Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.
If you’ve ever tried to fly one way to North America from Australia, chances are you’ve noticed that a flight one way is often more expensive than a return flight. There are a number of reasons for this we won’t get into here – but what if you do need a one way flight? Here’s…
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Built into an unassuming front, situated in the heart of Hobart and boasting water views from many of its rooms, the Mantra Collins Hotel delivers everything one may want from a visit to Tasmania’s capital. The rooms themselves boast a contemporary design with a touch of luxury, and a taste of the practical, with a…
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Jordan is a suburb you’ll find in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong District, and a lot like the rest of the city, it’s densely populated, with tens of thousands living in an area roughly one square kilometer in size. But it also is among the most diverse areas you’ll find in the entire country. With the…
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Back in 2017, I flew from Australia to the US with Hawaiian Airlines. At the time, they were the only airline offering a complimentary meal on a domestic US services. But this trip coincided with a couple of airlines bringing meal services back to certain routes – in particular the trans-continental route from California to…
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If you haven’t heard about the new addition to California’s Disneyland, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, by now, it’s likely you have been living under a space rock. The level of hype about the new attraction – which as we pointed out when it opened was just one single ride – has been the highest I’ve…
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Saying a hotel had a “motel vibe” used to be a dirty word, but now it’s a bit chic, with clever hoteliers renovating outdated accommodation options into hotels bursting with sophistication and modern comforts – all with a touch of nostalgia. One such hotel is The Burrard, located less than 15 minutes walk from Vancouver…
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Two months back, I talked you through the transfer process at Toronto’s Pearson. One way to bypass some of these difficulties is by flying one of the WestJet “Simplicity” routes, which are their short haul services between Toronto and either New York, Ottawa or Montreal. They promise priority access in the queue, a snack with…
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So, you’ve just been upgraded to Platinum on Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program. A congratulations is in order. The jump up to Gold was exciting – getting international lounge access for the first time, priority boarding, upgrades and more. But at first glance, apart from an extra 25% in points when you travel on…
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Coming of age this year is the Oregon festival Pickathon – one of North America’s most respected boutique festivals. Set in the mountains outside of Portland, the event has made a name for itself by maintaining a low capacity, a trend towards artist discovery, celebrating unique design and putting a focus on sustainability in a…
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU) doesn’t just regularly bring together a connected group of actors on screen – but also the creatives behind the scenes, regularly working on Marvel projects that help connect the universe in more ways than just the themes that tie it all together. One of these hard working artists is VFX…
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The new AMC supernatural horror series NO4SA2, based on the novel of the same name by Joe Hill (fun fact: he’s Stephen King’s son!), is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Starring Australia’s Ashleigh Cummings and Zachary Quinto (Heroes, Star Trek), the show is about “Vic McQueen (Cummings), a gifted young woman who discovers she…
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Last week, Father John Misty headlined the Celebrate Brooklyn stage in New York City, accompanied by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – who he’s on a co-headline tour with at the moment – and Jade Bird. It’s the 41st year that Celebrate Brooklyn has been held, with a mix of free and paid gigs…
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“The Year was 2005,” said former Saturday Night Live (SNL) star and head writer (now host of Late Night) Seth Meyers, as he reflected on his friends – and former SNL co-writers and stars, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer, aka The Lonely Island – arrival on the infamous show. At first, the rest was…
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Out the front of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, is held an annual concert series, “Rockin’ at the Knox”. With artists like Beck, Collective Soul and Hollerado playing the event in recent years, it attracts an eclectic lineup of performances to say the least. This year was no exception, with yesterday’s event…
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On Saturday night, New York trio Yeasayer hit Toronto, Canada for the third date of their Erotic Reruns North American tour – celebrating the group’s fifth full length record of the same name. Along the ride for the first few weeks of this tour are Olympia based outfit Oh, Rose. The Washington quartet reeked of beauty;…
