I read on Boston Real Estate Broker’s blog that Travel and Leisure’s annual ranking of favorite cities named Boston America’s Farvorite Destination. According to the website there was a “mighty surge of ballots” that pushed Boston over the edge. Regardless – I think it is pretty cool and it once again illustrates how Boston is closer to the top of these kind of surveys than the bottom; validating my high opinion of Boston as a great place to live.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston, Boston Guy, Travel
I’ve booked a quick trip to Puerto Rico – my first visit to the island – in late January / early February to escape from the cold that will undoubtably be gripping Boston. I’m looking forward to the quick trip, but now have to find a place to stay. The nonstop airfare on JetBlue was too good to let pass so I booked the tickets this weekend. Now I’ve posted a question on TripAdvisor.com to identify potential places to stay. If anyone happens to have a suggestion, please feel free to share your opinion in the comment section.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Travel
Work turned unexpectedly busy and then there has been my obsession with the Summer Olympics in Beijing which has resulted in very little time to spend on my blog, but I do want to post photos from our weekend in Provincetown which was both beautiful and plenty of fun. Here are some pictures from last weekend which I post more for my sake, because they make me smile and think of all the food and laughter that accompanied the quick trip to Provincetown.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Provincetown, Travel
Today I am off to Provincetown for the balance of the week. Although the weather looks to be drizzly and cool, I’m still looking forward to going. I have not really spent much time on the Cape over the past few years, but that does not diminish my admiration for Provincetown, which is truly unlike any other place I’ve ever visited.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Provincetown, Travel
Last weekend we packed our bags and drove down to Newport, RI. Despite an ominous start with overcast skies and cooler than ordinary temperatures on Friday, the rest of the weekend was beautiful with temperatures in the 90s and plenty of sun. The pictures above are just a sampling of some of the beautiful mansions which dot the Newport coastline and much of the town.
I really like this seaside New England town which becomes a hub of activity from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Thousands flock to the town in the summer clogging the streets and filling the pubs and restaurants. It is one of those quintessential New England towns that is both fun and friendly despite the dour / boring image most people have of New Englanders.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Travel
Friday afternoon I am heading to Newport, RI and the forecast looks promising with lots of sun and warmth. I first visited Newport in May of 1991 when several of my friends were graduating from college. Sixteen of us crammed into two hotel rooms, and we spent a couple of nights carousing and making fools of ourselves, enjoying the last few weeks we would all be together before they graduated. A few years later, my uncle hosted his wedding reception in downtown Newport. I still have fond memories of the wedding, reception and the brunch on the following morning. More recently, I visited Newport with my family in 2006 for a weekend in May. Despite these visits and a handful of day trips to Newport, I still have never done the Cliff Walk so I am going to make a concerted effort to do this on Saturday. We’ll see if it actually happens, because I’m a terribly lazy traveller.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Travel
I spent a very relaxing weekend with my family in Maine and arrived back home earlier today. It was very nice to have the down time together and although it was not warm, being so close to the ocean definitely made me think a lot about the upcoming summer.
Boston.com has been tempting all of us who suffer from getmethehelloutofhere syndrome with beautiful pictures from Brasil. For those not familiar with getmethehelloutofhere syndrome, it can be best described as a mental health disorder that begins to manifest itself shortly after the holiday season and grows into a full-blown epidemic in New England by early March. Those who suffer from the syndrome will tell you it is part depression, part cabin fever, mixed with an intolerable level of frustration from being cold 24/7. Personally, I blame this epidemic for single handedly causing so many surly faces and making the rest of the country think Bostonians aren’t friendly; we are really misunderstood because the medical community refuses to diagnose this horrible condition.
Anyway, kudos to Boston.com for doing their part to try and help Bostonians think of something other than depressingly low temperatures.
Rio de Janeiro is truly a blessed city with dramatic landscape and actual jungles that creep through a city that rivals New York City in size (actually it is larger than NYC). One of Rio’s most famous attractions Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) also is featured with a series of pictures that showcase the view of many of Rio’s beautiful beaches. The image at the top of this entry is of Sergio and me atop Sugar Loaf when we last visited the city in November of 2006. Iguazu Falls on the Brasil / Argentina border has to be one of the largest waterfalls in the world and is an excellent place to visit for a weekend. Niagara Falls is 1/5th the size of Iguazu which boasts a 500′ wide mouth and 2,300′ drop to create the largest waterfall I’ve ever seen. When Eleanor Roosevelt visited the site it is noted that she exclaimed, “Poor Niagara!” I would have to agree.
Posted in GetMeTheHellOutOfHere Syndrome
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, The Boston Globe, Travel
I visited Fort Lauderdale, FL for the New Year holiday so I could start 2008 with a smile rather than chattering teeth. This was my first vacation to southern FL in nearly 10 years and my first time visiting Fort Lauderdale. First impressions were mixed because of the dated strip malls and tired looking buildings making the drive along Rte 1 seem cliche. However, the warm weather, accessible beaches and friendly residents more than made up for this.
