Montreal, April 3-8, 2026

Posted: May 15th, 2026 | Filed under: Out Of Town

April 3, 2026
The Betty Beavers Truck Stop & Diner is still there in Lewis, New York, just off of I-87, though minus a diner:

April 4, 2026

First, Fairmount Bagel:

Then the Ateliers & Saveurs Macarons Class:

Then a bagel taste-test following a return visit to St-Viateur Bagel:

Parc du Mont-Royal/Mount Royal Park:

The AirBnB was in a great spot in Vieux Montréal/Old Montreal, so we were able to explore around there a lot. The nautical Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, for example:

Place Jacques-Cartier:

Rue Notre-Dame:

We tried to eat mostly Quebecois food and Caribou Gourmand features many exotic meats, including seal (!):

April 5, 2026

The Spade & Palacio Beyond the Basilica Essential 101 Montréal Walking Tour is very good and as the name implies, takes you “beyond the Basilica” into Chinatown, up Boulevard Saint-Laurent, into fun stores and snack spots and showcases various Montreal’s murals between the Place des Artes and Plateau Mont-Royal . . .

Place d’Armes:

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal/Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal:

Rue Saint-Jacques:

Royal Bank Tower:

RÉSO:

Palais des Congrès de Montréal:

Chinatown:

Esplanade Tranquille:

Eva B:

Boulevard Saint-Laurent:

Schwartz’s:

For dinner, Au Pied de Cochon, where everything is remarkable. This is squid ink poutine topped with calamari:

Sea urchins and foie gras nigiri:

Veal brain:

And their famous “Canard en Conserve” — Duck In a Can:

April 6, 2026

The aforementioned Schwartz’s is great but Smoke Meat Pete in nearby L’Île-Perrot is worth the trip:

The Oratoire Saint-Joseph-du-Mont-Royal/Saint Joseph’s Oratory up on Mont Royal is a beautiful spot:

I have never seen so many candles as there are in the votive chapel:

I am partial to nice views, which was one reason I wanted to come here:

A return visit to Marché Jean-Talon:

Les Délices de la Mer:

Great local oysters at La Boîte aux Huîtres:

April 7, 2026

Cabane à Sucre Constantin Grégoire in nearby Saint-Esprit is a festival of all things maple syrup:

The meals at the sugar shacks (“cabane à sucre”) are huge and seemingly everything incorporates maple syrup:

Tire:

Of course they also produce maple syrup, and the spring is when the trees basically aspirate the raw sap — producers need daytime temperatures above freezing to induce a freeze-thaw scenario that moves the sap through networks of hoses:

Rue Saint-Paul:

The joyful Gibeau Orange Julep:

April 8, 2026

A morning run around the Vieux-Port de Montréal/Old Port of Montreal:

A winter’s worth of slowly disintegrating chunks of snow and ice looked almost sculptural:

Place d’Youville:

A final lunch at the elegant Gibbys:

These were the best escargots I’ve ever had:

On the way back home, the IGL Duty Free at the border:

And back into the U.S. via the Lacolle-Champlain Border Crossing:

Phoenix, February 14-21, 2026

Posted: February 27th, 2026 | Filed under: Out Of Town

Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area:

Last year I ran by Central Park and got a kick out of the name, so I wanted to return:

The amount of classic design on display at the Martin Auto Museum is really impressive and you can even sit inside many of the cars — really luxurious:

Sunset on February 17, 2026:

Bacanora on Grand Avenue:

Lost Dutchman State Park just outside of Phoenix:

Sunrise happens relatively late — 7 a.m. — so you can often catch it:

Papago Park:

Arcosanti, an hour north of Phoenix is a fun artifact of 1970s-era utopian design principles:

Love’s Travel Stop is just down the street from Arcosanti before you get back on I-17 and has an amusing hot dog roller grill:

Sunset on February 19, 2026:

The first day of Spring Training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick:

El Norteño‘s chimichangas are highly regarded:

Ocean City, New Jersey For Christmas

Posted: December 30th, 2025 | Filed under: Out Of Town

The Ocean City Boardwalk in Winter, first on Christmas Day:

Then a couple nights later in the waning hours of flurries:

JiLLy’s Arcade is open daily all year round: