Visiting Manhattan, I had always relegated my trips to uptown, never to the Battery Park area, Wall Street area or... the World Trade Center. Of course, coming into the city from the south, I’d seen …
March 22, 2014
Travel: Must-See
NYC's 9/11 Memorial
A taste of Southern Italy: Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast
Sorrento is well positioned as the gateway to several locations of interest in southern Italy, including Pompeii, Capri, and the spectacular, meandering Amalfi Coast. But the town of 17,000 is also worth exploring in its …
March 13, 2014
Macau: more than just the Asian Vegas
Macau has gained a reputation in recent years as a gambling mecca – “the Asian Las Vegas.” However, beneath the glitz and neon is a vibrant Portuguese-Chinese fusion culture and a former trading post with …
Photo-friendly D.C.: springtime and cherry blossoms
“Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'” ~ Robin Williams Spring is the best time to be in the nation’s capitol. It's perhaps the only time where everybody uniformly agrees on one thing – …
March 4, 2014
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki, Finland, is considered by many to be the “gateway to the East,” dividing Scandinavia from Eastern Europe. Indeed, it spent time as both as part of the Kingdom of Sweden and as part of …
March 2, 2014
Wine and dine in Baja's Guadalupe Valley
Recently I went back to northern Baja's Guadalupe Valley. I hadn’t been there since the late 1980s. Back then, it was just emerging as a serious wine-growing region, with two giant producers (Cetto and Pedro …
February 20, 2014
Essential Budapest
Few people are aware that Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, situated along the banks of the Danube River. Most visitors stay in Pest – it's got more to offer in terms of …
January 16, 2014
Kentucky's bourbon country
Billed as the “Horse Capital of the World,” Lexington, Kentucky, is also home to some of the world’s greatest bourbon. And, surprisingly, it hosts a robust, thriving food scene, showcasing an innovation more typical of …
January 13, 2014
Hunting big trees in California
With its varied climates, landscapes and ecosystems, California is a one-of-a-kind state. When European settlers first arrived here, one of the signs of this uniqueness they discovered were the mammoth trees of California, the sequoia …
January 11, 2014
Rajasthan, India: land of the kings
The largest state in India, Rajasthan, located in the northwest of the country, is known as “the land of the kings." Rajasthan is wrapped in vibrant colors, with impressive cities including the Pink City of …
Hoppy trails in Austin
It's no surprise to anyone that Austin, Texas, is a hip destination, boasting one of the best live music scenes in the country, some fantastic barbecue, and the University of Texas. I was already aware …
December 20, 2013