Thursday, May 24, 2012
Travel News
The Excel, which comes in nine colors, including some that won't threaten masculinity, holds about 65 sprays if filled to the max.
A few weeks ago I posted a question from a reader who saw another passenger on her flight use the call button three times for nonemergency reasons. Here are some thoughts from a Delta Air Lines flight attendant with 34 years' experience.
What is it: A small travel bag that defies anyone to be disorganized. It's perfect for toiletries, medication or other small items that become a nuisance in primary luggage.
Was I doing something wrong by declining an upgrade at a rental-car agency? • If you rent a beach house and find food in the kitchen cabinets, can you eat it?
The guy next to me on my flight last night was playing Tetris on his iPhone. He was wearing headphones, which was great, but sometimes (when he lost, I assume) he’d slam his hand down on the tray table or swear.
WASHINGTON » In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., two major art museums have joined forces for a "Japan Spring" trifecta.
To most of the world, the name Titanic means tragedy, spiced with romance, sacrifice and luxury. But in Belfast, where it was built, the doomed ship is a triumph of industry, enterprise and engineering.
Who gets wetter, someone walking in the rain or running? Is it really possible to hang from a cliff by your fingers until help arrives like they do in the movies? And is Superman the only one who is faster than a speeding bullet?
ABOARD AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 9454 » Eric Mueller's vacation started when his plane filled with smoke.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz says she has come back from some dark days and revived her creativity with a new project now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that marks a departure from her popular celebrity portraits.
Disposable plastic water bottles in shops, vending machines, hotels and grocery stores at Grand Canyon National Park will disappear early next year under a plan by park officials to ban the sale of them.
Museum-goers are taking in the sounds, smell and feel of ancient life and landscapes at a new $100 million building in Salt Lake City. The Natural History Museum of Utah engages the senses, allowing visitors to mingle inside exhibits, touch artifacts, get a whiff of desert plants or rotting flesh and hear the soft warbling of birds.
The newly opened Gospel Trail winds for 39 miles, heading south from Nazareth, across gentle green hills, through Jewish and Arab towns and down to Capernaum, the fishing town where Jesus is said to have established his home base.
Museums and historic sites, the world's largest menorah and a trendy new Tribeca restaurant inspired by an old-school Catskills resort: They're all part of Jewish New York, with a heritage that stretches back 400 years and a vital contemporary community that's reinterpreting old traditions for the 21st century.
My first trip to Korea was brief, but long enough to get a taste of Seoul. Now that Hawaiian Airlines flies to Seoul and you can connect through Korean Airlines to other parts of Asia, Seoul is an alternative to flying through Narita.
Long known for its sea, sand and sun, Tunisia has a new claim to fame, as the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Popular demonstrations toppled the tiny North African nation's longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January, inspiring a wave of pro-democracy protests that has swept the Arab world, from Morocco to Bahrain.
There are certain signs of fall in the town of Estes Park: the chill of morning frost, the reds and yellows of autumn leaves, and the thousands of elk that visit. The elk come looking for romance; the tourists come looking for elk.
Out of the ashes of 9/11 has risen a vibrant neighborhood packed with new restaurants and hotels, places to live and spots to shop, along with many ways to pay respects to an area some worried would never come back.
Japanese gardens are about inspiring and soothing the soul. And you don't have to be a gardening expert or Zen Buddhist to appreciate all they have to offer — the beauty, the tranquility, even the Zen.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. » Click, thump, riiiiing! That's the sound of something you often hear about but rarely see: a carousel rider going for the brass ring.
With my umbrella at the ready, I stepped onto the streets of Seattle for the first time. Sunshine greeted me with nary a cloud in sight. Beyond the modern skyline, Puget Sound glittered beneath the Olympic Mountains, and I even caught a glimpse of evanescent Mount Rainier.
Mike Richardson and Climb Aloha's 11 instructors, known as Team Climb Aloha, are leading the effort to ensure safe rock climbing in Hawaii.
Canoes glide serenely across the water, creating ripples that blur the reflection of craggy peaks capped with early-summer snow. The only sounds: wind in the spruce, bird cries and occasional laughter.
FORT PIERCE, Fla. » The biggest attraction at the Navy SEALs’ national museum isn’t memorialized in any artifact or mentioned in any display. But that doesn’t keep visitors from asking.
With 586,412 square miles of land, it is hard to know where to start when visiting Alaska. Anchorage is a solid first choice. It is Alaska's most populous city and thus has the lion's share of metropolitan attractions, many of which are located downtown and easily reached by foot.
