The city of light has an unfortunate blight: the locals' reputation for rudeness. That's why a group of friendly Parisians have banded together to show complete strangers around their Paris, the one not found in travel books -- for free.
Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Now's a prime time to enjoy a cozy bed-and-breakfast. Whether you want to trek a nature trail or shop along a dock, these places offer a great escape.
Chicago has a reputation as a working-class city for a reason. Sure, there are fancy Gold Coast shops and $500-a-night hotel suites, but it's also possible to see Chicago's famous lakefront, eat its famous food and enjoy distinctive cultures on the cheap.
The charm of Ventotene is apparent the moment you spot it from the boat transporting you to its shores. Sitting there like a lonely sponge cake protruding from the surface of a clear blue plate, the island's sheer size -- or lack thereof -- promises something not only special but personal.
If Mount Rainier were in Austria instead of Washington State, I likely would have explored it long ago. All my life, I've watched it shimmering Fuji-like on Seattle's horizon, and have never driven the hour off the interstate to actually take a hike there.
In March of 1997, hiker Bill Maddrell set off on a solo trip down the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a well-worn ribbon that slices through 14 states, eight national forests and six national parks from Maine to Georgia. Determined to walk the entire 2,176 miles, he took a 60-pound backpack, but his relatives thought that wasn't enough. "They asked me if I was going to carry a gun," he said.
The city of light has an unfortunate blight: the locals' reputation for rudeness. That's why a group of friendly Parisians have banded together to show complete strangers around their Paris, the one not found in travel books -- for free.
Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Now's a prime time to enjoy a cozy bed-and-breakfast. Whether you want to trek a nature trail or shop along a dock, these places offer a great escape.
Chicago has a reputation as a working-class city for a reason. Sure, there are fancy Gold Coast shops and $500-a-night hotel suites, but it's also possible to see Chicago's famous lakefront, eat its famous food and enjoy distinctive cultures on the cheap.
The charm of Ventotene is apparent the moment you spot it from the boat transporting you to its shores. Sitting there like a lonely sponge cake protruding from the surface of a clear blue plate, the island's sheer size -- or lack thereof -- promises something not only special but personal.
If Mount Rainier were in Austria instead of Washington State, I likely would have explored it long ago. All my life, I've watched it shimmering Fuji-like on Seattle's horizon, and have never driven the hour off the interstate to actually take a hike there.
In March of 1997, hiker Bill Maddrell set off on a solo trip down the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a well-worn ribbon that slices through 14 states, eight national forests and six national parks from Maine to Georgia. Determined to walk the entire 2,176 miles, he took a 60-pound backpack, but his relatives thought that wasn't enough. "They asked me if I was going to carry a gun," he said.
What do "30 Rock" and "Entourage" have in common, outside of their showbiz theme? Their settings -- some of the hottest venues in New York and L.A., respectively -- make for great places to visit. And what better time to venture into TV land than with the start of the fall television season? Pack your bags for a weekend of sightseeing and clubbing ... camera crew optional.
The beach is pitch black, except for the light from the stars dancing across the sky. The ocean waves pound. And right in front of us, a huge (more than 300 pounds and three feet long) green sea turtle methodically drops her eggs into a nest she's dug deep in the black sand -- more than 100 eggs in just a few minutes.
In this storied harbor town where the Mayflower landed nearly 400 years ago, generations of Americans have claimed and reinterpreted the Pilgrim story.
For centuries, Venice has captivated travelers with an array of romantic images: gondola rides through glistening canals at sunset, homes painted in vibrant hues of periwinkle and plum.
There are hundreds of biological field stations around the globe, and a select few of them are now letting visitors rub elbows with staff researchers and spend the night inside the facilities -- no advanced degree required.
This primeval forest in southern Ghana boasts 300 species of birds, unique monkeys and the highly endangered forest elephant and bongo antelope.
In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels penned their Communist Manifesto -- "a specter is haunting Europe, the specter of communism" -- in a cabaret overlooking Brussels' spectacular Grand-Place.
I've found vacation nirvana for teenagers and it's a place parents will like just as much as teens do.
Pounding rain and heavy mist are constant in this timber town where logging's decline left a graveyard of rusting timber mills and unemployment. Businesses shut down. Parts of the local high school were condemned. Families started to drift away.
Home to Microsoft and Starbucks, grunge rock and a constant rainy drizzle, Seattle is defined by the collision of urban soul and natural beauty. It's also a great destination for the budget-conscious traveler. An abundance of outdoor activities and a pulsing arts community make it the perfect place to visit while holding onto spare change.
