Roanoke, Virginia, is a mountain city in the South, but it’s not quiet and it’s by no means sleepy. The city has a culture of fine arts and music that permeates all of downtown. It’s …
May 15, 2012
Travel Stories
Roanoke: Not-so-Sleepy Mountain Town
Portland: A Gastro-tour
“So when do you think you’ll be in Portland?” Aaron asked, as we drove through forested mountains. “Give us an hour.” When Aaron called, we were on Highway 26 heading toward Portland. My friend had …
May 13, 2012
An Apartment in Paris
It's funny how traveling somewhere foreign changes our tolerance for things. For a month-long sojourn to Paris, my family of three rented a cramped one-bedroom apartment in Montmartre. We – who are oozing at the …
May 10, 2012
Finding It in Shoshone, California
For the record: I’m not a fancy, gotta-have-posh type of woman; I’m OK with “rough around the edges.” I’m instinctively drawn to character, whether quaint and endearing or quirky and eclectic. I like spice, color …
May 10, 2012
Manila Nights
This story begins while I was watching a game at Tilted Kilt here in San Diego. A friend hears of my plans to visit the Philippines and immediately, without pausing, utters two fateful words (that …
May 8, 2012
At the World’s End: Bombay Beach and the Salton Sea
Three hours from San Diego, east of the Anza-Borrego desert, lies the Salton Sea. When stopped by border patrol on our first drive out to the sea, the officer seemed surprised by our destination. “You …
May 8, 2012
Spring Days in Dingle, Ireland
Dingle, the northernmost of three peninsulas along the southwest coast of Ireland, was annointed “the most beautiful place in the world” by National Geographic Traveler a few years ago. It had been recommended to me …
May 8, 2012
"See Rock City": Chattanooga
When Leo Lambert first discovered Ruby Falls, he described it as being “like discovering God. At first it is very dark, scary, and uncertain. You don’t know what lies ahead.” Venturing through caverns nearly a …
May 4, 2012
LAX Planespotting
Southern California airplane buffs and planespotters flock to Imperial Hill in El Segundo – a picturesque spot overlooking Los Angeles Int'l Airport. This windy overlook at the corner of E. Imperial Ave. and Sheldon St. …
May 2, 2012
One-way Streets in Bali
On a recent trip to Bali, Indonesia, to visit my cousin, I had quite the adventure on a 50cc scooter that I had borrowed for the day. Exploring small alleyways, I soon found myself heading …
May 1, 2012
Changi Airport, Singapore: Layover Shangri-la
I just returned from a marathon flight halfway around the world, where I was faced with a layover of almost seven hours in Singapore. By my calculations, that translated to almost a day before I …