More great wine tasting spots: B.C., Australia, Hawaii and, of course, France

Yesterday I mentioned a whack of my favourite wine tasting places. Today I'm adding five more, with some random thoughts at the bottom just because it's a Wednesday and we need to celebrate the week is almost half-over. (Speaking of which, I saw an outstanding cartoon in the paper on Tuesday that showed a management type talking with a camel wearing a suit inthe camel's office. There was a calendar on the wall that said "Tuesday, Sept. 25" and the management guy had this great look on his face with a caption above that said something like "If you wish me 'Happy Hump Day' again tomorrow you're fired." Absolutely hilarious, if completely off topic. Because we were talking about wine. I don't know any good wine jokes, but I do remember a great episode of the Tonight Show once where Johnny Carson was talking about a wine and cheese event in Ohio somewhere in the 1970's where they had trays of Velveeta and glasses of wine, thoughtfully with bowls of sugar alongside in case folks found the wines too dry. Also hilarious.

So, anyhoo, with those side issues out of the way, here's my Wednesday look at some of my favourite wine-tasting-sipping-slurping-guzzling spots around the globe.

1. Australia. The Barossa Valley near Adelaide is Australia’s best-known area for high quality wines but you also can try the Yarra Valley near Melbourne for a great variety, including fine sparkling wines at the lovely Domaine Chandon (see photo). Heading further afield? Check out the increasingly high-profile Margaret River region in Western Australia for great Cabs and Shiraz. Only headed to Sydney?  The Hunter Valley is close by and they make very good reds and whites. They also do fun events such as “Jazz in the Vines” and “Opera in the Vineyards.”

2. British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley has great food and fabulous, award-winning wines. In the
south section around dry (think tumbleweeds and cactus) Osoyoos, they make excellent Syrah blends that are big and round, with a bit of California meets France halfway feel. Angels Gate and other wineries further north, near Kelowna, make fabulous Pinot Gris. Not washy, tasteless Pinot Grigio but fine, balanced Pinot Gris that’s excellent with food. An outdoor seat at the restaurant at Mission Hill is about as spectacular as you can get, with rows of vineyards sweeping down to the lake and dusty mountains off in the background. I've yet to find a winery in California with a view as nice as those in the hills above Okanagan Lake.

3. South Africa. I’m not a huge fan of the leathery reds they make (barnyard notes might be more accurate) but perhaps that’s because I grew up drinking fruity, new world wines. I’ve quite
enjoyed the whites I’ve had from SA, however, and they make a great range of Sauvignon Blancs and crisp Chardonnays. Sitting on a patio overlooking the harbour in Cape Town and gazing up at Table Mountain looks to be about as romantic a wine experience as you could have. 

4. Hawaii. Want something truly exotic? Tedeschi Winery on Maui makes surprisingly decent white and red wines, as well as pineapple wine that’s best left to give to Uncle Fred for his 80^th birthday celebration. The quaint and pretty winery/tasting room  is located high up the slopes of Mt. Haleakala in lovely countryside (see photo at right), with rolling hills, cattle, eucalyptus trees and stunning views out over the island of Maui.

5. France. Of course. But you already knew that. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are legendary. Ditto for the Loire, with great, crisp whites. Increasingly good products from Languedoc, and always consistent rose’ from Provence. Oh, don’t forget the versatile Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc and Riesling
from up near the German border. Bordeaux is the king internationally, so much so that China is now the largest importer of Bordeaux wines in the world. The city of Bordeaux doesn't get a lot of exposure but it's got lovely, old buildings and stately squares and a terribly fun old quarter with cafes that spill out into tiny, pedestrian-only lanes. Awesome food and, of course, good wine lists. The area around St. Emilion is a personal fave. It's a beautiful town (see photo below left) filled with gorgeous, creamy buildings and built on top of enormous caves. There's an historic, underground church and plenty of tasting rooms and lovely, small hotels. Good macaroons, too, if you have a sweet tooth. I haven't been to Burgundy in years but I love small towns like Vezelay and Avalon. There's even a Montreal if you want to have fun with some photos. I haven't spent much time in the Loire but I love a good, crisp Sancerre white - a favourite if I remember correctly of former Star reporter Ernest Hemingway. The wines of Provence aren't as notable, but there are fabulous wines and great tasting opportunities down around the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence, which is only a short drive from the Cote d'Azur. In Aix itself, be sure to tour the former home of Cezanne, who did much of his painting in the home and in the area. It's quite a beautiful spot and there are tons of great cafes and terrific shopping opportunities in the old streets of town.

FURTHER THOUGHTS:

I've never been to South America but Chilean wines are exceptional. A few of the Cabernet Sauvignons at the low end have too much of a green pepper taste for my liking, but most of it is excellent and well-priced. Argentina does wonders with Malbec, also grown in the Cahors region of France, and a good Malbec goes great with a steak. They make some pretty good stuff in Uruguay and even parts of Brazil ... Further north you can get some tasty fruit from Mexico, mostly Baja California ... Back on the continent, Germany and Switzerland make very good whites and even some reasonably hefty reds . The vineyards along the Rhine and Mosel rivers are stunningly beautiful, as are the ones that cascade down the steep hills on the north side of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman if you choose) in Switzerland… Looking for something different that’s great with food? Try a Gruner Veltliner white from Austria … Spain makes fab reds and terrific white wines. Rioja is king but you also can find good value from the Penedes and excellent sparkling wines for a quarter the price of French champagne … Israel makes some excellent red wine, as does Lebanon … Italy’s a no-brainer. My personal fave for value is Nero d’Avola, with full body that’s more to my North American taste than most Italian wines … Greece makes some lovely, crisp whites that are perfect for a seaside patio … Folks tell me Chinese wines are improving but the stuff I tried when I was last there wasn’t so great … Headed to the States? New York has great wineries in the Finger Lakes. More surprising is the quality of wine in Virginia and even Texas. Oregon and Washington you might know about, with similar grapes to B.C., but also in the up-and-coming market are places like Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado ... I've had some decent whites made on the Ile d'Orleans outside Quebec City, too ... Okay, it's not wine but Japan has won dozens of awards for its Scotch whisky. Something about the water, I guess, and the typical Japanese attention to detail. It's quite tasty.

