Hoi An is about midway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi up the Vietnamese coast. If you’re traveling between the two largest cities in Vietnam, it is the perfect spot to take a break. …
August 30, 2011
Travel on the Cheap
Hoi An, Vietnam
Green Island, Taiwan
I never really understood why the Portuguese referred to Taiwan as Formosa, or “beautiful island.” The pollution, traffic and combined chaotic mess of Taipei and Taichung make you easily forget that Taiwan is, in fact, …
August 25, 2011
Off the Track in Seattle
The bus rolled into the Seattle Greyhound station. I can’t explain my excitement in getting off that bus. The passengers in front of me showed the highs and lows of riding the “dirty dog” – …
August 19, 2011
Detour in Seaside, Oregon
Adam and I drove into Seaside with a mission: to surf and sample the fried arts at Beach Bites. We'd stopped here on our way to Portland. Just 90 miles away, it was close enough …
August 4, 2011
Calistoga, California
I woke to overcast skies and decided it would be a good day to hike. With a hot cup of Roastaroma in hand, a quick Google search led me to several trails within an hour’s …
July 7, 2011
Vikingsholm Castle, Lake Tahoe
Vikingsholm Castle sits at the bottom of a steep, mile-long switchback driveway that drops 500 feet to the shore of Lake Tahoe. Once at the bottom, I purchased a ticket to participate in a guided …
June 16, 2011
Filoli Gardens, California
With the fragrance of wisteria in the air, one million daffodils in full bloom stand brightly in meadows near the Santa Cruz Mountains. At Filoli Gardens, forty-eight varieties of daffodils – including 65,000 golden dawns …
May 22, 2011
Lima, Cusco and Macchu Pichu
My first trip to Peru was amazing. We spent the first night near Lima, at a friend’s house close to the beach in the La Perla area. We walked to the beach and ate barbecued …
April 8, 2011
Mineral Hot Springs of Agua Caliente
You don't need to travel to exotic hot springs to soak in the bounty of nature's hot mineral water. San Diegans can drive locally to Agua Caliente Hot Springs. Located a half hour south of …
March 7, 2011
Essential L.A.: Getty Center and Getty Villa
A visit to the Getty Center in Los Angeles makes a lovely day trip for Southern Californians. The Getty is quickly becoming the cultural heart of L.A.; for many out-of-town and international visitors, it’s now …
February 11, 2011
Life on the Rocks: Salvador, Brazil
“Thirty percent of Brazilians live in favelas,” says Michael David Lynch, proprietor of Albergue Pedras da Sereia in Salvador, speaking of neighborhoods like the one he moved to 25 years ago. Basically, favelas are built …
November 20, 2010