Las Vegas is one of the most loved -- and despised -- travel destinations in the world. Some folks bask in and are energyzed by its non-stop action and adrenaline, the gambling, the booze, the neon lights -- everything you imagine...
There’s a lot more to Memphis than Graceland, although Graceland is by far the city’s most popular attraction (which I’ve previously discussed here ). A city of about 650,000, Memphis has a...
Happy New Year!! Tomorrow is Chinese New Year, the dawn of the Year of the Goat (or Sheep or Ram). The date varies from year-to-year, but Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese...
3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. It’s an address most Elvis fans know by heart because that’s where you’ll find Graceland . Graceland is THE place every Elvis must visit at least once in their lifetime. Not only was...
When you see a group of them at a distance in the "Cholla Cactus Garden" (Joshua Tree National Park), they're a memorable site. With their arms outstretched, these cacti seem rather fuzzy, almost soft, and hence the name "teddy...
I love going on leisurely road trips -- the kind where you've several spare hours to pull over somewhere and explore. If a place seems interesting, I like to check it out. So it was this past summer while we were visiting...
Located directly on the Monterey Bay just south of Santa Cruz is a sprawling complex of nearly 200 exhibits of more than 550 species in a 2 storey building nearly 30 years old: the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA). Started in 1978, and open to the...
When we began planning a trip to Puerto Rico, and planning to include our 14-year-old granddaughter, we sent her some of the material we were gathering and asked her what her priorities were. She, and we, both had El Yunque right near the top of the...
Gumbo was visiting the magnificent Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The puzzle destination was recognized rather quickly by Roderick Simpson -- congratulations Roddy! I first saw Cologne’s Cathedral on a...
The Ramblers (formerly Ramblers' Association) has its 80th birthday this year, and is still going strong, with 114,000 long-distance walkers in chapters all over Britain. In its history, it has served as much more than a social connection for people...
Brussels is the homeland of Tintin, Spirou, The Smurfs, Lucky Luke and the Dalton brothers, all international comic strip heroes. I, off course, had to take a closer look, and started at the Belgian Comic Strip Center (CBBD)...
Gumbo was visiting the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, which straddles northern Oregon and southern Washington states. Specifically, Gumbo was enjoying the amazing view of the Gorge through the lobby window of the Skamania Lodge in...
Santa's Wonderland in College Station, Texas, has evolved over the past 17 years into the largest Christmas light display in the entire state. In addition to the spectacular light show is Santa's Town featuring gift shops, restaurants, hourly...
Yosemite National Park is one of my favorite places. A remarkable and grand landscape of granite mountains, sheer valleys carved by glaciers, thunderous waterfalls plunging thousands of feet and several groves of majestic Sequoia...
I'm fond of exploring parks and libraries in the cities I visit, for different reasons. Libraries are fun because I love and collect books, and because the quality of a city's libraries tells me a lot about that city's priorities. ...