$2,500 per night hotel in Sardinia, Italy, plus iPads at the new Four Seasons TO

There are stories in the newspapers today about Burberry having troubles. Some folks seem worried about the fate of luxury products given the troubles in China and Europe.

But there also are plenty of signs that the rich are doing just fine, thank you. A study by luxury-hotels.com finds that Le Dune, Forte Village Resort in Sardinia is the most expensive in the world, at a whopping AVERAGE rate of $2,539 per night.

I looked on the website this morning and found places for $400 a night. But it turns out I didn't have Le Dune but another Forte Village property. Mea Culpa, as they say in Sardinia. When I just now looked at the site again and narrowed in on Le Dune, I found rooms in September for $2,049 a night; not far off the luxury-hotels figure.

A spokesperson for the luxury-hotels.com site told me the survey is based on prices from June to August, when Europeans (and many of us North Americans) like to travel. So prices could easily be less right now.

Anyhoo, the property looks stunning, and they even have night-time massages on a floating "dock" in the pool.

Here's what the website has to say about the place:

One enthralling experience rapidly follows another at Forte Village. Each day, a host of extra-special opportunities compete for your attention. Whether you're travelling as a couple, with a young family or with teenagers, we can promise you a warm Sardinian welcome and a wealth of unique experiences. With elegant rooms, bungalows, suites and villas, up to 21 restaurants and activities for all ages and interests, this is the resort for everyone who demands everything. This exceptional range of places to stay and things to do means that you can create your own personal holiday, safe in the knowledge that we'll guarantee total discretion and the utmost security. Confirming our promise of a truly unique experience, top international travel agents have voted Forte Village The World's Leading Resort for each of the past 14 years.

For what it's worth, and I'm not sure I can agree with the study given the rate I found for Le Dune, here are the remaining top 10 most expensive hotels:

2. Royal Mansour, Marrakech Morocco: $2,060

3. Hotel Pitrizza, Sardinia: $2,041

4. Villa del Parco, Sardinia: $2,031

5. Amankora and Spa, Paro, Bhutan: $1,910

6. Hotel Cala di Volpe, Sardinia: $1,904

7. Hotel Romazzino, Sardinia, $1,850

8. Maia Luxury Resort and Spa, Anse Louis, Seychelles: $1,692

9. Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia: $1,665

10. Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, $1,651

I knew there were nice places in Sardinia, but three of the top four most expensive places IN THE WORLD? And five of the top seven? How is that possible? Do the resorts all have those vibrating beds with the magic fingers or something? Is there hot and cold running champagne? What's up, Sardinia?

For the record, there was nothing in North America in the top 20.

FOUR SEASONS TORONTO GETS WITH THE TIMES

The new Four Seasons Toronto in Yorkville, which is accepting reservations for October, is making a major move in the right direction for techies. According to techvibes.com, they'll be adding iPads to each room. Four Seasons also, apparently, is adding free Wi-Fi that will be available company-wide in hourse cars, limos and all rooms.

That's about right. I mean, if you're paying hundreds of dollars a night for a room one doesn't expect to slather on an additional $15 or $20 for Internet, which most of us rely on day and night these days and can hardly be treated as an "extra" any longer. I've said it before, but if you're going to charge for the Internet at a hotel you may as well put a coin slot on the shower to get hot water in the morning.

TORONTO PEARSON "STREET FESTIVAL"

I don't remember hearing about this last year, but this coming Saturday, Sept. 15, is the 2nd annual Toronto Pearson/GTAA Street Festival.

It's a clever idea on the part of the folks who run our local airport (the bigger one), where folks can come out and check out airport equipment, get bus tours that take you alongside some of the massive planes they have and "meet the people who keep Toronto Pearson running smoothly." (Editorial comment from me: "the people who keep Toronto Pearson running smoothly for the most part, except the baggage handlers who take so long to get my g.d. suitcase off the plane. End of editorial comment.)

There's also a kids' zone, a food tent and live entertainment. The journeys begin at the GTAA Administration Building, 3111 Convair Dr., Mississisauga. Register now and you can enter the Ultimate Airport Tour contest.

They had 1,500 folks come out last year and pre-registration is already nearly double that amount, said spokesman Scott Armstrong.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

AIR CANADA TIMELINE

To help celebrate its 75th anniversary, Air Canada has launched a fun digital timeline to depict the history of the airline since 1937. There are fun bits about airline trends and fashion and celebrities and the birth of hot meals and more. One bit I found for 1939 talks about how they handed out chewing gum and smelling salts to passengers. There's a video link and you can see the flight attendant pouring coffee from a Thermos. Without fold-out tray tables, passengers balance their meals on a fluffy pillow (which at least, I assume, they got for free in those days). Who knew?

