Usually, when you think of little towns in Appalachia complete with serene lakes, it’s easy to make assumptions on what you can do and see. Of course, you expect beauty and quiet relaxation. But the …
December 16, 2018
Travel: Eat & Drink
NY’s Finger Lakes: big city thrills, mountain town charm
Setting Sun is setting sake trends
It’s a rare occasion we get to look at trends emerging in cities like New York and London, and say, That started in San Diego. So credit Josh Hembree and Keldon Premuda of Miramar’s Setting …
November 23, 2018
Fascinating Kinmen, Taiwan
A convenient weekend break from the noise and bustle of Taipei is a one-hour flight to the island of Kinmen. Although Kinmen is controlled by Taiwan, it lies only eight kilometers from the Chinese mainland …
October 14, 2018
Buenos Aires in 48 hours
It's surely one of the most impressive cities in South America, and a must-see for any traveler, even folks who prefer the countryside. Having said that, Buenos Aires is a gigantic mass of humanity, and …
July 8, 2018
I forge a Virginia ham trail
When you visit a region, its cuisine says as much about its culture as paintings in an art museum. Travelers rush to Napa Valley for wine, Wisconsin for cheese, Maine for lobster... but there’s just …
May 27, 2018
Life goes on in Las Vegas
Heading to Las Vegas two months after the Mandalay Bay shootings – the deadliest (civilian) mass shooting in American history – you’d have to be a sociopath not to think of death. But eventually, like …
February 25, 2018
All eyes on Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is a college town, a Federal Reserve site and the location of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. There’s culture, a solid economic base and as it’s located on …
October 6, 2017
Baja's Valle de Guadalupe on a budget
Two hours south of San Diego, around sixty miles from Tijuana, sits Valle de Guadalupe inside Ensenada, the largest municipality in all of Mexico. Dozens of wineries with tasting rooms and fancy eateries sit near …
May 9, 2017
I heart Hong Kong
You lazily open your eyes. Life is fuzzed by sleep, and the glare from the snow-white sheets adds to your blindness. A delicious stretch and yawn to get your blood flowing, and you swing your …
April 11, 2017
Intrepidly visiting hotspot Israel
Just as I last left Israel, the bodies of three missing young men had turned up. The week before I was to return, there were two young men murdered in front of Old Jerusalem’s Jaffa …
January 28, 2017
Papa Hem's Havana
“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk.” ~ Ernest Hemingway And so we did. At least that's how I remember we ended up in Havana, Cuba. Okay, well maybe there's a bit more …
August 21, 2016