Here is a selection of my favourite clips. Most are recent, but I’ve also included a few old favourites.
Travel
More than BBQ and Beer: The Fine Foods and Eateries of West Texas
Everything Zoomer, September 2023
Sure, the barbecue and beer in West Texas are tasty. However, it was the avocado tostada at Taconeta in El Paso (see photo) that I remembered long after I returned home. The posh small-plates dinner at Cochineal in Marfa was pretty memorable, too…as were many of my other stops along the way to tiny DB’s Rustic Iron BBQ in Terlingua.
Book It: A Journey of Literary Wales
Everything Zoomer, August 2023
From a library you can sleep in to the village that (perhaps) inspired Dylan Thomas to write Under Milkwood, I crisscrossed Wales to find some of its most fascinating literary sites and festivals. I even popped into the seaside resort where the cult TV classic The Prisoner was filmed.
Matilda Joslyn Gage: The Suffragist Who Defied the US Government
BBC Travel, July 2023
Long before Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, Matilda Joslyn Gage was such a women’s rights radical that she even alienated Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Becoming Bilingual in Bogotá (and Boosting Brain Health at the Same Time)
Everything Zoomer, July 2023
When I spent a week at a Spanish-immersion school in Colombia, I learned much more than verb tenses. For instance, drinking beer while playing a sport that involves gunpowder may not be wise.
(Re)learning to Ski at 57, at Quebec’s Mont Tremblant
Everything Zoomer, February 2023
Think you’re too old to try skiing one more time? I hadn’t been on skis since high school, but I gave it another shot at Tremblant…and I didn’t die.
The Perfect Weekend Getaway to Ottawa, Canada
Afar.com, May 2022
Here are my tips for first-time visitors to Canada’s capital—everything from sampling small-batch ice cream to taking a sightseeing flight in a 1930s biplane.
Trans Canada Trail Celebrates 30 Years of Connecting Canadians
Canadian Geographic, March 2022
Stretching from coast to coast to coast, the 24,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail is one of the longest trail networks in the world. Getting it built was no small feat, and exploring ALL of it is daunting. Here, I look into the trail’s history and chat with several people who have tackled huge chunks of it.
Zip Line Over the Ottawa River a Thrilling Ride with a Spectacular View
Ottawa Magazine, June 2021
When I had the chance to hop onto the world’s first interprovincial zip line, stretching 366 metres across the Ottawa River, of course I said yes. I had a blast and it must have been evident, because this piece picked up the Ottawa Tourism Travel Writing Award. Alas, the magazine has folded, so the story is no longer available online.
Eight Heritage Gems Close to Home
Historic Places Days website, June 2021
In this unbylined article, I point you to eight cool national historic sites across Canada, including a hotel that was once home to a foul-mouthed, whiskey-drinking, opera-singing parrot. Who says history is dull?
Ottawa (Time Out)
Delta SKY, March 2020
If you only have 24 hours to spend in Canada’s capital, I have suggestions for everything from where to get a great craft cocktail to where to hike to the ruins of a century-old mill.
Beguiling Anguilla
DreamScapes, Spring 2019
Want to really get away from it all? It’s hard to do better than Anguilla, a tiny Caribbean island where the most pressing decision you may face all day is whether to go for a sunset sail on a chartered boat or get a grapefruit-and-rosemary massage.
Naturally Charming Barbados
DreamScapes, Winter 2018/19
When you’re planning a trip to this Caribbean island, you’ll naturally be thinking of beaches, palm trees and tropical cocktails. But I have two more words to keep in mind, if you’re renting a car: “tire insurance.”
Ottawa Wine Tour Company, La Vida Local, Visits Local Vineyards
Ottawa Magazine, August 27, 2018
Eastern Ontario might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of “wine country”—but think again.
The Weekend Escape: Prince Edward County and the Thousand Islands
Trivago Magazine, August 13, 2018
Diving, theatre, scones, antique boats, Napoleon and a rich man’s castle—what’s not to like?
Sleep in an Irish Castle With a Rock Star Connection
GettingOnTravel.com, August 7, 2018
Want to stay in a medieval castle half an hour from Dublin where Eric Clapton once entertained rock royalty? You can do all of that—and get a marvellous cup of tea into the bargain. (This is another site that has folded, sadly, so the article is no longer online.)
The Weekend Escape: Ottawa Valley
Trivago Magazine, April 1, 2018
Because I’ve been writing about day trips and weekend getaways from Ottawa for the past 15 years or so, this guide to the Ottawa Valley—a sweeping, largely rural region west of the city—was right up my alley.
Montréal Celebrates Winter
DreamScapes, Winter 2017/18
If you have to live through winter, you might as well do it in a city where you can enjoy an all-night art party and go ice canoeing the next day.
Orlando Hitmakers
DreamScapes, Spring/Summer 2017
Disney was my daughter’s idea of the perfect vacation. I warmed up to the idea…eventually.
Daytripping to Prince Edward County
The Ottawa Citizen, April 18, 2016
Three sisters. One cottage. Several wineries. A great cooking class. And a lot of cheese.
Walk Down the Isle
The Toronto Star, October 31, 2015
Want to get married in a tropical paradise? If St. Lucia was romantic enough for The Bachelor, it might be romantic enough for you.
Did This N.Y. Town Inspire a Christmas Classic?
The Globe and Mail, December 16, 2013
Every time a bell rings, I think of Seneca Falls—and wonder whether Frank Capra came here before making It’s a Wonderful Life. The locals believe.
Mellow Montserrat: Sleepy Doesn’t Begin to Describe This Idyllic Island
Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 2006
With, two gas stations, one main road, no traffic lights and countless chickens, Montserrat is the Caribbean island for people who wouldn’t be caught dead in a casino or on a Segway. This story earned me writing awards from the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association.
Other
Where to Live Now: A Data-Driven Look at Ottawa Neighbourhoods
Ottawa Magazine, summer 2020
For this annual real estate story, the editor of Ottawa Magazine and I took a different tack than usual. We crunched statistics galore to assess which Ottawa neighbourhoods were best placed to provide that most undefinable of things: a sense of community. (No longer available online.)
California Requirement Spotlights Business and PR Reasons for Director Diversity
Advancing Women, June 2020
For this article for a U.S. credit union management magazine, I spoke with a state senator and business leaders about new California legislation requiring certain publicly traded companies to include a certain number of women on their boards of directors.
Celebrating 25 Years of the Canadian Geographic Challenge with Alex Trebek
CanadianGeographic.ca, October 7, 2019
What former Jeopardy! contestant could resist the opportunity to interview Alex Trebek about his decades-long association with the Royal Canadian Geographic Society?
Coming Soon…Robots and Savvy Technology Steal the Show at Age-Well’s Ottawa Event
YouAreUNLTD.com, May 2018
I covered an event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa that focused on new technologies to help older Canadians, including robots, websites and smartphone apps.
Life on Track: How the LRT Will Change Ottawa
Ottawa Magazine, May 2017
I’m fascinated by trains, so I jumped at the chance to write this cover story for Ottawa Magazine about the city’s new light-rail system and its effect on urban growth. (No longer available online.)
For $1,000, Laura, Who Represented Ottawa on Jeopardy!?
Ottawa City Magazine, June/July 2004
Your reward for scrolling all the way to the end of this page is the chance to read about my ignominious performance on Jeopardy! in 2004.