Imagine yourself on a ferryboat deck with a latte in one hand, your overnight bag at your feet, and the dazzling Seattle, Washington, skyline filling the horizon behind you. While the boat churns across Elliott Bay, the Space Needle disappears from view and a shoreline materializes in the distance.
As the sun descends, street lamps take over, illuminating grandiose colonial plazas, antiquated historic buildings and romantic balconies that line the major streets of capital city Quito's "Centro Historico" district in Ecuador.
Spain's northeastern city of Barcelona, set between verdant mountains and the Mediterranean sea, basks in a well-earned reputation as one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.
Three recently opened hotels offer travelers new ways to experience the Andes.
Ten years in Jerusalem, a city with only two significant seasons -- hot summers and cold, damp winters -- made me determined to have the best autumn possible my first year back on the East Coast.
Puddles of moonlight on a glassy, smooth harbor. Fresh shrimp coupled with stone-ground grits. Palmettos dancing in an ocean breeze. I fell in love with these things on my very first visit to Charleston, that oh-so-Southern belle perched happily on the coast of South Carolina. Even now, memories of that long-ago trip bring an unbidden smile.
Even after 20 years of visits, I always need a day to adjust to the wonders of Amsterdam. So I spend my first day here checking out small changes in the city -- a new handbag museum, a church turned into a mosque, a free ferry ride to an industrial complex where there is a skateboarders' warehouse filled with teenyboppers.
Thousands come each year to the Wisconsin River valley where Frank Lloyd Wright built his home and tested his ideas about building in harmony with nature.
Drive south from Tangier along the Moroccan coast to the port town of Asilah and here's what you'll see on the 30-mile journey: fields of deep-purple and mustard-yellow wildflowers, wide stretches of pristine beach and cement trucks idling in front of the occasional makeshift construction site. It doesn't take a fortune teller to predict that, in a few years, this dramatic coastline will be the next French Riviera.
Tourists looking for old Paris charm and a taste of "La Vie en Rose" should head to Belleville, a largely overlooked part of the city and the birthplace of Edith Piaf.
First came the fishermen. Then came the surfers. Now the formerly scruffy enclave of Montauk, at the easternmost point of Long Island, has been colonized by fashion-forward boutiques and hotels that are one-upping the rest of the Hamptons with a refreshingly relaxed sense of style.
Cindy Haynes was 42 when she made her decision. All of her life she had been a wife and a mom. Now her kids were growing up; her divorce was being finalized, and she had just landed her first real job.
There's nothing like a little time travel to get the day started.
There's an attraction in New York City that offers sweeping views of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty, traffic-free biking, shaded lawns for picnics and outdoor concerts. And it's all free -- including the quick ferry to get there.
God save the queen, and maybe a few pounds -- sterling, that is.
Staring into a TV camera, I say, "Istanbul is one of the world's great cities, period. For thousands of years, this point, where East meets West, has been the crossroads of civilizations. Few places on earth have seen more history than this sprawling metropolis on the Bosphorus."
From Mexico's Guadalupe Valley to Blue Hill, Maine, these 10 waterfront getaways offer a toast to the good life.
The smells of basil, Chinese food, fish and baked goods linger in the humid air along Penn Avenue, mixing with the sweat and grime of packed sidewalks and outdoor vendors.
"Shh ... shh get back," the man with the walkie-talkie said. "We're filming."
I'd all but given up on resort vacations for my family. I just couldn't take the food. As the editor of Food & Wine magazine, I've grown accustomed to culinary adventures pretty much every day. But resort meals, with their overcooked pasta and tasteless chicken, managed to fall short of even my lowest expectations.
In some parts of the country, a balmy September afternoon might be spent picking pumpkins or apples.
While Copenhagen is a thriving metropolis, when you travel out into the Danish countryside, you find yourself saying "cute" more than you know you should. When I'm in the Netherlands, I have a running joke with my guide friends. We say, "Everything's so ... Dutch." Now, in Denmark, I'm saying, "Everything's so ... Danish."
Everyone knows Boston is a city steeped in history, but on a steamy hot summer day, one of the best places to experience the city is from the ocean or the harbor.
One of Denver's best-kept secrets is just a seven-minute drive from downtown. With the Democratic National Convention in town this week, the Highlands Square shopping district near 32nd and Lowell hopes to get the word out.
Given Montreal's proximity to substantially-sized American cities -- it's just over five hours driving from Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut -- you might not think Quebec's largest city would be so different than these New England metropolises.
Given Montreal's proximity to substantially-sized American cities -- it's just over five hours driving from Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut -- you might not think Quebec's largest city would be so different than these New England metropolises.
