Late last year I got a FlickrMail from the people at schmap.com asking for permission to use a photo I took of the Rogers Centre in Toronto as part of their Schmap Toronto Guide.  Of course I readily gave permission, it was fantastic to have been picked! You can see the schmap.com guide by clicking...

My Photo Used By schmap.com →

A couple of weeks ago, Laura and I took a trip to Las Vegas. Neither of us had been there before, so we weren't totally sure what to expect. Turns out, Vegas is a fun city, and I'd definitely like to go back there soon. We left the kids at home early on a Tuesday morning (thanks to my Dad and Martie...

Las Vegas →

I went skiing yesterday with my colleagues Elliot and Arran up at Crystal Mountain here in Washington state. Crystal Mountain is the largest ski area in Washington, and is located about 70 miles south east of Seattle. It has the base at 4,400ft and a summit at 7,012ft. In contrast, for those who know...

Skiing At Crystal Mountain →

I had a momentarily confusing moment last night when I tried to get money out of the HSBC bank next to my hotel in Shanghai. In fact, it happens to me every time I come to Shanghai, usually multiple times! Take a look at the picture below of a Shanghai ATM keypad: Now, without thinking too hard about...

Momentary Confusion in Shanghai →

Well, a few other people I know have done this - so I felt I needed to see what my maps would look like. Since I invested the time reviewing and ticking the checkboxes, I figured I may as well paste the results into a blog entry! Probably not all that interesting to anyone but me. It does tell me that...

Visited Countries and States →

On one of the last days in Florida, we took our daughter to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique . This is a small salon located in the back of the World of Disney store at the Downtown Disney Marketplace. The blurb on the Disney web page says “Feel like a Disney princess in this magical salon, which is...

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique →

When I used to visit Florida years ago, even at the busiest of times there was no option other than queueing for the attractions. Depending on the time of year you visited, you could be lining up for anything up to 2 hours to ride a 90 second ride. Both Disney and Universal have tried to combat this...

Disney's FastPass vs Universal's Express Plus Pass →

I spent last week in the French Alps with my family – my sister was getting married so we all travelled over there to be with her and her new husband, and to celebrate the big day. Twelve of us stayed in a chalet together – my parents and their partners, my sister and her family (husband and two kids...

Courchevel 1650 →

I am in Seattle on business at the moment. In fact, in the last couple of months, I have been travelling for either work or pleasure quite a lot. One thing that has always frustrated me a little is the lack of good wireless facilities in the hotels where I stay. Sure there is almost always an excellent...

Travel a lot?Get a Wireless Travel Router... →

I just returned from a long weekend in Boston with my wife. Before returning to work for Microsoft back in October 2001, I spent about 15 months working for a company based in Boston and travelled to the city many times on business. Boston is one of my favourite cities in the world. Comparatively speaking...

Fenway Park, William I. Koch, Maple Lattes and a DUKW →

I am back in Shanghai, and this evening, by pure chance, I went to dinner at Zapata's Mexican Cantina . As far as I could tell, there were very few prostitutes. The security guards are obviously doing a great job at "sorting things out"....

The Sign Worked - No Prostitutes In Attendance →

I have actually been back a week, but have not had a chance to post since then. I really enjoyed my trip to Shanghai. Apart from a 10 day visit to Ko Samui in Thailand back in 1998, I haven't visited anywhere east of Copenhagen before. Shanghai was very much how I imagined it to be; a noisy bustling...

Home from Shanghai →

There's a story in the Shanghai News today about prostitutes not being welcome at Zapata's Mexican Cantina. In an attempt to discourage the ladies from working at the bar, the management posted a notice. The English translation made me smile: "If you are a prostitute, please refrain from entering our...

Shanghai News: "Not All Ladies Welcome". →

I just arrived in Shanghai, here for a week on business. I have only travelled East once before (to Thailand) so this is quite exciting! Not much to report as yet, except that the taxi drivers are completely insane. I am staying in the " world's highest hotel " which is pretty impressive. Outside my...

Shanghai →