For many Los Angeles locals — such as myself, born and raised in the cross hairs of Hollywood — avoiding the Hollywood Walk of Fame and its throngs, celebrity impersonators and tchotchke stores comes with jaded Angeleno territory.
Thirty yards from where we stood, a herd of water buffalo grazed in a green field. Behind us, mountains rose with pockets of villages tucked along a winding road. Yet not two hours earlier, we had been standing amid glass skyscrapers and throngs of people in Hong Kong.
Professional comedian Simone Alexander was leading us through the streets of San Francisco on a walking tour that was less a tour and more a movable game show. Actually, it was more a parody of a game show. Simone was the emcee and we were the contestants.
My affinity for Crystal Cruises began in 1990, about four days before the first ship, Crystal Harmony, made its maiden call in Los Angeles
It was the first time since moving to warmer climates a third of a century ago that this "native" New Yorker had braved wintertime. For a moment, I deluded myself into believing that snow — not age — was responsible for the flecks of white in my mustache.
When Macau's 40-year gambling monopoly was liberated from the grips of billionaire entrepreneur Stanley Ho in 2002, it opened the floodgates to any developer with enough fiscal clout and moxie to play the game. The payoff is a mother lode of glitzy casino hotels mirroring the Las Vegas Strip.
The modest, one-story yellow wooden building is just a stone's throw from where the annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place tonight at the Kodak Theatre. Throngs of Angelenos pass it while driving on Highland Avenue to the Hollywood Bowl or 101 Freeway, as do many tourists, many en route to Universal Studios.
Derek Lanter clearly remembers his first date with the "dark side." In 2001 he was living in Berkeley, Calif., when Scharffen Berger, the company that reputedly makes America's finest dark chocolate, was setting up its operation there.
In the relative cool and darkness of pre-dawn mornings in 1950s Las Vegas, residents and visitors awoke to see spectacular lights that never stopped dazzling no matter how many times they appeared.
The term "cruise passengers" once conjured images of retired couples or grandparents sans the grandchildren. But with cruising growing in popularity, families make up more of the mix. Keiki are increasingly likely to join parents and grandparents on board.
"Art speaks to our souls. It enriches and enhances our lives. Artists transform their thoughts, feelings and impressions about life into something tangible that motivates others to nurture their own creative energy. Art is also educational. It can teach viewers about a certain time, place, tradition or spiritual aspect of a culture. Art is much more than just a 'painting' or a 'sculpture.' It's an experience that awakens all the senses."
A long layover at Narita Airport is best spent eating. If you have at least four hours between flights, Narita town and "eel street" are just a couple of train stops away. Narita is famous for unagi.
The ghostly marble ruins of Hadrian's Library, the Roman emperor's gift to the city of Athens, are theatrically illuminated as we stroll cafe-lined Adrianou Street between Monastiraki and Theseion metro stations. Tourists having taken over the Plaka, this is where the Greek action is now.
How about walking a pilgrim trail more than 1,000 years old across northern Spain with your son? Fun? Hard work? Inspirational? Memory maker? Yes to all. Having retired after 31 years as a trial judge in Honolulu and about to turn 70, I hoped to feel God's hand on my shoulder.
VIA Rail's train No. 693 trundles out of the Winnipeg station at five minutes past noon, beginning its twice-weekly run to the little town of Churchill, Manitoba, almost 1,100 miles to the north. There will be 25 stops along the way.
I'm writing this after an exhaustive search for an afternoon quiet zone aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's new supership, called the Epic. Sometimes a sanctuary can be found in, of all places, a disco named Bliss, which saves its major frenzy for the hours immediately before and after midnight. During the day, however, it can be a peaceful haven for book readers. That is, unless the disco's two-lane bowling alley is in use.
Two events next weekend at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will take visitors on trips into island history. In a "living presentation" on Saturday, Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson takes on the dress and persona of an Army buffalo soldier to tell the story of African-American enlisted men who acted as rangers in national parks, including in Hawaii nearly a century ago.
Contemporary art is one of the intrinsic elements of the Grand Wailea Resort, and the valuable, international collection is a prime reason to pay a visit. Whether you're likely to be impressed by talent and execution, materials and imagery, raw presence or even monetary value, the art on display here is imposing.
Amelia Earhart was, of course, a famous pilot and pioneer for women. Her time as a fashion designer, though, usually isn't something people remember about the woman who disappeared during a 1937 flight.
Like entering a church, visitors' voices drop to a respectful whisper when visiting Muir Woods, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco. Maybe it's something about the stately, gigantic trees reaching toward heaven.
In honor of Veterans Day, national parks will not charge any entrance fees on Thursday. It's one of several fee-free days the park system has offered this year.
