Richard Branson's planes. But this is only partly, I suspect, about free travel. Mostly, it seems to be about tweaking big, bad Air Canada, or making us think of AC that way.

I got a kick out of Star reporter Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew's report, in which he quotes Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick as saying he fully understands Deluce's desire to taste the forbidden fruit.

“It is completely understandable why Mr. Deluce would prefer to fly Air Canada - with its Executive Class, in-flight entertainment, Maple Leaf Lounges, Concierge Service and other exclusive benefits—rather than Porter. Wouldn’t you?”

I also like the diagram on Toronto Life's website today, which shows the two airlines' logos on football helmets and has them matched up like it's the Grey Cup.

I suspect the courts are finding this airline bickering a bit much to deal with. I suspect the lawyers don't mind at all. Me? I'm lovin' it.

Toronto Niagara Tourism battle: Understandable but getting silly...

Boy, a Travel Editor comes down to familiarize himself a bit more with Niagara and ends up in the middle of a media firestorm.

I had lunch today with Tony Baldinelli, communications manager for The Niagara Parks Commission. He must've had five phone calls during our time on the shaded patio at the Queenston Heights Restaurant, overlooking the Niagara River.

"It's been crazy," Baldinelli conceded. "We've had CTV, CBC, the newspapers; everyone's asking about the Break Free campaign."

For those who hadn't noticed, there's a big controversy in the Big Smoke about some Niagara Parks Commission ads that suggest folks "break free" from Toronto for a nice stay in Niagara. Nothing wrong with that; Toronto tries to woo folks from Niagara to go north to the big city, right? But the Break Free ads, and some of the videos the parks commission posted on its website, www.niagarabreakfree.com, put some Toronto noses out of joint with photos of stolen bicycle parts, graffiti-covered alleyways and other forms of urban blight.

"We didn't mean to denigrate Toronto at all," said Baldinelli, a former Toronto resident who loved his time at Yonge and St. Clair. "We really didn't think of that way, and the ads were tested in front of people from Toronto, and they liked them."

Maybe they did. But it seems George Smitherman wasn't in the focus group. Smitherman, who's furiously trying to generate some publicity in a slow summer mayoralty race, trundled down the QEW earlier today and virtually nailed a letter to the wall of the Niagara Parks Commission, saying the ads weren't at all nice. And we all know Smitherman is always nice.

"It is with utter dismay and simmering anger that I learn that the NPC, an agency of the government of Ontario, has resorted to building itself up at the expense of Toronto," Smitherman's letter reads."That's just not right."

"Niagara Falls is a great city, but hardly without fault," said Smitherman. "Imagine if Toronto turned the tables and played to Niagara Falls’ perceived weaknesses."

Furious George said the NPC should "do the right thing and immediately abandon your ill-advised, immature advertising campaign which serves nobody's interests."

Well, it actually serves Niagara's interest, George. But Baldinelli said the point was taken and that a few of the ads that particularly irked Torontonians had been taken off the breakfree website today. Two of the videos removed from the site showed the graffiti, while the other was a video that showed what seemed to be a Toronto couple looking at a bike with its wheels missing in the big city, followed by an image of them cycling through lovely Niagara countryside.

The NPC’s office apparently was shuttered when Smitherman pulled in at 7:30 a.m. today, complete with a camera crew from CHCH-TV.

NPC spokesman Stefan Baranski said Smitherman "actually left the letter on the door of the NPC."

"He was literally incensed by it," Baranski said.

It seems pretty silly for the NPC to say they didn't mean to denigrate Toronto. Of course they did. They didn't mean to do it in a nasty way, but you can't produce videos showing a couple walking down a dingy alley and hearing a car alarm and putting a silhouette of the city of Toronto skyline on your ads and not suggest you're trying to diss the city at least a little bit.

Baldinelli told me he finds it interesting that some of the people who produced the video work on Queen St. West in Toronto, not far from where the videos were shot.

Anyway, it's probably a bit of a mountain out of a molehill situation that will quietly die away. But the Niagara people will have drawn some attention to themselves, and that's hardly ever a truly bad thing. I suppose some self-righteous Torontonians might opt to boycott the Shaw Festival or the Maid of the Mist, but I kinda doubt it.

