Author: Larry Heath

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to enjoy an incredible night at the Californian tiki bar Strong Water. Just a stones throw from Disneyland in Anaheim – where so much of the modern tiki bar aesthetic was popularised – this James Beard Award semi-finalist is now one of the hottest destinations in the city….

For decades now, Cirque du Soleil has been the king of the Las Vegas strip – producing almost a dozen residency shows for the city since 1993, with close to 10,000 people witnessing the Montreal company’s spectacle every night. Residency shows are typically designed for the destination, usually in a room custom built for the…

Last month I was lucky enough to visit Buffalo, New York for the first time since 2019. A lot has changed in this city since my last visit, but today I want to talk about a restaurant that opened up in August 2023 – Southern Junction. From the outside it looks like a typical Texan…

While Australia has only ever enjoyed Cirque du Soleil in its traditional touring format (usually in their “Grand Chapiteau” tent – as Luzia will be later this year in Brisbane and Sydney), over the years, select destinations around the world have come to enjoy permanent Cirque residencies. Las Vegas is famed to host the majority…

Vampire Weekend performed what they pronounced was their largest ever headline show ever in Canada tonight at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Canada, as part of the Only God Was Above Us tour. For the occasion, across a two and a half hour show, the New York band performed the OG version of their Contra…

Debuting in October 2019, The Hoxton Downtown Los Angeles sits as one of 16 Hoxton properties around the world. With locations in Edinburgh and Florence coming later this year, and Melbourne and Oslo due in 2027 – making the boutique chain’s Australian and Scandinavian debuts, respectively – it’s a brand you’re bound to encounter soon…

It’s been a massive weekend of announcements for Disney, thanks to their annual fan event D23 taking place in Anaheim, California. And this year may have seen more announcements for their theme parks around the world than ever before. Some attractions were long rumoured, like the Indiana Jones attraction at Animal Kingdom, or even semi-confirmed…

I’ve been lucky enough to see the Foo Fighters a couple of times in Los Angeles over the years. First was in 2006 at The Pantages, in the shows that wound up on their CD/DVD release Skin and Bones. And then in 2018 at the second (and presumably final) year of their Cal Jam Festival. The…

It’s always wonderful to see Australian artists getting the recognition they deserve overseas. But rarely do you expect to see Australian musicians featured in a museum in the USA. However, when The Punk Rock Museum opened in Las Vegas last April, three Australian punk bands saw themselves featured alongside the legends of the genre. Founded…

Opening on the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood earlier in the year, the new Power Up Cafe is a companion to Super Nintendo World in the theme park’s lower lot. The “cafe” sits in the New York strip, taking inspiration from the “real life” Mario universe you saw featured in the billion-dollar making Super…

When you think about where to get yourself some great Chinese dumplings and Dim Sum, it’s fair to say that the American desert doesn’t immediately come to mind. Nonetheless, Las Vegas in Nevada proves to hold a secret treasure trove of some of the best dumplings in North America, with plenty of options on the…

As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. I was lucky enough to frequent the park as a kid, but never got to stay in the iconic hotel that expanded on the experience of visiting on the park. That was until earlier this year. So what is it like…

Over the last year and a half, Canada’s Porter Airlines has been rapidly expanding its services, debuting a wide variety of new routes on the brand new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. They started flying those jets (the first in North America to do so) in February of last year. Up until that debut, the airline had…

With the the launch of the hi-tech Sphere and a multitude of modern new experiences in Las Vegas, it may seem that the classic “Las Vegas Residency” isn’t getting the attention it once did. But the reality is, more major artists are performing in the city than ever before, each bringing in tens of millions…

Opening on Philadelphia’s South Street last year, YOWIE describes itself as a “hotel and shop focused on curating small collections from friends, independent artists, and designers”, with their very own cafe WIM offering coffee and light meals. The “invisible service” boutique hotel offers 13 unique rooms, that sit above the coffee shop and store, and…

