The Thornton Winery Champagne Jazz Series in the formerly “undiscovered” Temecula, CA wine country has set a standard for big names and great performances in an intimate venue, but this 24th season just might boast their best lineup ever. It’s more than remarkable that a venue seating less than 600 can bring in the likes of Chris Botti, Bobby Caldwell & David Benoit, Dave Koz, George Benson, Boney James, and Peter White, just to name a few. And a beautiful venue it is, with a Mediterranean ter
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I still remember vividly the first time a local gave me directions in Costa Rica:
Go north 700 meters. At the “pulperia” turn left, and go west 300 meters. At the corner where the old fig tree used to be, turn right. Go 175 meters and it’s the papaya-colored house on the left with the black gate.
Sure. So … how do I count meters? Which way is north from here? And how in heaven am I supposed to know where the old fig tree used to be?
Or, how about the directions to my old apartment in Rohrmoser, whe
Sometimes taking the more difficult route or the road less traveled is simply part of a grand adventure. This would be the case when I made my annual Christmas migration from my native San Francisco to what I call “my adopted country” of Mexico. For the past 12 years, I have been having a not so secret love affair with the country “south of the border.”
Having a deep affinity for “winging it” without much thought I started the journey with a drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then a $179.00
by Nellie Huang
She’s hot, sassy and sultry. In the sizzling Mediterranean heat, her shapely curves and sculpted body give her an even bigger sex appeal. Lively and spontaneous – she’s every man’s dream. While not many get the chance to truly understand her, those who do always end up falling for her charms.
I’m talking about the island of Sardinia (what were you thinking?): the second largest isle in the Mediterranean Sea and a jewel in the Italian seas. Located closer to the French island of Cor
For pictures, see author's blog here
(part 1) We Americans have our Wild West just like Mexico has its “norte bárbaro,” and they’re the same place of course, that vast expanse of land bounded by two mountain ranges and stretching from Utah to Jalisco, Mexico. It’s home to cowboys and Indians ranging from Utes to Aztecs, vaqueros to buckaroos. Where I’m going is right in the center of it. I’ll start in my former home state of Arizona and cross the border into Mexico from there. Mexico was th
Americans who have watched food and travel shows featuring a plethora of strange, bizarre, and weird food items such as deep-fried bugs, beating frog’s heart, and coconut grubs may be apprehensive about what they will find to eat when traveling, especially in Asia. The truth is that one would have to go out of the way to get most of the items featured in such shows. As strange as it may seem it is often easier for Americans to dine internationally than it is for foreigners to dine in America. A
Summertime and the living may be easy, but summertime is also prime time for identity theft, says security expert, Alan Wlasuk. He’s managing partner of 403 Web Security a company committed to evaluating and eliminating website security risks.
Likely 140 million Americans will travel this summer, and Wlasuk’s company says while you’re away, thieves are on the prowl for personal information on unsecured wireless networks, at the gas pump, at hotels or in your mailbox.
Can’t happen to you? Thi
Who doesn’t love an airline lounge when you have time on your hands and you need space from the swarms of people flocking around those tiny connected chairs in an airless waiting area of a gate?
Corporate road warriors - Let us Unite and pay tribute to the holy "lounge."
Those relaxing open spaces with giant TVs, cocktails (virgin and otherwise) and that great “hotel lobby” smell.