We both need each other. Toronto knows a lot of folks come from overseas to see a bit of Toronto and also take in the falls, as witnessed by the still large number of U.S. license plates in parking lots down here today and the number of people on tour buses I've seen speaking other languages than English and French. The Niagara Tourism people work hand-in-hand with Tourism Toronto, even travelling together to promote the region overseas.

So, I think everyone should just relax. Niagara Falls has wax museums. We have the Maple Leafs, the NHL equivalent of a wax figure club. Niagara Falls has wineries. We have Steam Whistle Beer. Niagara Falls has the Niagara River. We have the Don. (That's a feeble joke, by the way, folks). Niagara has Whirlpool Jet Boats. We have the Island Ferry. Niagara-on-the-Lake has the Shaw Festival, we have TIFF. As well as a mayoralty candidate in a tizzy.

Anyway, I'm down here in Niagara and having a great time. Fabulous, and I mean fabulous meal on Tuesday night at the Oban Inn, where they do an incredible pork tenderloin on a bed of Moroccan-spiced couscous with a cranberry reduction. I never liked couscous before but these were spicy and fragrant and utterly delicious, with cardamon and cloves and cinnamon and cilantro and ginger as spices, plus dried cranberries, onions and red and yellow peppers. Simply divine.

And they served a great lunch today at the Queenston Heights Restaurant, as well, including lovely chicken over Israeli couscous with pancetta that was perfectly wonderful. Not to mention a tasting of three Ontario wines.

Also did the aerial tram ride over the Niagara River today, which was fun every for a guy who hates heights, and hiked down the Niagara Glen to see the river up close. A hot day for it, but a nice half-hour hike.

Off to the Maid of the Mist before dinner, I hope. And maybe a visit to the wax museum....

Toronto Islands...best summer spot in the city...Orlando hotel rates on the rise

You can keep the CN Tower, thank you. And Casa Loma. And even the ROM and the AGO. When the weather's fine, there's no place in the city better than the Toronto Islands.

I make it a point to do a bike ride on the islands at least once or twice every summer, and it's a fresh delight each time. I did it again the other day, bypassing the hordes of folks waiting for the Centre Island ferry and going, as I always do, straight to Wards Island. I guess families with kids want to do Centre Island for the rides and the fountains and the Franklin the Turtle park and all that, but I use the islands as a place to get away from the city.

I love the old homes on Wards and the loveliest garden in the city that sits hard by the eastern gap, with incredible views of the city. Also the Marvin Gardens house and just about any tumble-down spot with a nice grouping of flowers.

The Rectory Cafe is an awesome spot to cool off on a hot day, with easily the prettiest patio in the city. And the boardwalk that leads from Wards to Centre Island offers fine views of the outer harbour, with waves crashing on the rocks in such a way that you can almost feel like you're on Georgian Bay. Almost.

It's great people-watching, of course, with folks of all sizes and sexes and colours and shapes riding the rental bikes, hauling picnic hampers or tossing a frisbee for the first time in 20 years. I told someone after my ride that if you really want to get a sense of the flavour of Toronto, take the summer ferry to Toronto Islands and simply watch the parade. It's a lot cheaper than renting a cottage, and it's amazing how quickly you can get out into semi-wilderness; with the rocks and the beach and the waves and quiet waterways between the islands where you can kayak or row to your hearts' content without bumping into sea-doo's or motorboats.

Of course, if you're into the au naturel style of sunbathing, and why not, there's always Hanlan's Point beach, which stretches on for a huge stretch on the island's western side and offers great views over to Ontario Place and beyond. Don't forget to pay your respects to Hanlan on your way to the ferry, of course. There's a huge statue of the famous rower right by the ferry dock, not far from the plaque that recognizes how famous baseball slugger Babe Ruth hit his only minor league home run at the old ballpark near Hanlan's Point. It's a shame I'll never see a minor league game on the island, as it sounds a lot like a day at the Rogers Centre.

We're incredibly lucky to have the Islands, and I'm always thankful that the yahoos who used to serve on Metro Council weren't able to evict the homeowners. There's tons of empty space in the ballparks and fields near Hanlan's Point, so it's not like the city needed to get rid of the homes on the eastern side of the island. The fact the homes are there makes the Islands so much more interesting, and if a few families got away with a great deal, well, good for them. I'm thrilled they're there to decorate the city with their individual gardens and goofy signs and funky front porches.

