Wednesday Travel Ticker: Dollar holds its own

Despite a freaky month in the markets, the dollar is holding its own against foreign currencies as some investors have returned to the buck for (relative) safety. It’s up against the Euro, British pound and Japanese yen . . . . 34 wineries will be open for tours during Temecula Valley’s 2nd Annual Wine & Culinary Showcase Sept. 10 . . . . Enjoy a free evening of art, culture, and music (30 stops in all) at downtown Santa Barbara’s 1^st Thursday event, Sept. 1 . . . . Oscar winner Kate Winslet and her children were forced to flee a fire that tore through Richard Branson’s British Virgin Islands retreat after a lightning strike earlier this week. Branson, who says he plans to rebuild, was staying at a nearby home . . . . Gene Stallings, Pat Dye and Frank Broyles are among the prominent coaching names putting aside old rivalries to promote Alabama beaches in a series of television commercials . . . . An extra 10 grand dragging you down? Sleep al fresco in Affinia Chicago’s rooftop indoor/outdoor suite, with a butler and private outdoor movie screening . . . . Oahu’s month-long Aloha Festival, first held in 1946, kicks off Sept. 1 with the presentation of the royal court . . . . Travel quote of the day: “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” (Susan Heller)