Jeff Wallach » Travel

Aussie Adventure: Sydney

Jeff Wallach — Sun, 08 May 2011 19:25:45 +0000

I must admit that on a recent trip to Sydney, Australia I didn’t actually visit the famous Opera House designed by Jorn Utzon and opened by Queen

I must admit that on a recent trip to Sydney, Australia I didn’t actually visit the famous Opera House designed by Jorn Utzon and opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1973-- possibly the most recognizable icon of one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Although the Opera House offers symphony concerts, ballet, theater, and of course opera, Sydney is a city best enjoyed out of doors, pursuing more adventurous activities. And since so many ...

Tell Hotel General Manager You Won’t Be Paying Any Resort Fees

Jeff Wallach — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:57:17 +0000

Let’s say you’re at a coffee shop and you’ve just ordered a double latte. The price on the menu board says $3.95. You know

Let's say you're at a coffee shop and you've just ordered a double latte. The price on the menu board says $3.95. You know there's 6% tax. Then the barista taking your order says, "That'll be $7.50." As you reach into your wallet for a ten-spot you think to ask, "How did we get to $7.50. I thought the price was $3.95?" "That's the cream and sugar and plastic spoon charge," the barista explains. "But I'm not going to ...

N9NE is a Ten

Jeff Wallach — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:44:42 +0000

It’s tough to get too excited about a steak restaurant in the basement of a hotel that’s not even on the strip in Las Vegas. And while

It's tough to get too excited about a steak restaurant in the basement of a hotel that's not even on the strip in Las Vegas. And while the hostesses at Nine Steakhouse at the Palms are themselves worth the trip, the glitzy eighties look-- purple backlighting, black tables, and sparkly chrome tiles-- worry you that Madonna or Prince or some other even more frightening eighties icon (for example, that crazy girlfriend you had) might come ...

Hanoi: City of Soaring Contrasts

Jeff Wallach — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:35:21 +0000

As my wife, Renee, and I were slurping pho—a hot, spicy noodle soup with ever-changing ingredients that is the national dish of Vietnam—in a

As my wife, Renee, and I were slurping pho—a hot, spicy noodle soup with ever-changing ingredients that is the national dish of Vietnam—in a French-inspired restaurant on a lively boulevard in Hanoi, it occurred to me that this meal provided the perfect analogy for the city itself. Hanoi is also a steamy, colorful broth of contrasting flavors that somehow work together in delicious harmony. Renee and I had become accustomed to the yin-yang mix of everything ...

The Slide

Jeff Wallach — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:20:25 +0000

All photos by Leon Werdinger, Ottertrack Productions “In the very last analysis, none of us knows whether this is wholly a secular world.

All photos by Leon Werdinger, Ottertrack Productions "In the very last analysis, none of us knows whether this is wholly a secular world. But if there are Spirits, surely they must reside in the mountain West. Their special places, where they most prefer to dip and twirl and revel must be in the deep canyons. Of those places, they must savor most of all those mystical spots where the power is the greatest, where the big ...

Swimming with the Fishes: 10 Underwater Adventures

Jeff Wallach — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:51:30 +0000

A Guide to Schmoozing Sharks, Meeting Manta Rays, and Traveling with a Porpoise If bonding with underwater species is your idea of a good time,

A Guide to Schmoozing Sharks, Meeting Manta Rays, and Traveling with a Porpoise If bonding with underwater species is your idea of a good time, various commercial and educational opportunities exist worldwide to study, swim beside, dive next to, and possibly even communicate with a variety of large, friendly, dangerous, and/or simply curious sea creatures. In fact, outfitters may promise to put you in the water with just about everything but the Loch Ness Monster. And you ...

Alternate Route: The I-5 Nobody Knows

Jeff Wallach — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:40:38 +0000

Driving too fast toward Portland along I-5 north, the jugular vein of Oregon travel, the signs for small towns accessible via smaller arterial

Driving too fast toward Portland along I-5 north, the jugular vein of Oregon travel, the signs for small towns accessible via smaller arterial roads and highways whip past in a green blur. Cottage Grove. Creswell. Junction City. Was that a deer in that field? Coffee would be good. An iced latte. Albany. Independence. Just how many zeros are in a zillion, anyway? Woodburne. Aurora. Oregon City. And bam, you’re suddenly back in town as if ...

Playing Is The Thing: Ashland, Oregon and Other Great Theater Towns

Jeff Wallach — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:25:53 +0000

On my way to browse the intimate Bloomsbury Books on Main Street in Ashland, Oregon recently, I happened to spot Lewis the Dauphin, Son of the

On my way to browse the intimate Bloomsbury Books on Main Street in Ashland, Oregon recently, I happened to spot Lewis the Dauphin, Son of the King of France, eating a large sandwich at a sidewalk restaurant. Coincidentally, the next afternoon, in search of a good cup of coffee, I espied Constance— widow of King John of England’s elder brother Geoffrey, and mother of young Arthur (who, before being kidnapped, aspired to the throne to which ...