Regardless of the politics, it's hard to deny that the Islands are a special place; a quick retreat from the traffic and noise of the city.The views are great, and it's hard to beat the feeling of being out on the open water, even if it's a five-minute ferry ride across the harbour.

THANKS, HARRY, NICE WORK

Well, it probably had to happen. USA Today is reporting that the huge success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando has had an impact on hotel rates, with the first increases in two years taking place in the last little while.

"We're definitely inching up on our rates," said John Parkinson, general manager of the Embassy Suites on International Drive. "Summer looks great."

The Orlando Sentinel says the average daily room rate of $91 rose 2.1%, marking the first year-over-year boost in Orlando since June 2008.

Blues and beer in Chicago: Star man takes on the "city of broad shoulders"

Adrian Brijbassi

Star Travel

CHICAGO — The first time I realized a guitar could sing was at the 1995 Ottawa Bluesfest. The stirring notes came out of a Fender tattooed with polka dots and strummed by the right hand of a nearly 60-year-old man who stood in front of thousands of us at Major’s Hill Park and played “Red House” like you’ve never heard.

I was hooked on Buddy Guy right then, and when Star Travel Editor Jim "Three-Putt" Byers dispatched me to Chicago I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see Buddy’s joint. It’s a tribute to all-things Buddy, with loads of guitars and photos through the years. Buddy turns 74 on July 30 but he’s still touring (he was recently at Massey Hall – hope you caught the show). He rarely plays at Buddy Guy’s Legends, turning the stage over to local and visiting bluesmen. Legend’s just moved into a larger, more attractive venue at 700 South Wabash Ave. The headliner when I went was Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, who came on stage with a Native headdress that would violate some folks’ sense of political correctness.

But the Chief is one of those likeable bluesmen who put all their soul into the guitar. It’s hard to begrudge them anything — and it’s Chicago, home of the NHL champion Blackhawks, so the headdress seems fitting. Eddie and the band were great, the atmosphere in the new, spacious site was fabulous, and it was great to see people of all ages and backgrounds in the audience.

That means the blues are alive in Chicago. And so is indie music.

I just met up with friends Jim DeRogatis, iconic rock critic and now Columbia College journalism prof, and Carmel Carrillo, poet and Chicago Tribune entertainment editor. Jim is covering the Pitchfork Music Festival for Vocalo.org (blogs.vocalo.org/blog/derogatis) this weekend. More than 18,000 people are coming out each day to see a lineup of indie acts.

We talked about the crazy days of newspapers, past and present. Jim and Carmel pointed out that the Tribune Tower, a beautiful gothic building near the Chicago River, features bricks from around the world. That’s because former owner and publisher Robert McCormick ordered foreign correspondents to bring back a brick from wherever they were sent. So there are bricks from places like the Alamo, the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Berlin Wall and the Taj Mahal. Reputedly, McCormick axed any reporter who failed to return with a brick.

Times haven’t changed much in the biz: You’ve got to follow some people’s orders or else. Yesterday, the boss sent me an instruction from deep inside a sand trap somewhere in the GTA. Have a beer, he said. Being the eager-to-please type, I had three just to make him happy. Turns out rumours of Chicago’s great micro-brew culture are true.

All three beers I had would fit just fine among the best from Ontario breweries. Those great Chicago brews are:

Metropolitan Brewery’s Krank Shaft Kolsch beer, enjoyed on the patio at Lula Café, which lived up to the hype from ABC food reporter Steve Dolinsky. The beer is a sweet, light wheat ale.

Goose Island’s 312, a darker wheat beer named after Chicago’s area code. I had this one at Navy Pier, right there in a cup, walking on the promenade in 40C-degree heat. No badge there to tell me I couldn’t have an open container of alcohol. Wow!

Half Acre Beer Co.’s Daisy Cutter, a strong pale ale consumed at Longman & Eagle, a cool gastropub near Lula Café and Logan Square.

Trailing Barack Obama in Chicago harder than you'd think, says Adrian Brijbassi

Adrian Brijbassi

CHICAGO — It was blazing hot Saturday - nearly 40C - and it was a great day to stay inside in the a/c, but Travel Editor Jim Byers would have a conniption if I spent the afternoon watching the Cubs and eating room service, (note to Adrian from the boss; you're damned right!) so, out to Navy Pier I went and then to the south side to look up the address of the most powerful man on earth.

