The home of Sam Spade, Frank Bullitt, and Harry Callahan, San Francisco is engrained in my mind as a town of hard-boiled private eyes and no-nonsense detectives. That’s probably about as far away from the city’s current vibe as can be, but I’m still a sucker for Bogart’s cadence, McQueen’s mastery of a Mustang, and Eastwood’s legendary question, about how lucky you feel. Now while I didn’t burn rubber up and down the embarcadero, I made sure I put some miles on the soles of my shoes in a city I was inexcusably unfamiliar with, and of course that meant hitting a few local watering holes and culinary gems. 

– Richard Healy

New York City, the culinary beating heart of the US of A. My favorite city. The city of constant hustle, attitude, and grit. If someone outside of this country asked me to see a picture of America, I’d show them a picture of New York. The Ear Inn is the oldest bar in NYC and they’ve been filling glasses since 1817, even during prohibition. Located inside the historic James Brown house built in 1770, this is always my first stop in the city.  

– Richard Healy

It is impossible not to be impressed by Chicago. That skyline flirting with the edge of Lake Michigan never gets old. The unmistakable rattle of the L weaving through skyscrapers, like the blood flowing through the veins of this truly great, tough metropolis. Chicago doesn’t apologize for what it is. Chicago doesn’t have to. 

– Richard Healy

Forgive me for lumping both cities together, neither one deserves that. My time in Baltimore was so short that I only had half a night to really see the city. I did have some crab cakes, but I feel like that they were a tad phony. Perhaps I just don’t understand the crab cake attraction. Most likely I just haven’t had them at the right place. Well, I’ll have to remedy that next time I’m in Baltimore. 

– Richard Healy

Canada, the country closest and yet more alien to me than some an ocean away. I know nothing about Canada and that is entirely my fault. Toronto is just about an hour flight and yet I had never thought once about heading north. Perhaps that’s solely on me, perhaps it’s an American notion to not give our northern neighbors a thought when it comes to international travel. I dropped in midday on a Thursday for a brief trip… 

– Richard Healy