Suckerpunch, Dodge Fiasco frontman goes solo

"The Kid" has grown up.

Christopher Dignan was still in high school when he formed Suckerpunch more than 20 years ago. The singer/guitarist was a sexy and swaggering frontman for the Toronto group that played a swampy, punky version of rockabilly that made it a hit in local clubs — even if it didn't receive the widespread recognition I thought it deserved.

The band broke up in 1996 and I can still remember its last show (or at least one of its last shows) in the basement of a friend's house. Suckerpunch was missed, but Dignan soon formed Dodge Fiasco. Like his previous band, it included his older brother Sean on drums. And also like Suckerpunch, it rocked.

Dodge Fiasco is still around, but Dignan is now independently releasing his first solo record: the excellent Let The Sparks Fly. The multi-talented singer, songwriter and musician shows just how far he's come musically on this 14-song, 42-minute disc.

Dignan wrote and mixed all the songs and played all of the instruments on it, with the exception of saxophone and organ on two tracks. Dignan honed his chops on bass with The Kensington Hillbillies and on drums with The Midways, whose ultra-fun and garage-based Pay More And Get A Good Seat was one of my favourite albums of 2003.

The maturing that Dignan has done over the years shines brightly through on Let The Sparks Fly, which showcases more variations in style and substance than the two bands he's most closely associated with.

Opener "Gonna Move" is a rocker that cooks with gas, and it's followed by the more rockabilly-oriented "My Time Will Come." "I'm Feeling Good Now" follows a similar path.

There's a classic '60s pop vibe running through "Too Long Without You," "Certain Kind Of Girl" and "Tap On Your Window," which features pleasant harmonies. "My Back Pocket" could have been a new wave song from 30 years ago.

Dignan shows his guitar prowess on "Move Them Bones" and proves he's no slouch on the skins with the drum rolls on "Hurtful." The organ will prick up your ears on "It's You."

The guest saxophones add a nice touch on the sexy, mid-tempo love song "Say There Beautiful," and there's a rootsy edge to "Black Barn."

The album ends with the title track, which starts slowly but builds in intensity as the song progresses.

As much as I liked Suckerpunch and Dodge Fiasco, Let The Sparks Fly is the crowning achievement of Dignan's career so far.
 
I can't see Let The Sparks Fly not being on my ballot when I submit it for next year's Polaris Music Prize, which will recognize the top album released in Canada over the last half of 2010 and first half of 2011.

You can hear "Gonna Move," "My Back Pocket" and "It's You" here.

Let The Sparks Fly will officially be launched on Dec. 1 at Toronto's Lula Lounge. This special performance will see Dignan joined by a band featuring Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo), John Borra (The Screwed) and Derrick Brady (Dodge Fiasco, Hawksley Workman).

The Best of Kimberley Rew

I've been a fan of singer, songwriter and guitarist Kimberley Rew for more than 25 years, but I've only just now heard more than a couple of songs from his solo recording career.

I fell in love with The Soft Boys' Underwater Moonlight album a few years after hearing it following its 1980 release. YepRoc Records has just issued a 30th anniversary version of the album and if you've ever wanted to hear a record that masterfully mixed pop, rock, punk, psychedelic and folk elements, you should pick it up.

The Soft Boys may not be famous, but they were definitely influential. Just ask R.E.M.

Underwater Moonlight was The Soft Boys' second and last studio album until the band reformed to release Nextdoorland in 2002. I was lucky enough to catch a performance on the group's tour in support of it.

Robyn Hitchcock was the focal point of The Soft Boys, and I've continued to follow him through a productive and eclectic career as a solo artist and with The Egyptians and The Venus 3. He's an off-kilter musical genius who's a joy to behold on stage, as you never know what might come out of his mouth.

When Hitchcock left to pursue a solo career, Rew had a stash of songs begging to be heard. He joined Katrina & The Waves in 1981, but it took four years for the band to release its self-titled major label debut LP featuring 10 re-recorded versions of earlier songs. The album included "Going Down To Liverpool," a Rew composition that had been a hit for The Bangles two years earlier, and what would become the group's biggest hit and signature song: "Walking on Sunshine."

That was the band's commercial peak in North America, although it continued to record and won the Eurovision song contest in 1997 with the Rew-composed "Love Shine A Light," which reached #2 in Britain.

