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Ogunquit Still My No. 1 Beach Town in New England

To celebrate a big birthday for my mother-in-law, 14 members of the family made their way to Ogunquit, Maine in mid-July for 3 nights. I haven’t been back to Ogunquit since I wrote my cover story for Yankee Magazine on the Top 25 Beach Towns in New England, naming Ogunquit over Provincetown as the best beach town in New England. I was happy to see the article from the July/August 2012 issue framed on the wall of The Beachmere Inn, where we stayed. After a memorable weekend, I can honestly say that I made the right choice naming Ogunquit my number one beach town. I ditched the car in the parking lot and didn’t see it again until I left. The view of the Atlantic and the 3 ½-mile stretch of beachfront from the Beachmere was just as glorious as I remembered. We would stroll down the sloping lawn to the Marginal Way, and either take a left to hit the beach or veer right to walk along the rugged shoreline to the restaurants in Perkins Cove. The big birthday dinner was held in a private room at MC Perkins Cove, a restaurant I first discovered when it debuted, reporting for Boston Globe Magazine’s Best of the New issue. The meal and service were both exceptional. So was our first night’s dinner at Oarweed at an outdoor table overlooking the Atlantic, digging into the freshest lobster I’ve had in a long time, washed down with a Blueberry Ale. 

Yes, both P’town and Nantucket have excellent restaurants and beaches. But where Ogunquit excels is theater and other cultural offerings. Gershwins’ An American in Paris, staged at the historic Ogunquit Playhouse, was a fantastic rendition of this complex play, featuring tap dance, ballet, and songs (see it before it closes on August 4th).  We visited the Ogunquit Museum of American Art to see the Lois Dodd show, only to be serenaded by the poetry of Richard Blanco, who just happened to be there that day. Blanco is best known as being the poet who spoke at President Obama’s second inauguration and his words, which were paired with photography on exhibit, are incredibly moving. Ogunquit, I have a feeling I’ll be returning far more frequently in the future. 
 

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An Update on London

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. 
 
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Abercrombie & Kent Week—The Diverse Terrain in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia

Having just returned from one on of the most memorable trips I’ve ever experienced, an 8-night journey with Abercrombie & Kent to Botswana, I get the added bonus of reliving cherished moments this week on my blog. Botswana was my 5th safari and by far the most diverse when it comes to terrain. Much of the trip revolved around water, which was a welcome relief to often jarring game drives on rutted roads. As soon as we arrived in the Okavango Delta, we were greeted with roads that were washed-out with water. That wasn’t a problem with our A&K guide, Kebby, who would drive though the streams like he was atop a duck boat, not a Toyota Land Cruiser. The maze of waterways dotted with palm trees on our first two nights at Stanley’s Camp reminded me of the Everglades. That is, until you spot a leopard up a tree or a giraffe in the distance. At the recently renovated Chief’s Camp (which I’ll report on later this week), we enjoyed meals while watching elephants and baboons cool off at the nearby watering hole. 

 
Chief’s Camp was also where we would take our first of many jaunts on the waterways, this time via a mokoro, a traditional form of canoe. A guide poled us through the tall grasses on a leisurely paddle during sunset, Botswana’s version of a gondola ride. The abundance of wildlife at Chobe National Park, our third stop, was mind-blowing, Best known for the largest population of elephants in the world, over 75,000, you peer out and see long parades of elephants, including countless babies. The magical boat ride on the Chobe River, which borders Botswana and Namibia, was so much fun, we asked to go on it two sunsets in a row. We watched as elephants swam across the deep river, joined by large herds of Cape Buffalo, crocodiles as still as sculpture, and all types of antelope. Leaving Botswana, we stopped on the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls to watch the waters of the Zambezi River plunge down one of the widest waterfalls in the world, over a mile long. Then it was on to our last stop, Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma, overlooking the Zambezi on the outskirts of Livingstone, Zambia. We would spend our final day canoeing the river near hippos, warthogs, crocs, and impala. All vivid memories I won’t soon forget. 
 
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Lindblad Offers Deals to Panama Canal

2016 marks the completion of the massive Panama Canal expansion project that will usher in a new chapter for Panama and cap off the celebration of the Panama Canal’s 100th birthday. Lindblad Expeditions is taking advantage of this historical moment to offer several deals aboard their 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Lion. Guests will explore the Panamanian and Costa Rican coastline, traverse the Canal, snorkel and kayak off deserted islands, and venture up rain forest-canopied rivers, while being led by some of the finest naturalists in the travel business. Book one of their Panamanian cruises by November 30, 2015, and you can choose from free round-trip airfare from Miami OR the Panama City extension on select January and February 2016 dates. On this 2-day Panama City extension, you’ll visit the construction site at the Canal Expansion Observation Center, and see the new highly touted Frank Gehry-designed Biodiversity Museum. 

 
Lindblad is also unveiling a new 9-day land-based trip to Costa Rica that will include a stop at Tortuguero National Park, often called the Venice of Costa Rica for its maze of waterways. From mid-spring to late summer at Tortuguero, four different types of turtle return to shores to lay their eggs, including the giant leatherback, which can weigh over 1,000 pounds. For reservations or additional information on Lindblad Expeditions voyages, contact us at ActiveTravels. 
 
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Hong Kong Dining

Yes, the dim sum (One Dim Sum, Tin Ho Wan) and bao (Little Bao) lived up to expectations. But it was the other international fare that far surpassed anything I anticipated. The hummus, babaganoush, tabbouleh, and shawarma at Maison Libanaise was the best I’ve had outside the Middle East. The Nepalese food at Manakamana in the Kowloon Night Market was so authentic I was sitting next to monks from Kathmandu. Even the French bistro, Bouchon, popular with Aussie expat workers dining in the outdoor garden during lunch, served a tasty steak frites and tender barramundi wrapped in rice paper. But my favorite restaurant in Hong Kong was Yardbird in the Sheung Wan neighborhood. Old school R&B from Donnie Hathaway to Luther Vandross was thumping as we walked into the crowded bar on a Friday night and ordered innovative cocktails. We waited an hour to snag one of the coveted tables and once the food arrived, it was definitely worth the wait. Their specialty is yakitori, where different parts of the chicken arrive on small kebabs. All were juicy, but the neck, inner thigh, and meatball selections were out of this world. Also order the KFC, spicy Korean fried cauliflower. 

 
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Great Late Summer Day Hikes, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

A mere 20 miles west of the Vegas Strip, desert hikers can strike pay dirt at Red Rock Canyon. This is the edge of the Mojave, where red and yellow sandstone cliffs stretch 7,000 feet into the Nevada sky and Joshua trees scatter across the desert floor. Many of the better day hikes branch out from the 13-mile loop road maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. The 4-mile round-trip Pine Creek Canyon Trail carves into the cliffs through a narrow canyon lined with ponderosa pines. The strenuous 14-mile round-trip Summit Trail begins in a typical desert plant community and ascends through canyons harboring willows and sycamores. Wildlife in Red Rock is as abundant and varied as the plant life. Coyotes, kit foxes, and bobcats all live in the canyon. 

 
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The New 7 Wonders of Nature

A Swiss-based organization is sponsoring a campaign on the web to vote for your favorite natural wonder. A list of 28 finalists has already been announced and they include Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, Table Mountain in Capetown, and New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy, and America’s lone entry in the contest, the Grand Canyon. Some 1 billion votes are expected by 11/11/11, when the final 7 will be announced.
 

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