Vacation Ideas

La Brea Tar Pits

2011-12-17T08:20:00.001-08:00

The Page Museum is located at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Visitors can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when animals such as saber-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Los Angeles Basin. Through windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Outside the Museum, in Hancock Park, life-size replicas of several extinct mammals are featured.
http://www.tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits

Statue of Liberty accessorized: Live web cams offer new harbor views

2011-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Statue of Liberty: A makeover of Lady Liberty will come with five webcams attached to the torch. The web cams go live Friday during ceremonies marking the Statue of Liberty's 125th anniversary.

The webcams go live on Friday during a ceremony onLiberty Island marking the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the copper-clad monument, which was a gift from France to the people of America.

From computers afar, viewers will be able to watch live video streams of traffic, boats and airplanes in high-resolution panoramic images showing the Manhattanskyline, the city's borough of Brooklyn and neighboringNew Jersey.

IN PICTURES: America's Top 10 Landmarks

"For people who don't come to the Statue of Liberty, it will be a whole new opportunity for them to see the statue, what's around it and how it fits into the whole cityscape," Stephen Briganti, president of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, said in an interview on Tuesday.
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HERE ARE THE CAMS

STATUE OF LIBERTY

San Diego Zoo: Great Ape, Great Addition!

2011-07-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Safari Park is tickled pink over the latest gorilla birth. On June 17, Kokamo gave birth to the first gorilla born at the Park since October 2001. Little Monroe, named in memory of Lee Monroe, M.D., a former president of the Zoological Society of San Diego, is bonding with his mother and peeking at the rest of his troop. You can see mother and son on exhibit at the Safari Park!
Watch Video

View of San Francisco Bay From a Blimp

2011-07-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

View of San Francisco Bay From a Blimp

If you had to pay for a flight it would have been $425 per seat,
these pictures are awesome.

I'm still giddy over having had the opportunity to ride in, and photograph the only Zeppelin in the United States. The 'Eureka' is one of a new breed of lighter than air ships manufactured by the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH, and operated by Airship Ventures. Based out of Moffett Field (in Mountain View, CA), the Eureka offers sight-seeing rides of the Bay Area and Monterey. Riding on the Eureka, and becoming a Zep head was truly a remarkable, and unforgettable experience!

Bill: one of our neighbors, ELSBETH MANZANO, forwarded this to me.

Dangerous beauty: Yosemite waterfalls at highest levels in years

2011-05-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Water, water everywhere -- and it's a spectacular sight. Record Sierra snowfall over the winter now means record snowmelt as temperatures rise, swelling Yosemite National Park's iconic waterfalls, streams and rivers to their most turbulent level in years.

Yosemite Falls, the nation's tallest, is spewing enough water to fill a gasoline tanker truck every two seconds. The force of water at Bridalveil Fall across the valley kicks up a mist that clouds the meadow below. It means that until the peak melt around mid-June, visitors will experience more treacherous beauty in Yosemite than even the travel brochures promise.

"Breathtaking, that's what it is," said Lynne Bousie of Scotland, who stopped to pose for a photograph at the spot where the paved trail to Yosemite Falls makes a turn and the first full view of its entire 2,425-foot drop comes into view.

Water cascading from the many signature falls that cut across Yosemite's granite walls (as well as countless unnamed ones that spout only in peak years like this) is swelling the Merced River. For the next few months, the roar of violently churning water will drown out all other background noise in the park. "Some falls that you can see now don't have names and aren't even on the map," said park spokeswoman Kari Cobb.

Already the frigid, 40-degree river that drains Yosemite Valley's snowmelt is flowing at more than 1,600 cubic feet per second, carrying people and objects away at more than 10 mph. "That's infinitely more powerful than anyone can imagine," said Moose Mutlow, coordinator of Yosemite's swift water rescue program. "You can't keep up with someone if the water is that fast and you're running and dodging trees."
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Las Vegas: 'Lion King' tickets + two nights at Mandalay Bay start at $222

2011-05-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

"The Lion King" opened at the Mandalay Bay Theater in Las Vegas on May 2, 2009. To mark the Disney show's second anniversary, Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino is offering a package that includes a room for two nights plus tickets to the show starting at $222.

The deal: The "Lion King" Package includes a two-night stay and two tickets to the show. To reserve this deal, mention "Disney Package" by phone or use the code "PDISN11" to book online. The show runs every day except Fridays and will close at the end of December.

When: The offer is good for stays Tuesday to June 30. You must book by June 28.

Tested: I went online and found availability for a room May 23 to 25 with show tickets for $227 plus tax and a $20 a night resort fee. Tickets in the package were good for a 7:30 p.m. performance on May 23 (Monday), the first night of the stay. As a comparison, tickets usually start at $64 each (plus tax), so in effect this deal gives you two nights at Mandalay Bay for $99.

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Hiroshige: Visions of Japan

2010-12-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

June 04, 2010 - January 17, 2011
Drawn from the Norton Simon Museum's extensive Japanese woodblock-print collection, Hiroshige: Visions of Japanfeatures approximately 175 prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), one of the most celebrated and prolific artists of his time.
Hiroshige was born Andō Tokutarō in Edo (now known as Tokyo) in 1797. Around 1810, he was accepted as a student by Utagawa Toyohiro, a master artist of the Utagawa school of designers, print-makers and painters. Under Toyohiro's tutelage, the young artist honed his skills in the genre of ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." The school's successful apprentices formally adopted Utagawa as their surname and received new given names; by 1813 Andō Tokutarō had officially become Utagawa Hiroshige.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/hiroshige-visions-of-japan
http://www.nortonsimon.org/

California Scenic Drives and Day Trips

2010-12-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of interesting road trips...

more info

California hostels offer budget-luxury accommodations

2010-12-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

With 30 bucks and an open mind, you can stay in some prime spots in California — on the Pacific Beach boardwalk in San Diego, for example, or a block from Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica or overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco or across from Union Square.

And "budget luxury" is what they get. Domestic hostels range from sleek, modern 200-bed high rises in city centers to quaint 25-person beach cottages, and many are safe, clean places to stay. Most have 24/7 front-desk reception and security, and provide lockers to store belongings. Rates change according to season, number of beds in a room and location, but expect to pay $25 to $35 for a dorm bed in the summer, and $70 to $100 for a private room.

Today, hostellers contribute $1.4 billion to tourist revenues worldwide, and though the words "hostel" and "youth" are often paired, hostelling is by no means young-person exclusive. As the struggling economy has widened the range of those seeking budget accommodations, hostellers note a corresponding increase in the age of patrons.

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A desert hike through Joshua Tree with high tech

2010-09-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

Going solo into the backcountry -- or on a sailboat around Catalina, or on a mountain bike in Moab, Utah, for that matter -- always implies a trade-off, the exchange of safety for reverie. Nearly always, the risk is worth it, and for all the reasons Emerson made a career of. To be alone in big-N nature is to challenge yourself, to calibrate yourself, to fully inhabit the body you were born with, to feel the chill of the absolute run up your spine.

To navigate 75 miles of gorgeous but punishing chaparral, I've brought along a Garmin Colorado 400t GPS unit, with which I've electronically marked the water caches I buried earlier in the week while driving across the park. If I fail to find even one of these caches, I will wind up very miserable or worse. Also on my utility belt is an ACR Microfix 406 Personal Locator Beacon. Essentially one big panic button, when activated the unit sends a signal to a station monitored by the Air Force, which in turn mobilizes search-and-rescue resources.
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San Gorgonio windmills can teach you a lot

2010-09-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

The San Gorgonio Wind Park begins about 100 miles east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley. To reach the windmill tour departure site, take Interstate 10 east to the Indian Road exit (five miles past the California Highway 111 exit to Palm Springs) in North Palm Springs. Drive a block north to 19th Avenue and turn left into the parking lot at 19-125 N. Indian Ave.

TOUR DETAILS run Wednesday through Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (mornings only during the summer). Tours are 90 minutes long, cost $25, $23 for 65 and over and $10 for 12 and under. Reserve ahead to confirm times; (760) 320-1365, www.thebestofthebesttours.com

There are about 4,500 of them out here, representing 80 wind farms run by companies you may know ( Florida Power & Light), others you may not (Iberdrola) and, formerly, by others you wish you hadn't (Enron). Collectively, they can harness 650 megawatts of pure, clean, renewable energy.

"Enough to handle 195,000 typical California homes," says tour guide Ken Huskey of Palm Springs Windmill Tours, a Palm Springs-based tour operation that touts itself as the longest continually operating wind farm tour in the country (about 20 years).
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Welcome to California Riverside Ballet

2010-09-08T05:48:00.001-07:00

Since its founding in 1969, California Riverside Ballet has been presenting exciting programs to the delight of our audiences and dance critics alike. Featuring a repertoire of outstanding choreography. CRB has become a promis ing company with a unique style and character of its own. Traditionally, CRB presents two major productions, provides the community with four major Outreach pro grams, and hosts numerous community and fundraising events including Ghost Walk Riverside and the Nutcracker Tea.

CRB has been host to guest artists and master teachers including Julia Adam, David Allan, Sabina Allemann, Evelyn Cisneros, Kimberly Glasco, Nicole Helinka, Kipling Houston, Darci Kistler, Kenneth Kreel, Stephen Legate, Serge Levoie, Gregory Osborne, Maya Plisetskaya, Clinton Rothwell, Christopher Stole, Edward Villella, Veronica Tennant and Igor Zelenski.
California Riverside Ballet

San Francisco vs. San Diego: Which is the better getaway?

2010-08-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

Reporting from San Diego and San Francisco — Every year, millions of people find themselves craving a vacation from greater Los Angeles. Many of these people don't want to cross state lines or climb mountains or contend with deserts, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, redwoods, Gold Country or Mickey Mouse. Which leaves them facing this question: San Francisco or San Diego?
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San Francisco: The transit museum known as the F line

2010-08-31T05:24:00.000-07:00

Reporting from San Francisco — The green-and-gold tram trundled down the road, a small Australian flag hanging out the driver's window. I stared in amazement, momentarily forgetting my morning coffee. As it rumbled past, I could see the words " Melbourne, Victoria, Australia" emblazoned on the side. But I was half a world away at an outdoor cafe in San Francisco.

I wasn't the only one excited. "Look, Daddy, it's a fashion train!" cried the little boy at the next table. I smiled; the term "fashion train" seemed apt. The other tram lines in San Francisco come in standard-issue silver and red. This line — the F — features historic streetcars from around the world in various shapes and colors. Each has its own look, stylishly reflecting the fashions of different eras and places.
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Ultimate Guide 2009

2010-08-31T05:21:00.001-07:00

Travel has always been a rewarding experience. Preparing for it, however, is another matter. This is why we bring you the Ultimate Guide 2009, conveniently broken up into three parts: the Ultimate Guide to Cruising, the Ultimate Guide to California, the Ultimate Guide to the World.
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52 weekend getaways: a year's worth of escapes

2010-08-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

We all need time to get away, whether that means to the shore, to the slots or to the slopes. Grab your favorites from these 52 nuggets -- one for every weekend of the year -- and start packing: a little R&R in Santa Cruz, adventure and fresh air atop Mt. Whitney or some good old Gold Rush history (and apple pie) in Julian.
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ThingsToDo.com

2010-08-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Now, this is a great site to look for places to see. It is very self-descriptive so just go there and give it a look.
ThingsToDo

Pinnacles National Monument: California's new National Park?

2010-08-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Pinnacles National Monument, a 26,000-acre swath of spectacular volcanic rock formations outside Soledad, Calif., would be elevated to a National Park under legislation introduced Thursday by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

Pinnacles is a nesting place for the endangered California condor, North America's largest soaring bird, with wingspans up to 10 feet. And it is a global destination for naturalists and outdoor adventurers attracted by the park's scenic views and unique rock-climbing landscapes. Making Pinnacles a National Park, Boxer said, would "draw even more visitors to this spectacular piece of California's natural and cultural heritage."

In a recent travel piece on Pinnacle's condors for the Los Angeles Times, Tom Bentley described the monument as "an otherworldly place of jutting rock spires and twisted towers that looks as though it was wrenched from dinosaur times. 'Wrenched' is fitting: The park's craggy upthrusts are the partial remains of an ancient volcano. It's a landscape in which a pterodactyl might choose to make its home, and thus a bird almost as rare (and with an impressive 10-foot wingspan) would feel cozy here too."
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Pirate's Dinner Adventure

2010-07-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Buena Park attraction that has it all. Would-be pirates of all ages will become a part of this epic and interactive pirate show at Pirate's Dinner Adventure!

Set aboard an authentically replicated 18th-century Spanish galleon measuring 46 feet long, 18 feet wide with 40-foot masts, the ship is anchored in a 250,000-gallon indoor lagoon with night sky lighting. Surrounding the lagoon is a six-sided showroom of six additional ships where the audience is seated.

Voyagers on each of the six ships have their own fearless pirate mascot whom they cheer on as the adventure unfolds with a cast a dozen actors, singers and stunt performers engaging in a bounty of action-packed exploits, accompanied by cannon blasts, pyrotechnics and plenty of laughs.

In addition, more than 150 guests have the chance to play an actual role in each show as the evil Captain Sebastian the Black leads his crews of renegades on a swashbuckling adventure before your very eyes!
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A visit to Mark Twain's Hannibal, Mo.

2010-06-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Reporting from Hannibal, Mo. — It was long after dark when Henry Sweets brought me to Hannibal's Old Baptist Cemetery, "a graveyard of the old-fashioned Western kind." No moon. Ragged weeds, crumbling gravestones. We tried to tread lightly, but it had been raining, and mud grabbed at our shoes. Down at the bottom of the hill, the Mississippi churned. I had to smile, because here I was, three decades removed from 11th grade, still slogging through American literature.

This, as Sweets explained, was the cemetery Mark Twain remembered when he imagined the midnight murder of Doc Robinson in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"— grave markers leaning every which way, Tom and Huck hiding behind a tree, and the treacherous Injun Joe burying a knife in his victim's chest.
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Model Trains -- All Aboard!

2010-06-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

The '20s & '30s Modular Model Railroad recreates the Golden Age of railroading modeled in 1:87 HO scale. Members build and transport their own six-foot-long modules which depict North American railroading during the period from 1920 through December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor Day. Started in 1991 by Charley Hepperle, seventeen members have built a total of 35 modules, many of which were on display at the National Model Railroad Association Train Show in San Jose, California in August 2000. Each module or group of modules meets standards for interface such as rail location, height and electrical connections so that each can connect with another. The club sets up at public shows in Southern California about six times a year.
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All aboard: America by Amtrak train

2010-06-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

Comfortably settled in ClubAcela, the first-class lounge at New York's Penn Station, I considered the folder of Amtrak sleeping car tickets much as I would money in the bank: a promise of good times ahead. I would travel on the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, the Empire Builder to Seattle and, finally, the Coast Starlight to Los Angeles. These trains, two of Amtrak's best and one of its most improved, would show me a huge slice of America for the next week.

