Heavy Drinking on Vacation is (Surprise) Bad

by Erik Olsen on

Having recently returned from a superb bachelor party
weekend in the Channel Islands, I was slightly dismayed to
read this article in the Guardian about
the health effects of heavy drinking on vacation…or, well, heavy drinking in general. Seems quaffing the local vino in
prodigious amounts can increase your chance of having a stroke, or so says a new study carried out in Copenhagen.

Here’s a question, though. What do they mean by heavy drinking? Heavy drinking, they say, means consuming more than 35
alcoholic drinks a week. So that’s, um, five drinks a day, or if you’re on the
Dylan Thomas drinking diet, 35 drinks in one feel swoop and
then a free trip to the hospital. But wait, there’s good news (sort of). You see, the study was conducted on 16,415
individuals with an average age of 50…so the way I see it, there’s still a lot of years of healthy heavy drinking
ahead. Whew.

Dude Ranches, Dude

by Erik Olsen on

It’s hard for me to picture a dude ranch these days without having
Jack Palance spring to mind. His grizzled mug and menacing squint
have hung with me ever since I first saw City Slickers oh so many
years ago. Not that this has had a dissuading influence on whether I might some day visit a dude ranch – in fact, I
think I’d LIKE to – but when I think dude ranch, there’s Jack.

Travel and Leisure Magazine
run a piece about dude
ranches in Texas, where you can satisfy your every cow-punching whim (wait, hold that, they don’t let you punch
cows). Most of the dude ranches here offer the same fare: you get to hang with Texas longhorns, ride horses, square
dance to your heart’s delight, take part in cattle drives, watch rodeos, eat chuck wagon breakfasts, take riding and
roping lessons, have barbecues and picnics, bugger farm animals, go fishing, and participate in wild game hunts. (OK…I
added one of those…roping lessons…pshaw!)

The dude ranch thing can be pricey, but that can also mean that you’re going in style, with every care and concern
taken care of. If you go the expensive route, don’t expect Lonesome Dove. It’s more like Little Condo on the
Prairie.

Toronto in the NYT

by Kelly Amabile on

Reading the short

NYT piece on Toronto from this Sunday’s paper reminds me that it has been a full year since I first visited the
city.

I absolutely loved exploring the diverse neighborhoods of Toronto. One afternoon I had a strong hankering for
Italian food, so I headed out on foot towards Little Italy, located northwest of the downtown Financial District. When
I reached the edge of the University of Toronto campus, I walked west on College Ave. until I located Supermodel Pizza,
listed in the LP city
guide. I was tempted to try the crust that is “as thin as a supermodel”, but I decided instead to sit and dine
outside at Giovanna Trattoria, which I has passed
a block back. The waiter from Winnipeg (seriously) was quite friendly and suggested a shorter alternate route for my
return walk. After dinner, I headed back to the city through Chinatown and
Kensington Market.

Later that week I found time to hit Queen Street West for some serious shopping. A Canadian friend took me to
fantastic boutique shops, including Rumah,
Annie Thompson and
Response, where I snagged a great pair of Italian shoes at a bargain
price. Another highlight was attending a baseball game at the
SkyDome, in the shadow
of the CN Tower. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to any of Toronto’s
wonderful museums, mainly because I was in town for a conference and wanted to be outside as much as possible in
between sessions at the massive

Sheraton Centre, a mini-city itself! I’d go back to Toronto in a heartbeat, and probably should fairly soon, as the
NYT piece alerts us that 2006 will bring a record number of visitors to the city.

Columbia’s Centennial Museum

by Adrienne Wilson on

While I’m playing virtual tour guide I figured I’d give the Columbia’s
Centennial Museum a
mention of it’s own. Opened to help celebrate the Columbia Restaurant’s 100 years in
Ybor City the exhibit highlights the heritage of the Hernandez and Gonzmart families. It’s a small museum once you step
out of the gift shop packed with take-home sangria mixes, beautiful tiles like the ones found decorating the
restaurant itself, and other trinkets. Artifacts collected by both families over time fill the glass cases and
captions help paint a greater picture of the area that was once cigar capital of the world.

Located not too far from the restaurant on the corner of 21st Street and 7th Ave it’s a good way to steal
some A.C. after a filling meal.

Tampa Bay’s Latin Quarter & Centro Ybor

by Adrienne Wilson on

No trip to Tampa, Florida is ever complete without one tour down the historic streets of Ybor City. So while my gal friends from Jersey were in town it was only natural that a good day and a half would be spent strolling the streets, shops, restaurants, and a night of all out debauchery at a dance club or two. They had the time of their life and though Ybor may not be for everyone depending on which time of day you choose to go, it’s always worth a glance. Being a tour guide wore the life out of me these last couple of days which is why I will provide you all with a couple pointers on your next trip to Tampa. It saves me a hell of a lot of gas and the wear and tear of playing tourist along with you.

Many will want to start with Centro Ybor. Being the center of the 7th Ave strip, it sets the mood. I recommend a visit in the day time first so the quiet streets can charm you a little. You’ll find several small shops where cigar aficionados can build their own smokes or buy some premium goods to take back as a souvenir. Other small shops include Ybor Ybor, a good places for cheap gifts, Marble Slab Creamery, which helps tremendously on the hottest of days, and La France, a must for the ladies and men that love antique and vintage clothing. Take in a movie at the beautiful Muvico theater, visit the International Bazaar, or stop in to take a personality test with the Scientologists.

Restaurants such as Fresh Mouth, Dish, Adobe Gila’s, and Big City Tavern can be found easily and all provide delicious menus. However, it is the Columbia Restaurant a little ways down the strip that is a must visit. The food, service and atmosphere all make it the top place to dine as well as the live flamenco shows in the evening. I’ve blogged about the restaurant before in its own entry and suggested the Palomilla steak, but I’d also like to add the “Cayo Hueso” Mahi-Mahi which I recently clamped my jaws on.

As the sun sets and evening turns into night young and old come out for drinks, music and more. Ybor can seem a bit rough around the edges at night as many young ladies come quite under dressed with tiny pieces of clothing on ready to dance and the fellahs become frisky. If you go at night I suggest clubs such as Prana, Code, and Green Iguana for a nice mixture of people and music. The Castle is also great place for industrial and 80’s sounds. When all is said and almost done stop into the Bistro and have a yummy crepe for the road. (They have an endless menu of crepes.)

No matter which way or time of day you decide to head to the Latin Quarter there’s no denying a promising and perhaps rewarding visit. Everything you almost need to know can be found here.