I still prefer Katrina & The Waves' earliest material, before their work was given a major label sheen, and heartily recommend obtaining 2003's The Original Recordings 1983-1984.

Rew released a 1982 solo effort called The Bible of Bop that saw him backed by members of The Soft Boys, Katrina & The Waves and another underrated act, the dB's. That was it until 2000, when Rew issued Tunnel Into Summer. Great Central Revisited followed two years later and Essex Hideaway came out in 2005. I admit to being oblivious to all of them.

The Best of Kimberley Rew was released earlier this month, and it opened my eyes to how good many of his songs I was unaware of are.

One of the earliest tracks, a great power pop number titled "Stomping All Over The World," features guitar interplay between Rew and Hitchcock and you can hear vague strains of perhaps The Soft Boys' best song, "I Wanna Destroy You," in it.

Another early number, "Hey, War Pig!," features backing from Katrina & The Waves. The title is repeated frequently throughout and, had I heard it a few weeks earlier, I definitely would have included it in my Remembrance Day "Songs of peace and remembrance" post for MSN.ca.

"A Girl Called String" has a pleasant reggae rhythm, but without the big bottom end usually associated with the genre. Reggae progenitor rock steady similarly infuses "The End Of Our Rainbow," which also features nice female harmonies.

"English Road" is an up-tempo, jangly, power pop number of the sort that's more normally associated with Rew. So is "Simple Pleasures."

"Old Straight Track" is a rootsy pop number with female harmonies and the country-leaning "The Radio Played Good Vibrations" wouldn't have sounded out of place on The Rolling Stones' "Exile On Main St."

There are also some slower songs, a couple with spoken-word vocals ("Jerome K Jerome" and "Your Mother Was Born In That House") and "Screaming Lord Sutch," a melancholy acoustic ballad about the British music artist and Official Monster Raving Loony Party founder who hung himself in 1999.

With the publishing royalties that I hope Rew has earned from "Going Down To Liverpool," "Walking On Sunshine," "Love Shine A Light" and Celine Dion's cover of his "That's Just The Woman In Me," he may be content to live comfortably and play small pubs on weekends in his native Cambridgeshire. But knowing his pedigree, and especially after hearing this new compilation, it would be a shame if Rew didn't share his talents on a larger scale with more recording and touring.

A look at the Evergreen Brick Works

I wrote an article on Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works for Samaritanmag.com, which you can read at http://samaritanmag.com/torontos-evergreen-brick-works-national-geographic-top-10-geotourism-destination.

All of the photos I took of the beautiful site couldn't be used with the article, so I've included them below.

The Evergreen Brick Works is definitely worth a visit. Check it out.

No breakdowns with Slim Cessna's Auto Club

Alternative Tentacles is reissuing Slim Cessna's Auto Club's Jesus Let Me Down on vinyl, but Toronto fans had the band in person on Friday night at Mitzi's Sister.

The Denver, Colo. sextet — which plays an energetic blend of gothic country, punk, gospel and roots music with drums, upright bass, pedal steel, banjos, piano and guitar — crowded on to Mitzi's small stage and let things fly for 70 minutes.

Many of the favourites from Jesus Let Me Down, which was recorded at the August 2004 release show for the band's The Bloudy Tenent Truth Peace album, were brought to life for the enthusiastic fans who pushed their way to the front. Newer tracks from 2008's Cipher and this year's Buried Behind the Barn collection of out-takes, compilation tracks and alternate recordings were also part of the set, which ended with Cessna and Jay Munly going into the audience and climbing on tables.

Slim Cessna's Auto Club knows how to light up a room, and the group will be doing it again at Ottawa's Babylon tonight (Nov. 6) and at Montreal's Le Divan Orange on Nov. 8 before heading back to the U.S. for dates next week in Allston, Mass., New York City, Long Branch, N.J., Baltimore, Md. and Pittsburgh, Pa.

A new studio album is expected in March.

Searching For Celebrities At Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Pere Lachaise Cemetery is the largest in Paris and one of the French capital's most popular tourist attractions.

The 48-hectare (119-acre) site is located on the Right Bank of the Seine River in the 20th arrondissement and is easily accessible by subway or bus from hotels in Paris city centre.

Members of the Paris elite have been buried in Pere Lachaise since it was established in 1804, and visitors have been coming to see their grave sites in increasing numbers ever since. There are now more than 300,000 bodies buried in Pere Lachaise, and the remains of many more who chose to be cremated can be found in the columbarium.