Also in 1939, the first (almost) cross-country flight took place, as passengers flew from Montreal to Vancouver. Of course, there were a couple stops along the way. As in: Ottawa, North Bay, Kapuskasing, Winnipeg, Regina and Lethbridge. The flight took 15 hours. At right is a photo of the passengers deplaning in Vancouver at the end of their ordeal.

It's definitely a fun site.

In conjunction with the site, Air Canada has launched a Facebook contest, with daily prizes and a Grand Prize of 750,000 Aeroplan miles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten great places to check out in Europe this summer; from the UK to Italy

It's never a bad time to go to Europe. Well, July and August can be pretty intense, which is why I tell folks that May and June - as well as September and October - are terrific times to hit the continent. The weather is (usually) good and the crowds are (generally) lighter, which means less jostling in front of the Mona Lisa and fewer elbows flying on the way up the Spanish Steps in Rome.

I could list a hundred places in Europe that I love, but here's a quick Monday morning look at ten particular favourites you might want to check out:

1. Scotland. I had a coffee last week with the Scotland Tourism folks, and they've dreamed up a lovely campaign for 2012 that's based on Scottish culture. They brought over several artists to explain the concept; a bagpiper who plays with all sorts of other musicians, including a band that plays Indian music. He's also part of something called The Treacherous Orchestra, which looks like all kinds of fun. They also had a maker of lovely jewelry from up in the Orkney Islands and a fabulous watercolour painter from southern Scotland. All that talk of the lovely hills and sounds of Scotland got me all fired up on Saturday to watch Local Hero, one of the great movies of the 1980s and a lovely, quirky bit of filmmaking. Made me want to go back so badly!

2. Portugal. I've been harping on this country for a while, because it's both beautiful and a bargain. You can often find four-star hotels for $100 a night; about what you'd pay for a chain hotel in Belleville. There are gorgeous beaches, top-class cities such as Lisbon with its famous trams, lovely mountain villages and great food and wine. Good golf, too.

3. Holland. This year marks Floriade, an incredible horticultural display that happens every 10 years. Or maybe once a decade. This time it's centred in southern Holland in Venlo, and it's said they've planted 1.8 million bulbs, plus 5,000 rose bushes (it's not just spring flowers) and 190,000 perennials. I can only imagine what that must look like. There's also a cultural program, including concerts, and it runs from April to the fall.

4. Prague. I was there only once, but fell in love with the architecture and the old streets. Oh, and the beer. Toss in the Charles River bridge and the old castle on the hill above town and you've got a lovely spot that's also a bit cheaper than many cities in Europe.

5. Sweden. It's expensive, but it's a beautiful place. Stockholm is a stunning city on the water, surrounded by small islands. The city comes alive in summer when the good weather comes. Not a fan of big cities? My son studied in Lund, in southern Sweden, last year and said it was a great university town. The New York Times featured Lund in a story last year.

6. Switzerland. The mountains and lakes are even prettier than you might imagine. But there's also a huge variety in this country. The south is Italian-speaking, near Ticino, while other parts are quite French or speak Swiss-German and feel more like Germany. And the cities are quite sophisticated and lively. Pride Day is a big thing in Zurich. I was there near Pride Day a couple years ago and the place was jumping. I also saw an older guy riding a bike ahead of me on the street wearing nothing but a red thong. So there is that....

7. Ponza, Italy. I featured this island in Star Travel last year. It's a stunner that's maybe an hour or an hour and-a-half ferry ride from the coast, not far from Rome. There are huge, chalky cliffs and lovely beaches and a small town with a beautiful harbour. You can rent a small boat if the weather's good and explore the beaches and caves, or just soak up the atmosphere at a harbour-side table at lunch or dinner (see photo).

8. Slovenia. Another perennial fave. It used to be part of Yugoslavia but has been its own country for some time now. The eastern part feels like Hungary, while the northern section has towering mountains and borders on Austria. There's a small section that dips onto the Adriatic as well, sandwiched between Italy and Croatia. And the town of Ljubljana has a bit of a Salzburg feel to it, but cozier and less touristed. Great plazas and fun shops and great food, plus the tidy, wondrous Lake Bled, with its island church and mountain and castle views. Really one of the jewels of Europe.

9. Bordeaux. Even if you don't like wine, it's a beautiful area of France. The city itself surprised me, with its gracious architecture and small cafes in narrow, teeming streets packed with atmosphere. East of the city, in the Dordogne Valley, are lovely rivers and winding, country roads and huge castles and fabulous food; fresh fruits and incredible cheeses and lots more. Definitely one of this country's top regions.

10. Wales. Another way to enjoy the UK while skipping the London Olympics. A beautiful coastline that goes on forever, with fabulous hiking and walking trails and glorious golf courses. I found several old abbeys to explore, and there are rivers for canoeing or kayaking and surprisingly good and sophisticated cuisine in both Cardiff and even at smaller, out-of-the-way Bed and Breakfast places.

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Happiest countries on earth in Scandinavia .. New luxury hotel in Saskatoon

There's a lesson in here somewhere.

A new United Nations report lists the happiest - and least happy - nations on the planet. As you might have heard, Canada came out fifth - the best mark outside of northern Europe. And signficantly ahead of the U.S., which was down there at number 11 (but still pretty good).

It's actually quite fascinating to look at this report in some ways. You might not get the Prime MInister to agree, but it seems to me that the most EXPENSIVE countries to live in and the ones with some of the highest taxes are places where citizens are the most happy.