Historians tell us that two drunken gold seekers in 1880 staked their claim in what was considered a vast and worthless frozen wasteland known as Alaska. While the first travelers to Alaska came for gold, today they come to see the awesome beauty and experience its history.
Today Fairyland, managed by a nonprofit organization and situated on land owned by the city of Oakland, hosts about 130,000 visitors annually. This year marks its 60th anniversary.
The Shanghai World Expo covers more than two miles on both sides of the Huangpu River in the center of the city. There are 192 countries represented, with China having the largest pavilion — a giant red pagoda — in the center of the grounds.
Octoberfest comes early in Chinatown. The Octoberfest Street Festival is set for 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, along Hotel, King and Nuuanu streets.
Sedona has it all. Breathtaking, sun-scorched mountains and a web of hiking trails from which to view them. Stores filled with New Age paraphernalia and psychics to read your crystals. Galleries brimming with works ...
Is there anyone who doesn't have a private island fantasy? Someplace where you can forget your problems, be surrounded by quiet beauty, unplug from the rest of the world.
There's one sure-fire way for a Pacific traveler to get to know the local community. Go to church.
Nearly 45 years after he first played St. Andrews, Star-Advertiser editorial writer Lee Catterall made a return trip this year to play the venerable course and several others in Scotland and Ireland.
The world's seventh-oldest golf course comes with a mystical tale in a popular novel that includes a madman living in a cave beneath the par-3 third hole of the fictional Links of Burningbush.
The Old Course at St. Andrews was first used in the 15th century -- documented in 1457 when Scottish King James II banned golf because it distracted young men from practicing archery. The ban was lifted when James IV took up the sport in 1552.
Part of the oldest museum in Los Angeles County has been turned into a home for the aged -- and the ages. With specimens that date back 4 billion years, the "Age of Mammals" exhibit opens today in the north wing of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Where to begin? There are a lot of famous people buried all over Los Angeles, and I needed to find as many of them as possible in a short amount of time.
Sleek and stately as a sub, the humpback rose from the sea 10 feet away from an astounded kayaker off Kahana Valley. After releasing a 12-foot plume of spray, the mammoth whale dipped beneath the kayak and came up for one more breath of air before vanishing in the deep blue of the Pacific.
A few weeks ago I posted a question from a reader who saw another passenger on her flight use the call button three times for nonemergency reasons. Here are some thoughts from a Delta Air Lines flight attendant with 34 years' experience.
What is it: A small travel bag that defies anyone to be disorganized. It's perfect for toiletries, medication or other small items that become a nuisance in primary luggage.
Was I doing something wrong by declining an upgrade at a rental-car agency? • If you rent a beach house and find food in the kitchen cabinets, can you eat it?
The guy next to me on my flight last night was playing Tetris on his iPhone. He was wearing headphones, which was great, but sometimes (when he lost, I assume) he’d slam his hand down on the tray table or swear.
WASHINGTON » In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., two major art museums have joined forces for a "Japan Spring" trifecta.
To most of the world, the name Titanic means tragedy, spiced with romance, sacrifice and luxury. But in Belfast, where it was built, the doomed ship is a triumph of industry, enterprise and engineering.
Who gets wetter, someone walking in the rain or running? Is it really possible to hang from a cliff by your fingers until help arrives like they do in the movies? And is Superman the only one who is faster than a speeding bullet?
ABOARD AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 9454 » Eric Mueller's vacation started when his plane filled with smoke.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz says she has come back from some dark days and revived her creativity with a new project now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that marks a departure from her popular celebrity portraits.
Disposable plastic water bottles in shops, vending machines, hotels and grocery stores at Grand Canyon National Park will disappear early next year under a plan by park officials to ban the sale of them.
Museum-goers are taking in the sounds, smell and feel of ancient life and landscapes at a new $100 million building in Salt Lake City. The Natural History Museum of Utah engages the senses, allowing visitors to mingle inside exhibits, touch artifacts, get a whiff of desert plants or rotting flesh and hear the soft warbling of birds.
The newly opened Gospel Trail winds for 39 miles, heading south from Nazareth, across gentle green hills, through Jewish and Arab towns and down to Capernaum, the fishing town where Jesus is said to have established his home base.
Museums and historic sites, the world's largest menorah and a trendy new Tribeca restaurant inspired by an old-school Catskills resort: They're all part of Jewish New York, with a heritage that stretches back 400 years and a vital contemporary community that's reinterpreting old traditions for the 21st century.