One of most moving places in Pere Lachaise is the Communards' Wall. The Communards were more than a mid-'80s British pop music act fronted by Jimmy Somerville. The original Communards were a group of leftists that briefly took control of the city in the spring of 1871 before meeting a violent end. The  bodies of 147 dead combatants were thrown in an open trench at the base of a wall, which is now named in their honour.

Wear comfortable shoes, as there's a lot of walking involved if you want to take in the entire site. While strolling through the tree-filled cemetery, you're likely to come across the final resting places of many prominent people, including:

• 19th century French writer Honore de Balzac

• French actress Sarah Bernhardt
• Georges Bizet, a 19th century French composer best known for his opera Carmen

• American opera star Maria Callas (her ashes were stolen and only her empty urn remains)
• 19th century Polish composer Frederic Chopin

• American dancer Isadora Duncan
• French surrealist poet Paul Eluard
• German surrealist artist Max Ernst, one of the early pioneers of the Dada movement
• French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli
• 12th century French scholar and nun Heloise
• French mime artist Marcel Marcequ
• 17th century French playwright Moliere

• Italian actor and singer Yves Montand
• American singer, poet and Doors frontman Jim Morrison

• French singer Edith Piaf
• St. Thomas-born French impressionist painter Camille Pissarro
• French novelist and critic Marcel Proust

• Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, best known for his opera The Barber of Seville (his remains were moved to Florence, Italy, but his crypt is still in place)

• American author Gertrude Stein
• Alice B. Toklas, Stein's life partner and fellow writer
• Former Dominican Republic president and dictator Rafael Trujillo
• 19th century Irish writer Oscar Wilde

Pere Lachaise's hours vary slightly according to season, but the cemetery is open seven days a week throughout the year from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free maps are available at the main entrances and guided tours are available for a small fee if advance reservations are made.

The Specials At The Sound Academy

Most of the original lineup of Coventry's finest, The Specials, made their first Canadian appearances in almost 30 years this weekend with two shows at Toronto's Sound Academy.

I'm a huge fan, but Saturday night's show surpassed my expectations and the band provided a sweaty, skanking good time. Here are a few photos of The Specials in action:

Have A Pint And Learn Some History At Guinness Storehouse

I wasn't much of a fan of dark and heavy beers until I visited Dublin, Ireland in 1991 and went straight to the source of where the world's most famous stout, Guinness, was brewed.

It tasted fresher and had more flavour than what we got at home in Canada and impressed me so much that I'm now eager to sample as many stouts as I can.

The same thing could happen to you today when you venture out from one of the many hotels in Dublin and make your way to the Guinness Storehouse. It was originally built in 1904 to house the Guinness fermentation process and served that purpose until 1988.

It's now a tourist attraction in which the core is modelled on a giant pint glass that stretches from the ground floor reception area to the seventh floor Gravity Bar. If filled, the glass would hold about 14.3 million pints. Even for most Irishmen, that would qualify as a big night out.

The first floor houses a retail store, information on master brewer Arthur Guinness (who founded Guinness at the St. James's Gate location in 1759) and an exhibit focused on the four ingredients found in Guinness: water, barley, hops and yeast. 

You'll learn about the brewing process, see a tasting laboratory, find out about the transportation of Guinness and discover the craftsmanship involved in coopering (the making of wooden casks) one floor up.

Guinness has used a variety of interesting advertising over the years, and a wide selection of its marketing tools can be viewed on the second floor. The third floor Choice Zone is an interactive exhibit that challenges visitors to look at their drinking habits and recognize the fine line between drinking to enjoy yourself and drinking to excess.

The fourth floor tells the story of the storehouse, while you can learn how to pour a pint of perfect Guinness on the fifth floor. It's also home to the Source Bar and Brewery Bar, where you can eat, drink and relax. There's also an exhibition of work by John Gilroy, the artist responsible for much of the famous Guinness advertising from the 1930s to the '60s.

Your last stop (unless you want to shop at the store on your way out) on your tour will be the seventh floor Gravity Bar, where you'll be given a pint of Guinness and can enjoy a great view of Dublin.

Guinness Storehouse is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but  extends its hours by two in July and August. The admission price has increased from two Irish pounds when I first visited (and took a less elaborate tour, but was given three half-pints) almost 20 years ago to 15 Euros today. I guess that's the price of progress.

