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travel

Sampling Chile’s melting pot

SANTA CRUZ, Chile — The thirst for cultural identity makes for a good time to soak up South America. I discovered this a couple of …Read More

Travel Albums


The King’s rock ’n’ roll princess

For Elvis Presley, 1968 couldn’t look any brighter. The leather-clad singer returned to the hip-shaking spotlight with his comeback special on NBC. And, 44 years ago this month, he became a father to Lisa Marie. A new Graceland exhibit showcases that relationship, marking the 35th …

Escape to Esperanza, a secluded resort in Mexico where Hollywood goes to honeymoon

A favorite among Hollywood honeymooners, Esperanza Resort on Mexico’s Baja peninsula makes for a romantic escape and a more sedate alternative to nearby Cabo San Lucas.

Trends large and small bubbling in spa industry

NEW YORK — From color therapy and medi-pedis to frigid blizzard rooms and swankier eyebrow bars, fresh trends are surfacing around the world in the …Read More

A medieval Irish castle and a Dublin gem give couples a taste of town and country

Ashford Castle and the Merrion hotel in Dublin joined forces to offer a “Town & Country” package that gives couples a taste of rural Ireland and the nation’s capital.

Dining in Las Vegas yields something old, new and truly good

LAS VEGAS — Every visit to Las Vegas yields some new discovery. It could be the latest resort, or exclusive club, or a world-class spa, and of course, the newest must-try restaurant — as was the case on my latest Nevada jaunt. Las Vegas is …

Skip the glam; it’s pure Garth Brooks in intimate show

LAS VEGAS — Garth Brooks never said never. It was more a case of “for now, at least.” The country music uberstar officially “retired” from touring and recording in 2001. He said he was done with all of it — opting to return to Oklahoma …

New app lets phone replace hotel TV remote

Starting Monday, travelers staying at about 2,000 hotels across the country now have the ability to channel surf using their smartphones instead of an old-fashioned remote control. LodgeNet, the biggest provider of hotel-room television, has created a free app — the LodgeNet Mobile App — that turns iPhones, iPads and Androids into remote controls for free TV channels, pay-per-view movies and on-demand TV episodes at hotels.

Portland grows up, keeps its cool

PORTLAND, Ore. — A city is best experienced from ground level. Some of my most vivid neighborhood memories are of the embryonic years of Key West, Fla., Oakland, Calif., and even Wicker Park in Chicago. During the mid-1980s I lived in a graffiti-tagged, former heroin …

Skiing to solitude in Yellowstone

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — I took a deep breath, positioned my skis and shot down the hillside, whizzing through a forest of trees covered with thick, feathered layers of ice. I focused all my energy on not crashing into one, but my left ski …

Revisiting India’s compelling lure

NEW DELHI, 1988 — My younger siblings lean against the streaked glass, hungrily looking down at the expanse of water that teases and tempts like a Bedouin’s heat-induced delirium. No longer able to resist the aquatic siren call, they speed off on the worn-out carpet, …

Tasmania showcases Australia’s wild side

HOBART, Tasmania — Last March, I embarked on a mini-road trip around Tasmania, the island off the southeast corner of Australia that is about the size of West Virginia. Tassie, what Aussies affectionately call their smallest state, is a nature-lover’s dream, with enough history and …