Discoveries

Exploring Redwood National Park
By Deborah Gaines Even the greatest writers struggle to describe redwood trees. John Steinbeck called them “ambassadors from another time,” while Walt Whitman hailed “the deities of the West.” Theodore Roosevelt compared a grove of giant redwoods to “a great and beautiful cathedral.” For a long time, I just didn’t

Uzbekistan, Silk Road Splendor and Beyond
By Scott Stone From an early age I was fascinated by the Silk Road. It was Sunday night and that meant “Gracious Evening.” Mom would prepare a special dinner, and us kids would dress nicely and behave with best manners. But before mom served the food, she would lead a

AdventureGenie Uses AI To Create Road Trips
By Everett Potter Plenty of travel websites and apps promise to help you plan a road trip in an RV or camper. Then there are those veteran road warriors still using dog-eared guidebooks, atlases, and planning guides to public and private campgrounds, which are unlikely to be up to date.

Your New Zealand Trip: Three Don’ts, Three Do’s (and a bunch of Must-do’s)
By Jules Older I’m a YanKiwi, a dual American-New Zealand citizen. Born and raised in Baltimore, I’ve lived in Vermont, New York and California. Oh, and in Dunedin and Auckland; Dunedin’s near the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island; Auckland’s high on the North Island. I tell you this because

A Gourmet Roman Holiday
By Beverly Stephen Is it okay to admit we basically went to Rome to eat? We did meet up with some family for a reunion, but by unanimous consent, it was a pasta-fueled one. Blame it on Stanley Tucci. His “Searching for Italy” series stirred up cravings. We did manage

Seoul: Coffee, Markets and Malls
By Jeanne Muchnick I never expected to come back from Seoul raving about its markets and coffee shops but that’s exactly what happened. Yes, there’s history and yes there’s cool “must see” palaces (put Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung on your list!), but what really struck me were the street markets hawking

A Guide To Italy’s Amazing Lake Como
View from Varenna of Lake Como. Photo Everett Potter By Everett Potter Several times a year, I’m fortunate enough to cruise up and down the deep waters of Italy’s mountain-fringed Lake Como. I have explored the tourist sights and lesser-known villages, the stately streets of the city of

Wine, Music, Beer, and Art — How Lubbock Became One of the Coolest Towns in Texas
Story & photos by Mark Orwoll The Blue Light, in the Depot Entertainment District, is one of Lubbock’s favorite music bars. A young man in a cowboy hat comes up on my left and orders a local cocktail called a Chilton (vodka, lemon juice, and soda water). On my

Dining on Lobster in the Seafood Capital of the World
Holland’s Zeeland Province is an epicurean delight for lovers of bounty from the sea – but it also offers a lot more to enchant the visitor By Buzzy Gordon Tucked in between the most visited cities of The Netherlands (viz., Amsterdam) and Belgium (Flanders), sits a region that has

Trek’s Mansion Hill Inn
By Brian E. Clark In 1857, wealthy builder Alexander McDonnell asked architect and German emigrant August Kutzboch to design him “the best house money could buy.” The ostentatious McDonnell chose a wooded lot for his home on a promontory called Bug Hill on the isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona