On the Sparkling Wine Trail in Sonoma
If Champagne, France is the king of bubbly, then California may be next in line to the throne, with dazzling sparkling wines being produced throughout the state. It’s no surprise that Sonoma tops the list of heirs apparent, since it benefits from foggy mornings, cool...
Snowsports and Sustenance in Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort
I’ve been a snow snob for half a century, and horror stories about the icy east kept me skiing west of the Rockies until a few weeks ago. Lucky for me, I hit Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort in the midst of a mild snow storm so the conditions were near perfect. My...
The Best Places to Drink Champagne in Paris When You Need to Refresh!
Paris’ most popular tourist attractions are enough to make a body thirsty – climbing the Eiffel Tower, wandering miles of grand galleries at the Louvre, and walking the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde. Sure you can quench your...
Put Yourself on a Packing Diet and Lighten Your Load!
Eat a handful of almonds or peanuts every day for a month and you’ll put on a couple of pounds. Toss them in for a year and you’re going to be spilling over the top of your skinny jeans. It’s the same with packing. The smallest items start to add up and before you...
Rum Running from Field to Bottle with Oahu’s Kō Hana Rum
As we walked into the Kō Hana Rum tasting room -- once the general store and post office for agricultural workers in the tiny town of Kunia -- a young woman pushed a fibrous sugar cane stalk into an old press and handed us the results -- a glass of pure single...
Ten Must-Have Travel Items to Keep Permanently Packed in Your Suitcase
1. Duct tape –can repair anything, from ripped suitcases and backpacks bursting their seams to eyeglasses and charger cords. Roll it around a small pen or pencil. 2. Earplugs – honeymooners in the room next door? Bar brawls in the street below? No problem if you pack...
Tiki Drink Done Right – The Perfect Mai Tai
What is it that makes a Mai Tai so appealing? -- That you drink it watching a tropical sunset over the Pacific?…or the fresh pineapple, kitschy paper parasol and mint bouquet that stud the glass? Maybe it’s that once you’ve made your way through a few Mai Tais over...
Castroville Artichoke Festival
Castroville Artichoke Festival Don’t let the spiky tips fool you – this edible flower bud from the thistle family can be transformed into all kinds of goodies. The Italians turn it into a bitter digestivo liquor called Cynar; the French like them stuffed with parsley,...
Six Places for Perfect Poke on the Big Island of Hawaii
Poke, how do I love thee…let me count the ways. Sweetie, Hottie, Spicy, Stunna … you perfect tender cubes of raw ahi tuna tossed with threads of briny seaweed, green onions, soy sauce, sesame seeds and kukui nuts or macadamia nuts. Add some heat or a creamy avocado,...
Found Object Fixes for Unusual Travel Travails
A little ingenuity goes a long way when you’re a long way from home. That’s one of the things I like best about travel. Your bag of tricks is just a suitcase and your imagination so you have to be resourceful. On a ski trip in Colorado my son was very sick, and when...
Sampling the Big Island’s Bounty – Kohala Grown Farm Tours
The guide held out a pretty little red berry and explained that it had the ability to transform my sense of taste from sour to sweet. I felt like Alice as she listened to the caterpillar in Wonderland – a little uncertain, a little suspicious. I was handed a slice of...
Zoos That Say, “Please Feed the Animals!”
Whether it’s a rubbery-lipped giraffe gently plucking a leaf of lettuce from your hand or a rainbow-colored lorikeet sipping nectar from a tiny cup you hold, getting up close and personal with exotic animals is becoming a regular feature at zoos nationwide. It can be...
Eight Wild Rides
A ring of pretty ponies spinning around a circular track is one way of looking at carousels – but it’s definitely old school. How about circling around on a bald eagle, an okapi, a giant grasshopper or one of Dr. Seuss’s cowfish as the jolly pipe organ plays?...