Things to do in The Blue Mountains – Katoomba Co-Op

Katoomba, the tourist hub of the Blue Mountains, is one of those places that gets more interesting the longer you spend there. The Blue Mountains Co-Op is no greater testament of that. Most people hit Katoomba for the obvious stuff. You can see the Three Sisters, ride the funicular railway at Scenic World or maybe … Read more

American Romance: New York City – Part 2

Trying to imagine what New York is like before you’re here is impossible. Imagining what’s here after you’ve been is in some ways even more difficult. It’s an incredible place where anything can – and often does – happen. It’s like being on a movie set. This is partly because you’ve seen it so many … Read more

Where to drink in NYC – The Bar Room, Upper East Side, New York City

From my perspective, nothing’s a bigger treasure than a bar near a shopping spree. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs Romance and I shop well together. There are several techniques I employ to cope. In fact here are some tips for shopping with your partner. Even in the midst of a Bloomingdale’s shoe sale, Mrs R … Read more

Where to stay in Chicago – W Lakeshore Hotel

Staring out at the horizon of Lake Michigan for too long is bad for you. You can lose track of time if you’re not careful and be stuck there in a daze all day. It’s that mesmerising. From our aptly named Spectacular King room in the W Chicago Lakeside Hotel, we were welcomed every morning … Read more

Rooftop Bars, New York City: Standard Hotel – Le Bain

The Standard Hotel in New York City’s Meatpacking District has a reputation. Its name is as big a deal as its quality and its quality is as big a deal as getting in. Working your way into this almost painfully cool roof bar can be difficult. It’s quite tempting to laugh the bar off completely … Read more

Chicago Cigar Bar Buster – a tour of Chicago’s cigar bars

Chicago isn’t like San Diego. Of course it’s not! What a stupid thing to say! However, I did notice there were a few places in the Windy City that valued an individual’s right to enjoy a good cigar. While Mrs Romance was busy learning at the 2013 BlogHer Conference, I decided to have some fun … Read more

American Romance: Chicago

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Chicago for ages. Ever since my mate Anton came here and told me about their special pizzas a few years ago. What we find here is one of the most interesting, friendly, easy to-get-to-know cities we’ve visited. I’m also a bit of a mug for cities with rivers running … Read more

Cigar Review – Stogies Inc, San Francisco

We popped into this little cigar house while on the waterfront tourist trail in San Fran. The shopkeeper pointed out the Stogies Inc. own range from the cigars lining 3 ½ of the four small walls. Instantly intrigued I picked the maduro robusto – mostly because it was the only one left. Popular for a … Read more