On to the night in the Big Apple! For dinner, we went to the Birdland Jazz Club. It’s a famous jazz joint in the Birdland Theater on West 44th Street inspired by Charlie “Bird” Parker. We listened to Birdland’s very own house big band play two sets while we dined. I had the BBQ Salmon …
Author Archives: emandmm
The Big Apple
All right, now. Time for a little fun in the Big Apple! We started our day in a nice little shop called Angelina’s Bakery. They had a lovely selection of scones, pastries and different types of coffee. MM got a much-needed cup of joe. I got a pastry with cream cheese glaze and strawberries, blueberries …
Our Cute and Quirky Manhattan Hotel
We arrived at Penn Station and went straight to our digs for the final chapter of our adventure — the Stay Pineapple in the Garment District. Check out the drapes and the zebra rug! This room really reflected Fashion Avenue. It was called the “Fashionista Room.” Besides bikes and comfy rooms, the hotel offers cupcakes …
Ride the Train!
We caught a Via Rail Canada train from Quebec to Montreal. It was so clean, so organized, and ON TIME! We can’t praise the Canadian railway enough for running such a great service. A layover in Montreal gave us a chance for coffee and croissants, so we were happy to be there. The next train …
New France Festival
We returned from Tadoussac to Quebec City in time to participate in a bit of the New France Festival — or La Fete de la Nouvelle France, which celebrates Quebec’s history as a French colony. We didn’t take the pictures in the slideshow above. They are shared images from the city’s website. But we thought …
Whale-Watching in Tadoussac
The village of Tadoussac sits at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers. When Jacques Cartier arrived here in 1535, he discovered members of the Montagnais, Algonquin, and Etchimin tribes who used it as a base camp to hunt seals. Cartier called these people Innu. Next thing the Innu knew, whalers from Basque …
Charlevoix to the Saguenay Fjord
ROAD TRIP continued! From Sainte Anne de Beaupré, we drove further north between the Laurentian Mountains and the St. Lawrence River through Charlevoix, known as the first vacation spot in Canada. Holiday-goers have been making a splash in the region since 1760. President William Howard Taft even had a summer home there in his day. …
Sainte Anne de Beaupré — Part 2
Road trip continued! Sainte Anne de Beaupré continued! This place was so gorgeous that we paused at many of the details — mosaics, carvings, paintings, statues, murals and more. Everything in the shrine (see the previous post for the basics) feels life-giving because it’s so artistic and colorful and, most of all, beautifully illuminated. When …
Sainte Anne de Beaupré
ROAD TRIP. Stop Two! From Montmorency Falls, we drove north along the St. Lawrence River to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and its famous shrine. The strawberries and sandwiches we enjoyed in the shade of some old trees really hit the spot. And we had plenty of entertainment from two seagulls arguing over who would get our crumbs! Having …
Montmorency Falls
ROAD TRIP!! Up the St. Lawrence River. First stop: Montmorency Falls. These beautiful waterfalls are right outside Quebec City. Fun fact: they are 30 meters (more than 98 feet) taller than Niagara Falls! But they’re not nearly as wide. And it’s actually three waterfalls coming over the same continental margin. But who’s counting? We parked …
Wandering Star 