London received close to 19 million international visitors in 2015, once again topping the Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index, an in-depth ranking of the most traveled cities across the globe. It seems that there’s no better introduction to the history, culture, and distinct charm of Europe than to take a trip to London. After all, who can resist the chance to view the morning Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, take a ride on the London Eye, cruise down the Thames under the famous Tower Bridge, stroll one of London’s glorious parks, visit the Tower of London’s jewels, and check out the theater scene in the West End, which easily rivals Broadway as one of the finest in the world?
Actually, a good chunk of travelers visiting London forego quite a few of these enticements, focusing first on their business trip. The city is thriving thanks to tourism and two other pillars of their economy, technology and the life sciences. A recent study by the programmer community website, Stack Overflow, found that London is home to more tech talent than any other major city in the world. Estimated at 70,000 professional developers, the city is projecting the tech workforce to grow by 22% over the next decade.
To read more of my recent cover story on London in Global Traveler magazine, including an interview with 4th-genration hotelier, Jeremy Goring,
please click here. All my stories for Global Traveler, including write-ups of Nairobi, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Krakow, and Costa Rica,
can be found here.
Monday morning, Lisa and I had the privilege of walking the Cliff Walk under sunny skies. Rhode Island’s most popular trail is perched on the rocky shores above the Atlantic, ocean on one side, the backyards of the massive Bellevue Avenue mansions on the other. In the summer months, this 3 ½-mile route is crowded with hundreds of folks yearning to see the sloping lawns and backside of those summer “cottages” the Vanderbilts, Whitneys, and Astors built at the turn of the century. This time of year, you’ll pass the occasional dog walker or jogger as you take in the expanse of the sea all by your lonesome. Park your car on Narragansett Avenue near the walk and proceed to the right. The sun was beating down on the clear and shimmering ocean waters. We soon spotted The Breakers, the Italian-style villa commissioned by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1895. Another highlight is the red and gold lacquered Chinese-style pagoda at the Marble House. We enjoyed learning about the history of each estate at sign posts scattered throughout the walk. Simply type the number into the website and you’ll get the scoop.
Best known for their cruise around Manhattan, Circle Line will be 
In 
Nestled between Akron and Cleveland along a 22-mile corridor of the Cuyahoga River is one of America’s newest national parks, 
If you ask my kids, ages 14 and 12, what their favorite vacations were, they’d no doubt say Alaska, British Colombia, Israel, Paris, Bryce, Zion, and Acadia National Parks, and, of course, New York. Even though we’ve been to over a dozen all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico over the years, all except our last one at the