Sidebar - reading - optional - Hotel Lobby Smell Defined: You know when you stay in a really nice hotel and you wa
Scuba diving: one of my greatest dreams. Unfortunately, my inner ear won’t let me. But over the years I’ve talked to plenty of serious divers, and they’ve told me that the Canary Islands are most definitely a scuba do, boasting some of Europe’s best diving at all skill levels (and snorkeling, too, for that matter – now that I can do). The water’s usually warm all year round, there’s good visibility, and both the marine scenery and fauna (including the gorgeous lobster above, and 11 species fou
Any restaurant that plans on thriving in Manhattan better not even think about resting on their laurels for a second. But with Empire Steakhouse, this goes without saying. A venerable shrine to not only prime steak cuts charred to perfection but the whole dining experience sprung from the desire of Jack Sinanaj and his family to elevate the classic steakhouse ambiance to a highly personalized indulgence. Working as a waiter and then as manager at the legendary Peter Luger’s, Jack spent hours in
El despacho de vuelos es la “cocina” donde se amasan los preparativos de un vuelo. A escasos metros de la puerta de embarque, mientras esperamos la salida del vuelo, se fragua la planificación de lo que será nuestra travesía. Es lo que se conoce como despacho del vuelo. Su funcionamiento podría comparase al de la cocina de un gran restaurante. Es una sala a la que llega todo tipo de información desde muchos lugares diferentes. La persona encargada de recabar esa información es el despachador del
Road trips can be a lot of fun and a great way to travel with flexibility and convenience. But they can also quickly turn into a never-ending string of "are we there yet" enquires. When planning your road trip, there's a number of things you should include in your packing list in order to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Mix CD- Most essential item on any self-respecting road trip. You want a mix CD with up-beat songs, which you can sing along to. You can never go wrong with the classics. This wi
Congratulations to
Costa Rican chef Randy Siles
and the staff at
Hotel Tropico Latino
in
Playa Santa Teresa!
The star chef and that hotel’s
Shambala Restaurant
were featured in a recent article in Costa Rica’s important cuisine magazine
Sabores. The full-page article features Siles’ fusion style called
“Author’s Cuisine” – a freestyle way of cooking that lets Siles create original recipes from his imagination.
Like an artist with a blank canvas, Siles skillfully creates gourmet art fusi
There are many reasons to travel. Some of us travel to take a much needed break, others simply to take a holiday, maybe one is on a business trip. But one thing for sure. While on your journey, you will need to eat. Cuisine is an integral part of any local culture. Not liking the locals eats can be a valid reason not to travel to a destination. As culinary travel is one of the fastest growing segments in the travel industry, here are some of my favorite foodie towns to enjoy one of my favorite
by Nellie Huang
“Tê tê te, Tetetê tetê! Samba de Bahia, Samba de Bahia…”
You don’t have to be a samba lover to know this song. The catchy tune of “Maria Caipirinha” (video below) has won the world over with its infectious samba beats and Bahia feel. The creator of this and many other Bahia-inspired tunes is none other than Carlinhos Brown, a six-time Grammy Award winner and a native of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
Carlinhos Brown’s Love for Salvador
Born and raised in Candeal Pequenho, a sma
Perhaps vacationing at a grand resort may be considered by some to be a thing of the past or only for the wealthy. But that would be a major misconception because this experience flourishes nestled deep in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. Skytop Lodge, one of the area’s signature properties, is not only grand in stature but classically all-inclusive. Packed with onsite activities and gourmet meals, your stay can be as active or chill as you want it to be…anything from zip lining, fly fishin
We reserved a whole week, including the July 4th holiday, at Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Park in Jersey City NJ. The closest RV Park to New York City.
Day 1:
Due to our unexpected early departure from Monticello Casino, we arrived a day early (for our reservations) and had to take a dry camping spot next to the Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Park to boondock for one night.
We took advantage of a beautiful morning and took a long bike ride at Liberty State Park. We got a close up view of the Upper Ba
At the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 land speculators bought up large tracts of land in the western part of New York in the hopes of making a profit by subdividing and selling it to settlers who were anxious for inexpensive land suitable for farming. In 1792 Lincklaen, working for the Holland Land Company, checked out the area around the lake claiming, “…situation superb, fine land.” Settlers came and Cazenovia grew.
In 1807 Linckaen had his home, the neoclassic Lorenzo, built and the ho
KwikChex, the reputation management and consumer-reassurance site, has published its first ratings of the top travel reviews sites. Each site has been awarded a star rating according to a KwikChex analysis of reliability factors.
Remarkably, no site has been awarded the top 5 stars at present, but several, such as Booking.com and Expedia have been awarded 4 stars, thanks to their carrying reviews from fully identifiable customers of the businesses they have reviewed.
In a previously post, New
This summer much of the world's eyes will be on London, England and the Summer Olympic Games. Perhaps the world premier sporting event begins on July 27th and continues until August 12. Needless to say, such a major event, even for a city as large as London is no simple matter. Organizing such a major event is no easy matter. For example the Olympics will have over 23,000 security professionals and it is estimated that security alone will cost more than one billion British pound sterling. (ab
