Cynthia Dial 
It’s not that high I tell myself after committing to be the first to climb a rope ladder to the crow’s nest of a tall sailing ship – my home on water for a week. Not one to break my word (at least not with so many witnesses), I’m secured … Read more
When I moved to California years ago, I vowed to explore it. After settling in San Diego, I enjoyed many visits to northern California and developed a real connection with some of California’s well known destinations – L.A., San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Carmel and Napa. But those journeys paled in … Read more
Whether you’ve been one time or a hundred times, every jaunt to Las Vegas is different. When a city features the Eiffel Tower across from Lake Bellagio, a short distance from the Pyramid of Giza and around the corner from the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s no ordinary town. Add its ever … Read more
“If you stand on any corner in Montreal, you can tell who’s a native and who isn’t,” I’m told by a Montrealer. “Locals are in no rush. They make eye contact; they acknowledge you and they never walk with coffee.” Java is for savoring, I’m schooled. A destination known for … Read more
There’s a dramatic coastline to the west and rolling hills to the east, but it’s the scent of pines that announces your arrival in Cambria. Ensconced in a forest of evergreens, this California village—deemed “one of America’s prettiest towns”—sneaks up on motorists traversing Highway One, the state’s scenic roadway. Situated … Read more
Standing on a downtown Nashville street corner waiting for the “walk” signal, my toes began to tap. I heard music. It wasn’t coming from a restaurant, bar or nightclub, of which there are many—it was playing from the metal box controlling the traffic light. Music is everywhere in this city. … Read more
Sometimes mistaken for a run of the mill desert town, Phoenix is in fact anything but. And while the sky may be bluer, the mountains sharper and the lifestyle simpler than most urban centers, its lack of worldliness has given the nation’s sixth largest city a bad rap. But look … Read more
“My tastes are simple; I only like the best.” (Oscar Wilde) I like the best, doesn’t everyone? With that in mind, it was during my quest to uncover the Dominican Republic’s finest that I discovered Puntacana Resort and Club’s Tortuga Bay, a private enclave of beachfront villas within the expansive … Read more
When I announced my plans to visit Door County, I was asked two questions. Where, then, why? To answer the first – Door County is situated at the northern tip of Wisconsin’s mid-state peninsula jutting northward and is bordered by the waters of Green Bay to the west and Lake … Read more
Full disclosure: I was a daily walker, not a hiker. Give me a pair of Jimmy Choo’s with 4 ½ inch heels and the directive to cross Manhattan’s Midtown and consider it done. But put me in a pair of hiking boots and I’m out of my element. So, when … Read more
At the top of my travel bucket list, to use a way over-used term, Antarctica occupied the number one, two and three positions. So when I was approached about visiting the Great White Continent, I grabbed my passport, parka and camera and jumped on it. Travel to the bottom of … Read more