I mean, it ain't the weather that sparked Denmark (see photo of Kronborg castle) to make the top of the list. They do have some of the world's best restaurants according to the fancy magazines I sometimes pick up. And they seem to have a lot of bicycles. They also pay something like $20 for dinner at McDonald's, I've been told. But they don't seem to mind, possibly because they get good goverment for their money.

Ditto for Norway and Finland, which came second and third. The Netherlands was fourth in the UN happiness study, followed by Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.

Interesting stuff. Here are a few other random placements I spotted: Israel 14, Luxembourg 16, United Arab Emirates 17, the UK 18 (probably worried about Olympic traffic), Iceland 20, Spain 22, France 23 (ooh, behind the Brits). Here's a weird one: the economy is booming and they have all those great beaches but Brazil was down at 25. Italy was 28th, Germany 30th, Argentina 39th and Greece 42nd.

I've read lately that Bulgaria is the cheapest country to visit in Europe. Yeah, but they're all miserable sods. The UN report put them at the top of the bottom 10 in world, surpassed in misery only by the Congo, Tanzania, Haiti, Comoros, Burundi, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, Benin and, worst in the world, Togo.

I remember when I worked at the Star on general assignment back in the mid 1980s. There was some sort of spy scandal involving Bulgarians in, I believe, Niagara Falls. Anyway, I was sent up to the Bulgarian consul general's office, located in the financial district near the old Winston's restaurant.

I entered a large but older-looking building and got to the floor with the consulate office, only to find furniture that looked like the set of the old Barney Miller tv show; all stuffy and worn. There were out-of-date magazines showing old women stomping grapes and other idyllic scenes. But the best part was the big guy (I seem to remember him being in uniform but probably not) who was there to answer my questions. He had one eye-brow and a rich, thick accent and looked at me with a very serious face and said, "So, how come you never write anything good about Bulgaria?"

I didn't know what to say. I still don't. Except I hear Sofia (see photo above) is kinda pretty. I found a picture and it looks nice. And did I mention it's cheap? Miserable people, perhaps, but cheap to visit.

MEANEST USA AIRLINES

Another fun report that came out this week is the 2012 Airline Quality Ratings, sadly only focussed on the U.S. but still interesting. According to this report, which took into account everything from on-time arrivals to bumped passengers to mishandled baggage, the bottom six airlines in the U.S. were Delta, Southwest, US Airways, American Airlines, Continental and United. The bottom regional carriers were SkyWest, Atlantic Southeast, Mesa Air and American Eagle.

Consider yourself warned.

Best airlines, according to the survey, were AirTran, Hawaiian and JetBlue, followed by Frontier and Alaska.

SASKATOON GOES LUXE

The 59-room James Hotel has opened in Saskatoon. Hotel officials claim it's their first luxury boutique hotel in the city.

"The calibre of the James, both in its design and approach to service, sets it apart from all other hotels in Saskatoon," said Paul Leier, President of Cavalier Enterprises Ltd. "This investment is a testament to the strength of the local economy and the type of traveller the city now attracts."

Officials say they took inspiration from "the refined intimacy of a classic European hotel" but also used a "modern and welcoming design aesthetic," whatever that means.

They're promising "unparalleled service" at the James, formerly an apartment building. Many rooms boast larger than expected floor plans and all suites have private,furnished balconies with city or South Saskatchewan River views. 

 

Lonely Planet rates best countries in the world for food (what, no USA?)

I'm often chiding U.S. tourism folks or websites for being too Ameri-centric. Here's an instance of things going the other way around, though.

Lonely Planet has published a list of the 11 top countries in the world for food, and the USA didn't make the list. No, in all likelihood the Lonely Planet folks were writing for Americans who want to travel to other parts of the world. Still, you'd think they might slip the US in there somewhere, given the magical array of fresh and inventive dishes on display in California, New York, Chicago and Miami alone, not to mention the barbeque of Texas or Tennessee and the remarkable Cajun/Creole cuisine of Louisiana.

I was talking with a friend at work the other day, and he surprised me by defending Americans for not spending as much time out of their own country as do Canadians or Brits or Aussies or other folks in the world.

"They've got just about everything you can imagine in the U.S., so it only makes sense to stay," he said, or words to that effect. It IS pretty remarkable that in one nation you can find everything from some of the highest mountain peaks in the world - permanent zones of ice and snow and black rock - to tropical flowers on a sweeping beach lined with palm trees to vast, painted deserts and mesmerizing cities and bayous and backwoods lakes and rolling hills and misty rainforests.

From a geographic standpoint, the U.S. pretty much covers it all. Culturally, of course, it's another story. There's nothing in the U.S. to resemble Quebec City, and there aren't many places in the U.S. where you get the feelilng you're in another country.

Anyway, notwithstanding the U.S. issue there's some solid thought behind the Lonely Planet list. There's a huge, tasty world out there and they've pretty much nailed some of the top spots in my book. These have numbers assigned but the LP folks said they weren't ranking them; just mentioning their top 11

1. Thailand. The crossroads of China, Oceania and India. Remember when we only had a few Thai joints in Toronto? Now there's one on almost every block in some neighbourhoods.

2. Greece. Oven-fresh bread, rosy tomatoes and fish fresh from the Mediterranean.

3. China. Incredible regional variety and a real balance of yin and yang; sour and sweet, salty and fresh. A no-brainer for any top food list.

4. France. No kidding. Worth it just for the cheese alone. I don't know if it's true, but I once saw a quote attributed to former leader Charles DeGaulle that went something like this: "How do you expect me to run a country that makes 763 (or something) types of cheese?"

