By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 22, 2020November 24, 2020 United StatesChristmas, cities, culture, history, museums, New York, North America, Travel, United States13 Comments

Christmas trees of New York City

Christmas in New York City is a magical time. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would have loved to make another trip there this year. The last time we visited the Big Apple was back in 2017, when we stayed for a week in early December, right on time to enjoy the beginning of…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 21, 2020November 22, 2020 Canadaart, Best of Toronto, Canada, culture, Graffiti Alley, history, North America, photography, Toronto, Travel13 Comments

Graffiti Alley, Toronto

Located within the trendy Queen West neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, Graffiti Alley encompasses three city blocks running parallel to Queen Street and including the contiguous alleyway of Rush Lane. Previously a hotspot for unsanctioned street art, Graffiti Alley sparked a debate on the blurred lines between vandalism and art, leading to a fight for its…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 JapanAsia, cities, food, Japan, Photo Friday, photography, Tokyo, Travel10 Comments

Photo Friday: Fine fruits of Japan

I love a juicy piece of fresh fruit as much as the next person, but Japan takes fruit to the next level. One of the most interesting concepts we observed during our visit there was the luxury fruit market, which elevates produce to works of art. During our food tour in Tokyo, our guide took…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 17, 2020November 18, 2020 JapanAkihabara, Asia, cities, culture, food, Japan, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Travel18 Comments

Odds and ends: Final days in Tokyo

On our final few days in Japan, we continued exploring around the great city of Tokyo. Following a day of visiting quiet, historic sites including the neighbourhood of Yanaka and the Imperial Palace, we switched gears and went on to see more of the lively, modern side of Tokyo. We started off with the district…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 15, 2020November 18, 2020 JapanAsia, culture, gardens, history, Imperial Palace, Japan, nature, On This Day, Tokyo, Travel11 Comments

On this day: Imperial Palace, Tokyo

See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On November 15, 2018, I was at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. For all you kind folks who have been following along, today’s recap of my trip to Japan is a two parter. After our midday visit…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 15, 2020November 18, 2020 Japananimals, Asia, cities, culture, history, Japan, On This Day, Tokyo, Travel, Yanaka16 Comments

On this day: Yanaka “Cat Town”, Tokyo

See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On November 15, 2018, I was visiting Yanaka “Cat Town” in Tokyo, Japan. Japan loves cats. From cat cafés to actual cat shrines, you will find symbols of our feline friends everywhere in the country. This is reflective of…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 14, 2020November 18, 2020 JapanAsia, cities, food, Japan, On This Day, Tokyo, tours, Travel11 Comments

On this day: Discovering Tokyo, Japan

See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On November 14, 2018, I was beginning my exploration of Tokyo, Japan. Following a few days in Kyoto and Osaka, we moved onto the last portion of our trip to Japan, which would be spent in the world-class…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 12, 2020November 12, 2020 JapanAsia, cities, culture, distillery, Dotonburi, food, Japan, On This Day, Osaka, Osaka Castle, restaurants, Suntory Yamazaki, tours, Travel, whisky21 Comments

On this day: Osaka, Japan

See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On November 12, 2018, I was in Osaka, Japan. We had spent two fun-filled days in Kyoto and wanted to break things up with a day trip over to Osaka. At only about 20 minutes away from Kyoto…

Places I’ve Been

Read more about the destinations I’ve visited around the globe.

Best of Toronto, Canada

Discovering all the best to see, do, and eat in my home city.

What’s Cooking?

My culinary experiments and other foodie thoughts.

Holiday recipe roundup

By: I’ve Bean Travelling November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

Recipesbaking, Christmas, cooking, desserts, food, food blog, Recipes6 Comments

Around this time last year, I started Mr. Chuckles’ Cooking Corner on the blog and now that we’ve come full circle 12 months later, I’m going to share with you a look back at a few of our best holiday season recipes. Most of them are for dessert! Rosemary and thyme pot roast According to…