During my 3,582-mile journey in March, the scenically mundane mixed in with the magnificent, and that was fine with me. There were books to read, people to meet, naps to take. Both urban and small-town America scrolled past my windows, along with less-peopled spaces in between. The most spectacular — the Hudson River, the Rockies and the Cascades, Puget Sound, the Pacific — proved unforgettable.

San Francisco vs. San Diego: Which is the better getaway?

2010-06-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

Every year, millions of people find themselves craving a vacation from greater Los Angeles. Many of these people don't want to cross state lines or climb mountains or contend with deserts, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, redwoods, Gold Country or Mickey Mouse. Which leaves them facing this question: San Francisco or San Diego?

So if you're a weekend tourist, which is better? I hereby submit that from dusk to dawn, San Francisco is better. Well, except from November through March, when it can get cold enough to frost your Irish coffee. I further submit that from dawn to dusk, San Diego is better. Especially if you get outdoors a lot or you're a kid.

Oh, but San Francisco will be better July 22 to 25, when 126,000 Comic-Con people will clog downtown San Diego. And San Diego will be better Sept 19 to 23, when 45,000 people gather at San Francisco's convention center for the annual Oracle OpenWorld information technology conference.

To arrive at this richly nuanced answer, I made fresh visits to each city and weighed the data with absolute objectivity and seriousness, except for the parts that I goofed around with, which follow. Your results may vary.
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Museum of the American West - Griffith Park

2010-06-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Gene Autry was one of the Singing Cowboys movie stars. Here are exhibits and events that celebrate the American West. It is open the the public for a reasonable fee and has membership events. It is well worth a visit.

Membership supports dynamic exhibitions, thought-provoking lectures and workshops, educational programming, conservation efforts and so much more. Take advantage of all that the Autry has to offer and know that your membership provides vital financial support.
Autry Museum

Travel Guides

2010-06-06T06:49:00.001-07:00

Looking to get away? Browse our destination and topics pages to read about vacation ideas, view photos and videos and get advice from our experts.
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Hidden gems: America's 20 least-visited National Monuments

2010-06-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for some peace and quiet during your travels this summer? We give you America's 20 least-visited National Monuments, taken from 2009 National Park Service data. From the thousands of petroglyphs at the El Morro monument in New Mexico to prehistoric caves at Tonto in Arizona, these hidden gems offer scenic views and a journey back in history. Before you visit, research each destination carefully. Some of these parks are remote and may be difficult to access.
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Channel Islands: Daylong sailings on tall ship added to summer lineup

2010-05-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever wanted to sail on a tall ship or learn how to crew on one, a double-masted schooner called the Bill of Rights will begin daylong sailings this summer to view sea lion and seal rookeries as well as the rocky beauty of Southern California’s Anacapa Island.

Island Packers, which operates service to Channel Islands National Park, will offer six-hour rides aboard the 137-foot vessel June 12, July 17, Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. On this route, the tall ship will head out from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard to Anacapa, where passengers are likely to see pods of dolphins along the way, plus seals and sea lions with their pups on the island. The tall ship won’t land on the island, but it will sail past the spectacular Arch Rock on Anacapa’s eastern end and then to the back of the island before returning to the harbor.

Tickets cost $65 for adults and $55 for children 12 and younger; not recommended for children under age 7. Guests must bring their own food and beverages for the day. Trips will depart from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard at 10 a.m. and return at 4 p.m.

Island Packers also offers three-hour coastal sailings aboard the Bill of Rights during the day and at sunset, including one on the Fourth of July to see fireworks over the harbor.

Contact: Island Packers, (805) 642-1393
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Costa Rica Coffee Plantation - Panama Cruise

2010-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

OUR COFFEE GROWING METHODS

Soil and Compost
Mature organic material such as dead leaves etc., that collect naturally on the ground in the coffee field makes up part of a natural compost. Immature material placed on the ground over the mature material, such as all the cuttings that are twigs from thinning the coffee plants and the canopy of shade [...]

visit coffee plantation

Shuri Castle - Naha Okinawa

2010-03-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Shuri Castle is believed to have been built by King Satto at the end of the 14th century. The original Shuri Castle stood on a hill (130 meters above sea level) called Shuri Tonokura in Naha. This was the largest castle in Okinawa and measured 400 meters long from east to west, 270 meters long from north to south and 46,167 square kilometers in area. The castle was the headquarters of the Sho dynasty for 450 years -- from 1492 (when three kingdoms were unified on Okinawa) through 1879. Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity at Shuri Castle in 1854.
Shuri Castle - Before and After WWII
Nakagusuku Castle

Wikipedia - Shuri Castle

Bombay Beach - Salton Sea

2010-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

Once known as the California Riviera, the Salton Sea is now called one of America's worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and birds by the thousands. Yet a few hardy eccentrics hang on to hope, including a roadside nudist waving at passing European tourists, a man building a religious mountain out of mud and paint, beer-loving Hungarian Revolutionary Hunky Daddy, and the real-estate Ronald McDonald known simply as The Landman. Through their perceptions and misperceptions, the strange history and unexpected beauty of the Salton Sea is revealed.

Accidentally created by an engineering error in 1905, reworked in the 50's as a world class vacation destination for the rich and famous, suddenly abandoned after a series of hurricanes, floods, and fish die-offs, and finally almost saved by Congressman Sonny Bono, the Salton Sea has a bittersweet past.

Now amongst the ruins of this man-made mistake, these few remaining people struggle to keep a remodeled version of the dream alive. However, this most unique community is now threatened by the nearby megalopolises of Los Angeles and San Diego, as they attempt to take the agricultural run-off that barely sustains the Sea. The fate of this so-called ecological time bomb and the community that surrounds it remain uncertain, as the Salton Sea might just dry up.
Bombay Beach - Salton Sea page

Las Vegas Strip Bus Service

2010-02-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Citizens Area Transit (CAT) Bus 301 travels the length of the Strip and to Downtown Las Vegas. From the Stratosphere on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip to Mandalay Bay in the south, the bus takes about 45 minutes. During the rush hour, travel times double. The bus stops around Paris Hotel and Bellagio take the longest because many people get on in the center of the Strip.

Tickets are sold when you board the bus. The cost is $2 for one ride and exact change is required. A one-day pass is available for $5.

We saw the bus pass along the Las Vegas Strip every 10 minutes or so during the day.
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Road trips from SoCal: The West

2010-02-11T03:20:00.000-08:00

There's nothing quite as all-American as a road trip, especially in the West, where a wealth of culture, natural beauty and excitement unfolds before you. Coyote Buttes awaits in Arizona. Monument Valley beckons from Utah.

To help you tap the region's cache of getaways, we've compiled this list of out-of-state road trip spots. For a list of destinations in California, click here. Browse by region on our road trips page.

Distance to each destination is one-way from downtown Los Angeles. Cost of gas is for a round trip. Gas expenses were calculated using $2.756 for a gallon of gas, the average cost of gas in California as of Jun. 2, 2009, and a mileage of 20.8 miles per gallon, the average performance of new 2008 model cars and trucks.
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50 unforgettable trips from Susan Spano

2010-01-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

It's a wide-open world, full of wonders, contrasts, heart wrenches and surprises. Travel writer Susan Spano looked back over 10-plus years of writing travel stories for the L.A. Times and chose her top 50 trips, from Sweden's Arctic Circle to the canyon lands of Utah.