Pop Montreal Is Six Weeks Away

Hockey, beautiful women, historic buildings, smoked meat, the 1976 Summer Olympics and its debt … these are some of the things that come to mind first when people think of Montreal.

But this century has also put the city on the map for music, particularly indie rock, with bands like Arcade Fire, Simple Plan, Sam Roberts, The Dears (pictured), Wolf Parade, The Stills, Handsome Furs, Patrick Watson and Malajube all building big followings.

There's more to discover beyond those names, however, and music fans should consider booking flights to Montreal this fall for the Pop Montreal International Music Festival. The eighth annual event will run this year from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 and feature a variety of local, national and international acts playing 75 venues around the world's second largest French-speaking city.

Among the artists confirmed for Pop Montreal 2010 are 222s, Asexuals, Atari Teenage Riot, Carole Pope, Danielson, Deerhoof, Diamond Rings, Dinosaur Bones, Dog Day, Drag The River, Glen Matlock, Hollerado, Holy Fuck, Karkwa,  Les Savy Fav, Liars, Library Voices, Macy Gray, Marnie Stern, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Murder By Death, Priestess, Scout Niblett, Serena Maneesh, Shonen Knife, Swans, The Budos Band, The Danks, The Dears, The Golden Dogs, The Postelles, The Watson Twins, Timber Timbre, Toasters, Tom Tom Club, Van Dyke Parks, Women and XX.

More than 400 artists will perform over the five-day fest, which also encompasses symposium discussions, artisan and visual art exhibitions, vendors, fashion shows, film screenings, children's activities and late night parties.

Tickets to individual shows, ticket packages, industry passes and $10 day pass upgrades are all available, so you can look at your schedule and budget to see what serves your needs the best.

More information can be found on the Pop Montreal web site.

Double Down Saloon Showcases Las Vegas Without The Glitz

Like almost all tourists, I spend much of my time during Las Vegas holidays on the famed strip with all of its incredible hotels.

I'm not much of a gambler, but I enjoy soaking in the atmosphere and people-watching as I pound the pavement between the hotels before checking out what new attractions they have to offer inside. But the opulence really doesn't suit my style or budget, so I always make a late night/early morning trip to the underbelly of Vegas where I feel much more at home: the Double Down Saloon.

The Double Down has been located off the strip at 4640 Paradise Rd. since 1992, and bills itself as the "Anti-Vegas," "a clubhouse for the lunatic fringe" and "the happiest place on earth." It's just a block south of the Hard Rock Hotel, but its atmosphere  is a world away from the relatively sterile environment presented by the Hard Rock chain.

There are crazy, psychedelic murals covering the walls and ceilings and, if that's not enough visual overload for you, a variety of crazy videos are shown on screens around the relatively small club.

You can play pool, pinball, video poker or slot machines, and the jukebox has one of the coolest selections of music I've seen, with tunes by the likes of The Cramps, The Creepshow, Andre Williams, The Sonics, The Blasters, The Raveonettes, Ramones, The Stray Cats, Link Wray, NOFX, The Dropkick Murphys and The New York Dolls.

Local and visiting punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, surf, garage and lo-fi alternative rock bands play several nights a week at the intimate venue — and there's never a cover charge. Among the more notable acts to play the Double Down are The Riverboat Gamblers, The Dickies, The Supersuckers, TSOL, M.D.C., The Meatmen, The Vibrators, The Briggs, 5-6-7-8's, Cheetah Chrome and Boss Martians.

You'll also sometimes find DJs spinning a similar brand of music, burlesque performers and punk rock bingo.

If you're in a group and want to play at the Double Down, you should know that bands with midgets get extra consideration. I'm not kidding.

Beers are cheap, but more adventurous drinkers may be interested in the Double Down's signature cocktail: Ass Juice. Believe me, it tastes much better than it sounds. The bar also claims to be the birthplace of the Bacon Martini.

The Double Down never closes. But beyond that fact, always expect the unexpected.

It's Almost Party Time For London's Notting Hill Carnival

London, England's Notting Hill Carnival was launched in 1959 and has since become the world's second largest street festival.

Last year's event drew an estimated 720,000 people. This year's Carnival will be held on Aug. 29 and 30, and there are a variety of hotels in London city centre offering rooms in locations that will give you easy public transportation access to the west London neighbourhood of Notting Hill.