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Last month, I jumped on board Virgin Atlantic’s red eye service from New York’s JFK Airport through to London’s Heathrow. As a Platinum member of Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent flyer program, this gave me access to one of the best features of the Virgin Atlantic network – the “Revivals Lounge” at Heathrow. Given the airline’s…
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Over the weekend I headed to Flagstaff, Arizona for the city’s 7th Annual Blues & Brews Festival – unsurprisingly, a celebration of Blues music and, well, beer. This year marked the first year that the event, which is held in the cooler, mountainous region of Arizona, a few hours north of Phoenix had been expanded to…
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One of the newer locations for the international Intercontinental chain finds itself in San Diego; a luxury 400 room, 19 floor hotel which opened in September last year. The brand’s 3rd property in Southern California, the hotel sits right on the revitalised San Diego Bayfront. About the Room I stayed on the 15th room in…
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When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (also known simply as “Star Wars Land”) officially opened its doors to the public on Friday at California’s iconic theme park Disneyland – strictly to those who had reserved the privilege in advance – some may have been surprised to discover that after all that hype, and all those years…
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Also known as “Surf City USA”, Huntington Beach sits along a straight stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, with the Pacific Ocean seeming to stretch on forever; this section of the beach iconic for the concrete pier that stretches out into the Ocean, and the great food, drink and lifestyle options that accompany it. One of…
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The majestic, diverse countryside of the United States is one that has inspired poetry and prose for generations. And there’s still a sense of wonder to it, whether you’re making your first visit to the Grand Canyon, seeing the Niagara Falls or Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. But when these sights were first discovered,…
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It it feels like Sydney trio Middle Kids haven’t stopped touring the globe over the last few years, you’re probably not wrong. It’s been one success after another for the group – and a lot of it has been happening quietly overseas. Currently, the troupe are on the road in North America supporting Local Natives,…
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Now in its 4th year, The Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival has quickly become one of the most anticipated festival on the city’s calendar, boasting World Premieres, Australian Premieres and one off chances for Victorians to see critically acclaimed documentaries on the big screen. Today we’re looking at five of the music focused docos set…
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In Covent Garden, just on the outskirts of the heart of theatre district (London’s West End), is one of the area’s finest hotels, St Martins Lane London. But this is luxury with a twist – with a green revolving door at the entry, and an eccentric design collection that await you in the hotel’s spacious lobby….
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Brisbane legends WAAX are heading off on a massive North American tour this July, in support of their recent single “FU”. Their US and Canadian shows will come after their appearance at the Sounds Australia Summerstage event in Central Park alongside Hermitude, A.B. Original and more on June 22nd (read more about that HERE). And…
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Last week, I jumped on board Virgin Atlantic‘s flagship route from Heathrow to JFK on board the new Dreamliner 787. How does the service stack up? Here’s today’s flight review… Airline: Virgin Atlantic Route: LHR – JFK (VS137) Aircraft: Boeing 787-900 Seat: 59G centre aisle 3-3-3 Flight Time: 6 Hours 45 Minutes (Scheduled at closer…
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To those in North America, Mother Mother need little introduction. The Canadian group, over the course of 7 full length records and almost 15 years, have amassed a passionate fanbase in both the US and at home in Canada. But to those overseas, they’re still a relatively unknown outfit – largely due to the fact…
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Last night in Toronto, Canada, iconic New York group The Strokes officially kicked off their 2019 tour – their first since 2017. The headline show was a part of the band’s “global comeback” that also saw the group play a surprise, intimate warm up show in Los Angeles earlier this month. The gig, which kicked…
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Back in 2009, a band by the name of Passion Pit – hailing from Boston, Massachusetts – made waves around the world with their debut LP Manners, just as their debut EP Chunk of Change had done the year prior with tracks like “Sleepyhead” and my personal favourite, “Cuddle Fuddle”. But Manners was truly a…
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“This is so incredible. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them doing this.”, I heard a woman saying as I entered the new TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK, which opened yesterday alongside the modern Terminal 5. She said she used to work for the airline in the 70’s, and was wearing her…
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