My first trip to Korea was brief, but long enough to get a taste of Seoul. Now that Hawaiian Airlines flies to Seoul and you can connect through Korean Airlines to other parts of Asia, Seoul is an alternative to flying through Narita.
Long known for its sea, sand and sun, Tunisia has a new claim to fame, as the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Popular demonstrations toppled the tiny North African nation's longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January, inspiring a wave of pro-democracy protests that has swept the Arab world, from Morocco to Bahrain.
There are certain signs of fall in the town of Estes Park: the chill of morning frost, the reds and yellows of autumn leaves, and the thousands of elk that visit. The elk come looking for romance; the tourists come looking for elk.
Out of the ashes of 9/11 has risen a vibrant neighborhood packed with new restaurants and hotels, places to live and spots to shop, along with many ways to pay respects to an area some worried would never come back.
Japanese gardens are about inspiring and soothing the soul. And you don't have to be a gardening expert or Zen Buddhist to appreciate all they have to offer — the beauty, the tranquility, even the Zen.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. » Click, thump, riiiiing! That's the sound of something you often hear about but rarely see: a carousel rider going for the brass ring.
With my umbrella at the ready, I stepped onto the streets of Seattle for the first time. Sunshine greeted me with nary a cloud in sight. Beyond the modern skyline, Puget Sound glittered beneath the Olympic Mountains, and I even caught a glimpse of evanescent Mount Rainier.
Mike Richardson and Climb Aloha's 11 instructors, known as Team Climb Aloha, are leading the effort to ensure safe rock climbing in Hawaii.
Canoes glide serenely across the water, creating ripples that blur the reflection of craggy peaks capped with early-summer snow. The only sounds: wind in the spruce, bird cries and occasional laughter.
FORT PIERCE, Fla. » The biggest attraction at the Navy SEALs’ national museum isn’t memorialized in any artifact or mentioned in any display. But that doesn’t keep visitors from asking.
With 586,412 square miles of land, it is hard to know where to start when visiting Alaska. Anchorage is a solid first choice. It is Alaska's most populous city and thus has the lion's share of metropolitan attractions, many of which are located downtown and easily reached by foot.
For many Los Angeles locals — such as myself, born and raised in the cross hairs of Hollywood — avoiding the Hollywood Walk of Fame and its throngs, celebrity impersonators and tchotchke stores comes with jaded Angeleno territory.
Thirty yards from where we stood, a herd of water buffalo grazed in a green field. Behind us, mountains rose with pockets of villages tucked along a winding road. Yet not two hours earlier, we had been standing amid glass skyscrapers and throngs of people in Hong Kong.
Professional comedian Simone Alexander was leading us through the streets of San Francisco on a walking tour that was less a tour and more a movable game show. Actually, it was more a parody of a game show. Simone was the emcee and we were the contestants.
My affinity for Crystal Cruises began in 1990, about four days before the first ship, Crystal Harmony, made its maiden call in Los Angeles
It was the first time since moving to warmer climates a third of a century ago that this "native" New Yorker had braved wintertime. For a moment, I deluded myself into believing that snow — not age — was responsible for the flecks of white in my mustache.
When Macau's 40-year gambling monopoly was liberated from the grips of billionaire entrepreneur Stanley Ho in 2002, it opened the floodgates to any developer with enough fiscal clout and moxie to play the game. The payoff is a mother lode of glitzy casino hotels mirroring the Las Vegas Strip.
The modest, one-story yellow wooden building is just a stone's throw from where the annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place tonight at the Kodak Theatre. Throngs of Angelenos pass it while driving on Highland Avenue to the Hollywood Bowl or 101 Freeway, as do many tourists, many en route to Universal Studios.
Derek Lanter clearly remembers his first date with the "dark side." In 2001 he was living in Berkeley, Calif., when Scharffen Berger, the company that reputedly makes America's finest dark chocolate, was setting up its operation there.
In the relative cool and darkness of pre-dawn mornings in 1950s Las Vegas, residents and visitors awoke to see spectacular lights that never stopped dazzling no matter how many times they appeared.
The term "cruise passengers" once conjured images of retired couples or grandparents sans the grandchildren. But with cruising growing in popularity, families make up more of the mix. Keiki are increasingly likely to join parents and grandparents on board.
"Art speaks to our souls. It enriches and enhances our lives. Artists transform their thoughts, feelings and impressions about life into something tangible that motivates others to nurture their own creative energy. Art is also educational. It can teach viewers about a certain time, place, tradition or spiritual aspect of a culture. Art is much more than just a 'painting' or a 'sculpture.' It's an experience that awakens all the senses."
