Photos by Effin Older. Words by Jules Older When you say Benicia, San Franciscans tend to scorn. “Why go there?” they sigh. Here’s why. Just an hour or so north of the Bay Bridge, Benicia is a surprise-filled with surprises.     For 13 months in the 1850s, it

By Chris Chesak Photos courtesy of Pure Adventures We were having a brilliant time in Panama! (Except for the insufferable, egotistical family from the east coast that looked down their noses at everything we did, were constantly negative, and culturally insensitive to every interaction with the local people.) We were

By Everett Potter At a time when phrases like “organic,” “farm-to-table” and “free-range” have never been more popular, the traditional American farm has never been more in fashion. That’s why Maine’s Open Farm Day should prove to be a very special day in the state.  As a lifelong summer resident

  By Everett Potter. Photos by Gayle Conran. One of the happiest places in the world at this moment must be the small city of Vevey along the northern shore of Lake Geneva in the Swiss Canton of Vaud.     For nearly one month, this city of fewer than

By Brian E. Clark Visitors to San Diego who are history fans – maritime and otherwise – as well as Major League Baseball, fine dining and hands-on children’s museums will all find something to their taste in and around San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Some 16-and-one-half blocks of the neighborhood –

By Larry Olmsted The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, aka The Cosmo, was never intended to be a typical Vegas casino hotel. That may be the best thing about it. The project originally had a lot of condos, and by the time that fell through, construction was too far along to

By Everett Potter Given the high cost of medical treatment in the US, it’s no surprise that medical tourism is booming. An increasing number of Americans are heading abroad, pairing travel with treatments, largely to save money. Answering the call is Doctours, a Los Angeles-based online platform for booking trips

By Julie Snyder What’s not to like about Ashland? Nestled in a mountain valley halfway between San Francisco and Portland, the southern Oregon community is a mecca of culture and cuisine, a launching pad for winter and summer recreation, and a cradle of small-town charm. The 1850s mill town once