This week marks the end of a 18 year legacy, as the groundbreaking Cirque du Soleil production Love, celebrating the catalogue of The Beatles, closes this Saturday at The Mirage in Las Vegas. Debuting on 2nd June 2006, the show was Cirque’s first using existing IP, setting up a dream opportunity for publishers to engage…

Last Fall, I was lucky enough to travel through the northeast of the United States  – an area known as New England – with my Mum. It was a trip we’d planned to do for many years. Originally, in the Spring, as the leaves on the streets were freshly growing and the flowers freshly blooming;…

Outside of their locations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, one doesn’t think of dumplings when planning a trip out to Disneyland. But this all changes this week as one of the world’s best, Michelin star winning, dumpling spots Din Tai Fung opens at Downtown Disney in California. With the soft launch taking place earlier this…

Air Canada have been giving their Airbus 321-200s a much needed overhaul, from head to tail, featuring everything from larger baggage compartments, to a camera on the tail and belly – a first for a narrow body aircraft. This will help bring the aircraft up to the standard of their newer narrow body aircraft, both…

Disney Cruise Line – which finally arrived in Australia and New Zealand last October – have just confirmed their ship Disney Wonder is set to return for a third season on our shores in 2025/2026. Having already completed its first season, and with a second already announced for October 2024 through February 2025, the confirmation…

Right now New York’s iconic theatre district – Broadway – may have the most amount of chart-topping artists represented in its catalogue than ever. And this was well recognised at this weekend’s Tony Awards, with the two most nominated productions being Hell’s Kitchen, featuring the catalogue of Alicia Keys, and Stereophonic, with original music from…

Whether you’ve seen the movie Saving Mr. Banks, heard the folklore or have noticed the lamp yourself, chances are you know that Walt Disney had small apartment near the entry to Disneyland in California. Situated above the Fire Station that sits on the left hand side of the park’s entry, Walt would be able to…

At the end of November last year, Korea’s large scale digital art gallery – ARTE MUSEUM – opened their first (and still only) location in North America, on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s part of a burgeoning trend of immersive experiences in the city, and sits amongst seven locations for the gallery around the world….

Feeling old, buddy? This month, the big screen adaptation of South Park, South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut, celebrates its 25th anniversary. Debuting at the end of June 1999, the film was amongst the most controversial of a year filled with controversial but successful, MPAA R-Rated films. You had The Matrix, which had been an…

As one of those kids who, in the mid-90s, got to see Toy Story in cinemas, having their minds blown by the possibilities of 3D animation in feature films, I can safely call myself part of the OG Pixar generation. And since then their hit rate has been second to none – with a catalogue…

In our ongoing first ride series, we update you on the latest rides and attractions at theme parks around the world. Today we take you to Universal Studios Hollywood, and their updated, limited time only, 60th Anniversary Studio Tour experience. The iconic Hollywood film studio has been offering backstage experiences since 1915. But it would…

The “World’s Fair” – known outside the United States as “World Expositions” or just “Expo” – used to be a big deal. A real big deal. It would attract tens of millions of visitors to a city over a number of months (generally three to six – but sometimes over multiple years), featuring dozens of…

With clear views of the sunset over the horizon of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, it’s hard to argue there’s any bad place to watch the sun set here. But on my recent visit to the iconic tourist destination, I may have found the best way to watch it – Holokai Catamaran Company’s nightly Sunset Sail….

This past Friday (26th April), under the theme of “Celebrating Friendship and Beyond”, Disneyland kicked off Pixar Fest 2024 – six years after the first took over Disney’s two California parks. The event comes almost three months to the day that the park unveiled the brand new Pixar Place Hotel, and less than three months…

Honolulu’s Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (which I reviewed earlier this year) has recently undergone a more than US$80 million renovation. It’s seen the iconic resort (with its origins dating back to the 1950s) reimagined with updated rooms, facilities and the addition of the much lauded Monkeypod Kitchen restaurant – now the fourth location in the…