I often ask people I meet if they could go anywhere in the world, where they’d choose. One of the most common answers is often a place that the majority of travelers are unlikely to visit- a game park in Africa. For many of us, just mentioning the name of the continent conjures up images of lions chasing gazelles on the Serengeti and giraffes...
I first saw a picture of Antelope Canyon on a Windows screensaver. I wondered if it was even a real place since it looked more like a CGI image than something that could actually exist on our planet. As I looked up more information about this remarkable canyon, I realized that I had a growing list of beautiful places in Arizona that I never knew existed. Two weeks...
The most famous western shootout in American history lasted less than 30 seconds. Almost 140 years later, the town of Tombstone daily relives the gun battle between Doc Holliday, the Earp brothers and “the cowboys”. Visiting Tombstone is like being at a cowboy renaissance festival where you’re not sure who’s acting and who just really really likes to pretend to live...
Osteria Costa Might be It I love Italian food. I’ve wandered through Italy trying gnocchi in Verona, cannolis in Sicily, black ink pasta in Venice and consider myself somewhat of a “cibo Italiano” connoisseur. Last night I had an opportunity to check out the new Amalfi Coast inspired restaurant at the Mirage called Osteria Costa and what a night! I’m not a food...
I’m sitting in an airport of a country you’ve probably never heard of. It’s the newest country in Asia. It became independent in 2002 after a 26 year bloody struggle with Indonesia. I’m talking about Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor. Timor is one of the eastern-most islands in Indonesia and means “east” in the native language. So, East Timor translates to “East...
I’d never heard of Horseshoe Bay when I received an invitation to the “Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival” that is highlighted every year in the Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin. Austin used to be the place to go if you wanted to enjoy the lake and get away from the hustle and bustle of Houston traffic until it became so popular that many peace-seeking weekenders...
When I tell my friends about Bali, their eyes glaze over like I’m talking about visiting Mars or Timbuktu. Bali conjures up exotic images of crystal blue waters, dancers, temples and seems so far away. Well, yes it is far away, but it’s not that expensive to get to, and once you’re there, you’ll want to keep coming back. Bali has it all. Now is the perfect time to go...
San Antonio is having a birthday. A big one! The city might seem timeless, but it’s turning 300 years old. While we’re celebrating it’s tricentennial with margaritas and tres leches on the Riverwalk, here’s a few facts you probably don’t know about the Mission City: The Only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas is in….(drum...
You may have never heard of Belarus. It’s one of those former USSR territories that gained its independence in the early 1990s and hasn’t seen a lot of publicity since. It’s strongly tied to Russia (Belarus actually means “White Russia” even though no one has ever heard of the created-in-America drink) and currently has the same leader (some say...
To be honest, Minneapolis wasn’t high on my travel list until I came across a Spirit Airlines promotion that seemed to good to be true. From Houston, the round trip fare was $46. I can’t even get an Uber to the airport for that. I tweeted the deal and asked my friends and followers if there was anything worthwhile to do there. The response was fast and...