San Diego – in the whole of the US – has the best tobacco laws. In California, it’s still legal to smoke inside, but only places like tobacco stores. You can’t eat or drink in there. San D takes it one step further. Providing the main product you sell is tobacco, you can get a special licence … Read more
I never used to like wine much. I know, can you imagine? My, how things have changed. Never have I been more grateful for my change in palate than for our visit to Sonoma, San Francisco’s most famous wine region. San Fran’s famed billowing fog that surrounds the city most of the day. However, this … Read more
Chicago’s an incredible city. The shores of vast Lake Michigan on its northern edge make it feel like you’re in a coastal town. Its reaching skyscrapers assert the fact that you’re in a capital city. Yet it’s only from the river that you get a true perspective of what the Windy City really has to … Read more
It’s so strange seeing Australian animals here, so far from home. I don’t know why, but standing the other side of the Pacific looking at a load of rainbow lorikeets just doesn’t seem right. San Diego Zoo has been running a new campaign called ‘Koalafornia’, which has brought not only a dozen or so lorikeets, … Read more
It’s hot from its latitude, it’s dry from the desert and its coastal breezes cool everything down when needs be. Because of this, San Diego is a rooftop bar mecca. San Diego is one of those… outdoorsy sort of places. But I don’t mean a hike up a mountain or interminable days spent under canvas (Mrs … Read more
After spending a few days in New York City, we start feeling very comfortable here. We hunt out some of the coolest roof bars to try out – here’s the view (and Mrs Romance) at Le Bain. It’s the rooftop bar on the top of the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District – the party … Read more
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
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
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
Here we are finally in New York City! Mrs Romance has been talking about getting here since a long time before we even left Sydney. And straight away I can see why. This is a city where life is everywhere. One of the first things we do while we’re here is go on a sailing … Read more