A long layover at Narita Airport is best spent eating. If you have at least four hours between flights, Narita town and "eel street" are just a couple of train stops away. Narita is famous for unagi.
The ghostly marble ruins of Hadrian's Library, the Roman emperor's gift to the city of Athens, are theatrically illuminated as we stroll cafe-lined Adrianou Street between Monastiraki and Theseion metro stations. Tourists having taken over the Plaka, this is where the Greek action is now.
How about walking a pilgrim trail more than 1,000 years old across northern Spain with your son? Fun? Hard work? Inspirational? Memory maker? Yes to all. Having retired after 31 years as a trial judge in Honolulu and about to turn 70, I hoped to feel God's hand on my shoulder.
VIA Rail's train No. 693 trundles out of the Winnipeg station at five minutes past noon, beginning its twice-weekly run to the little town of Churchill, Manitoba, almost 1,100 miles to the north. There will be 25 stops along the way.
I'm writing this after an exhaustive search for an afternoon quiet zone aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's new supership, called the Epic. Sometimes a sanctuary can be found in, of all places, a disco named Bliss, which saves its major frenzy for the hours immediately before and after midnight. During the day, however, it can be a peaceful haven for book readers. That is, unless the disco's two-lane bowling alley is in use.
Two events next weekend at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will take visitors on trips into island history. In a "living presentation" on Saturday, Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson takes on the dress and persona of an Army buffalo soldier to tell the story of African-American enlisted men who acted as rangers in national parks, including in Hawaii nearly a century ago.
Contemporary art is one of the intrinsic elements of the Grand Wailea Resort, and the valuable, international collection is a prime reason to pay a visit. Whether you're likely to be impressed by talent and execution, materials and imagery, raw presence or even monetary value, the art on display here is imposing.
Amelia Earhart was, of course, a famous pilot and pioneer for women. Her time as a fashion designer, though, usually isn't something people remember about the woman who disappeared during a 1937 flight.
Like entering a church, visitors' voices drop to a respectful whisper when visiting Muir Woods, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco. Maybe it's something about the stately, gigantic trees reaching toward heaven.
In honor of Veterans Day, national parks will not charge any entrance fees on Thursday. It's one of several fee-free days the park system has offered this year.
Historians tell us that two drunken gold seekers in 1880 staked their claim in what was considered a vast and worthless frozen wasteland known as Alaska. While the first travelers to Alaska came for gold, today they come to see the awesome beauty and experience its history.
Today Fairyland, managed by a nonprofit organization and situated on land owned by the city of Oakland, hosts about 130,000 visitors annually. This year marks its 60th anniversary.
The Shanghai World Expo covers more than two miles on both sides of the Huangpu River in the center of the city. There are 192 countries represented, with China having the largest pavilion — a giant red pagoda — in the center of the grounds.
Octoberfest comes early in Chinatown. The Octoberfest Street Festival is set for 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, along Hotel, King and Nuuanu streets.
Sedona has it all. Breathtaking, sun-scorched mountains and a web of hiking trails from which to view them. Stores filled with New Age paraphernalia and psychics to read your crystals. Galleries brimming with works ...
Is there anyone who doesn't have a private island fantasy? Someplace where you can forget your problems, be surrounded by quiet beauty, unplug from the rest of the world.
There's one sure-fire way for a Pacific traveler to get to know the local community. Go to church.
Nearly 45 years after he first played St. Andrews, Star-Advertiser editorial writer Lee Catterall made a return trip this year to play the venerable course and several others in Scotland and Ireland.
The world's seventh-oldest golf course comes with a mystical tale in a popular novel that includes a madman living in a cave beneath the par-3 third hole of the fictional Links of Burningbush.
The Old Course at St. Andrews was first used in the 15th century -- documented in 1457 when Scottish King James II banned golf because it distracted young men from practicing archery. The ban was lifted when James IV took up the sport in 1552.
Part of the oldest museum in Los Angeles County has been turned into a home for the aged -- and the ages. With specimens that date back 4 billion years, the "Age of Mammals" exhibit opens today in the north wing of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Where to begin? There are a lot of famous people buried all over Los Angeles, and I needed to find as many of them as possible in a short amount of time.
Sleek and stately as a sub, the humpback rose from the sea 10 feet away from an astounded kayaker off Kahana Valley. After releasing a 12-foot plume of spray, the mammoth whale dipped beneath the kayak and came up for one more breath of air before vanishing in the deep blue of the Pacific.
Poll Question
Sponsored by Papa John's Hawaii. Order Now!
Today's Columns
Blogs
Featured Publications
Sponsored by Ward Centers
Most Popular
Sponsored by Simply Organized
Special Sections
