FLL and Port of Miami Arrival So we got on to Fort Lauderdale but still too many options abounded for Jennifer, is it a cruise, is it Miami, is it Key West? As we drop down to Fort Lauderdale Airport she sees the cruise ships and says, "wait a minute cruise ships sail out of Fort Lauderdale!" Oh no I say, we're not taking a cruise . . . out of Fort Lauderdale. She latches on my choice of words and I ignore her and start talking about something else. I get on the horn with Frank from SAS Transportation, no doubt the way to get from any airport to any cruise ship terminal in South Florida. Steve is the owner, he is great and Frank was also wonderful, playing along with my game of Jennifer ... read more

Repeat As we pulled up to the Seelbach Hilton I realized that unintentionally the last time we were here was exactly seven years ago in 2002 when we were living in Cincinnati and came down to visit the city and spend some time in Bourbon Country. It didn't feel like a long time ago but seven years is a long time and the city had changed a little from how we remembered it, but it still remains a city that seems to lag 10 years behind the rest of the Midwest . . . it's downtown is completely lifeless and the only attempt at urban revival is Fourth Street Live which is still seen as a great project at a time when such project's times have passed elsewhere. Retail in Louisville We stopped on our way ... read more

Manny! Jamaica Me Crazy So says our cab driver Duppy today as I proffer up a deluge of reasons why he cant scam me on the “negotiable” price to Reggae Beach. “It’s far, it’s in another parish!” he says; of course the parishes are not that large I respond, and we settle on 18 bucks one way which turns into 20 bucks when he doesn’t have change for the 10 minute cab ride. In actuality he said “You’re crazy, but you’re cool.” Miguel’s card (Duppy is his nickname) says he is the #1 cabbie on the island; I couldn’t get one of the “lifeguards” at Reggae Beach to confirm that. Speaking of those lifeguards, smoking reefer and raking around shards of broken glass seems to be all they are good for, but what the hey, life ... read more

Alligator Alley We foolishly believed Nate who said “oh yeah, door-to-door one hour to Fort Lauderdale from Fort Myers!” My calculations had said closer to 2 hours. Well my calculations were more accurate and poor Felipe was stuck at RA Sushi waiting for us for an hour. This was precipitated by Google Earth being wrong about the location of the restaurant and was not mitigated by the fact that we were hauling at 90 MPH down Alligator Alley with the top down with a white BMW 5 Series running radar cover. We both admit that coming down to Florida keeps becoming more and more of a shock as we are unaccustomed now to how things are done down here, from the way women dress, to what is considered acceptable behavior, to how they drive. Some of ... read more

The following is a running compilation of local chocolatiers we have discovered in different cities around the world. Please feel free to post comments with your own opinions or recommendations. We have additionally listed cities where we have tried local chocolatiers but were not impressed. United States Madison, WI - David Bacco Chocolats - located in the upscale Hilldale Shopping Center across from Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas, a great artisanal shop where most of the chocolates are wonderful and flavorful. Avoid the spiced and liqueur varieties, they overwhelm the chocolate. They have just brought in new boxes to replace the flimsy cartons they used to provide. The way David classifies his chocolates is very similar to that of Richart in Paris - following the flavor profile. Columbus, OH - url=http://www.pistaci... read more