5. Spain. Excellent food but always a little hard to define Spanish cuisine in my opinion. When you think Italy you know what comes to mind. Ditto for Greece or Thai. Spanish food is a little harder to put into a box, but it's still excellent. Full marks just for inventing the tapas bar, too.

6. Mexico. You wouldn't know it by staying at some all-inclusives, I suppose, or by trying Tex-Mex joints iN Toronto. But Mexican chefs do remarkable things with fish, chocolate and other foods. Kind of a marriage between Europe and new world, I think.

7. Italy. Also remarkably varied. Risotto and game meats in the north, couscous in western Sicily, pasta and fresh veggies and seafood just about everywhere. Hell, even folks in Arkansas who've never been outside of the state like Italian food.

8. India. Hear, hear. So rich and flavourful and exotic and varied; with huge disparities in style from one region to another. I had some dynamite Keralan cuisine my last day in Delhi a year ago.

9. Japan. Inventive and classic and such attention to detail. There's plenty to love, even if you don't like sushi or even if you don't like any kind of fish. Also, a fine Japanese meal is an exquisite, beautiful experience.

10 and 11. Malaysia and Indonesia. I don't see as many of these restaurants in Toronto as I used to. I loved Ole Malacca up on St. Clair, and there used to be a fine rijsttafel (Dutch for 'rice table') place downtown for Indonesian food. Again, a real crossroads with traces of India, China and more.

It's not quite top 10, but I will say that British food has come a long way in the past 20 years. And I'm quite partial to the fish in Hawaii, where they use a mix of world cuisine styles to make wonderfully fresh and inventive food. I haven't been, but I heard they make a mean steak in Argentina...

 

 

"I tripped into lifeboat" will go down in history, & Cheeseburger invented Pasadena?

It's a little funny. And quite tragic/sad, too.

First, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Cruise ship that ran aground in Italy said he ran over rocks that weren't on his chart. Then he finally admitted he had gone off course on purpose but thought it would be okay.

Now, which you must have heard by now, comes the clincher: "I tripped and fell into the lifeboat."

Really? Can't you just see it? There he is, sweat pouring down his cheeks as he lifts up old men in wheelchairs and hands them over the railing, gently placing them in the bow of the lifeboat, when, wham, the boat tilts and there he is, nestled into a comfy corner of a boat. I mean, he's right. What could he do? Clamber back onto his ship? No, the lifeboat was heading to the safety of shore - damn it - and he simply had to make the sacrifice.

Admirable, really. Quite admirable.

I could sit around for four days dreaming up excuses for abandoning ship and come up with at 1,473 better things to say than that. I mean, really. He'd have been better off saying, "I found this really hot chick in line for the lifeboats and I couldn't resist hopping into the sack, I mean, the raft, with her." Shoot, that's what Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister, would've said. Right?

If David Letterman didn't do his top 10 reasons last night on the captain's lame excuses, I'd be shocked. By tonight, at worst. It's just too good to pass up...

My heart goes out to the victims. Nobody deserves a clown like this in charge of a ferry boat to Toronto Island, let alone having him at the helm of a ship darting through rock-strewn waters in the Mediterranean.

THE LITTLE OLD CHEESEBURGER FROM PASADENA?

I grew up in California and went to university in L.A.. And, until yesterday, I don't remember ever hearing that the most famous food in all of the United States of America, the humble cheeseburger, was invented in Pasadena.

But there it was on Wednesday; an email in my inbox from the folks at Visit California telling me that this is Pasadena Cheeseburger Week.

The Internet is replete with stories about the invention of the hamburger. It could've been a guy in Wisconsin or maybe Ohio. Perhaps Texas, but they say they invented everything. The mystery around the cheesburger is just as thick - and tasty. The story out of Pasadena is that Sternberger was working at his family's shop, The Rite Spot, in the mid-1920's and either by accident (???) or, just for kicks (there wasn't much to do in Pasadena in those days) dropped a slice of American (ugh) cheese on a sizzling patty.

Voila!

I went on Wikipedia, of course, as today that's allowed. (In case you missed it, Wikipedia was protesting yesterday about U.S. anti-piracy laws and apparently was dark for much of the day. I posted a note on Twitter to suggest that 8.5 million high school assignments were thus unavoidably delayed, but I was probably erring on the low side). Anyway, wikipedia suggests that topping a hamburger with cheese "became popular in the mid-1920s to mid-1930s."

They cite Sternberger ("Sternberger-cheeseburger" - sounds like a Letterman Academy Awards monologue) as one of several folks with claims to inventing the American national dish. "Other restaurants say they invented the cheeseburger. For example, Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, says they made up the first one in 1934. A year later, apparently, a trademark for the word "cheeseburger" was awarded to one Louis Ballast (fitting name for a guy eating cheeseburgers) of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado.

It's all a lot of hooey, if you ask me. Surely, some person SOMEWHERE in the world, perhaps at a cafe or maybe in the privacy of their own home, took a slice of American cheese or brie or havarti and dropped into some meat and stuck it between two slices of bread. Then again, one can never know these things. And the history of business is replete with folks who've gotten onto a good thing faster than the next guy. It's the American way.

Two towns in California for years were fighting it out over which one could be called "Surf City, USA." Santa Cruz, an hour or so south of San Francisco on the north shore of Monterey Bay and a personal favourite of mine, was called "Surf City" for years.

Then, the folks from Huntington Beach, also a great town but down in southern California, took out a patent, as I recall, for the words "Surf City USA."

(The resentment continues up in Santa Cruz, but northern California has had it in for folks down L.A. way for years, mostly owing to their continuing use of northern Cal's precious water supplies.)