The complete stories appear as they did when they were published. The facts were accurate at the time of publication, but may have changed since then. If you’re planning a trip, be sure to reverify the information.
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Honolulu museum brings Pearl Harbor Day history to life

2009-12-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor takes you back to Dec. 7, 1941. It's early Sunday morning. The red-and-white control tower stands over the Ford Island Airfield in the middle of Pearl Harbor. You feel the percussion of Japanese attackers' bombs as they fall on Ford Island and the ships anchored nearby. Sailors, soldiers and airmen dodge the bullets as they rip through the glass windows of burning aircraft hangars. You are there where bravery overcame fear and boys became men. World War II had begun for the United States.
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Alaska's Matanuska Glacier

2009-10-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

Matanuska Glacier, the largest glacier in Alaska accessible by car, is not your typical glacier. It is 100 miles northeast of Anchorage, and ice climbers and hikers often traverse its icy peaks and slopes in short sleeves because of a weather hole that creates comfortable and sunny conditions. Enjoy this glacier and others while they last. Groups such as the U.S. Geological Survey report that glaciers are retreating faster than ever. L.A. Times staff photographer Robert Gauthier captured the Matanuska Glacier's landscapes of frozen and melting ice.
view photos

AARP: Single Travel

2009-09-26T12:23:00.001-07:00

I find it really annoying that one can't travel alone anywhere without having to pay for two ("based on double occupancy"). Is there any cruise or package plan for one person? I am a widow and would like to travel, but everyone seems to penalize you for traveling alone. PLEASE HELP.
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Kayak, popular travel search engine

2009-06-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Kayak, the popular multi-airline airfare search engine, thinks Microsoft Bing’s new travel search engine looks so much like its own that it’s confusing Kayak users. Its search results for an itinerary presents users with sliders and check boxes on the left that let searchers change times and specify airlines. Search results reload instantly as boxes are clicked and sliders slid.

This might get you a better deal. - Bill
goto Kayak

Artist ponders sights and sounds of Seattle's Fremont Bridge

2009-06-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

Taking the old steel bridge to Fremont has always been a bit like crossing into another universe. A gentler, funkier cosmos, full of old Volkswagen vans and Indian textile shops and possibly the only statue of Vladimir Lenin on a public street corner west of the Baltic Sea. The bridge in fact opened the same year the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, and since then has become the defining feature of this central Seattle neighborhood -- alternately called the "People's Republic of Fremont" by outsiders and "the Center of the Universe" by those who live there.

Now the blue-and-orange drawbridge suspended low over the Lake Washington Ship Canal has its own artist in residence, hired by the city to spend the summer in one of the span's cloistered towers to document what it means, exactly, to cross from the merely Seattle into Fremont. The neighborhood is known for its playful public art -- from the 18-foot concrete troll under the nearby Aurora Bridge to the whimsical, participatory sculpture of streetcar passengers known as "Waiting for the Interurban." And being the official artist for a bridge both loved and loathed is a daunting task, Kristen Ramirez admits.
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Taking Southern California on vacation

2009-06-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a number of interesting trip ideas from the LA Times.
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Colorado's Newest Train rides: Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

2009-06-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Don't miss Colorado's newest scenic train, offering steam engine rides through breathtaking mountain valleys and passes on hundreds of miles of historic rail. Colorado trains make great vacation (and gift!) ideas, and visitors will find lots of fun things to do in Alamosa – a charming and historic train town in the heart of the San Luis Valley.

Coming down from Colorado Interstate-25? Catch this exciting Colorado train weekends in La Veta for a round-trip ride over legendary La Veta Pass to Alamosa with a leisurely two-hour stop for lunch and downtown shopping. Looking for something different? Ride the train from La Veta over the pass to see the Great Sand Dunes National Park via a shuttle for a two-hours of fun in the sun and sand. Full day and half day trips are available to offer something for everyone.
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What an interesting life: Full Time RVing

2009-05-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

In RV-speak, Full Hook Up, or FHU, is a site that has water, sewer and electricity. We're here to hook you up with facts, helpful hints and useful information about fulltime RVing that we have picked up in our travels. If you read our site and don't find what you're looking for, or if you still have questions, please contact us and we'll either add it to our site or respond to you personally.
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Zion National Park

2009-04-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

Located in Washington, Iron and Kane Counties in Southwestern Utah, Zion National Park encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. The park is characterized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep sandstone canyons and striking rock towers and mesas. Zion National Park is a showcase of geology. Geologic processes have played an important role in shaping Zion. The arid climate and sparse vegetation allow the exposure of large expanses of bare rock and reveal the park’s geologic history.

This year, Zion National Park will continue to keep popular climbing routes on cliffs used by nesting peregrine falcons open one month longer than in the past. These areas will remain open to climbing through February 28, 2009. They will close to climbing on March 1, 2009. The closing date is based on analysis of information collected from 2001-2008 regarding the peregrines’ arrival time to their nesting cliffs in the park.
LA Times Photos
National Park Service
more on nesting peregrine falcons

Resort campgrounds appeal to thrifty travelers

2009-04-11T04:49:00.000-07:00

As a former limousine driver in San Diego, Louis Tejeda knows the oceanfront hotels in Coronado, the hot restaurants in La Jolla and the hip clubs in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown. But on a recent Saturday morning, he sought something more affordable in these tough times. That's how he found himself in Chula Vista, where he and his five grandchildren planned to splash around in a heated pool, ride bicycles, roughhouse in a playground and listen to guitar music by the light of a roaring campfire. With the slumping economy and rising unemployment putting a death grip on travel budgets, Tejeda has joined a growing number of vacationers who are camping -- without roughing it.

Travel spending nationwide has taken a nose dive in the past few months but business remains brisk at many "resort campgrounds," privately owned suburban parks that offer family-friendly amenities such as pools, free Wi-Fi, furnished cabins, arcade games, hot showers and laundry service. Resort campgrounds, including the KOA camp in Chula Vista, are not immune to this recession, but campground owners say the weakening economy has attracted more vacationers looking to save a buck without having to sacrifice comfort and fun. "People still want to get away but are looking for more affordable vacations," said Linda Profaizer, president and chief executive of the National Assn. of RV Parks and Campgrounds, a trade organization that represents more than 3,700 privately owned campgrounds across the country.
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China Focus

2009-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

We are currently running 6 promotional tours ranging from 7-15 days. If you book any promotional tour by May 31, 2009, you will receive $200/person off the listing price! If your final payment (due 50 days prior to your departure date) is paid in forms of a check, you will receive an additional $200/person off the regular tour fare (cash discount column already reflects this discount)! *Dates are subject to change.
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Crossing the border? Take your passport

2009-03-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — Federal officials hope a new education campaign will eliminate confusion at U.S. borders this summer when Americans will be required for the first time to show a passport or a special ID card to drive home from Canada or Mexico.
Travelers will no longer be able to use ordinary driver's licenses or birth certificates to get back into the U.S.

On June 1, U.S. citizens entering the country by land or sea will have to present a passport or government border-crossing card that shows their name and proof of citizenship. They could also use a military ID or an enhanced driver's license, which has extra security features and is only available in the states of Washington, New York, Vermont and Michigan.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-03-30-passports_N.htm

The Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm, Sweden

2009-03-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

At the entrance to the Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is a strange sight: a Boeing 747-200 jumbo jet that isn't going anywhere. The airplane, which belonged to Transjet until the carrier went under in 2002, was built for Singapore Airlines and later flew under legacy carrier Pan Am. But then founder Oscar Dios had an idea to convert the plane into Jumbo Hostel, which is listed prominently at the airport's website for those seeking a room for the night. The cockpit suite (yes, it's the real cockpit) features two beds, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi and a private bathroom with shower, according to the hostel's website. Cost of the room sleeping one or two: $358, including breakfast.
Info: www.jumbohostel.com

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Carnival around the world

2009-02-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

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Ultimate Travel Guide 2009

2009-02-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Driving California's coast in 10 days

2009-02-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

It's a scenic adventure that just begins to cover the high points.

