Ever had a friend come back from a Mexico holiday decked out in one of those ridiculous party sombreros and a striped serape? Something along those lines happened when the good ole American hot dog—as the story goes—took a little trip across the border from southern Arizona to the northern Mexico state of Sonora. This [...]
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Healdsburg Biodynamic Farm-to-Spa Treatments
In last decade or so, the Sonoma wine country town of Healdsburg has jumped with both feet onto the organic and biodynamic bandwagon, with wineries, restaurants, and even bars blowing their manure-filled ram’s horns loud and proud. So while reporting for VIA on the H2 Hotel, Healdsburg’s latest über-green accommodation, I fully expected to find [...]
Montana’s Brush Lake: Solitude in a Sea of Grass
Brush Lake—the only state park in all of Northeast Montana—sits in some of the emptiest land this side of Mongolia. The map says it’s four miles east of Dagmar (population about 300), but even locals would agree that it’s a long drive past nowhere. The dry, rough, windswept prairie—a C.M. Russell painting brought to life—is [...]
AT&T Park Baseball Tours
The official baseball season runs from April to October, but stadium tours operate year-round. That means you can take yourself out to the ballpark, even when the Giants aren’t in town. Public tours are offered every day at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (check sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com for blackout dates). The tours last 90 minutes and include [...]
Historic Spots Near the Giants’ Ballpark in San Francisco
Like many of the buildings in the China Basin area, the Giants’ home is of recent vintage; it opened in the spring of 2000. But the surrounding neighborhood has a history that predates the arrival of baseball by the Bay. If you look closely at the buildings, you realize that some of that history lives [...]
Cheap Eats Near San Francisco’s AT&T Park
By the time you pay for tickets, parking, and popcorn at AT&T Park, you might not have much left for a hot dog and a soda, let alone a good square meal. Fortunately, the neighborhoods around the stadium are home to some very fine, reasonably priced restaurants. Here are a few suggestions for budget-minded outposts [...]
Off-season Yosemite: Wonderland Awaits
If you haven’t spent much time in California’s Yosemite National Park, please move it to the top of your to-do list. Now. And if I can make a further suggestion, I recommend planning your visit in the fall, winter, or spring, so you can avoid the crush of summer visitors who come from around the [...]
Rudi’s Deli: Skiing and Sandwiches, Colorado-Style
Due to our mutual adoration for sleeping in, we elected to hightail it to Winter Park, and wait to savor the journey in the evening. Our ski day didn’t last long, however. After a dozen runs on the Galloping Goose, our feet (and stomachs) hollered “uncle.” I could see that James—a first-time skier—couldn’t wait to [...]
Denver: Cowtown or Cultural Hotspot?
Some cities hide their insecurities. Not Denver. You needn’t dig deep to discover the chip on the city’s civic shoulder. Merely mention the word “cowtown,” and any red-blooded Denverite will crimson faster than you can moo. As born-and-raised Coloradoan—and unashamed civic booster—I couldn’t wait to introduce James, my Bay Area boyfriend, to the Mile High [...]
Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero: The Book
Now, there’s another way to take a delicious taste of landmark Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero, Calif., home with you. After two years of work, the Duarte family—famous for its fresh-baked pies, cioppino, and artichoke soup—has self-published the book, Duarte’s Tavern, Where Friends Meet Since 1894. The impressive 208-page, coffee table-size book, with both color and [...]