As for cheeseburgers, I guess SOMEONE has to claim the invention of something this famous. May as well be Pasadena, although you'd think that having the Rose Bowl and that great weather and classic shops and outdoor cafes in January and towering palm trees and views of the mighty San Gabriel Mountains would be enough for one city.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF DAY FOR NEW YORK CITY

Here's an intriguing deal from www.jaunt.ca - a shopaholic bus tour in the Big Apple. For $389, including taxes, you get:

• A February long weekend in New York City with travel to New York via Deluxe Motorcoach departing from Vaughan, Ontario Friday February 17, 2012 returning Monday February 20, 2012
• Note: Other pick-ups available at Scarborough Town Centre (7pm), Square One (8:45pm), Stoney Creek (9:45pm)
• 2 night’s accommodation at the Holiday Inn Newark Airport
• Includes 2 Breakfasts and 1 Dinner
• Professionally guided tour of New York City – stopping at many of the popular city sights and attractions!
• Includes complimentary parking at Sarracini Travel, located at Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre
• $25 Future Travel Voucher for Omega Tours from Target Vacations
• Prices include all taxes.

Some conditions apply, but it's worth checking out if you're a Big Apple fan on a budget.

 

 

 

Cruise disaster fallout ... "Passengers, the plane is going to crash. No, wait."

It's only a matter of degree, but the fallout is coming.

The Costa Cruise ship tragedy off the coast of Italy last Friday will almost certainly take a major toll on the cruise industry, just as an airline strike hurts or a major air accident affects passenger volume.

Of course, the worst thing about the accident obviously is the loss of life. That goes without saying. But many lives could be affected in small, unforeseen ways as this tragedy continues to unfold.

In a story in USA Today, cruise expert Gene Sloan says travel agents and industry watchers expect at least a short-term slump.

"With the tragedy still fresh, it is difficult to know what the impact on future bookings may be," said UBS analyst Robin Farley. "There are not many examples of incidents comparable to this."

Thankfully, that's true.

Sloan makes a number of good points in his story. In one section, he quotes the editor of Cruise Week, Mike Driscoll, as saying that first-hand accounts of crew members acting "poorly or even irresponsibly during the event (is) not the sort of image that builds confidence among consumers."

Nor is the notion of a captain so willing to flaunt the orders that every school kid in the world understands - the idea of the guy in charge sticking with his ship.

Tim Conder, an analyst at Wells Fargo, points out that the accident comes at an important time for cruise ship bookings.

Any downtown in bookings could result in some serious damage to companies' bottom lines. Not to be macabre about it, but it likely will mean deals for anyone willing to put the Costa accident out of their minds. Obviously, every captain and every ship crew around the world will be on super high alert in the coming weeks, making a cruise probably safer today than last week - by a long shot.

Sloan points out that Carnival, which owns the Costa Cruise line, reacted well when the Carnival Splendor had a fire on board in 2010, leaving the ship adrift.

Driscoll told USA Today that in the case of the Splendor, passengers getting off the ship were thanking Carnival for the way they handled the incident. I saw a report this morning, however, that said the head of Carnival hasn't set foot in Italy since the Costa accident, which makes it sound like the George W. Bush approach that worked so well after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Yeah, just pretend it's not your issue and it'll all just go away. Good call, guys.

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE ... NO, WAIT....

Unbelievable. Last Friday, the same day as the Costa Cruise accident, it seems a British Airways flight was over the Atlantic Ocean about 3 a.m. Suddenly, an announcement came blaring over the public address system, warning passengers the flight was about to crash into the sea.

Of course, panic ensued.

"I thought we were going to die," one passenger told The Telegraph in England. "My wife was crying and passengers were screaming."

Just as suddenly as the first announcement, however, came another one.

"Pay no attention to that previous announcement - everything's great."

Wow.

The flight, British Airways 206, was en route from Miami to London Heathrow. A BA spokesperson apologized (no kidding) for the mistake.

"The cabin crew cancelled the announcement immediately and sought to reassure customers that the flight was operating normally. We apologize to customers for causing them undue concern."

Apology? That's it? I can't believe they didn't give everyone a free ticket for whatever British Airways flight they wanted. Or, better yet, KLM or Air France or someplace where they don't emply dolts who push the wrong button.

And raise your hand if you knew there was a bright red "Tell people we're all going to die" button on an airplane? I sure as hell didn't. But it makes sense, I guess. I saw one report today quoting a BA official as saying they use a pre-recorded message as cabin crew need to do other things in a real emergency.

Still, it seems this happened on ANOTHER British Airways flight in August of 2010, this one a trip from London to Hong Kong. Maybe it's time for a little on-the-job training, folks.

 

 

Italian Costa Cruise disaster: a terribly sad reminder of human frailty

We hardly think about it any more, do we? We hop inside metal cans that hurtle us at 37,000 feet over vast stretches of polar ice caps and thousands of miles of empty ocean. We travel to Europe or Asia and strap ourselves into trains that fire us along at dizzying rates of speed. And we joyfully climb aboard massive cruise ships that hold as many people as a small city and are bigger than skyscrapers.

And we hardly give thought to the human factor until something goes terribly wrong. Pilots get confused during storms over the Atlantic Ocean, sending passengers to their death as they wing their way between South America and Europe. High-speed trains are, evidently, poorly designed and crash in China. And, now a cruise ship captain slams his vessel into rocks that have been in the same position off the Italian island of Giglio for thousands of years and almost certainly are marked and noted in nautical charts.

