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Do you need to go to Stamford Bridge to watch football in London? No, and you don't need to go to Yankee Stadium, packed with rude suburbanites, to see baseball in New York.
Shea Stadium is out in Flushing, Queens and is the home of the New York Mets. It’s also witnessed two World Series, the birth of Joe Namath as an American football star, papal masses and the Beatles’ most famous concert.
It's cheaper than Yankee Stadium, much more family oriented, and has an interesting feature - jets taking off from LaGuardia airport fly directly over the stadium. Don't expect to hear much except for the loudest yells.
In Flushing Meadow Park on the Number 7 train (from Times Square and Grand Central Station), the station is Willet's Point/Shea Stadium
Do you experience withdrawal symptoms when travelling? Need an injection of football? Check out Denmark's best team in action at the National Stadium - Parken. Home matches every other week. You can get a ticket for a tenner.
In Danish: fck.dk/
National Stadium is in Østerbro:
www.parken.dk/script/site/page.asp?artid=146
A small friendly riad with a charming owner Peter and wonderful staff - Hassan to whom nothing was too much trouble and who let our three-year-old help water the plants while we finished breakfast. Fatima the cook produced a meal for our son at tea time and a superb later dinner for us. We loved the 3ft deep marble effect sunken bath in our ensuite.
Through Peter we had a wonderful family excursion to a restaurant and swimming pool for lunch in the Atlas Mountains with a great driver - Cherif
Dar Zaman
29, Derb Bouelilou, Sidi Ben Slimane
40000 Marrakech Medina
www.darzaman.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/yhmy8lu
A lovely villa, right in the city centre of Granada. It actually shares its garden wall with the Alhambra. It is a big place, with gardens and a swimming pool (quite rare in any city centre).
Bars, restaurants, shops and the magnificent Alhambra palace all in easy walking distance. Most of the terraces have fantastic views over the Albaicin (old Arabic quarter). It may seem a bit on the expensive side, but really isn't when you take a reasonable sized group and see the price per person.
We used the villa for a joint family holiday, it was perfect as it catered to all of us - adults, teenagers and the smaller kids. Definitely one of our top three family holidays.
The City Park in Budapest is a marvellous green spot behind Heroes' Square (www.budapestinfo.org/herossquare.html). The most attractive building is the Vajdahunyad Castle (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajdahunyad_Castle), a replica of a gothic castle in Transsylvania. It is really spectacular, especially when the small boating lake beside the castle is filled with water during summer time. In the City Park you can find the Széchenyi Spa, the biggest bath in Budapest. The building is very old and looks terrific from the inside. The Zoo, the Circus and the Budapest luna park are also located here making the park a popular amusement spot.
Just down the road from Pike Place Market, this is an American Burger chain and diner with a kitsch fifties spin.
For cheap eats in Seattle, you can't go better than this blast from the past - the mock up fifties diner is surprisingly well done, with bright red booths, a jukebox you can request rock-n'roll tunes from, and perky staff who break into jive routines in the middle of a shift.
Kooky touches include old Coca-Cola ads on the walls, ketchup splodged into a smiley face on your plate, and a long bar for sipping shakes and malts, and watching the behatted chefs flip burgers.
Of course the main draw here is the food - all of it highly calorific but delicious fare. Oreo milkshakes so thick you're straw will get stuck (use a spoon, and don't be ashamed to drain the last dregs from the metal 'shaker' that comes with your glass), mountainous BLT's and oozing chili dogs. The burgers are even better; thick and juicy and come in all shapes and sizes, from the gut-busting Bacon Cheddar Double, to the 'Route 66' - complete with mushrooms, grilled onions and mozzarella cheese.
These burger's separate the men from the boys - don't even think about ordering a salad. After eating here, you'll never be able to face a McDonalds again.
Pacific Place
600 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
Excellent, friendly restaurant serving traditional, delicious Portuguese fare.
Reasonably priced food and an excellent wine list to boot.
The fish is particularly good and the customary cheeses and meats to start are the best I've tasted in Lisbon (especially the Queijo de Azetao).
Travessa de Queimada, Bairro Alto
Don't join the long line of people waiting to get in the Prado. If you are with your kids go to the Reina Sofia instead and see some marvellous contemporary and modern art paintings like Picasso's 'Guernica'.
After, go to the café/restaurant for some great food and of course a bottle of wine from the Ribera Del Duero region, superb.
The Trafford Centre is probably the best shopping centre I have visited. There are so many shops to choose from - and there is a shop for everyone!
From clothes, accessories, sportswear, gaming, homeware, beauty and more - you are certain to come home with a car full of shopping bags.
There are also lots of great restaurants, bars and cafes to suit everyone's tastebuds after you've worked up an appetite from all that shopping - from Indian and Spanish cuisine restaurants to cosy coffee bars - you're bound to fine somewhere to satifsy the whole family.
As well as shops, bars and restaurants, the Trafford Centre is also the venue of many events such as fashion shows, dances and other competitions- it's also appeared on Channel 4's '10 Years Younger'.
So if you're looking for somewhere to shop, shop, shop - and then relax, the Trafford Centre could be right up your street!
Check out the Trafford Centre website for more information
The Jorvik Viking Centre in York is a great attraction for all ages.
You travel back to the year AD975 and discover what life was like in Britain at the time of the Vikings.
