San José, Costa Rica Do you Know the Way to San José? San José is not always on the receiving end of favorable mentions in travel reviews, and maybe this is due to the fact that, with so much to see, when reviewers really start gushing about their recent … Read more
A Place for All Seasons “Montana,” so the popular slogan says, “is the last best place.” Call me biased, but if that’s true, then Montana’s Gallatin and Park Counties are truly the last last best places. Small slivers in the shape of states, the counties huddle against one another in … Read more
TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE – Celebrities on Broadway The famous towers of Midtown Manhattan. Photo: Ben Dwork I recently saw Dr. Frasier Crane on Broadway. Well, actually Kelsey Grammer is on Broadway, but it’s hard to tell him apart from the zany psychiatrist he made famous during 20 … Read more
If you watched the 2010 Winter Olympics, you have an idea of Vancouver’s magnificent beauty. TV footage frequently showed sweeping vistas of mountain peaks, icy glaciers, a sparkling ocean, and dazzling skyscrapers set in the middle of it. Perhaps you wondered, “Who’s the lucky dude that gets to go … Read more
LA Local: A Tale of Six Neighborhoods Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Hills—it’s all quite glamorous. It’s also your typical LA story. As a new resident of Southern California, I owed it to myself to dig a bit deeper. What I discovered is that the real stars of … Read more
One of the hottest destinations in Mexico plays host to Culture and Sunshine Located about 40 minutes south of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen is fast becoming one of the hottest destinations in Mexico. Playa, as the locals call it, is a beachside city on the coast of the Caribbean … Read more
Cartagena, a new jewel in the Caribbean Cartagena, a new jewel in the Caribbean, has finally landed Colombia on the map as a safe, viable option for tourists. Sitting on the northern coast of Colombia, Cartagena de Indias, as it is officially called, is a large seaport city with a … Read more
If you mention going to Colombia to almost anyone be prepared for a long pause and then a grimace. While the country has had a reputation for being dangerous in the past, it’s just that…in the past. With a beautiful countryside, cosmopolitan cities and first class accommodations, Colombia is … Read more
Photos by Eric Mohl PORT AUTHORITY Puerto Veracruz in southern Mexico has survived Spanish conquistadors, a little-known US invasion and plays host to what many consider to be the second largest Carnaval celebration in the world, hot on the heels of the epic festivities in Rio de Janeiro. Spend … Read more
An hour from Little Rock lies a gem of a city, the Ouachita Valley land of peaceful waters, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Steeped in history and exuding an inviting southern charm, it’s home to horseracing, the baths, and the blues. Blushing when in festival mode, this small city shares the … Read more
When most people think about New York, they think of Manhattan, or maybe even Brooklyn. But there is another borough that is worth checking out: Staten Island. Staten Island may share the “718” area code with Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, but it distinguishes itself with its own unique … Read more
Bigger is Better Kodiak Island, Alaska, is where the American frontier ran out of land and went to sea. For a tourist it is the unheralded gem of the state, a wild, primeval combination of big mountains and big ocean. Its history is rich, too, first settled 7,500 years ago … Read more
Beyond Hong Kong, What a Difference a Day Makes Soaring skyscrapers plastered in neon, 24-hour nightlife, fabulous shopping that ranges from the suspiciously cheap to the seriously glamorous, and some of the best Chinese food in the world. For most visitors this is Hong Kong, and to be fair, it’s … Read more
“Beyond Angkor Wat” No trip to Southeast Asia is truly a trip without a visit to Cambodia, particularly to Siem Reap, home of the magnificent and awe-inspiring Angkor Wat temples. Not only have these UNESCO world heritage sites outlasted monsoon rains, various wars and the Khmer Rouge regime, they … Read more
Lush Valleys to Snowy Peaks From my front-row seat at “Pure Energy, Pure Chile” – a multimedia light show celebrating Chile’s Bicentennial – the presidential palace in the capital of Santiago was a spectacular site, illuminated in vivid purple. The building became the backdrop for a visual history lesson … Read more