Las Vegas was never on my radar. I’m not a gambler and my idea of a vacation is rest and relaxation, peppered with great food and wine and a splash of culture. I’d bet that Bugsy Siegal, when he opened the Flamingo in 1946, didn’t foresee gambling as the fourth reason, behind entertainment, dining and shopping, why Sin City attracts 40 million visitors per year.
I checked into the Delano Hotel, which is like an oasis in a sea of cigarette smoke and slot machines. It’s part of a new trend on the strip, where boutique lifestyle hotels are replacing the ‘bigger is better’ mega-resorts. There’s no hustle and bustle, and not one slot in sight.
Start the day at Delano’s Della’s Kitchen, where morning joggers fuel up on screaming fresh beet juice with pineapple, apple and ginger. Or the Mojave: a concoction of orange, carrot, lemon, ginger and cayenne. Billed as “historic farmhouse meets urban kitchen," the restaurant also offers comfy classics. Try their sinful mac’ and cheese for breakfast because in Vegas you can do anything. Read more...The New Vegas
Four years after buying my house on Vancouver’s Wall Street, I finally decided the time was right to build a laneway house. It was something that had been in the back of my mind since I first saw the 160-foot-long lot, which had ample room for a second home at the back. I learned more than a few lessons during the build this past year...Read my WestCoast Homes & Design story here
