News
National barks: Visiting national parks with your dog
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/27/2009
The Orange County Register (MCT) - It sounds more like something from "The Amazing Race" than a vacation. We'll visit southern Utah's five national parks, plus a national monument. In one week. With our dog. Are we biting off more than we can chew? Besides covering nearly 2,000 miles of road, our ...
Cruise control: A few helpful tips
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
Chicago Tribune (MCT) - These days, cruising might be the least stressful way to travel and see the world, but it pays to revisit ways to reduce your tension and make the most of your days at sea. Here are some tips and observations garnered over the years that might save you time and ...
Sorrento is splendid for souvenirs
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
Detroit Free Press (MCT) - If you're shopping for a million-dollar Bulgari necklace, Rome is the place . But my favorite souvenir spot in southern Italy is Sorrento, especially during the uncrowded spring or fall. Sorrento, 30 miles south of Naples on the Amalfi Coast, is perched precariously on a ...
A lesson in dining: Think culinary schools
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
Chicago Tribune (MCT) - My most memorable school lunch involved a glass of Schramsberg bubbly and perfectly grilled scallops. OK, I also remember a great beef stew in grade school and the Union chili at university, but that's another story. This story is about school lunches in culinary ...
Former war zone in Eastern Europe is all but unknown to Western tourists
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
The Orange County Register (MCT) - I left for Europe in the spring with more guidebooks than pairs of pants in my travel backpack. Walking out of baggage claim in Prague, I felt the load of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia on my shoulders. But about halfway through the three-week trip, our ...
Going to Cuba? Take plenty of cash, because U.S. credit cards will not work in the island nation
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Travelers heading to Cuba will need cash _ and a good bit of it. Visitors suffer sticker shock at the island's lofty prices almost as fast as they notice Havana's colonial architecture. Most of the basic needs of travelers _ hotels, rental cars and restaurants _ are ...
If Washington lifts travel restrictions, South Florida tourism will have a new competitor 90 miles away
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - At a recent meeting in a Key West ballroom, local tourism leaders didn't just ratify a contingency plan for the day Washington lifts all travel restrictions on Cuba They approved some slogans, too. We're Making History Again would promote tours of historic homes in ...
Chicago museums: belugas, art, a ‘smart house' and splendor of the Gilded Age
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - How do you get seven beluga whales from Chicago to Connecticut? "FedEx" was Roger Germann's quick answer. Germann is the spokesman for the Shedd Aquarium, which had to move its seven belugas and four dolphins in September before starting a restoration project at its ...
Where to eat on South Padre Island
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - Padre Islanders like to eat, and even hamburgers can be a cut above expectations. Here are eight dining spots to consider: _Grapevine Cafe, 100 E. Swordfish St. A locals' favorite for breakfast and lunch. Omelets are popular, as is a generous two-egg breakfast plate ...
South Padre sculptor Sandy Feet's built a living on the beach
By • McClatchy Newspapers • 4/20/2009
The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - Her professional name is Sandy Feet, and you aren't surprised when you find her on her knees on the beach of this skinny island off the South Texas coast. She's elbow-deep in a hole she has dug in the sand. The Gulf of Mexico rolling onto the beach about 10 yards ...


