Early on the first day of 2009, a gold Toyota Corolla exited Interstate 5 in southern San Diego County and headed west, dodging puddles and "SUBJECT TO FLOODING" signs until it reached Border Field State Park, the coastal reserve where California's coastline begins. That was me, on the brink of something big.

20 Secrets to Save on Travel

2009-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

The travel industry is shuddering as frugality becomes fashionable and a new word, staycation, creeps into our vocabulary. So to spur sagging sales, operators are offering steep discounts to entice you to leave home. Of course, some bargains are better than others. To help you maximize your savings, we did the homework for you and put together a SLIDE SHOW of eight destinations on sale this spring. Plus, no matter where your wanderlust takes you, check out our insider tips below to help you snag the deepest discounts on hotels, airfare, vacation packages and cruises...
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AMEX Travel and Medical Insurance

2009-01-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

Emergency Air Ambulance may be a fairly rare need, but does your health insurance cover it?
Travel insurance should provide virtually all of the benefits that a standard health insurance policy can provide, especially if you plan to reside abroad for a significant length of time. Travel insurance may be purchased individually or at a family rate.

Emergency travel medical insurance is another type of available coverage. This type of insurance is meant to supplement your standard policy by providing coverage of any emergency medical costs incurred abroad. Emergency travel insurance is recommended for short-term travelers, particularly those entering dangerous or politically unstable areas. Upon return to your country of residence, you would resume care under your regular health insurance policy.

Similarly, medical evacuation insurance is a contingency plan for the same type of unexpected circumstances as emergency travel medical insurance. Should you become injured or unable to return home, medical evacuation insurance will cover the cost of the air ambulance and attending medical staff. However, unless you plan to engage in an extremely risky venture (like bungee jumping, cliff diving or deep sea diving), emergency travel medical insurance should be sufficient.
AMEX Medical Insurance
AMEX Travel Insurance

29 destinations to visit in 2009

2009-01-27T03:02:00.000-08:00

Warsaw -- Why it's a hot ticket in 2009: The big year in Warsaw is going to be 2010, the 200th anniversary of composer Frédéric Chopin's birth. But if you go before the hoopla starts, you can visit scores of Chopin sites and take advantage of cheaper hotel rates, which are generally lower than those in Western European capitals. For instance, in early April, doubles at the stylish Warsaw InterContinental will start at around $140 a night, and there are plenty of nice guesthouses for half that amount. The city is nuts about Chopin, who died in Paris in 1849 but left instructions for his heart to be returned to Warsaw for interment.
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20 Secrets to Save on Travel

2009-01-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Where Times readers plan to travel in 2009

2009-01-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

Each new year brings more opportunity for travel. Your choices span the world, but how do you choose? To help you in your travel planning, here's a look at where Times readers plan to travel in 2009.
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Classy old Saga Rose liner dodges the icebergs

2009-01-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

Sailing from Liverpool, England, the Saga Rose, a 43-year-old liner that is aging with considerable grace, called at the Irish port of Cobh before heading northwest to Greenland and Iceland, its main destinations for this July trip. Perhaps Cobh was an add-on, but it lent a delicious fillip to the voyage that my wife, Laurel, and I were making. About 2 1/2 million Irish immigrants have passed through Cobh, many to the United States. Countless ships have called there.

Of all the callers to this port, one is by far the most famous. And Cobh was its last port of call. The ship was the Titanic. To the extent that the Titanic's officers thought about ice -- and it was clearly not enough -- their goal was to stay as far away as possible. But the Saga Rose, with Capt. Alistair McLundie in command and an "ice pilot," Capt. Niels Kallesen, providing local knowledge, would seek close, though wary, encounters with icebergs.
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All aboard a historic train to the Grand Canyon

2009-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Take advantage of the fewer crowds of winter season and get on a train — a vintage one, even — for a short and sweet tour of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Deal-wise, it’s a superb time to hop aboard.

Deal: Half of the Grand Canyon Railway’s “50/50″ deal involves discounted accommodations ($109 per night, pre-tax) at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, Arizona, 65 miles away from the park’s South Rim. In addition, you get round-trip, coach-class travel on its train trip to and from the park for 50% off the normal price. High-season rates at the hotel generally run $169 per night, and train tickets are usually $65 per adult. Thus, with this package and in this low season, you’ll save significantly, paying as little as $174 per couple for a night’s stay and a train trip.

This adventure is more about the journey (aboard a historic train) than the destination. With the 50/50 package, you spend just three hours in Grand Canyon National Park, but four and a half hours on the 130-mile round-trip train journey to and from Williams and the park. When: Available for stays now through March 14, 2009.

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The Great Wall: Across China's great divide

2009-01-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

Built to keep out the Mongols, it's now facing a new kind of invader: tourists. Visit a crowd-free stretch and behold the legendary barrier in its natural state. At Badaling, the Great Wall rides the ridgelines like a dragon, its gray brick scales glinting and its crenelated spine writhing. Built at a strategic pass in the mountains north of Beijing, it crosses stout gates, plunges into narrow defiles, climbs back up to the heights and seems to go on forever.

Long after this month's Olympic Games end in Beijing, people will flock to Badaling, where seeing is believing in the Ten Thousand Li Long Wall of ancient annals and legend. But contrary to the impression it makes at Badaling, the Great Wall may never have crossed China in one mighty, continuous span, nor is its length precisely known. (Some say it's 4,500 miles, others a mere 3,100.) Experts now think of it as a series of disjointed segments built at different times in the last two millenniums and scattered in a maze all over northern China.
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Hi, I'm a frequent-flier addict

2008-12-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again for the 'mileage run.' The goal is 3,807 miles, and the destination doesn't matter. For this flier, it's about the upgrades, the bonuses and the rush. I have flown from Charlotte to Amsterdam and stayed just long enough to visit a coffee shop and see some Van Goghs before flying back across the Atlantic.

I have flown from Los Angeles to New York and wandered 5th Avenue and Central Park for an afternoon, admiring storefront holiday decorations, before returning to Kennedy for the flight home. I have flown from San Diego to Las Vegas and stayed 20 hours -- no hotel necessary -- before heading back to the airport yet again. Yes, it's time for the "mileage run." These mad dashes across the wintry skies at 35,000 feet are specifically designed to earn precious miles before the year-end deadline that can boost you from an ordinary coach passenger to, in the case of Delta Air Lines' program, vaunted Medallion status, where free upgrades and other benefits await.
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info on Medallion status

New U.S. entry requirement

2008-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

The United States will launch a new immigration system starting Jan. 12 to try to prevent terrorists entering the country. This will require foreign short-stay visitors from 34 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, including Japan, to apply for travel authorization at a Web site in advance of boarding a plane or vessel headed for the U.S.

You need to apply if you are an eligible citizen or national of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program. Countries include Japan, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Seven countries were added in November: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. The list of participating states can be found on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Web site at www.dhs.gov

How do you apply? Access the ESTA Web site run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
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LA Times; Travel Section - special offers & deals

2008-12-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Special Offers & Deals from our preferred advertisers.
This is a good section to visit periodically to get the latest offers. - Bill
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New Years events in Las Vegas

2008-12-15T05:41:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve, the Las Vegas Strip will once again be transformed into a giant block party. About 300,000 people are expected. Revelers, however, will need to be strategically positioned to see the aerial display. Instead of being shot from the rooftops of various resorts the fireworks will be launched from atop parking garages.

"These fireworks are going to be 300 feet closer to people on the Strip," says Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. The downside is that only people in certain locations on or near Las Vegas Boulevard will have a good view. Information on those sites will be available online (www.ap2009.com) beginning Tuesday. Beyond the fireworks, here's a sampling of ways to ring in 2009.
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Who’s to blame when there’s an unwanted charge for extra frequent flier miles?

