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Lesley Peterson is a Toronto-based blogger tripping on travel, art, culture, museums, cities and legendary landscapes. Catch her on Twitter as @culturetripper or contact her at lesley@culturetripper.com. All content by Lesley Peterson copyright © 2009 - Until the Present. All photos by Lesley Peterson except where other credit noted.
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1920s Atlantic City: the real ‘Boardwalk Empire’
If you’re a fan of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, you’ll know that the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, is loosely based on real-life Atlantic City kingpin Enoch ‘Nucky’ Johnson. Treasurer of Atlantic County during Prohibition era, the real Nucky’s empire flourished in the racy, roaring 1920s. On my last visit to Atlantic […]
27.08.2014 · Filled under: Destination Guides, Food, Legendary Landscapes, United States · Tags: Beaches, film, HISTORY
MexFest 2014, Toronto
It’s here! I’m excited about MexFest, a ten-day Toronto festival celebrating Mexican culture, music, art and cuisine. MexFest 2014 runs from August 7 to 17. Guests at the MexFest Gala, held August 7, enjoyed live music, tequila-based cocktails and a screening of Flight of the Butterflies 3D, the acclaimed documentary film by Director Mike Slee about […]
Dining at London’s top churches
Did you know that some of London’s most famous churches have on-site restaurants? Modern British cuisine comes with a side of atmosphere at: CELLARIUM CAFE & TERRACE, WESTMINSTER ABBEY: A great discovery on my last visit to London was the Cellarium Cafe and Terrace at Westminster Abbey. Accessed through the Abbey’s Dean’s Yard, the restaurants […]
An ode to classic American diners
Do you collect diners? I do. Their gleaming lines – reminiscent of old Airstream trailers – inspire dreams of the open road. Their association with travel comes naturally as the first diners were mobile lunch wagons. Often they were old rail dining cars, parked by the side of the road, serving as inexpensive all-night eateries. […]
03.05.2014 · Filled under: Architecture, Florida, Food, New York · Tags: Buffalo, EAT, Florida, FUN, road trip!
Grenada’s spice necklace
I was lying on a beach in Grenada when I suddenly smelled Christmas. I opened my eyes to see a young man with dreadlocks and an armload of spice necklaces. “Welcome to Grenada,” he grinned. “My name is Terry.” Grenada’s beach vendors are the most polite in the world as well as determined business […]
International Couscous Festival, San Vito lo Capo, Sicily
Sicilian food, like its history, is a stew of cultural influences. Closer to Africa than Rome, and under Arab rule for 200 years during the Middle Ages, it’s not surprising to find couscous on menus in Sicily, especially in the western end of this Mediterranean island. Each September, the beach resort of San Vito lo […]
Exploring culture, food, and Route 66 fun in Albuquerque, New Mexico
The drum is a heartbeat, faster than mine. Apache Crown dancers pace the circle, bodies painted, pine boughs bobbing at their hips, bells the size of tangerines adding an edgy jangle. With cotton sacking disguising their human features, feathers dangling from where their eyes should be, the dancers are eerie, otherworldly. My heartrate rises to […]
14.07.2012 · Filled under: Architecture, Destination Guides, Food, Legendary Landscapes, New Mexico · Tags: CITIES, HISTORY, road trip!
Taking the 506 streetcar to little India
Toronto’s 506 Carlton streetcar is one of the best sightseeing bargains in the city, rambling past many of Toronto’s most colourful neighborhoods – Cabbagetown, Kensington Market, the original Little Italy and two separate ‘Chinatowns’ – on its way to and from its western terminus at High Park. A few days ago I hopped on the […]
Lake Effect Diner, Buffalo, New York
Pat and I are always on the lookout for a non-chain place to eat with great local food and plenty of atmosphere. The Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY, was a real find. It’s easy to love these old diners with their resemblance to old Airstream trailers. Their exuberant lines just seem to shout holiday […]
Buffalo Gal
Still carrying on my not-so-secret love affair with Buffalo, an affair that shows no sign of cooling any time soon. This time, a stroll down Elmwood Avenue, the sidewalk scattered with with golden gingko leaves, to our favorite Buffalo hangout, Cole’s. Robbie at the old (1934) bar – dark wood, college memorabilia, antique carousel horses – […]