Going Green in Napa At Long Last
The Napa Valley is known the world over for wine making and grape growing, but oddly, it’s never been a particularly environmentally enlightened region. For one thing, growing grapes requires a great deal of water and — unless they’re organic — quite a lot of pesticides, too. Not to mention that the sheer number of [...]
Rows of Empty Beach Chairs Line Ixtapa/Zihua Beaches: Are They Calling to You?
Mexico’s had a really hard time lately. In fact let’s be honest; this poor country’s gotten a really bum rap. Crime wave? It was limited to a few border cities most Gringos rarely visit. Swine flu? It turned out to be worse in the states. The last thing they needed was a hijacking — which, [...]
Living Lightly on the Central Coast
There are all kinds of trips, and sometimes what you most need is a getaway in the deepest sense of that word. To get away from every aspect of your normal routine and try something a little different. Treebones Resort, at the southern end of Big Sur, is the kind of place you can do [...]
Labor No More: Labor Day Weekend Suggestions to Restore Sanity
I’m all for honoring unions, but the name given to the long weekend in September that marks the end of summer and return to school-year craziness has always seemed like such a silly misnomer to me. After all, Labor Day weekend offers us one last chance to refresh our minds and bodies before gearing up [...]
In Portland, Even the Food Is Progressive
Three days in Portland can be summed up like this: 2 Thai restaurants, 2 eclectic fusion cafes, 1 waffle shop, 2 organic fruit markets, 5 amazing coffee houses (all serving Stumptown coffee), countless vintage and junk shops, and the best used bookstore bar none. Names to remember: Pok Pok, Bread & Ink, Laughing Planet, My [...]
Adventure Vacations Bring Parents and Teens Closer
In my opinion, absolutely the best vacation for a family with teenagers is an adventure-soaked trip full of unexpected challenges. Nothing helps parents and teens overcome the distance, dissing, and disrespect that divide us like clutching each other and screaming down class 3 rapids, or trying together to translate directions on a local bus in [...]
Clean Lines and Green, Local Philosophy Characterize Cavallo Point Lodge
I live in Marin County, California, so there’s really no reason for me to “vacation” here. There’s only one place exceptional enough to tempt me, and that’s the new Cavallo Point Lodge, which repurposes the elegant officers’ quarters of 19th century Fort Baker. Positioned to take full advantage of the most dramatic San Francisco views, [...]
In Costa Rica, Protests Against Shark Finning Gaining Momentum
Here on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, where I’m spending a blissful few days, the health of the ocean is key. I just heard about an enormous controversy raging here; it’s about shark finning in the area around Cocos Island. Shark fins are a delicacy popular in China and other Asian countries as an [...]