The other night I found my way home, a little tipsy after an evening in the Belgian town of Bruges. I'd been at my favorite bar in town, the 't Brugs Beertje, where not only did I get schooled in the many varieties of local beer, but also learned a few things about modern-day Belgian life.
After huffing and puffing uphill past luminous Aspen groves and delicate wildflowers for more than an hour, we expected a big reward: a sweeping view of Steamboat Springs, an imposing waterfall, a cold beer -- something.
Hikers who perch atop a nearly 100-foot rock cliff that plunges to the crashing surf below are greeted by a spectacular vista with no signs of civilization, perhaps the same scene that caught the eyes of European explorers who passed by these shores 400 years ago.
New England's fall foliage typically peaks in late September and early October. But around the country, leaf-peeping season runs longer than you might think.
I've been trying to analyze why I enjoy traveling so much. All I do is work all day long, every day, and yet it brings me pure joy.
You don't need big bucks to enjoy the Big Apple big time. Travel like a New Yorker on the subway. Eat like a New Yorker on the street. And see the city like a New Yorker by visiting public spaces, landmarks and famous places, many of which can be enjoyed for free. Here are some strategies.
Nibble your way through Charlotte, North Carolina, and you'll taste the New South. Shining on the Piedmont with a modern skyline and brimming with emerging restaurants, this is a city that savors the fresh and the new.
Shaking off my umbrella as I walked up to my B&B, I reviewed the events of my day. Bath, just 90 minutes or so west of London by train, is one of the most touristy towns in Britain. Even so, I was pleased that my time was filled with vivid, untouristy memories.
China can seem as impenetrable as it is imposing. Consider the numbers: it's the world's most populous nation (1.3 billion), where more than 100 cities have populations over a million. Fifty-six ethnic groups are spread across 22 wildly distinct provinces and five autonomous regions, in a landmass slightly larger than the U.S.
Paris may be the most visited city in the world, yet it's also one of the most expensive.
On the day he found Santo Stefano di Sessanio, the ancient Italian village that would change his life, Daniele Kihlgren was lost. He had set out on his motorcycle to explore the Abruzzi mountains, two hours east of Rome, and was trying to locate a back road from the ruins of a medieval castle to a gorgeous high Alpine plain known as the Campo Imperatore. Instead, he stumbled across a tiny fortified town of narrow alleyways and crumbling stone buildings.
Nothing says "girl bonding" like a spa day. This time, I did the bonding with my flesh-and-blood girls.
At the former Shaker village, where the Taconic Mountains roll into the Berkshires and New York touches Massachusetts, Yaqin Aubert read aloud Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Zoroastrian, Judaic, Christian and Islamic texts during the Sunday service at the Sufi religious retreat.
Far from the lines of tourists that snake around the entrance of Machu Picchu, hundreds deep before dawn, is Fausta Colonia's open-air kitchen.
Standing atop an island cliff, Ed English looks out over the Strait of Belle Isle. "In March," he says, "this looks like peppered porridge -- a sea of ice floes speckled with seals." Now, on a soft summer evening, it's a salty blue stew flecked with white froth from waves and breaching whales. In the distance float the glacial fragments that give this part of Newfoundland (newfun-LAND) its nickname: Iceberg Alley.
Warm beige tones, rich graphic accents, and futuristic chairs give Le Jules Verne a contemporary elegance, while dishes from superstar chef Alain Ducasse create a joie de vivre in diners' mouths. But the real showstopper at this restaurant -- set more than 400 feet above Paris in the Eiffel Tower -- is its panoramic view. From the tower's south pillar, diners look out on barges navigating the Seine and clusters of steely gray rooftops stretching for miles.
From 15-cent train rides to excellent, one-dollar meals, Thailand's tropical capital is teeming with budget options for the penny-pinching traveler. Where else in the world can you get a free vasectomy?
Perched on a high ridge, the impossibly quaint hobbit hamlet of O Cebreiro welcomes visitors to Galicia -- a hilly, damp, green region in northwest Spain that feels vaguely Irish. O Cebreiro is a time warp to an uncomplicated, almost prehistoric past, when people lived very close to nature in stone igloos with thatched roofs. With sweeping views across the verdant but harsh Galician landscape, O Cebreiro (pronounced oh theh-BRAY-roh) is constantly pummeled by some of the fiercest weather in Spain.
When I told friends that my husband and I were going to visit Uruguay, the first question was usually, "Why?" I had been to Uruguay before so the answer came easy: "The people, the food and the beaches."