2008-12-15T05:37:00.000-08:00

I recently traveled round trip from LAX to Washington, D.C., on United. United told me I could print my boarding pass and pay the baggage fee online. I did that, but as I was making my selection, I had to opt out of several costly offers. When I returned from Washington, I asked the hotel concierge to print the boarding pass and pay the baggage fee. When I got home, I noticed that one of the pages the concierge printed was an acceptance of a $137 charge for United’s Award Accelerator, which increases the value of flier miles. I called United’s customer service reps, but they refused to cancel the charge. Can I get my $137 back?

Answer: Yes, but not because there are clear-cut good guys and bad guys here. As is often the case when airlines were involved, I thought at first this was merely a question of customer service, which I continue to insist is a misnomer when airlines are involved. But the more I talked with Smith, United and Tim Winship, travel editor at large for SmarterTravel.com, the less clear it became. Smith erred by not telling the concierge to be careful. She had successfully evaded the charge when she printed out her own boarding pass on the first leg of her trip. The concierge erred by accidentally obligating her to buy the extra miles.
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Escape by ferry on a day trip to Itsukushima

2008-11-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

A tour boat passes through the floating torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine.

The Daishoin Temple is one of the architectural treasures of Itsukushima.
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Visit Tecate by train for dose of border goodwill

2008-11-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

A leisurely ride by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum sets just the right mood for a day trip into the genial town -- site of the famous brewery. The air is already laced with diesel fumes as the conductor shouts, "All aboard!" The engineer sounds the whistle, and the locomotive lurches forward. Squeals of delight emanate from the passenger cars. This train ride is a first for many of the children. The adults share their excitement because they are setting off on a unique international adventure.

One or two Saturdays a month, nearly 250 passengers -- kids and grown-ups -- climb aboard the 1930s-era passenger cars in Campo in eastern San Diego County for the one-hour trip to Tecate, a town that provides a tranquil alternative to bustling and crime-ridden Tijuana, about 30 miles west. Volunteers from the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, which runs the trips, have restored the cars to their original appearance. Until they were retired in the mid-1980s, the cars trundled across northern New Jersey for more than five decades, carrying New York City commuters.

The engine chugs along at 15 mph. Train aficionados, including Bob and Sandy Schussler, share the history of this stretch of track, which until the mid-1950s carried passengers traveling east from the coast. "We are preserving the legacy of railroading in Southern California," says Bob Schussler, a former Marine who, with his wife, has spent more than a decade as an active volunteer with the museum. Round-trip tickets cost $43 for adults and $23 for children. The trips often sell out weeks in advance, especially during the milder spring and fall months, when extra excursions are added to meet the increased demand.
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Mexico's drug wars curtail holiday travel

2008-11-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Brenda Cardoso says her family will not spend Christmas with her grandmother in Tijuana because they do not believe they will be safe. “It’s sad because it was a tradition that we grew up with.” Fearing that they won't be safe visiting relatives south of the border, many are forsaking family traditions and staying in the U.S. "It's not safe for us to gather over there," said Cardoso, who was born in Mexico but is now a U.S. citizen. "It's sad because it was a tradition that we grew up with. . . . Now, unfortunately, we can't do it because of how the situation is in Mexico."

As Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans begin to plan their holidays, many say they are choosing not to make the annual trek home to visit relatives. While some are dissuaded by the worsening economy, others are avoiding travel to Mexico because they fear the rampant kidnappings, killings and shootouts. The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert late last month warning U.S. citizens to take precautions and to be aware of the "increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficking routes," especially in the cities of Tijuana, Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez. "They don't want to go home because of the problems in TJ, all the shootings and the killings," he said.

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Instant Japan

2008-11-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Japan’s wild side is often lost in translation: True, where it’s urban, it’s really urban, and where it’s expensive, it’s really expensive. But we’re not talking about a business trip to Tokyo. There is an undeveloped Japan—and plenty of it. A landscape as forested as any on Earth stretches from the subtropical reefs near Okinawa to the soaring, jagged mountains of Hokkaido. It’s rugged, welcoming, and a better bargain than you might think. "Japan’s ryokans [country inns] are the best value in the world," says Duff Trimble, whose Toronto-based Wabi-Sabi Tours runs custom guided Japan adventures. A top-notch ryokan, for about $400 per person per night, dishes up incredible service, serene rooms, communal soaks in hot springs, garden settings, and infallibly polite hosts. (Don’t ever look puzzled unless you’re willing to be aided, abetted, and maybe even escorted by legions of locals.) Simple small-town hotels run less than $100. And at mealtime, for under $20 you can fill up on sushi and other Japanese delicacies—if you like seaweed, roe, eel, and the odd giant sea snail, you’re in the right place. A seven-day rail pass on the country’s sleek 180-mph bullet trains can be had for under $300—less than half the cost of an equivalent pass in Europe. Best of all, Trimble says, "people are eager to welcome you. They’re fiercely proud of their culture, which is so closely tied to Japan’s landscape."

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For those who like to go it alone, deals for singles

2008-10-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

About a quarter of Americans took a leisure trip by themselves in the last year, according to the latest annual survey by Ypartnership/Yankelovich Inc. Yet most of the travel industry seems as geared toward couples as Noah's Ark. Solo sojourners typically get charged for two to stay alone in a room. On cruises and tours, thanks to single supplements, they may pay hundreds or even thousands more than the standard price. So, it's extra hard for a single traveler to stick to a budget. But here are five suggestions. (These trips are examples; prices and availability may change.)

Pursue your passion: Chances are, you'll find like-minded people. Lifelong learners age 55 and older might consider Boston-basedElderhostel, which runs educational tours in the U.S. and abroad. Among them is a five-night "San Antonio [Texas]: History, Culture and Traditions," starting at $729 per person, double, or $979 with single supplement, including lodging, lectures, field trips and most meals but not airfare; many dates.

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First you might want a Camera

2008-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some links courtesy of Lynn. I learned quite a bit reviewing this material. I discovered choosing a camera is a really personal decision with choices ranging from point and shoot to high end complex digital SLRs. These references helped me make the best compromises of features for my needs. I picked a Panasonic DMC-FZ28 -- Bill

Digital Camera resource page - Camera Database with 'search by features' function

It's pretty straightforward as to it's use. Their camera database linked above shows an orange box with an R for any camera they've done a review on. They also have an alphabetical list by manufacturer on a separate page.

dpreview.com has many in-depth reviews & discussion forums

Using links in the upper left corner, try going to "Camera Database" then select "Canon" & scroll down to the G9 you mentioned which can then lead you to their G9 full review. I use this as an example since you mentioned an interest in the G9. You can go to their 'Conclusions' on page 20 for a quick overview of the 'Pros' & 'Cons' in the eyes of this reviewer.

Steve's Digicams Camera Reviews

Yet another site for in-depth reviews.

Imaging Resource - page for selecting multiple models for side-by-side comparison using 'control-click'

They also offer camera reviews. I find this page helpful when I want to easily compare particular features of 2 or 3 cameras side by side.

Each of the above sites have particular strengths & some may like the approach of one over the other. They all offer a wealth of information & opinions. Have fun browsing & good luck selecting just the right camera for your needs.

Travel websites and fraud: how to know who is legitimate

2008-10-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Question: I am trying to book a trip online for South America; a pretty good package was arranged for me by an online company. How can I check if it is reputable?

Answer: You can't know just by looking at a site whether it's OK.... If you're not going the travel agent route, put on your world's greatest skeptic suit and prepare to spend a lot of time pounding the keyboard. Your first move, suggests Donna Hoffman, a professor at the Sloan Center for Internet Retailing at UC Riverside, is to Google the name of the company and the word "fraud" and see if anything comes up.