It's pretty scary. I mean, here we are supping on steak and red wine at dinner, or watching a magic show, as was the case for many on the Costa ship, and suddenly the captain makes a mistake. Seconds later, it's utter chaos. People are dying and the ship lies nearly belly up on the rocks off the coast of what looks like a lovely, placid island of Giglio.

Costa Cruises issued a statement Sunday saying their looking into the actions of captain Francesco Schettino. Officials said he “appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures.” It also seems he abandoned ship well before many passengers, a hugely serious charge in the industry.

A report in The Guardian and quotes from the maritime professionals' union paint a rather disturbing picture of the cruise industry.

"The alarm bells have been ringing with many of us for well over a decade now," said Andrew Linington, director of communications for Nautilus International, the maritime union. "We believe a lot of basic safety principles are being compromised to maximize revenue."

Linington, and this is pretty disturbing, said safety training for cruise workers "is a fraction of what it is on airlines." Wow.

We often hear comments like this after a disaster. I don't recall seeing any press releases or comments from cruise line workers telling me about these dangers prior to this weekend. Suddenly, however, the media is calling this guy and he's offering up his opinions and they're getting publicity, which is fair enough. Chances are there are all kinds of improvements that would make cruising - and travel in general - much safer. And, chances are, cruise lines worried about their bottom line aren't always jumping at the chance to implement new procedures.

Incidents on cruise ships are admittedly pretty rare. But this latest tragedy certainly is food for thought, and another reminder that a lot of what happens to us depends on human beings just like ourselves; people we trust with our lives on a daily basis.

Scary stuff. And more to come in the next few days, I'm sure.

 

 

Get married naked on TV for Jamaica trip...Book Venice cruises while you can

You gotta love the folks at Hedonism II in Jamaica.

For those of you who might be unawares, Hedonism II is the adults only resort in Negril, Jamaica(see photo) where almost anything goes. They got some good p.r. last year when they held the world's largest nude wedding, an event that I wasn't invited to.

Now comes one better, or worse, depending on your perspective. The resort is inviting uninhibited Canadians and Americans to get married naked on Valentine's Day - but this time in front of TV cameras that will broadcast the event. To where, we're not quite sure. But somewhere on what's called "a major documentary network."

Word is folks private bits will be blurred out, but it's still a pretty funky idea and certainly there won't be any blurring in person for those who attend. Volunteers apparently will get the free wedding (where do you pin the corsage?) and four free nights at the property, which is located on a fine stretch of beach.

I bet they'll get quite a few entries, only a few of which will be from folks most of us would WANT to see in the buff. But there you go.

If nothing else, you gotta admire Hedonism's PR department. I note they even have their own YouTube channel. I think these guys might be to Caribbean resorts what Ryanair is to air travel - a goofy but wise company that knows how to wrest the public's attention from more important things, such as Charlie Sheen.

Contestants much apply by Jan. 6.

CRUISE TROUBLE IN VENICE?

Interesting news out of Venice, where civic officials are worrying about the impact of cruise ships on the delicate city and where some are even pondering a ban.

The Daily Telegraph in England says that Giorgio Orsoni, the mayor of Venice, is to meet the head of the city's port authority, Paolo Costa, on Wednesday to discuss the problem.

"The problem of these juggernauts of the sea needs to be confronted," Orsoni told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

He said cruise ships could be transferred to Porto Marghera, on the mainland, in order to minimise their environmental and aesthetic impact on Venice.

The proposal has the backing of Corrado Clini, Italy's new environment minister, who is a member of the recently-installed technocrat government led by Prime Minister Mario Monti, the Telegraph reported.

It's probable that cruise ships still would visit Venice, of course. Just that tourists likely would be deposited on the mainland, which means more cumbersome transfers and, likely, more time needed to see the city. Or perhaps more abbreviated stops in town, which merchants surely wouldn't like.

 

Canadian cities outrank USA, but Ottawa over T.O.? And take a holiday already!

As a Canadian, I'm happy. As a Torontonian, I'm outraged.

I got a copy of the latest Mercer Quality of Living Survey, a fascinating document that quantifies city living around the globe based on everything from economic environment to schools to recreation and climate. I'm pleased to say Canada had three cities in the top 15 in the world and five in the top 33 and that, overall, it looks as if the only country to come out smelling sweeter was Germany. Also worth noting is that while the U.S. had eight cities in the top 50, their top rated city was way down at #29, that being Honolulu.

Of course, we can't compete with the U.S. in that top 50 issue as we don't even have eight cities in Canada. Sorry, feeble joke, folks. I think we actually have 11 if you include Brampton and Barrie, but nobody would do that.

It's great that Canada scored three in the top 15. I don't mind Vancouver being fifth, even. I mean, EVERY RANKING IN HISTORY has put Vancouver ahead of the rest of Canada, notwithstanding the 11 straight months of rain they get out there and the lousy coffee and those nasty, healthy-looking people on 4th Avenue in Kitsilano who made so much money in the housing market that they're retired at 32 and have nothing better to do than walk up and down the street, power-shopping with their perfect Labrador retrievers and sipping $25 cafe lattes while dressed head-to-toe in Lulu Lemon clothes as they prepare for a morning jog up Grouse Mountain. I mean, why would that bother someone from Toronto?

No, what's got my designer Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street $85 boxers in a twist is that Toronto - OMG!!! - finished behind, wait for it .... Ottawa. I was sure it was a mistake. But, no, I just finished my first Tim Hortons homemade coffee of the day and it's right there in tiny print on my home computer - Ottawa 14, Toronto 15.

Come on, people. Ottawa??? OTTAWA????

