Travel Guides

San Francisco is a city of culture, lively neighborhoods, shopping malls, and beautiful year round weather. There is an estimated population of nearly 1 million people, making San Francisco the 12th most populated city in the country. The San Francisco Bay area actually has over 7 million residents. That’s more than the state of New Mexico has in the entire state! This city is more than people though, because there are tons of delicious eateries – one being Ike’s Place, a creative sandwich shop.

Ike’s Place was opened in 2007, so it is still a fairly new establishment. The owner wanted to create a fabulous sandwich shop made with fine ingredients and a friendly atmosphere. The shop opened on Halloween that year, and has been packed every day since opening. Word of mouth quickly spread, and the shop now has several awards and well over 1,000 reviews on the online review center, YELP!

You will find Vermont, the Green Mountain State, on the northeastern tip of the United States. Whenever you try a food sampler from Vermont, you cannot miss the big chunk of cheddar in the basket. You might also have a hard time pronouncing gorgonzola, chevre, feta, and gouda but your taste buds will know that you are in cheese haven.

The Cheese Trail is roughly 280 miles or about 450 kilometers. Aside from cheese, you will definitely enjoy the colors of the foliage. Here’s how you should go about it:

Plymouth Notch
Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch in 1872, and this will be your starting point. The whole village is declared a historic site by the state. You can also see the house of John Coolidge where he administered the oath of office to his son who took the presidency after the death of President Harding. You can grab some candy and toys from the general store in the 1920’s home of the Collidge.

Owned by renowned chef Thomas Keller, the French Laundry is one of the world’s most exclusive and well-respected restaurants. Specializing in American and French foods, French Laundry’s food is, “to die for”, with critics and diners alike agreeing that the food, as well as the service, is virtually unrivaled. In fact, the French Laundry received the #3 spot on Restaurant Magazine’s 2005 list of the Worlds Top Restaurants, and has recieved countless other rewards from critics all around the world.

Located in the fairly quaint town of Yountvile, the French Laundry is quite secluded and private. Many fine diners enjoy this change of pace, as most quality restaurants are located in large, densely populated towns. The building itself is also something to be admired. Originally built as a saloon in the early 1900’s, this all-stone building is extremely beautiful, and has not seen any major renovations, so its originality is intact.

New York is a popular travel destination for many reasons. There’s the sights, the sounds, and most importantly, the food. New York is a mecca for foodies worldwide, and for good reason: as America’s densest city, you’ll be able to find ANYTHING on the streets of New York. Thai, Italian, French, Japanese, you name it, New York’s got it. Of course, New York is also famous for American classics like hot dogs, pizza, and yes, even steak. When one thinks of steak in New York, only one name comes to mind: Peter Luger. Amazingly enough, Peter Luger has been serving great steaks since it’s inception in 1887! Famous for it’s signature porterhouse, quality is so important that members of the family still personally select the beef every morning – and only the best will do. Peter Luger’s steakhouse has gotten so much press that it’s now a destination steakhouse.

When people think of Hawaii, they often think of the beautiful beaches, the great landscape, and the fantastic people. However, central to Hawaiian culture is cuisine. The people of Hawaii love food, whether it’s a simple plate lunch or an extravagant luau. They have created many delicious dishes that they can truly call their own, like poke, a raw dish featuring cubed tuna, and lau lau, a pork and butterfish creation steamed in taro leaf. While you’re in Hawaii, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not checking out your fantastic food options. While you’re in Hawaii, here’s some places you should check out, both large and small, fine dining and not.

Waiola’s – A must go to location; practically a destination. Get shave ice (do not say shaved ice unless you want to be berated senselessly) with ice cream on the bottom after you’ve spent a day out on the beach or hiking Diamond Head and are really hot. They also serve beer, if shave ice and beer is your thing.

Pho is easily the most recognizable Vietnamese dish, reaching cult like status in many major metropolitan areas. However, Vietnamese food has such incredible depth and variety that it’s a shame more people never experience it. Vietnamese food is beloved for many reasons: it’s one of the healthiest asian cuisines, has incredible flavor while being light, and blends spices and textures in a way that attracts wide appeal. So what really makes Vietnamese food so special?

Vietnamese food can be divided into three distinct regional styles. The northern style of cuisine is the most traditional, and uses less ingredients and has a more simple taste and feel. Southern cuisine has much more French and Chinese influence, and southern cuisine has a broader range of flavors. The central part of Vietnam focuses on smaller dishes, and as a whole uses much more spices than the North or the South.

New York, affectionately known as the city that never sleeps, is known for many things, especially it’s food.  One of it’s most treasured culinary items to a New Yorker is the New York Pizza.  Well known around the world, it is often replicated but never duplicated.  When you are traveling in New York, it is probably best that you never refer to a pizza as a pizza.  Instead, you should refer to it as a pie.  And while New Yorkers generally disagree on what makes up a “true” NY-style pizza, the most defining feature of the NY pizza is the crust.  Hand tossed and rolled out as thin as possible, it is covered with a tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and toppings, with pepperoni being the classic choice.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting Singapore. With its great shopping malls, delicious hawker delicacies and, my favorite favorite, Night Safari Zoo, you can name a thousand and one reasons to visit the beautiful city state whenever you drop by South-East Asia. Now, with the news that Singapore’s very own Marina Bay Sands Resort and Casino has hired six of the world’s more talented chefs to head its dining outlets, there are even more reasons to plan your trip to Singapore when the resort opens next year. With chefs like Daniel Boulud – whose restaurant was awarded no less than 3 prestigious Michelin stars – as well as 2 American chefs namely Mario Batali (based in New York) and Wolfgang Puck. They are quickly joined by other gourmet gurus such as Santi Santamaria, Guy Savoy and Tetsuya Wakuda.