travel
Aw, shucks — you don’t want to miss Wintzell’s Oyster House
MOBILE, Ala. — It’s all oysters and pearls of wisdom at the historic Wintzell’s Oyster House in downtown Mobile. The ramshackle roadhouse opened in 1938 …Read More
Travel Albums
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 …
Galveston ferry ride a Texas-sized deal
GALVESTON, Texas — Galveston’s Bolivar Ferry, Texas’ version of the famous New York Staten Island Ferry, may be the best tourist bargain in the Lone Star State. It’s free, and the roughly 20-minute ride each way between Port Bolivar and Galveston is an entertaining diversion …
Shipping out to Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
STURGEON BAY, Wis. — Shipbuilding is the right theme to launch a new year of travel. Metaphors ahoy! But the storied shipbuilding history of Sturgeon Bay is a well-kept secret. Battleships, yachts and cruisers have been built in Sturgeon Bay since 1856. There were five …
Religion isn’t the only reason to go to Israel
Of the 3 million-plus tourists who visit Israel each year, many make the trek for religious reasons. But you don’t need to be on a pilgrimage to savor this fascinating sliver of the Middle East, where adventure awaits.
Walk in Jesus’ footsteps with Israel’s new Gospel Trail
A new trail in northern Israel gives visitors the chance to walk — or bike, or ride a horse — in the footsteps of Jesus. The 39-mile Gospel Trail, officially opened in December after several years of planning, traces the path of Jesus after he …
Mixing adventure with charm
The girl afraid of everything found herself atop a mule, the poor animal lugging her up a rocky hill toward God knows what at the edge of a cliff in Puerto Vallarta. She hid her growing fear as the hissing sound of a zip line …
