From the deck of a motorboat scuttling along at 25 knots, I saw Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu, growing fainter every second until it finally blended in with the surrounding blue and green and patches of …
Travel Stories
What to do in Barrow, Alaska
"Going all the way to Barrow?" the Alaska Air ticketing agent confirms somewhat incredulously. "Yes." "And just one of you traveling today?" "Yes." "You're fortunate the flight is leaving as scheduled. It's rather cold there …
October 15, 2013
Small-town Italy: Vernazza
Life seems mellow and tranquil in the tiny, idyllic seaside town of Vernazza in Italy’s Cinque Terre. But the community suffered a traumatic experience in October 2011 when torrential rains led to a flash flood …
October 9, 2013
Diva Las Vegas
"That weekend, there were Bellagio-fountain-worthy waterworks, women traipsing naked in hotel hallways, bitchy pool encounters, and just enough scandalous activity to keep me interested."
October 9, 2013
Budget-friendly Sofia, Bulgaria
Most travelers are unaware that Bulgaria is one of the best travel values in Europe and its capital, Sofia, is one of the cheapest cities to visit. The country has more green space than most …
October 7, 2013
Ohio's best-kept secret: state park lodges
Last summer, I stayed with a close friend of mine for almost three months in a small city called Stowe, Ohio. Not once during my local travels and explorations of the Buckeye State did I …
October 6, 2013
Ghost towns of New Mexico
After a recent trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was faced with the difficult question of how to keep entertained on the desolate 280-mile trek to my next stop, Amarillo, Texas. The only thing …
October 1, 2013
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig, in what was East Germany, was one of Europe’s most important music centers. I knew Felix Mendelssohn Barthody and Johann Sebastian Bach lived here. As it turns out, Clara and Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, …
September 30, 2013
A nature lover in Langkawi
Close your eyes. Now imagine a long stretch of dazzling white sand and the sun setting over the Andaman Sea. That's where I'm writing from. It's an island called Langkawi in northwest Malaysia. Currently flying …
September 24, 2013
Hiking in Vegas?
I've been coming to Vegas for years: it's a bit like Los Angeles in a desert with a giant adult Disneyland in the middle, the glitter of the lights, the gambling and the shows. This …