The Inn at the Presidio in San Francisco is a march in time

San Francisco — Many California hotels strive for the today-meets-yesterday look. But the newly opened Inn at the Presidio gets a...

London's luscious, low-key side

LONDON — As a Californian, I had forgotten that you don't cancel your life just because it rains. If you did, you'd never see anything...

Weekend Escapes: Wine, root beer and rolling hills in Temecula

Intro: Let wine snobs snicker when they hear you spent a weekend at a vineyard in Temecula. I took a friend for an...

Michael Wigge is the ultimate budget traveler

Michael Wigge left Berlin without a penny and traveled 25,000 miles to Antarctica, hitchhiking, bartering and working his way by ship,...

A taste of India's street food

DELHI, INDIA — Delhi, India, is closed today.

Seattle's secret is out: Lake Chelan, Washington

CHELAN, Wash. — Just say the words "summer at the lake" in certain company, and you'll get a wistful smile, possibly followed by...

Weekend Escape: The small-town charms of Arroyo Grande

The sleepy Central Coast town of Arroyo Grande, population 17,000, is the ideal place to shut out the mayhem of city life for a few days....

75th birthday celebration for the Golden Gate Bridge

As its 75th birthday fast approaches, the Golden Gate Bridge is getting a little birthday present. Even though about 40 million vehicles...

Portland, Ore., is a smaller, cleaner, wetter alternative to L.A.

The Portland Hop. I know, it sounds like a dance craze in 1937. But really, it's what you do when Southern California gets you down and...

Old California and good grub in San Juan Capistrano

What an appealing slice-of-life California town, an easy day trip by car or train. Come for the history, stay for the food. This restaurant-...

MachineGunsVegas, Guns & Ammo Garage: Pull the trigger on a trip

Two new Las Vegas venues invite guests to — quite literally — have a blast. Letting loose with high-powered firearms may not...

Wining and dining on the Ventura coast

Ask a Venturan and he or she will tell you that the city is both the end of Southern California and the beginning of the central part of the...

Tour luxurious Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage

Sunnylands, the 200-acre Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage that hosted five decades of political and Hollywood luminaries behind its pink...

In San Francisco's Mission District, touring Clarion Alley murals

The fantastical murals of San Francisco's Mission District are an intriguing dialogue between artists and their city that you can easily...

Dog-friendly Del Mar a relaxing getaway outside of race season

If you know anything at all about Del Mar, it's that the seaside town north of San Diego is the place to play the ponies. The horses aren'...

Mother's Day: Carmel Valley Ranch, Cal-a-Vie, more escapes for Mom

Ask a hard-pressed mom what she wants forMother's Dayand she's apt to say she'd like a break from chores. No cleaning, shopping, cooking,...

Pinterest spreading to the travel world

As a travel writer, I'm always looking for new tools I can use to help plan my trips. Lately, there's been lots of talk about a social media...

In Hong Kong, pockets of serenity amid the urban chaos

Birds twitter and sunshine twinkles through groves of bamboo and banyan trees adorned with cascades of orchids. With every step, my Vibram...

Looking up, up, up in Hong Kong

Hong Kong — India has the Taj Mahal. In France, of course, it's the Eiffel Tower. Russia has Red Square and South Africa has Cape...

A taste of Hungary's history in Budapest's sumptuous coffeehouses

BUDAPEST, Hungary —American coffeehouses are prized for their quick service and fast Internet — ideal for people on the go....

California hotels hosting culinary classes and events

Hungry for a change of pace? Eat, drink and indulge your need to escape during a foodie weekend, a tasty trend sweeping the hotel industry.

Bratislava, Slovakia: A velvety visit to old city with new touches

If your destination is Bratislava, be prepared for a few questions: Is that in Eastern Europe? (No, it's in Central Europe.)

The Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, has old-school charms

VIENNA — The Hotel Sacher will never be mistaken for a hip hotel. The elaborate gilt trim in public rooms, the old-school celebrity...

Hawaii's Big Island has more than beaches for vacationers

Travelers may think of Hawaii as the land of surfboards, sunsets and mai tais, but there's a lava flow of reasons to go beyond the beaches...