The colourful celebration was originally instituted to cater to the influx of West Indian immigrants who moved into the area after World War II, and to give them a chance to celebrate the cultures of their various Caribbean countries. While it has evolved to become more inclusive and welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds, steel bands and calypso, soca and reggae music still play prominent roles as hundreds of thousands of people dance and parade through the streets.

Sunday is designated as Children's Day, with many activities geared toward youngsters, so those with little ones might want to visit then when crowds are normally smaller and there's more room to move.

There will also be ample opportunities to sample London's diverse ethnic cuisines at more than 300 food stalls lining the streets. Organizers claim the annual Caribbean-based food and drink consumption during the Carnival breaks down something like this:
• 30,000 corn cobs
• 15,000 fried plantains
• one ton of rice and peas
• one ton of Jamaican patties
• 12,000 mangoes
• 16,000 coconuts
• five million hot and cold drinks
• 10,000 litres of Jamaican stout
• 25,000 bottles of rum
• 70,000 litres of carrot juice

"The Notting Hill Carnival, for me, is a barometer of the journey of multiculturalism in England," filmmaker Don Letts, who made a documentary on the festival titled "Carnival!" last year, told me over the phone from his home in London earlier this year. "If you look at how and why it started, it was to unite the people and extend the hand of friendship when the racial climate was a lot more tense in the late '50s."

The Real McKenzies — Shine Not Burn

I've seen Vancouver's The Real McKenzies a number of times in various formats, incarnations and levels of inebriation over the years, and I've never left a show unimpressed or not soaked in beer.

The band's mix of rock, punk, folk and traditional Scottish music has found a following worldwide, and Shine Not Burn was recorded live at Wild At Heart in Berlin, Germany's Kreuzberg district over three nights last August. They were all-acoustic sets featuring a nine-piece band, with the expanded lineup including Magdalena Schmied on violin and Karl Alvarez (All, The Descendents) on mandolin, bass and backing vocals.

While everyone in the group likes to drink and party hard, this excellent 21-song collection from Fat Wreck Chords shows that they also know how to play their instruments. Matt MacNasty, in particular, gets an opportunity to show his bagpipe prowess on "Drink The Way I Do," "Auld Mrs. Hunt" and the instrumental "Taylor Made II."

But the real star of every Real McKenzies show is the band's founder, who was kind (or drunk) enough to lend his name to the group: lyricist, harmonica player and lead singer Paul McKenzie. He's one of the most entertaining frontmen around, whether he's singing or addressing band or audience members.

McKenzie is on top of his game on Shine And Burn, as he barks out favourites from the group's 18-year career. There's not a clunker among them, but some of the highlights include "Nessie," "Bastards," "Scots Wha' Ha'e," "Pour Decisions," "Bitch Off The Money," "Wild Mountain Thyme" and "King O' Glasgow."

The Real McKenzies will embark on a two-month European tour in August, but hopefully more North American dates will be in the works upon the band's return. As much as I enjoy Shine Not Burn, I'm ready for the real thing again.

Festival Season Is Coming To Edinburgh

A range of hotels in Edinburgh city centre offer easy access to its popular summer music, theatre, comedy, art and film festivals, but also the Scottish capital's year-round attractions.

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's top tourist attraction, sits on volcanic rock at the top of what's known as the Royal Mile — where you can stop at a variety of pubs and restaurants as you make your way up or down. The site houses the Scottish Crown Jewels and the "Stone of Destiny" (where Scottish monarchs were crowned) among its historic buildings, and also offers a great vantage point from which to view the rest of the city.

The Royal Mile links Edinburgh Castle to the Palace Of Holyroodhouse, which acts as Queen Elizabeth's official Scottish residence. But even commoners can tour Holyrood's royal apartments, throne room and portrait galleries when Liz isn't in town — and she usually isn't.

Sticking with the monarchy theme, the decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia is permanently berthed at the Ocean Terminal leisure and retail complex in the city's charming northern neighbourhood of Leith. The five-deck yacht can be toured with an audio headset that's available in 17 languages.

Edinburgh is a pretty walkable city, but tours are also available via bicycle, bus and even chauffeur-driven motor trikes. But no matter your means of transportation, it's not hard to soak in the elegance and history of Scotland's second largest city (after Glasgow) and the second most visited tourist destination in the U.K. (after London).