When I got to Hyde Park, I had to ask, where is the guided Barack Obama tour? There is a bike tour but — as far as anyone I’ve spoken to knows — Chicago doesn’t have a walking tour devoted getting up close to the U.S. president's haunts. It seems to me like someone could probably make some money if they started one.

Despite his tumbling approval ratings, Obama remains hugely popular, inside and out of his own country. No matter how far his political popularity plummets, he will always be a monumental historic figure.

The fact that his formative years as a politician took place in Chicago makes America’s second-largest city the No. 1 spot for Obama fans, acolytes, historians and political wonks to visit. Among the many unique things about Obama is the fact he lived in a big city prior to reaching the White House. Recent American presidents have come from places like Crawford, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas — not spots on any traveller’s bucket list.

Although Ronald Reagan spent years in Los Angeles prior to residing in California’s capital, Sacramento, as governor, he was an established Hollywood star moving in exclusive circles. Obama, on the other hand, was a cool dude about town, working hard to cultivate an everyman demeanour while also trying to show he could stand apart as a leader. No easy feat, but he pulled it off.

For now, you’ll have to go with this ad-hoc list put together with the help of the Chicago Tribune and Timeout Chicago magazine. So, here’s a list of top 10 Barack Obama sites in the Windy City.

1. Spiaggio (980 North Michigan Ave.).  The top-rated Italian restaurant in Chicago by many publications, Spiaggio remains a fave spot of Barack and Michelle. It’s where he celebrated his Nov. 4, 2008 victory that made him the first black president in U.S. history. www.spiaggiarestaurant.com

2. Trinity United Church of Christ (532 W. 95th St.). The Obamas were married here on Oct. 3, 1992. The church, though, is more famously known for being the place where Candidate Obama’s presidential campaign nearly derailed, thanks to inflammatory comments by Jeremiah Wright, the church’s reverend. www.tucc.org

3. The Chase Tower (10 S. Dearborn St.). This is where Barack met Michelle and a love story was sparked. He was a summer intern from Harvard and she was his mentor at the law firm of Sidley & Austin, which is now across the street at 1 S. Dearborn St.

4. Baskin-Robbins Hyde Park franchise (1400 E. 53rd St.). Outside of here, Barack first kissed Michelle, according to his autobiography, Audacity of Hope. Her kiss tasted like chocolate, he wrote. No word on whether the prez’s next book will be a Harlequin romance.

5. Hyde Park Hair Salon and Barber Shop (1464 E. 53rd St.). Perhaps young Barack got that first kiss because he was finely coiffed, thanks to his favourite barber at this spot just down the road from the Baskin-Robbins. www.hphschicago.com

6. University of Chicago Law School (1111 E. 60th St.). Obama taught law from 1993-2003, with several classes taking place in the Harry A. Bigelow lecture hall. www.law.uchicago.edu

7. The Obama home (5046 South Greenwood Ave.). The 6,199-square-foot mansion may not be the White House, but it’s still pretty swank. You can go into its neighbourhood and also see the nearby Kenwood Estates property that was part of a controversial property deal involving a Chicago businessman criticized for being unscrupulous. It’s easy to spot where the million-dollar Obama home is, just look for the Secret Service. Just don’t expect to get too close.

8. Valois (1518 E 53rd St). If Spiaggio is too pricey, then try this cafeteria-style spot where Obama used to frequent before he could afford to live in Kenwood. University professors and students eat here, as do many others in the area. www.valoisrestaurant.com

9. U.S. Cellular Field (333 West 35th Street). Formerly New Comiskey Park, this major-league stadium is home to the White Sox, the president’s favourite baseball team. (The ballpark experience is probably better at Wrigley, though.) chicago.whitesox.mlb.com

10. Grant Park (901 S. Columbus Drive). On this public space, named after Ulysses S. Grant and referred to as “Chicago’s front yard”, Obama gave his rousing acceptance speech near midnight after beating Republican John McCain and winning the presidency.

Thanks, Adrian. Good stuff. Have a beer today on me. - Jim