TravelThereNext This is not how I’d normally spend a Wednesday morning. I’m perched on another man’s lap in a miniscule plane with no seats. Behind me my instructor is tightening a series of straps while whistling with the nonchalance of a man who does this for a living. We hit 14,000 feet, the door opensContinue reading “Boy’s own adventure”
Author Archives: Rob McFarland
Flight test: New York to Sydney – Qantas business class
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – April 26, 2014 THE ROUTE New York (JFK) to Sydney (via Los Angeles). THE PLANE Boeing 747-400. UP THE BACK OR POINTY END Business, seat 1J. Read the rest of this story here.
Sleep No More, New York
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – March 8, 2014 There are two ways to approach Sleep No More, Punchdrunk’s immersive interpretation of Macbeth in New York. You can do what I did and read a dozen reviews, search online for tips and even download a Macbeth study guide to revise on the way there, orContinue reading “Sleep No More, New York”
Rockin’ Running Tour, Memphis
The Sun-Herald, Australia – February 2, 2014 It’s a common holiday conundrum: how do you find time to exercise while you’re away? No one wants to spend hours cooped up in a gym when you could be sightseeing. It’s particularly challenging in a city such as Memphis, with its tempting trifecta of blues, booze andContinue reading “Rockin’ Running Tour, Memphis”
Powder skiing in Niseko, Japan
GQ Australia – Dec 2013 “Perisher with chopsticks” is how a colleague described Hirafu, one of four ski resorts that comprise Niseko on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido. It’s a region famed for its annual deluge of snow – a dumping equalled by the number of goggle-wearing Aussies who now land there each season in searchContinue reading “Powder skiing in Niseko, Japan”
Gibson Guitar Factory tour, Memphis, Tennessee
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – October 27, 2013 As a guitar-mad teenager, there was only one thing I wanted for my 18th birthday: a Gibson Les Paul. Immortalised by the likes of Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Slash, it was the wannabe rock guitarist’s dream instrument. There was only one problem: a newContinue reading “Gibson Guitar Factory tour, Memphis, Tennessee”
Twenty reasons to visit Boston
The Sun-Herald, Australia – August 4, 2013 From a walk along the historic Freedom Trail to a day at the baseball at Fenway Park, there is always a lot to do in Boston. 1. FREEDOM TRAIL Boston played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, in which 13 North American colonies broke free fromContinue reading “Twenty reasons to visit Boston”
Servant Life Tour at The Elms, Newport
The Sun-Herald, Australia – July 28, 2013 Life as the wife of a US coal baron in the early 1900s was a gruelling affair. Every year, Sarah Berwind would leave her New York home to spend the “season” (July and August) at their summer cottage in Newport, Rhode Island. She would partake in aContinue reading “Servant Life Tour at The Elms, Newport”
Review of Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel
The Sun-Herald, Australia – June 2, 2013 Finalist, 2013 ASTW Best Australian Story under 1000 words Travel descriptions can evoke a wide range of emotions. At one end of the spectrum sit terms such as “overwater bungalow”, “champagne breakfast” and “free upgrade”. At the other end lurk “overnight bus journey”, “flight delay” and “cavity search”.Continue reading “Review of Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel”
Umoja Uaso women’s village, Kenya
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 25, 2013 Judy has the willowy grace of a catwalk model, with high cheekbones, unblemished skin and a practised insouciance. When I ask her why she ran away from home, she slowly folds her slender brown arms and answers through half-closed eyes, “Because my father tried toContinue reading “Umoja Uaso women’s village, Kenya”
Floris Perfumer, London
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 18, 2013 Unsurprisingly, the first thing that hits me when I enter Floris is the smell. It’s as if ribbons of fragrance are being twirled around my head – a delicate aromatic dance of floral and citrus tones, offset by sharper notes of spices and wood. ForContinue reading “Floris Perfumer, London”
A night at Meydan Races, Dubai
The Sun-Herald, Australia – May 12, 2013 I feel like I’m watching the opening scene from a movie. Projected across one of the world’s longest video screens – a 108-metre monster that looms over the track at Meydan Racecourse – is the image of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. He’s strollingContinue reading “A night at Meydan Races, Dubai”
Freestyle Escape cooking school, Sunshine Coast, QLD
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 4, 2013 It was with some trepidation that I signed up for a cooking class at Freestyle Escape. The last time I ventured into a professional kitchen I rendered a salad inedible by liberally garnishing it with peppercorns (I thought they were lentils). But the minute IContinue reading “Freestyle Escape cooking school, Sunshine Coast, QLD”
Welcome to SkyMall World
The Sun-Herald, Australia – Mar 3, 2013 I used to dread US domestic flights. I would board in a fog of despair knowing that for the next four hours I would be squeezed between two bathroom-tile salesmen from Idaho. The only entertainment would be a Miley Cyrus movie played on a screen 100 metres awayContinue reading “Welcome to SkyMall World”
Five classic NYC bunches
The Sun-Herald, Australia – Jan 13, 2013 Ask a New Yorker about their plans for the weekend and you’re almost guaranteed to hear the word brunch. It’s a New York institution. A chance to catch up with friends and indulge in a Mimosa-fuelled afternoon of good food and gossip. The tricky bit is choosing where.Continue reading “Five classic NYC bunches”
Adventures in Borneo
Escape travel section, Australia – December 16, 2012 For the past few days I’ve been haunted by two things: fleeting glimpses of Mt Kinabalu’s ominous-looking granite peak and the dawning realisation that I’m the least prepared of anyone in the group. At 4095m, Mt Kinabalu is South-East Asia’s highest mountain, but it’s also one ofContinue reading “Adventures in Borneo”
GQ does Stockholm
GQ Australia – Dec 2012 First, let’s tackle the stereotypes. Yes, Stockholm can be eye-wateringly expensive and yes, its inhabitants are possibly the planet’s most attractive race. Which at least means when you’re being relieved of $10 for a beer, it will be by a long-legged, flaxen-haired beauty with piercing blue eyes and aContinue reading “GQ does Stockholm”
A music road trip through America’s Deep South
GQ magazine, Australia – October 2012 Of all the great highway journeys, one has been elevated to pilgrimage status by music fans. It starts in the jazz halls of New Orleans, sweeps through the cotton-rich blues joints of the Mississippi Delta and finishes in the honky-tonks of Nashville. It’s a 1000km slice of musical history;Continue reading “A music road trip through America’s Deep South”
The blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Sep 22, 2012 The legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at a deserted crossroads in Mississippi is perhaps the most famous in blues music folklore. The story goes that after several lacklustre performances, the guitarist disappeared on the Mississippi Delta. One night he foundContinue reading “The blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi”
Live music in Austin, Texas
Open Road magazine, Australia – September 2012 “We’re like a blueberry in a sea of tomato soup,” remarks one Austinite with a wry smile. It’s a statement that explains a lot about this endearing little city. While most of Texas is Republican and conservative, Austin is a democratic enclave – a laidback, liberal speck onContinue reading “Live music in Austin, Texas”
Rob McFarland 