Boston's Fenway Park Keeps Baseball Tradition Alive

Summertime holidays to Boston, even for non-baseball fans, should always include a visit to historic Fenway Park.

The stadium near Kenmore Square opened in 1912 after costing $650,000 to build and, even though it's gone through several renovations, it still retains its old-time charm and intimacy. It held 35,000 people in the beginning and now can accommodate 38,805, That capacity is one of the smallest in the majors, but the perennially contending Red Sox sell out every game — allowing it to have a player payroll second only to the arch-rival New York Yankees.

The 37-foot left field wall, affectionately known as "The Green Monster," is the most notable part of the stadium and includes a manually operated scoreboard within it. But Fenway's other odd outfield dimensions also add to its character.

A seat in the right field bleachers is painted red to designate the longest measurable home run ever hit in the park, a 502-foot shot by "The Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams in 1946. The left field foul pole has been renamed "Fisk Pole" in honour of the memorable home run hit by Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk that landed just inside it to win game six of the 1975 World Series, which the team eventually lost to the Cincinnati Reds.

The numbers of eight retired players — Bobby Doerr (#1), Joe Cronin (#4), Johnny Pesky (#6), Carl Yastrzemski (#8), Williams (#9), Jim Rice (#14), Fisk (#27) and Jackie Robinson (#42) — are located above the right field grandstand.

Fenway Park is the oldest venue used by any professional sports team in the U.S. and, while it may lack some of the comforts and amenities of recently built stadiums, it's still one of the best places that you'll ever see a ball game at.

Cruising Through The Southern Caribbean

One of the best ways to escape cold Canadian winters is via Caribbean cruises.

Today's cruise ships offer as many amenities as most land-based resorts, and you get to sample a variety of islands instead of staying put on one. My most recent cruise in February took me to the dual Dutch/French island of St. Maarten/St. Martin, Dominica, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados and Puerto Rico.

I'm not a shopper, but duty-free bargains in Philipsburg in Dutch St. Maarten seem to be the biggest attraction for many shoppers. There are lots of beachfront bars and restaurants to relax at in town, but better beaches can be found on the French part of the island, which are easily accessible by government-regulated taxis.

Beaches aren't the main attraction in Dominica, and there's not much to see in the main port of Roseau outside of a great reggae bar with a wide variety of unusual rums that I discovered a couple of blocks from where our ship docked. There's lots of lush greenery and scenery all over the rest of the hilly island, however, and you can see much of it on the four-hour van tours offered from Roseau. Trafalgar Falls is one of the highlights of the tours, but those with more time on their hands should consider taking on some of the many inland hiking trails. Whale-watching tours are recommended for those who prefer spending more time on the water.

The spice island of Grenada offers the best of the Caribbean, with beautiful vegetation and sights inland that can be seen on a half-day van tour with government-approved guides. Grand Etang National Park is the island's largest forest reserve and contains excellent hiking trails that range from easy 15-minute strolls to rigorous expeditions of several hours. Trails wind past cascading waterfalls with inviting swimming holes and lead up to a volcanic crater lake. Fort George offers great views over the city of St. George's and its harbour. World-renowned Grand Anse Beach is just a 10-minute cab ride from downtown St. George's.

Tobago's capital of Scarborough doesn't offer much aside from the 230-year-old Fort King George, which sits about 150 metres above the town. It's a vigorous, though not over-taxing, walk to the top and offers fine views of the coastline. A small museum tells of the fort's history and includes many artifacts from the region. Pigeon Point Beach is accessible by taxi and offers a relaxing way to spend the rest of your day.

A walk around Bridgetown, Barbados will let you see the parliament buildings, National Heroes Square, Queens Park and some historic churches and synagogues. You can cap your city jaunt with a 45-minute multimedia tour and tastings at the Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre. Three-to-four-hour van tours will let you see much of the rest of the picturesque island, and you'll likely see and maybe even get to feed some of its green monkeys.

Old San Juan has been well-preserved and features large walls, sprawling forts, brightly painted old buildings, colonial plazas and cobblestoned streets as its main attractions aside from its many fine restaurants and stores. It's pretty easily walkable, but a free trolley will also take you around the old part of the city and its forts. Small beaches and modern hotels are a short distance away in the newer part of the Puerto Rican capital.