Clean streets? Sure. Easy to get around? Yes. Theatres and cinemas? I guess. But one of the factors here is climate, folks. Climate! Not to mention crime. We know Ottawa is a hot-bed of crime. I mean, why else would Stephen Harper keep building jails surrounded by moats and razor wire and trenches filled with machine guns?

The poll suggests limitations on personal freedom is important. Can you think of any city in Canada where the most high-profile people in town, those being our Members of Parliament, have less personal freedom?

Okay, okay. It's great to see Ottawa be able to lord it over Toronto. We can get pretty stuck up down here in the banana belt, and it's good for T.O.'s massive ego to get taken down a peg. And there's no harm in finishing 15th, is there? And while we can moan about finishing behind our country cousins in Ottawa, how about us finishing so far ahead of both Montreal (22) and, um, Calgary (33). Heh, heh.

Here are a few more highlights:

- Honolulu (see photo) was, deservedly, top dog in the U.S. at #29. Next was San Francisco at 30, then Boston (36), Chicago (43), Washington D.C. (43), New York (47) and Pittsburgh (49). A surprise to me to see Seattle out of the top 50. Ditto San Diego.

- The top 10 consisted of Vienna, Zurich, Auckland, Munich, Dusseldorf, Vancouver (tied with Dusseldorf, actually, for fifth), Frankfurt, Geneva and then Bern, Switzerland tied with Copenhagen for ninth. That's three German cities in the top seven. The Germans, of course, own all of Europe, including the Greek islands, so I guess that makes some sense.

- Sydney, Australia was surprisingly down at number 11, while Melbourne was 18th. I suspect the Aussies won't be happy that Auckland, New Zealand (a very nice town, by the way, with a great climate and superb natural facilities) was way up at number three, while Wellington, N.Z. was 13th; five spots ahead of Melbourne - a city that didnt' quite grab me when I was there in 2000.

- European cities represent more than one-half of the top 25.

- London was the top UK city at 38, followed by Birmingham at 52.

- The worst cities? Of course you want to know. Those would be Khartoum, Sudan (217), Port-au-Prince, Haiti (218), N'Djamena, Chad (219), Bangui, Central African Republic (220, see photo at left) and, drum roll please, Baghdad, Iraq at the bottom with a ranking of 221. Too bad, really, I was planning on making Bangui and Baghdad two of my personal choices for top travel spots of 2012. I've heard the Courtyard Marriott in Bangui has really good in-room movies.

- On the matter of personal safety, all the Canadian cities mentioned above tied for 17th in the world rankings. The safest city on earth, in case you're interested, is Luxembourg. Tied for second were Bern, Helsinki and Zurich, another underrated city in my humble opinion.

It all makes for good conversation around the company free Champagne dispenser, if nothing else. What, you don't have a free Champagne dispenser at your office? Pity you don't work for the Star. We ran out of Dom Perignon the other day but we've still got some Spanish cava on hand, I think.

TAKE YOUR VACATION ALREADY ... AND DON'T TAKE YOUR BLACKBERRY TO THE BEACH

Thanks to the folks at Expedia.ca for passing along another survey. This one shows that 62 per cent of Canadians say they regular or at least sometimes check in with the office by email or voicemail when they're on holidays. That's not actually that high, really.

In fact, Canadians ranked 14 out of 20 nations surveyed in the "I frequently check-in" with the boss category. Most likely to call the office? Folks in India (89 per cent), followed by (surprise) Italy (88 per cent) and France and Japan (87). I don't know about the French and Japanese but I suspect the Italians merely wanted to know whether former Prime Minister Berlusconi had  attended any sex parties the night before and, if so, where they could find pictures on the web.

There was a bit of a surprise within the Canadian numbers, I think. The survey found that 68 per cent of folks in B.C. regularly check-in with the office, the highest number of any province. In Quebec, it was 58 per cent.

So, we still check in with the office more than we really should if we're going to enjoy our holidays. On the other hand, the survey found that Canadians intend to take 15 of their 16 average allotted vacation days this year. Last year, the survey found that Canadians were going to leave a full FIVE vacation days unused.

Asked why they wouldn't use all their holiday time, 26 per cent of Canadians said they couldn't afford it, and 15 per cent said they didn't have enough time to plan something. Others said they didn't want to take vacation as the boss would think poorly of them, which is pretty sad. In Ontario, nine per cent of folks said that was the case, compared to six per cent across Canada.

"Canadian workers should never let time or money get in the way of a much-needed vacation," said Sean Shannon of Expedia.ca. "Would-be travellers should plan their vacation as far in advance as possible as the best rates are most often found 60 days out from the departure date; not to mention it gives employers enough advance notice to plan ahead."

A few other interesting bits:

- In Alberta, folks average 20 days of vacation a year. But they only take 15; making Alberta the region with the HIGHEST number of unused holidays.

- The beach RULES. A relaxing beach vacation is the number one choice of Canadians in every province.

- Asked about holidaying at a theme park, some seven per cent of Canadians as a whole cited that as the top vacation idea. In Atlantic Canada, it was 12 per cent. Coming soon - Disney Moncton?

- Across Canada, 26 per cent of folks said they couldn't afford a holiday. In B.C. it was 34 per cent. Must be all those cafe lattes...

Expedia posted some tips for stressed out Canadians:

- Think about your vacation as a well-earned part of your career, not a luxury.

- Plan in advance

- Set limits on your "check-in" time with the office.

- Look for winter promotions. Oddly enough, they recommend using expedia.ca to book a holiday.