You may even come face-to-face with a Viking!
There is also a shop and many other activities, including brass rubbing and writing your name in Jorvik!
Telephone (booking): 01904 543402
(general enquiries): 01904 543400
JORVIK Viking Centre, Coppergate, York, Y01 9WT
Used to live there - fab place, 5 minute walk out of big bustling city, nice restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops. Laid back way of life out of fast pace of city.
Turn left at bottom of Queen Street and then follow road round, up big hill and there you are - it's a great place to have a slow stroll around eating drinking and viewing things and especially people watching.
The Spaghetti Factory is a quirky restaurant that is excellent value for money - a loaf of freshly baked sour dough bread, free refill soft drinks, starter, ice cream and tea and coffee, are included with the price of your main course. Fantastic for feeding a whole family!
The restaurant itself is a treasure trove of Tiffany glass panels and lights, mismatched furniture means you may be seated on a grand wooden throne or inside a reclaimed streetcar, and should you glance up check out the many artefacts and trinkets that adds to the family atmosphere.
#54 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1A6
(416) 864-9761
Parking available; Meter & pay parking
This fantastic pub in Leith has spectacular views of the Firth of Forth (try and get an outside table for the best views) and the staff are really friendly. It is 'the' place in Leith to grab a drink or a quick meal (the lamb stew is the best dish). It's great for families as children are allowed in the conservatory upstairs.
Trinity Cres, Leith, Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 552 1233
www.oldchainpier.co.uk
The stretch of Kingsland Road between Shoreditch and Hackney can seem barren at the best of times, with little more than car mechanics and tool hire shops to stop for, but a sure sign that things are changing is The Fox, a gastropub ripe for serving the new cluster of flats springing up in the area.
The menu is organic, and changes monthly, and they have a special menu for kids. Sunday morning is a real family-fest. When I visited the patrons seemed to span in age from 8 months to 80 years.
372 Kingsland Road, London E8; tel: 020 7254 4012
A superb 'genuine' Italian coffee shop - in Melbourne – where you can get homemade biscuits, cakes, sweets and confectionery to go with your coffee, and for the kids - gelati. This little cafè has become a fave with the local Hamptonites. The name Amaretto? From the Italian liqueur.
565 Hampton St, Hampton, Victoria 3188;
www.amarettoonhampton.com/menu.html
A delightful little eatery hidden away on a back street near The Village. If you like you dining outings to be a relaxed, enjoyable event then you will love it. Taking inspiration from centuries old Mongolian warrior traditions, you select your raw food (a host of meats, vegetables, sauces and spices) and one of the talented chefs grills and cooks the meal before your eyes. Wonderful decor and polite, attentive staff make this one of the most original and enjoyable eating experiences in Manchester.
16 Chorlton Street, Manchester (walkable from Picadilly Gardens and station);
tel: 0161 228 1631;
www.mongolian-barbeque.co.uk
One of the most beautiful and secluded beaches on the island - and yet it's just around the corner from San Antonio. A nice little bar with very reasonable (if simple) food, clean sand and beautiful water. It's not exactly a secret, but is never crowded even in peak season despite its small size. The other sun worshippers are usually Spanish or Italian, and you'll be very unlikely to find noisy gangs of Brits. Good for families as well. When you get off the taxi boat you'll be at the Aquarium which is also beautiful and well worth a look.
Take a taxi boat from San Antonio for a few Euros, or it's probably walkable. Take a taxi to Hotel Tanit and walk towards the sea
A local chain of Italian-style eateries. Adapted to local tastes but excellent value, very large portions and very family friendly (kids will love it).
There are about six branches dotted around Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. One is in Soho half way up the big escalator; www.fatangelos.com
Family run restaurant/trattoria very close to the Colosseum, excellent value and friendly staff. This is a much better choice than the restaurants that actually overlook the Colosseum and much more 'local'. Wide menu selection as well as the usual pizzas (which are very good). They also have a massive collection of games which you are welcome to play with during or after your meal - we were there for about 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon...
La Pace del Cervello
Via dei SS Quattro, 63.
Tel: 06 7005173
At the 'back' of the Colosseum, ie opposite to where you go in. There are few parallel streets running away from the Colosseum, this is the 2nd from the left and about 100m down on the left - just after the Spar!
I’m not very fond of bus tours filled with tourists and less-than-interesting tourguides, but in Miami I went on a tour which had my kind of guide.
Started up in Boston and now one of the most popular tours in Miami: the Duck Tour. It owes its name to the fact that it can drive as well as sail, so that you can see and hear Miami from every possible angle. The guide shows you around Miami and talks about its citizens and history, which is nice, but the best part is when the Duck hits the water.
While on the water you sail along Miami’s little islands, which are packed with multi-million dollar mansions. It was great to look into the garden of Shaquille O’Neal, to spy on Diddy in his ‘dump’ and to see all the other residences of Florida’s richest inhabitants.
Back on the streets the Duck takes you to the Port of Miami, past Ocean Drive and the home of the late Gianni Versace. The whole tour is really educational, especially for the Hello readers amongst us.
One minor drawback of the Duck Tour is that they take their name too serious. The quacking the passengers have to perform during the one and a half hour ride is most embarrassing.
Miami Duck Tour, 1665 Washington Avenue, South Beach, tel: 786 276 8300;
ticketing.ducktoursmiami.com
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