There is a Mexico, New York. There's even a Texas, New York. Texas isn't far from Mexico. Elenka and I stopped at these places after going to a baseball game in Buffalo, on our way to hooking up with the in-laws, Judka and David at Lower Beverly Lake, north of Kingston. But our odd little journey has little to do with what this entry is really all about: During our 2010 travels, Elenka and I met Lorcan and Brunella a young couple from Dublin. We were ...

   Are you frightened of contracting athlete's foot fungus from walking barefoot at security stations in North American airports? Want to know how you can fly from Toronto to New York and not be subjected to the silliness of having to take your rubber flip-flops off so they can be x-rayed? Fly Porter Airlines.     Here’s how our day started: We caught the 504 King streetcar at the corner of our street. The Red – don’t knock it – R...

  What he must have thought as the freighter approached the Manhattan skyline. The plan had been in place for months, maybe years. He must have considered his parents, three brothers and two sisters as the ship docked. But the time was now, probably his one and only chance. His name was Cin. The year was 1999.                     Early Tuesday morning, the day after the Columbus Day long weekend, Ellen and I hit the sidewalk and entered the mass...

The restaurants of Manhattan serve the finest cuisine south of Montreal. I've never actually visited any restaurants located between those two cities, but I believe this statement to be true and I'll stand by it. Last evening, Ellen and I dined at a little Turkish restaurant called Uskudar on the Upper East Side. I ordered ground lamb, wrapped tightly in grape leaves with yogourt on the side. Ellen ordered a mashed eggplant concoction that was covered w...