San Francisco’s Chinatown feeds the sens
Smack in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown, Portsmouth Square is a kaleidoscope of sounds, smells and colors. The cadence of Chinese dialects fills the air, and splashes of red and gold glow from shop windows to banners strung across the narrow streets.The rich smell of roast duck curls out of hole-in-the-wall eating places, blending with the faint smell of incense burning on... READ MORE
Palm Springs, California’s desert oasis
It is my favorite part of the show: A grand staircase appears on the middle of the stage, and among all the dazzling show lights the lovely ladies of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies take to the stage one at a time, adorned in rhinestoned, feathered and flowered regalia. Watching Washington, D.C. native Joni Naber in her purple halo of a headdress gracefully descend the stairs with her... READ MORE
Visiting old and new Toyko on the cheap
One of the most fascinating things about Tokyo is the way it combines both the ancient and the modern. Or rather, the way it doesn’t combine them at all, so the new and the old are side by side everywhere you turn.Take the metro to the Chiyoda Ward in central Tokyo and you’ll find yourself surrounded by a tangle of glass and steel skyscrapers — until out of nowhere appears ... READ MORE
Sun and rum lap the shores of Barbados
ST. PHILIP, Barbados — George Washington slept here.Among the hundreds of markers that make that claim, the most curious is here on Barbados, the easternmost Caribbean island, off the coast of Venezuela.Washington visited Barbados in 1751. He apparently enjoyed his stay, despite a bout of smallpox, writing in his diary, “In the cool of the evening we rode in the country and were ... READ MORE
Nepal offers visitors unique experiences
The setting resembled a stunning picture postcard come to life. Soaring, snow-capped mountains provided a backdrop for green-clad terraces carved out of steep hillsides.In fields below, men and women wearing a rainbow of colorful clothing bent low to pick golden shoots and tie them into huge bundles, which they carried to a rickety wooden wagon pulled by a pair of water buffalo.Scenes like... READ MORE
Behind-the-scenes stories from history
Thomas Jefferson’s clothes and linens didn’t get pressed on their own, and the meals for his lavish parties didn’t cook themselves.Jefferson’s Monticello estate, in Charlottesville, Va., is expanding efforts to depict the lives and activities of the people who worked behind the scenes, allowing visitors to see that Jefferson had a lot of support for his... READ MORE
Nepal offers visitors unique experiences
The setting resembled a stunning picture postcard come to life. Soaring, snow-capped mountains provided a backdrop for green-clad terraces carved out of steep hillsides. In fields below, men and women wearing a rainbow of colorful clothing bent low to pick golden shoots and tie them into huge bundles, which they carried to a rickety wooden wagon pulled by a pair of water... READ MORE
Behind-the-scenes stories from history
Thomas Jefferson’s clothes and linens didn’t get pressed on their own, and the meals for his lavish parties didn’t cook themselves.Jefferson’s Monticello estate, in Charlottesville, Va., is expanding efforts to depict the lives and activities of the people who worked behind the scenes, allowing visitors to see that Jefferson had a lot of support for his... READ MORE
Reconnecting with the ancients in Athens
On top of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, the wind was gusting so hard that parents grasped their children’s wrists to anchor the little ones, as jackets billowed and hats sailed away.When the dust swirling around the ruins made me “achoo” loudly, a woman nearby responded, “Zeus bless you!” Zeus blessed me many times over in Athens, as I peeled away layers of... READ MORE
Experience the sweet life in Hershey, Pa.
It should come as no surprise that a vacation to Hershey, Pa., will meet with an enthusiastic thumbs-up from your grandchildren. What you may not realize is that you can have a fantastic time without kids as well, as I did on a recent girlfriend getaway to the home of the chocolate bar.My former college roommate and I were sorely in need of a little R&R. A stressful couple of years... READ MORE
