Family & Kids Travel

Toronto: City of Superlatives!

It’s hard to believe that Toronto once had a reputation for being boring. Peter Ustinov once described it as: “New York run by the Swiss.”

Now it’s a thriving city of superlatives. Toronto is home to the world’s tallest freestanding structure – the CN Tower. That stands next to the SkyDome, the first stadium with a fully retractable roof. And don’t try walking the length of Yonge Street, at around 1200 miles it’s the world’s longest street.

There is no shortage of culture either. Only London and New York have more English-speaking theaters. It also has Canada’s largest museum, the Royal Ontario, and the country’s biggest university. That’s not to mention over 7000 restaurants. Read the rest of this entry »

The city of neighborhoods

While some might argue that Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods reflect a victory of segregation over integration, there is no doubt that this world tour is one of the great attractions of the city. Not only that, but every neighborhood has a festival. Any weekend in the summer there will be at least one taking place.

Chicago is a great walking city, but you will need a car and a few days if you are going to undertake this trip round the neighborhoods. Enjoy the food and take home a souvenir of any one of a hundred nationalities.

Starting with the city’s northern border along California and Devon you will find the synagogues, kosher butchers and bakeries of the old Jewish population. A recent influx of Asians in this area can be seen in the growing number of Indian restaurants and foreign-language video stores. Read the rest of this entry »

With over 100 nationalities represented in the city, the food reflects that ethnic diversity and is every bit as good as New York or LA. But people used to eating in those cities will get a pleasant surprise when the check arrives. Of course you can’t leave Chicago without sampling those local delicacies, hotdogs and deep-dish pizza.

Superdawg Drive-In (6363 N Milwaukee Ave. Phone: (773) 763-0660) The hotdog is a Chicago delicacy and there are plenty of places vying to be the best, but none of them can match the over-the-top kitsch décor of Superdawg. The almost human franks Flaurie and Maurie wave from the roof inviting you to sample the all-beef goodies inside. The hotdogs and crinkle-cut fries are just about perfect. Read the rest of this entry »

In June the eyes of the world’s sports fans will be focused on the Olympia Fields Country Club for the 105th United States Open. For those golf enthusiasts lucky to be there it will also be an opportunity to rediscover one of America’s great cities – Chicago.

Olympia Fields, hosting its first U.S. Open since 1928, is an American institution. The spectacular 1920s clubhouse with its giant clock tower is an instantly recognizable cathedral of golf. Much of the course is of the same vintage. The sloping greens are particularly challenging. And if that’s not enough, the organizers have made the bunkers even deeper.

The Open is far from being the only reason to visit the USA’s third-largest city. For a start it contains some of America’s greatest architectural achievements. It was here in 1885 that the first skyscraper was built and it still has three of the world’s ten tallest buildings – the Sears Tower, the Hancock Center and the Amoco building. Read the rest of this entry »