Agritourism takes off in Hawaii

HANALEI, Hawaii — It's a warm Tuesday afternoon on Kauai and tourists are lining up — just a few at first, then a dozen or so....

Star gazing on Maui in Hana, Hawaii

HANA, Hawaii — I came to play in a jungle, dance under a waterfall and swim with giant turtles in a tranquil sea. But at the end of...

Hawaii is more than fair at festivals

Hawaii loves to celebrate. There are festivals celebrating avocados, mangoes, coffee, craft brew, Chinese New Year, falsetto singing, taro,...

Travel bargains for military personnel

Servicemen and servicewomen have a world of travel bargains available. Here are some areas to explore:

New York: In the footsteps of Titanic survivors

NEW YORK — As you may have heard, the Titanic never reached New York. But about 700 of its passengers and crew did get here on the...

Why are we still so fascinated with the Titanic?

HALIFAX, Canada — Simple, says the gravedigger. It's about the movie.

Titanic: For many victims, their final resting place is in Halifax, Canada

Halifax, Canada — A cold wind ripped through Fairview Lawn Cemetery. Then came the frigid rain. In a minute, I was thinking, the...

Tracking Wallace Stegner's footprints in Vermont's earth

Wallace Stegner wrote books about the American and Canadian West, so it's understandable that people consider the longtime California...

The best egg dishes at popular destinations across America

For me, the egg hunt didn't stop when I became an adult.

More for Your Money: How to cope with high summer airfare prices

If you're hoping to book airline tickets for your summer vacation, you may be feeling some extra pain in your pocketbook. A trifecta of...

Celebrating the life of the well-traveled Pat Nixon

As the wife of an ambitious politician, Pat Nixon had her hands full. Besides keeping up with Richard Nixon's various political...

Walking the Fife Coastal Path in Scotland

One bright, rainy September, my mother and I walked from Edinburgh to Dundee. Every day we trekked about six to 11 miles, along a skull-gray...

Making strides along Cotswold Way in England

On the high street of the lovely Cotswold village of Chipping Campden, just next to the 12th century stone marketplace, sits an...

Will outdoor fun dry up in parched California?

How dry we are. By late last month, precipitation was half the normal level in California, and snow runoff was 35% of average, state figures...

Southern California Close-Ups: Joshua Tree National Park and Desert Hot Springs

It's a dry heat – a boulder-studded, wind-raked Mojave heat, in which rock stars lie low, artists think big, marines train, weird...

A dry season is expected for wildflowers in Southern California

Right about now, tiny goldfields and purple mat should be erupting in carpets of color on the desert floor at Joshua Tree and Death Valley...

Cuzco, Peru's often overlooked treasures

As many a Peruvian traveler can tell you, climbing Machu Picchu is easy, especially if you take one of those tourist buses that do most of...

Hanoi emerging as a destination for foodies

In Hanoi, soup is a way of life — the connective tissue of Vietnamese culture. With noodles, herbs and sinew, it strings together...

Chicago, that tippling town

The first rule of business — any business — is this: Do what you do well.

Yosemite Half Dome's new lottery permit system begins

If you're hoping to hike Half Dome at California's Yosemite National Park this summer, you'll want to take action by March 31. That's...

How to beat the gas-price woes

President's Day weekend seemed to be a turning point for gasoline prices, which look to be increasing faster than a speeding bullet. If...

Las Vegas: Vegans, get ready for a feast

There's only a one-letter difference between "Vegas" and "vegan," but until recently the two could not have been further apart. For years,...

Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas tilts toward nostalgia

Drop a quarter in a Las Vegas machine: lights blink, bells ring and odds are your money is headed to a casino bank account. But experiencing...

Las Vegas: Curtains to open on Smith Center for the Performing Arts

Myron Martin was in fourth grade when he attended an opera at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston.

Las Vegas: 21 things to do for under $21

For those who want to spend more time than money in Las Vegas, here are 21 things to do for less than $21, all aimed at keeping the bottom...