Scottsdale, Ariz., has long been known as a better place for golfers than gourmands. After 18 holes, you could always get a burger in the clubhouse, or prime rib in a steakhouse, or a California roll and a shot of sake in one of many spendy, landlocked sushi joints—but not much in the way of [...]
Crazy for Chocolate
Here at VIA, we’ve got chocolate covered. Witness all the ink spilled on our favorite vice. In the last five years alone, we’ve paid homage to chocolate in scores of pieces. We’ve covered chocolate tours, chocolate shops, chocolate makers. We’ve published conversations with a chocolate queen (okay, she’s a cookbook author named Alice Medrich) and [...]
Hawaii’s Kona Coast: Braving the Fishpipe
Spending four days alone on the Big Island’s western edge sounded delicious to this mother of two small children. And it was. I slept in (until 8 a.m.!), ate dinner at a normal hour, and applied sunscreen only to myself. But once I’d finished my reporting in Kailua-Kona—taken the tours, visited the historic sites, consumed [...]
Featured Destination: Puerto Vallarta
When the offer came in—join Virgin America on its inaugural flight to Puerto Vallarta, all expenses paid—writer Kristen Haney didn’t hesitate. VIA didn’t have to convince her by telling her she’d be staying at a fancy resort, hanging loose at a surf town, swimming with dolphins, and drinking tequila. A weekend of fun and luxury [...]
Hang Ten in Sayulita, Mexico
In the beach town of Sayulita, the sun sets on deeply tanned children lazily paddling in the water, occasionally catching small waves and toppling off their boards. A group of blonde moms attempts cartwheels in the sand as unattended dogs snack on the forgotten or discarded remnants of foil-wrapped food on the beach. The bath [...]
Huichol Collection Gallery: Where Old Meets New
In Old Puerto, freshly butchered cows hang in stores, where owners carve fresh cuts directly from the slaughtered animals to sell to families or fry up in a pan. The sounds and smells of sizzling meats waft out of the various taco stands tucked between the regal casas that twist their way up the cobblestone [...]
Swimming with Dolphins in Nuevo Vallarta
Donning flippers, a wetsuit, and goggles to plunge into water before I’ve had my morning coffee isn’t my usual routine. My pale complexion has forced me under umbrellas and out of the punishing rays of the sun for the better part of eight years, and my swimming technique resembles a slightly overweight dog desperately trying [...]
Virgin America Heads to Puerto Vallarta
Even my alarm blaring at 5:45 a.m. couldn’t quell my excitement for my first-ever trip to Puerto Vallarta. Courtesy of Virgin America Airlines, I was embarking on a press trip to experience the airline’s inaugural flight to Puerto Vallarta, explore the Mexican town, and hopefully return with as much of a tan as my pale [...]
Chilaquiles, Huitlacoche, and Tequilas in Puerto Vallarta
Second only to Mexico City in terms of sheer volume, Puerto Vallarta’s 400 restaurants boast a range of cuisine available in Mexico. From riverside chilaquiles to plated steak dinners, Puerto Vallarta’s growing reputation as a culinary destination position it as an ideal stop for food-focused travelers. I was lucky enough to stuff myself at two [...]
Oakland’s Art Murmur
Oakland’s Art Murmur Gourmet food trucks, runway models, ceramic aliens, bourbon balls, handmade jewelry, street performers, vintage autos, and watercolor prints of Freddy Krueger and Jaws. See all this and a cacophony of more more more at Oakland Art Murmur, a first-Friday art walk. Two dozen local galleries—most between 22nd and 26th streets on the Broadway/Telegraph [...]