It’s Carnival time in Trinidad & Tobago. It’s that time of year when folks anticipating the self-restraints of the Lenten period, have one last celebration before they tuck excess away for six weeks. This dual-island nation is noted for its festive Carnival, which includes parades, concerts, parties and elaborate costumes. But as anyone who has […]
The 22nd annual Pan African Film Festival ran from February 6 to 17 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. The festival, a cornerstone of Black History Month in Los Angeles, opens the door to LA’s thriving black community. Museums, restaurants, neighborhoods and sites brimming with black culture beckon travelers. Read More […]
A trip to my godson’s wedding reminded me, an African American travel writer, that the reason I’ve loved Puerto Rico for so many years is not just the quiet life, endless beaches, delectable food, tasty rum and Medalla beer, but the people. The wedding I attended put everything in perspective again. And a trip around […]
Thousand of film lovers travel to Toronto every year to witness the latest crop of Oscar®-caliber films at the Toronto International Film Festival. In between screening compelling dramas like 12 Years a Slave (2013 People’s Choice Winner), thrilling sci-fi films like Gravity and foreign language epics like The Liberator (Libertador), attendees find time to eat […]
Vacationers, by the thousands, flock to South Beach crowding the streets, hotels and restaurants. But if you prefer a luxury Miami vacation, away from the throngs, you can find swank havens in Mid Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Aventura and on Fisher Island. Swank, wellness-orientated hotels. Beverly Hills-caliber accommodations. Golf resorts with championship courses. Private island […]
Surprise, surprise, there is a hot vacation destination midway between Miami and Key West. One and a half hours from the heart of Miami, there’s a sign for Duck Key on Route 1, the Overseas Highway, before it hits the world-famous Seven Mile Bridge. Take the left turn. The road leads to a quiet but […]
Yes New Orleans, Louisiana is steeped in history, culture, fine arts and friendly gregarious people. And all those ingredients seem to peak every April when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivaltakes center stage. Thousands of music lovers sojourn to a city that already has a rhythm all its on. Wine flows, tasty food is […]
Every May, the city of Cannes, on the chic southern shores of France’s famed Côte d’Azur, hosts the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival where actors, directors and world-premiere movies take center stage. The most glamorous people stay in Cannes’ most glamorous hotel, the Cannes Majestic Barrière. I know, because I saw them when I roomed at […]
In August 2000, the world-renowned Ritz-Carlton chain opened a new, 200-acre resort on the white-sand shores of Rose Hall Jamaica, just 15 minutes from Montego Bay airport. In just a year, Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, Jamaica has become one of the island’s most elegant and well-maintained resorts. Its graceful, seductive, gray-taupe, horseshoe-shaped, 5-story building beckons vacationers […]
The British came to Barbados in 1627 and used slave labor to work the sugar plantations that produced world-class rum. From 1834, when slavery was abolished, through the 20th century, the island’s economy was dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production. After Barbados won independence from the UK in 1966, tourism and manufacturing gradually surpassed […]