Getting lost in Venice, for the fun of it
Venice is an old city. The water-logged foundations date back to the 11th century. The newer building facades are as recent as the 15th.So many buildings were stripped of paint and plaster on both sides of a small alleyway that I expected them to crumble before my eyes — until I reminded myself they have looked pretty much the same for over 500 years.This other-worldly city is filled ... READ MORE
A visit to Pittsburgh: food, art and Fences
If you’re planning a trip to Pittsburgh, you’ll need to learn a few things first. Yinz is local for y’all. Carnegie is pronounced Car-NAY-gie (as in Andrew Carnegie, who made a fortune in Pittsburgh’s steel industry, and whose name adorns libraries, museums and more). And you don’t get French fries with your sandwich at Primanti’s. You get fries on your... READ MORE
Inexpensive, rising Rust Belt destinations
Here’s why tourists should take the Rust Belt about as seriously as they take politicians these days: Because the food, art and sightseeing in “flyover country” is well worth your precious vacation days — not to mention cheaper than in trendier destinations.In the last two years, I’ve visited Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin — sampling art museums,... READ MORE
St. Augustine, Fla., America’s oldest city
In 1607, a small band of settlers founded the first permanent English outpost in the Americas — Jamestown, in the Colony of Virginia. But by that time, another town already had existed since 1565, further south on what would later be called the East Coast. Each November, we recall the Thanksgiving celebration that took place in 1621, when pilgrims in Plymouth, Mass., shared a feast... READ MORE
How to use credit and debit cards abroad
If you’re heading outside the United States, you will have to cope with foreign exchange. And despite all those stories you see about currency “secrets,” what you need to know is really pretty simple. Overall, your best bet is to use plastic as much as possible: credit cards for big-ticket purchases, debit cards for local cash. When you use a credit card outside the U.S., the... READ MORE
Avoid the crowds: visit Athens in winter
As a seaside metropolis with a lively outdoor vibe and dozens of picturesque islands beckoning nearby, Athens is more often considered a summer tourist destination than a winter escape. An early morning visit will put the sun behind you as you gaze across the city toward the Acropolis, with the shores of the Aegean Sea lapping in the distance. Part of the fun is getting there via a... READ MORE
A bucket list trip to exotic Bora Bora
Somehow, I convinced my husband that the fifth wedding anniversary is the Tahitian anniversary. (The traditional gift, actually, is wood.) For years, I had dreamed of going to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The lagoon’s glimmering turquoise, jade and cobalt blue waters, the overwater bungalows, the seclusion — for me, it was the ultimate bucket list destination. Some of the... READ MORE
Good times in Louisiana Cajun country
Let the good times roll, they say. In French, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.” And roll they do in southern Louisiana’s Cajun Country. Locals love to sing, dance, cook, eat and party hard in year-round festivals that celebrate cracklin’s, catfish, crawfish, shrimp, boudin, gumbo, okra, frogs, ducks, alligators, zydeco, petroleum and sugarcane, for starters. And that’s all in ... READ MORE
