Driving the stretch between Fennville and the outskirts of Allegan, Michigan, you feel as though you’re in the dusty middle of just about nowhere. When the Castle in the Country suddenly looms like a giant, lavender dollhouse on this stretch of Highway 40, it seems like a mirage. It’s not…
As a rule, we’re wary of sweetbreads. We’ve never been able to wrap our minds (or taste buds) around the concept of organ meat as entrée. But our attitude was forever changed following a visit to one of the best-kept secrets in Saugatuck, Michigan. Dine in during your stay…
Eat, eat, eat—then rest
The Taste of Chicago continues through Sunday, July 4th and, in conjunction with the annual gastropalooza’s Fourth of July finale, the Talbott Hotel is offering the appropriately (if unimaginatively) named Tastes of Chicago package…
Celebrate a Swinging Season
The House that Hugh Hefner Built, a.k.a. Lake Geneva’s Grand Geneva Resort, is celebrating its inclusion in the June issue of Condé Nast Traveler as one of the magazine’s 100 top golf spots in the U.S. Grand Geneva’s courses ranked…
We all pined when Amy Doehla closed the brick-and-mortar aspect of her Ukie Village boutique Willow last March (the shop went online-only in April), but the stylish home and gift shop has budded anew for a few months in the same location (850 N. Damen Avenue), just in time for holiday shopping. It will be open seven days a week in December, Tuesdays through Saturdays in January, and to spur your spending, Amy is offering…
First thing we noticed upon arriving in Ho Chi Minh City: No one calls it Ho Chi Minh City. It’s Saigon, no matter what the commies tried to change it to in 1976. (So there. The war wasn’t pointless after all.) The people in the city, many of whom fled the country during the communist takeover—then returned—refuse to give Uncle Ho the credit for…
I’m sure Cambodia’s got fascinating history and stunning sites and lovely people, but man, we have a shitload of laundry to contend with. And though I love my daughter fiercely, she has pooped on 90 percent of the stuff we brought with us and we got to get the stank out. Sorry, poo trumps history…
As one last insult, Thailand charges you 500 baht ($14.64) to leave the country. I liked Thailand a lot—fascinating country—but frankly, I was ready to pay their strangely reasonable blackmail fee and go. Sarah and Hannah, on the other hand, were ready to apply for citizenship, living out a life of passive-aggressive Buddhas and chilies, and let me travel on to Cambodia alone. Luckily, I’ve got the Passports.
Jackie Koo just gave State Street a facelift with The Wit
Some guy standing next to the River Kwai started cooing at Hannah and convinced us to get into his long-tailed boat and go for a ride. At the time, it seemed perfectly reasonable, and off we floated. In typical Thai fashion, he never made our destination clear, or if we even had one. We didn’t ask. Half a mile down the riverbank, we came…
