I’m fascinated by churches, especially their design. Sometimes they’re simple, almost stark, other times elaborate. If I have my camera and can stop, I’ll take photos or I’ll get my camera and return later. Whatever their design, however, churches inspire reverence. As I waited at the Rockville Center station for the train to Long Island a few years ago, I saw this church in the distance. I couldn’t believe how...

The Jamaican Cherry has red, sometimes yellow skin, is yellow inside and has two to three small oval seeds. It is slightly sweet, slightly tart and juicy, and is used to make juices, or washed and eaten just picked from the tree. The cherries are low in carbohydrates and are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. The Jamaican Cherry is native to the Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central America and...

I’ve been eating pineapples all my life but it wasn’t until about a year ago that I discovered that there are different varieties. On a recent visit to Croydon Plantation (more on that later), I tasted the Cowboy, Ripley and Sugar Loaf.** Some Pineapple Facts The pineapple was brought to Jamaica from South America by the Tainos, the island’s first inhabitants. The Spanish took it to Spain, then to Hawaii and...

If I had my way, there wouldn’t be a Falmouth Pier. Heck, there wouldn’t have been even one cruise ship pier in Jamaica, period. But of course, no one asked me – they never ask the people, the ones who really matter. Anyway, it’s here now but believe me, there are more than a few disgruntled residents in Falmouth. Falmouth, capital of the parish of Trelawny, is located on Jamaica’s...

Sometimes, moving day can mean much more than moving household furniture and personal belongings. Sometimes, it also involves the  moving of the actual house. When I read Budget Jan‘s post for last week’s Travel Photo Thursday, it reminded me of the times, in Westmoreland, when I’d see houses like this one being moved from one location to another, usually on a tractor. Westmoreland has a long history with tractors and sugarcane...

We don’t call it street food here, though that’s what it is and it’s been around for a while. When I was about 6 or 7, and we only used to jerk pork, there was a man who’d go from house to house selling pork from a metal pan that was attached to the front of his bicycle. The pan was like a portable barbecue with smoldering pimento coals at...

I love road trips and in December, I took a few which brought me into the interior of Jamaica. Here are a few photos of what I saw. We left early on the morning of the first trip. The air was fresh and cool and as the sun grew higher above the St. Elizabeth hills, it began to burn off the mist that had covered the mountain. Rising more than...

′Think New York and you’ll think either theater, fashion or finance.  Theater has Broadway, finance has Wall Street with its iconic bull, and fashion has Seventh or Fashion Avenue. Did you know that Fashion Avenue has a Fashion Walk of Fame? Established in 1999 by the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID), the Fashion Walk of Fame celebrates American designers who have influenced fashion worldwide. Twenty-eight designers have been inducted...

As 2012 drew to a close, I was plagued by the notion that I didn’t do enough travelling. It was making me feel a bit regretful so I started making a list — I love lists! Sure enough, I realized I had done a lot of travelling in Jamaica and that made me smile. I had even managed to slip in a few trips to New York and Toronto. My...

As 2012 draws to a close, I’m eagerly anticipating another year of travel and discovery. But before I start the New Year, I wanted to look back at my year of travelling Jamaica. Since January, I have logged hundreds of miles around the island. Sometimes I traveled solo, sometimes I was with friends who were visiting. Each trip though, brought me face to face with intriguing individuals, or took me...