Gay, Proud & Irish

We’ve heard the story one too many times about how your dear old mum made you sing Mother Machree every year at the St. Patrick’s Day recital.  Imagine your poor brothers and sisters having to listen to you trying to hit those high notes at the end … “and God … Read more

Ipanema Plaza Hotel Rio de Janeiro

If you take a seat in Opium, the airy, glass-enclosed restaurant set like a jewel in a corner of the Ipanema Plaza Hotel, your seat will practically be ringside. The non-stop show of people watching commences in the early hours and even from the tiny sushi bar, which spills out … Read more

The Veneto Panama City, Panama

The Veneto It’s Christmas in Panama and the lobby of the Wyndham Veneto in Panama City is bedecked, bejeweled, beribboned, besparkled and beyond belief.  It’s as if a Macy’s Christmas display has given notice and decided to catch some warm tropical breezes.  Poinsettias abound, huge swaths of red garland drape … Read more