Destinations is where I share the places I’ve actually visited and photographed, with honest impressions and practical tips for visiting yourself.
Atop the high cliff of Cape Diamond sits La Citadelle, a fortress originally built by the British between 1820 and 1850 to protect Québec from a potential American invasion. The attack never happened, yet La Citadelle has remained an active Canadian military installation to this day. The adjoining Plains of Abraham, on the other hand, witnessed the…
Québec is a city built on steep hills. Staircases abound in connecting the Upper Town with the Lower Town, each exuding its unique charm. Frontenac Stairs (French: L’Escalier Frontenac), one of the most frequented, starts right by the Frontenac Kiosk at the Dufferin Terrace and leads you down the hill to Côte de la Montagne. …
It is an omnipresent landmark in Québec—you find it on postcards, in souvenirs, or simply when you look above the hills from any corner in the city. Perched atop the prominent Cape Diamond (French: Cap Diamant) overlooking the St. Lawrence River, the Château Frontenac is a quintessential element of the Québécois skyline. A UNESCO World…
Situated at the heart of downtown St. Paul, the Landmark Center is more than a historic building. It used to serve as the Federal Court House and Post Office from 19until the mid-20th century, when its government tenants moved out and calls for demolition ensued. Thanks to a group of citizens who campaigned relentlessly, fortunately,…
Here comes October in the Midwest. It can still feel warm from time to time, as if summer has never left. Yet the fluttering leaves always have a tell: they are a pigment different every second, signaling the shorter days ahead and the impending winter. On a sunny day, there is perhaps no better way…
Start your hike at the top of Peel Street. The trail from this point is all the way ascending until you reach a semicircular plaza, also known as Kondiaronk Belvedere. Here, you will find the city of Montréal beneath your feet, with the St. Lawrence River in the backdrop. The bustling metropolis now looks within reach, yet…
Nestled in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood of Montréal, Saint-Louis Square is an urban park just a block from the bustling Rue Sherbrooke. The park itself does not take up a lot of real estate. Nor does it feature complex setups: it is a rectangle with greenery space which, when adorned with the colorful Victorian row…
A few blocks from the bustling downtown area sits Old Montréal (French: Vieux-Montréal), a historic neighborhood lined with cobblestone streets and buildings dating back to the 17th century. This is one of the oldest European settlements in North America, and where the city of Montréal started its humble beginning as Fort Ville-Marie in 1642 before…
Sitting on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the Old Port of Montréal (French: Vieux-Port de Montréal) used to be the hub for fur trade and grain export, liaising the inland with the seaward at its peak. Since the port activities moved east in 1976, however, the Old Port is no longer an active…
If you drive along Highway 88 towards the east or Highway 89 towards the south in early October, you will start noticing some yellow hues sparkling in between the green pine trees. Soon, these shades will morph from distinct patches into a dazzling display of gold and orange. You know this is when you have…
You will want to take that turn on Highway 1. At first glance, the road leads to an unassuming residential area on the San Mateo coast—at least not until you venture further into the trail, when you realize that there is an unworldly sanctuary out there. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, located about halfway between Pacifica and…
For the Golden State, it all began here in 1769. Old Town San Diego, a community situated around 3.5 miles northwest of downtown San Diego, was the site of the first Spanish settlement in California. This neighborhood was the center of the city until the 1860s, when development and businesses started to shift to the…