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I use well known reputable travel sites & agencies and use a credit card that have fraud protection. - Bill

Columbia: More than just a ghost town

2008-10-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

History buffs could hardly do better than a visit to California's Gold Country in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where gold was discovered in the mid-19th Century, setting off a population explosion that helped shape what California is today. And maybe the best place to get a sense of what it all was like back then is Columbia State Park, hailed as the state's best preserved ghost town. Actually, Columbia is far from a ghost town.

Several local business owners are alive and well, thank you, operating park concessions that help re-create the feeling of a town in the Gold Rush era. On any given day you'll find people all over town dressed like it was still the 1800's and doing all they can to create the illusion that you are traveling back in time. Columbia's Main Street does look like a movie set except that the downtown stores are not just storefronts but actual historical buildings. There are about 40 brick buildings and 10 wooden structures all built back in the day when thousands of miners would come into town to get their supplies before returning to gold claims that ultimately produced $67 million worth of gold between 1850 and 1870.

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In Colorado, autumn in all its glory

2008-10-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

In Spanish, Colorado means red. In autumn, Colorado means red, yellow, orange, gold and green leaves and very blue sky. The combination is so breathtaking that you can use up every bit of memory -- in your brain and your digital camera -- trying to take it all in. We found a special way to do just that on a four-day trip in early October: We stayed in a yurt, a dwelling developed in the 12th century by Mongolian nomads in central Asia.
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Italy: Art springs to life in gardens near Rome

2008-10-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

It lies atop a hill about 60 miles north of Rome where a gentleman-cardinal built a garden in the 16th century. His architects created it from water and stone, green leaves and vine. But the result is more than the sum of its parts. Villa Lante embodies the humanist ideals of the Italian Renaissance. In a way, all gardens, from the lowliest patch of zinnias to a sophisticated jewel of landscape design such as Villa Lante, are postage stamps from Eden. So it is no wonder that soon after I moved to Rome last spring, I began seeking them out.

I took a Vatican Gardens tour to see the pope's beautiful backyard and saw the ingenious fountains at the Villa d'Este about 20 miles east of Rome. I found secret havens in the city -- the rose garden on the Aventine Hill, for one -- and tagged along with a group of architecture students from Yale University to visit Villa Madama, in the hills northwest of town. While the students sketched its elephant fountain, their professors told me about other gardens in the region of Lazio around Rome that attest to the evolution of garden art in Italy. Many are attached to country villas where counts and cardinals took refuge from the summer heat.

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Great places to see fall colors in California

2008-10-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Yosemite National Park
"Yosemite is not known for having spectacular fall colors because most of the trees are evergreen. Still, big-leaf maples, black oaks, Pacific dogwoods and other deciduous trees tend to be showy around mid-October."

View Slide Show

Budget travel sites to keep you out of the red

2008-10-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

With stock prices falling like acorns, budget-centric websites are rising to the top of more vacationers' bookmark lists. USA TODAY's Laura Bly points a mouse to 25 sites — some old favorites, some newcomers — aimed at bargain hunters.

AIRFARES

Airfarewatchdog.com

Relying on brain power rather than computerized algorithms, Airfarewatchdog's site and newsletter emphasize unadvertised, time-sensitive deals, including Web-only fares. Deals are checked for availability, and the site points out when a "bargain" really isn't.

Farecast.live.com

Live Search Farecast attempts to answer one of the toughest airfare dilemmas — buy now, or wait? — by making predictions based on historical data on whether fares will rise or fall over the next seven days.Also worth clicking: FareCompare.com

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Pretty photos of Fall foliage

2008-10-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

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Navajo Nation’s View Hotel in Monument Valley set to open in December

2008-09-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

The 95-room hotel scheduled to open in December is situated with panoramic views of the well-known rock formations the Mittens, technically, the East and West Mitten Buttes on the Arizona side of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. You’ve probably seen John Wayne riding purposefully past the Mittens in westerns.

The hotel is built on the site of a former campground, adjacent to the Tribal Park Visitors Center and Trading Post. Designed to maximize views and minimize impact on the environment, the View will feature Navajo artwork, a two-story lobby, “green” building technology and a low building contour that conforms to the mesa site. The park is northeast of the Grand Canyon and between Lake Powell on the west and the Four Corners on the east. The View is accepting online reservations beginning Dec. 6. Rates for standard rooms range from $95 to $195 depending on the season.

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San Francisco's new California Academy of Sciences a natural wonder

2008-09-29T03:30:00.000-07:00

Call it the "unmuseum," says Gregory C. Farrington, executive director. "Museums are supposed to have thick walls and dark corridors. You're supposed to get lost. This is entirely different. It's welcoming and full of life and light." World-class, unparalleled, greatest, biggest, most diverse, greenest and eco-grooviest. Able to leap tall buildings in a single rave, the new state-of-the-art and state-of-the-planet incarnation of the California Academy of Sciences is generating kilowatts of excitement and kudos.

This weekend marks the long-awaited grand reopening of the academy, which is unusual in that it houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and educational programs under one roof. In commemoration of the very big deal that all of this is, several hundred butterflies were to be released at its Saturday debut in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, starting two days of hoopla that's set to include music, Chinese acrobats and a Native American blessing. But the star attraction is the building itself, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pompidou Centre in Paris) and poised to be one of the world's greenest buildings.

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Trojan Travel: Your Passport to the World

2008-09-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hi, Bill -- great idea! In addition to residents' inputs and photos re: their great travels, maybe there's something more structured that can be done re: sharing with interested residents the many wonderful travel brochures we receive from various sources. I've been dropping off my USC TROJAN TRAVEL booklets and trip brochures at the Aspen Lodge, either putting them on the long table in the library or, as I did today, on the ledge beneath the classifieds bulletin board just inside the north entrance of the Aspen. Maybe you could include in the Gazette the web links to some of these travel resources, so folks can check out trip offerings online....

PS.....I have traveled with the Trojan Travelers several times, and their program is excellent....and you don't have to be a USC alumnus to join the group! Prices are quite reasonable for what you get.....there are exceptional opportunities to see and do things that the general public does not. And, many of the USC faculty travel with the groups, acting as hosts and coordinators of the special activities.

Trojan Travel

IT'S OK TO USE MY NAME (Kay Riordan) AND EMAIL ADDRESS (klriordan1@verizon.net) IN CONJUNCTION WITH TROJAN TRAVEL'S HOMEPAGE....IF ANYONE WANTS TO ASK ME A QUESTION ABOUT MY PAST TRAVELS WITH THIS SERVICE, I'LL BE GLAD TO OBLIGE!

Best of Egypt

2008-09-27T11:48:00.000-07:00


	Welcome to Viking Tours 2009! Viking Tours, a sister company to Viking River Cruises, offers the finest in small group travel. Enjoy fabulous destinations like Egypt, India and the Galápagos with the same travel experts who bring you delightful river cruises through Europe, Russia and China. Our tours are designed especially for people like you who want to go beyond the typical itinerary when they travel. We take you to the heart of your destination, where you enjoy: Guided tours of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Wonders of the World Home-hosted dinners of authentic regional cuisine Deluxe accommodations at world-class properties, and The best and most knowledgeable Tour Directors. And because you travel in small groups of 12-20 guests, you benefit from a more intimate, in-depth travel experience. These value-packed programs offer once-in-a-lifetime journeys with everything included in the price of your tour. visit Viking Tours I have only traveled on one Viking River Cruise, several years ago (a great trip.....from St. Petersburg to Moscow on the Volga River, with many shore excursions.....Russia is a bit gritty, but it was well worth seeing.....made me much more appreciative of home!). (klriordan1@verizon.net)

Cabo San Lucas is beautiful

2008-09-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Bill, The three of us girls flew over to Mexico on a cheap flight ($295 round trip each). One of the girls had a time-share in Cabo that we stayed at which was very beautiful. Pueblo Bonito at Sunset Beach time-share. It was on the side of a hill overlooking the ocean. When you came down to the bottom of it you were right on the beach. The water there was warm and two shades of blue. Once you are there you can take as many or as few side trips you like and they were very reasonable. Some even free and they paid you money also if you agreed to have breakfast at another time-share and listen to an hour and a half presentation - to which you did not have to buy. You could take it or leave it.