The coolest part of town is Las Olas Blvd and the surrounding canals. Driving along Las Olas you can get up close views of the many Fort Lauderdale mini-mansions that line the canals. Wilton Manors – which is home to many of the gay bars in town I thought very forgettable. It is dotted with strip malls and wide boulevards and one street looked identical to the other. The bars (of which there are many) were very friendly and filled with guys, but all the smoking was a major detractor and something I had not realized would bother me so much.
Fort Lauderdale, FL lived up to its reputation as a gay-favorite holiday destination. The gay beach between the St. Regis Hotel and Casablanca Restaurant was as busy as P-town in late July. For that reason alone, I would prefer lodgings on the beach to provide convenient options between the pool and ocean. Staying further from the ocean would likely mean needing to drive to the beach and I liked having the option to walk back and forth.
Dining:
While staying in Fort Lauderdale, we had several very forgetable meals but there were three restaurants in particular that I really enjoyed and would suggest anyone visiting check out. Note that none of the restaurants (either the hits or misses) were particularly affordable. I’m sure there are plenty of cheap eats (the South’s reputation for affordability is legendary), but I found everything comprable to Boston prices ($20-$30+ entrees).
Four Rivers – Despite its strange location in a strip mall on N. Federal Hwy (Rte. 1), the restaurant offers delicious Thai cuisine, excellent service in a beautiful setting. If I only had one meal in Fort Lauderdale, I would make a bee-line here.
Kitchnetta – I arrived 15 minutes before the restaurant closed (note I arrived at 8:45pm so this place closes early), but fortunately I was able to grab a delicious Italian meal. The service was lacking, sizes were huge (even the single portions) and the restaurant very loud, but the food made it worth the visit.
Tommy’s – This was the last meal that I had before leaving Fort Lauderdale. I was unable to check out the dinner menu as it was lunch when I ate here but the decor and vibe of the place definitely added to the delicious lunch and made me want to add this to my list of places to try when I return.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Dining, Travel
A year ago, I was piling into an Amtrak train with a handful of friends, preparing to ring in 2007 in New York City.
A year later, I am packing to leave for Fort Lauderdale, FL, and while away it is highly unlikely that I will add anything to my blog so I wanted to extend my wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2008 to all who read this.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Travel
Earlier this fall I set up an account on TripAdvisor, and recently I added some reviews about my trip to Brazil so I thought I would note the activity here on my blog. I have not written reviews for most of the cities tagged on my TripAdvisor account, but I do plan on revisiting many of these destinations and in the future I hope to take better notes about my trips so I can add more entries. It seems like a great way to document and hopefully remember all the great things I experienced.
You can check out my account by linking here.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Travel
According to a recent survey conducted by Orbitz, Boston jumped two places in their annual ranking when they were named the 8th busiest travel destination in 2007. In 2006, Boston was ranked the 10th most popular place to visit. Orbitz bases rankings on bookings from the website. This leads me to conclude either more people are travelling to Boston or those who liked travelling to Boston in 2007 preferred to use Orbitz. Regardless, I think it gives Boston bragging rights – our little city or big town (depending on your perspective) ranks as the nation’s 24th largest by population so to crack into the Orbitz top ten is impressive.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston, Boston Guy, Travel
After leaving Salvador we flew to the beautiful island of Morro de Sao Paulo where we stayed at Pousada Villa dos Corais which is nestled between beaches three and four.
About Morro de Sao Paulo
For those unfamiliar with the island, the beaches are numbered and while most of the activity on the island is centered around beaches one and two, you can easily walk to these locations (10-minutes by beach) from Pousada Villa dos Corais. The island does not allow cars and most of the foot traffic can be found on the beach as people explore the pristine island. Our pousada and many of those out on beach four provide transportation into the town, but we opted to walk along the beaches each evening. The island is extremely safe and clean so walking even late at night was common. I would highly recommend anyone considering a trip to Morro de Sao Paulo to stay at Pousada Villa dos Corais (pre-season rates were $150 / night and includes breakfast). The grounds are meticulously maintained, accomodations are spacious and secluded, service is impeccable and the food delicious. For those who like to treat their stomach when they travel, we found that most of the restaurants on the island were somewhat lacking, but our Pousada did not disapoint. Next door to the hotel is a delicious restaurant (only open for lunch) that has beautiful views of beach four called Pimenta Rosa and next door (about 100yards away) is a large two story bar that looks like a Brazilian version of a log cabin. I’ve included both in the picture gallery above for visitors to see. The bar is open until about 11pm each night and is a great place to go grab a drink. We actually split our time fairly evenly between the beach and the inifinity pool with the swim-up bar at Villa dos Corais.
Transportation
Cars are not allowed on the island which is probably a good thing because the roads (what few there are) are in horrible condition. However, it is very easy to get to the island and it is equally easy getting around once you arrive. Most people who arrive opt to take the boat which leaves from Barra in Salvador. The boat ride is relatively cheap (approximately $25 each way) but takes 2.5 hours. We opted to fly which is more money (approximately $100 each way) but it takes only 15 minutes. Flying is not for the faint of heart. Although one can hire a pilot to fly them to the island (there are two tiny landing strips) most who fly use the services of Addey Taxi Aereo or AeroStar (we used AeroStar). Personally, I loved the flight and had a good time but on both legs the weather was beautiful – I’m not sure I would feel the same if we were flying in bad weather.
BosGuy 