The howling wind across a remote landscape, a creaky metal gate or a run-in with a rattlesnake or gun-toting local are the things that attract ghost towners. They are history buffs who take their outdoor adventures with a dash of mystery.
Faced with too many visitors, the city of Paris asked its citizens to open their homes as B&Bs. It doesn't get more authentique than that.
A cannon booms and the crack of a dozen whips pierce the warm night. The colorful, pulsating Esala Perahera procession has begun.
One of my favorite places to be in Europe is atop the Zugspitze -- the highest point in Germany. Standing on this 9,700-foot peak, you can't help but marvel at the thought that you are above everyone else in the entire country -- No. 1 out of 82 million. From here, facing south, I feel like a maestro conducting a symphony of snow-capped peaks, as the mighty Alps stretch seemingly forever to the right and left.
Visitors to New York, lost in a cavern of skyscrapers, might forget they're in a coastal city. But across the East River from Manhattan, Brooklyn holds claim to memorable water views. From its shores, travelers witness the reflections of massive buildings and bridges wavering with the wind. In the distance, they see the Statue of Liberty hoisting her torch high above barges and ships crisscrossing the harbor.
My last houseguest had 13 restaurants on his to-try list, including three renowned for succulent versions of crisp-skinned Peking duck, one popular for its tongue-tingling Sichuan cuisine and a Uighur joint, known as much for the ethnic minority's cumin-spiced lamb skewers as its exuberant floor show.
For many years, I looked forward to riding the Indian Pacific across the length of southern Australia, from Sydney to Perth. At 2,700 miles, it's one of the world's longest train trips. But when I searched for concrete information on what to expect, I found it hard to locate. Now that I've made the journey, here's the information I wish I'd had.
All my life, Naples has been the symbol of chaos, stress and culture shock for European travel.
From free concerts to fresh blue crabs, summertime in the Washington area can be a lot of fun.
The coast of Maine is probably better known for lobsters and windjammers than rose gardens and flowering dogwood trees.
Penobscot Bay may be one of the world's great cruising grounds for sailors, but you don't need a mast to fall under its watery spell. Kayakers love it, too. Ancient glaciers sculpted the big bay's granite coast, creating countless inlets and coves to explore. The setting offers snug harbor towns and inviting inns, many an easy paddle apart. Throw in the world's tastiest lobster and you have all the ingredients for a self-propelled trip that's more relaxing than taxing.
Faced with my blank look of incomprehension, the taxi driver took a deep breath and tried again.
Bob and Sally Corey of Dawsonville, Georgia, made sure they were going to see North America's tallest mountain.
Bob and Sally Corey of Dawsonville, Georgia, made sure they were going to see North America's tallest mountain.
For most, Positano is simply the most romantic and chic stop on Italy's Amalfi Coast. South of Naples, the famous coast is blessed with beaches, sunshine and picturesque towns spilling down steep hillsides. Many who visit Positano want only to shop and lay on the beach. But the tour guide in me simply must add a little historic and cultural meat to your visit.
Gas prices, traffic, kids screaming in the backseat.... It's enough to make you want to get out and walk. So why not do just that? At these 10 spots, there are no cars at all (unless you count golf carts).
If you want to understand who Thomas Jefferson was -- third president of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence -- visit Monticello, his majestic mountaintop home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Greg Lawrence crashed through the underbrush, eyes wide, binoculars swinging from his neck.
A century ago, what's now Silicon Valley, California, was called the Valley of Heart's Delight because of the region's mineral-rich soil and temperate climate (San Jose gets 300 days of sunshine a year). By the time I left for college in 1997, however, most of the cherry orchards had been gobbled up by office complexes. San Jose was in the hopeful early stages of the Internet boom, and although I didn't have an e-mail account yet, the technological advances that would change the world were already making their mark on my hometown.
The biggest challenge in creating a new tourist attraction at Niagara Falls is trying to live up to the main event.
This ancient capital city, long known for the architectural splendor of its centuries-old palaces and temples, is getting a new look that could have been plucked from science fiction.
Ron Alexander has long been intrigued with the true story of a young idealist who met his death in Alaska's unyielding wilderness in 1992.
Despite its urban image, the Bronx has 7,000 acres of park land, about 25 percent of its total area. In addition to Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo, the borough's green spaces include the New York Botanical Garden; a 19th century garden overlooking the Hudson River called Wave Hill; and Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay parks, where you can bird-watch, play golf and ride horses.
Two days before opening night of "The Lost Colony," Tony-award winning designer William Ivey Long was still working on costumes.
The High Museum of Art is focusing on the civil rights era in two new exhibits that include 200 photographs, many of which have never been publicly displayed before.
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