Besides staying and enjoying the hotel we were at, we also went on a 4 hour boat trip that provided us with breakfast, lunch, snorkling and swimming in the warm ocean. They also provided you with all the drinks (both alcoholic and regular drinks) you wanted on the boat. I enjoyed that trip the best. The other things we did there were horseback riding on the ocean, going to the famous CaboWabo dance place, eating at some fabulous restraurants, shopping, walking on the beach and hanging out at the four pools the hotel had. My favorite pool was the "Sky Pool" because it was at the very top of the hotel and you could see everything down below and could order whatever you wanted to eat or drink poolside.

I almost forgot, one of the best things about the hotel was it had an extensive spa and workout room. These were wonderful to spend time relaxing at. Some of it was free and some of it (massages, manicures, etc) were at a cost.

Cabo San Lucas is beautiful and most places there have filtered water, so you don't have to worry about the water. It is clean and a real tourist attraction. I heard the deep-sea fishing was excellent there.

Las Vegas, 21 ideas -- all under $21

2008-09-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

For the budget-minded, the list of free or low-cost events includes Mandalay Bay's weekly blues concert, a carriage ride on Mt. Charleston and dueling piano competitions.

Once upon a time, Las Vegas was synonymous with bargains. Then cheap buffets, lounge acts and inexpensive hotel rooms gave way to Michelin Guide star-rated restaurants, Cirque du Soleil extravaganzas and luxury suites at the Bellagio. But all is not lost, even in these tough economic times when gas prices alone may make you reconsider a Vegas trip. These 21 ideas, each for less than $21, show that Vegas is still the land of the cheap and home of the free, if you know where to look.

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Fall in New England

2008-09-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

25 things to do this fall under $25

Get out there and make the most of the fall — without breaking the bank — with our list of 25 things to do under $25 in New England.

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Enjoy a Baldwin Lake Adventure

2008-09-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Let this wildflower adventure begin at the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve, on the north shore of Baldwin Lake in Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino County. Interspersed between the lush meadows and springs lies an open plain covered by small quartz rocks ("pebbles") with low growing, tufted plants rooted in the crevices. An Ice Age lake formed the clay soil of the pebble plain. Clay soils swell when wet, then shrink and crack in the dry months. Over thousands of years, this cycle of swelling and shrinking, combined with freezing, has pushed up the pebbles, which accumulate on the surface.

Spring brings beauty to the treeless pebble plains. The flowers of cushion-like plants create a panorama of color. In early spring, bright yellow Douglas' violets (Viola douglasii) speckle the purple hue of Parish's rock-cress (Arabis parishii). As the season progresses, new waves of flowers bloom. Special adaptations help the pebble plain plants survive months of freezing temperatures and intense summer sun. These special traits include having tiny leaves that are often gray or covered with fine hairs. These features reflect harsh summer sunlight better than larger, green leaves and help reduce water loss.

The reserve also provides a home for wildlife. Coyotes, jackrabbits, lizards and deer live in and around the reserve, drinking from Baldwin Lake when it has water. Overhead, the small saw-whet and screech owls, and the larger great horned owls fly silently in the night. The daytime sky belongs to Cooper's hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-tailed hawks and kestrels while fiery hummingbirds flit past and butterflies flutter by. Watch a rainbow of perching birds, from the red-breasted nuthatch to the Western bluebird, whose colors blaze nearly as brightly as the wildflowers beneath them. Bald eagles winter here, taking advantage of the warmer Southern California weather. They fish at Baldwin and Big Bear lakes, and can be seen roosting on tall pines in the area. The Big Bear Lake area, just west of Baldwin Lake, is a popular all-seasons recreation destination.

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Fall foliage in New England

2008-09-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

The leaves in New England will soon start to turn their colors. From vibrant Maine mountaintops to brightly-colored Massachusetts sidewalks, take a peek at the fall foliage that's to come throughout the region.

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Japan's Mt. Fuji draws record number of summer climbers

2008-09-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

TOKYO — A record number of climbers scaled Japan's Mount Fuji during the summer season and deaths and injuries rose as many underestimated the trek, city officials said. Some 247,066 people climbed the mountain in July and August, beating the previous record of 220,277, set in 1987, said Kazuwa Okuwaki, an official in Fujiyoshida, a nearby city. Mount Fuji is Japan's best-known landmark and climbing it is viewed by many as a tourist outing. Gift shops along the trail sell trinkets and soft drinks, and travel companies offer one-day express tours from downtown Tokyo, which is only about 60 miles away.

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Post-Olympic Travel Bargains

2008-08-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

"Beijing has really redone itself in ways that will continue to benefit travelers," says Pauline. To prepare for the Summer Games, the city built nearly 1,000 new hotels, many ranking four or five stars. It also opened the swanky new Legation Quarter (formerly the Qing Dynasty-era American Embassy compound), which is home to luxury restaurants, art galleries and nightclubs, and expanded its subway service, making attractions such as the suburban-based Summer Palace more readily accessible. And to help prevent all of its anticipated visitors from getting lost, it posted English-language signs throughout the city.

But probably the biggest lure for prospective travelers is its fire-sale prices. "[The Chinese yuan] is still so weak, just 6.5 to $1 U.S.," says Frommer, who just returned from Beijing. "I don't think I once spent more than $5 on dinner." The deals have only gotten better since the closing ceremonies. Here are some of the Post-Olympic discounts travelers can expect.....

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2008 Worldwide Travel-worthy Events

2008-08-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 17 through the 27 in 2008, where viewers have the pick of indy flicks.

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World's 'New 7 Wonders'

2008-08-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

GREAT WALL OF CHINA
The 4,160-mile barricade in northern China is the longest man-made structure in the world. The fortification, which largely dates from the 7th through the 4th century BC, was built to protect the dynasties from the Huns, Mongols, Turks and other nomadic tribes.

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Looking for Labor Day park lodging? It's not too late

2008-08-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Although Labor Day weekend is heavily booked, vacancies, cancellations and no-shows happen. And some campgrounds are first-come, first-served. If you arrive early, preferably Wednesday or Thursday, you can likely find a spot to pitch your tent or park your RV, officials say. Just don't assume it will be easy. Although some Americans, struggling with costly gas and tight budgets, have cut back on travel, foreign visitors, drawn by the cheap dollar, are flocking to parks.

At Grand Canyon National Park this Labor Day, for instance, "the demand seems to be up," said Kevin Dillman, director of central reservations at Xanterra Parks & Resorts, which handles bookings for nine national parks. "We have fewer rooms available." As of Aug. 14, lodges at the South Rim were "pretty well sold out," he said, although Yavapai and Maswik lodges, near the rim, still had rooms.

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Ever considered a vacation by train?

2008-08-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

Amtrak has vacation planning and discounts for seniors including one 30 day flat rate package. I thought about one trip going North and then East across Canada. There are also hotel/travel packages to major cities.

Amtrak Vacations