If you haven’t yet heard the buzz of the most anticipated summer movie, “Snakes On A Plane,” you’ve probably been hiding under a rock… with a rattlesnake! It’s due to debut in theatres in a few weeks but has already generated considerable buzz with its blog: SnakesonaBlog.com. Now, to commemorate its upcoming release, actress Lin…
On our summer road trip, today we drove over 580 miles. Most of it was across I-80 in Nevada and Utah. Of the former, our 12-year-old daughter said “it’s got to be the most boringest state in the world.” We passed over mountain passes and through high desert chaparral, but it was indeed boring and…
A boutique hotel with all the character and charm you’d expect, but where all profits go to charity? Here’s a place that really exemplifies my Pampering for Prosperity mission! The Green Hotel in Mysore, southern India, is a former maharaja’s palace, elegantly re-designed into a colonial-era crash pad. Enjoy slow cups of tea in wicker…
We’ve all done the EurailPass to criss-cross Europe during our penny-pinching college years. I recently rode the EuroStar in style through the Chunnel between London and Paris, marveling at how far train travel had come in style and fashion. Now, iconic French designer Christian Lacroix has been chosen by the French Railways to upgrade their…
About 18 months ago, the dollar had hit a new low against both the British pound and the Euro. Naturally, my wife, daughter and I chose that exact moment to visit England and France. In keeping with our family tradition of tragically bad timing, we’re leaving tomorrow on a 2,500-mile driving vacation during record-high gas…
Drum roll, please…. According to 11th annual readers poll of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s, the most popular city in the world for travelers is Florence, Italy. Rome is #2; Bangkok, Thailand, is #3; last year’s winner, Sydney, Australia, is now #4; and Chiang Mail, Thailand is #5. These are followed by: Cape Town, South Africa…
I had the opportunity to discuss “Vroom With A View” with its Aussie author who now lives in London, Peter Moore. It’s a hilarious account of his round-trip from Milan to Rome ona ’61 Vespa which he affectionately names Sophia –– after the legendary Italian actress and inspiration for his trip. Below are a series…
In “Supersize Me,” documentarian Morgan Spurlock risked getting a major coronary and life-threatening cholesterol levels to create a film about the dangers of fast food. But Alan Richman just one-upped him by traveling 23,750 miles and consuming more than 150,000 calories while taking the measure of 162 burgers across the country with one goal: To…
I used to go to The Emporium downtown as a kid to shop. I’d always stand in the center of the floor under its storied 19th century rotunda with my mouth open. But in less than two months, I can stand there and drool all over again because the Westfield San Francisco Centre, a $440-million…
If you’re heading south to Argentina or Chile, Postales del Plata SA offers a range of wine tour operations and upscale lodging services in Mendoza. In fact, their Mendoza Wine Country tour operations have been in full swing since 2003. They include a comprehensive range of services for travelers with tri-lingual hosts, accommodations in company-owned…
If you are like me and love your handbags, then you’ll have a ball in Hanoi. In amongst the fake label bags and the bags of dodgy quality, there are some beautiful bags made of silk and shell. If you are looking for unique bags with a sense of theatre and don’t mind paying a…
Few things in the world are as iconic as Levi’s Jeans. Manufactured globally by San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Company, this local institution is 153 years old, has its own museum, and even boasts a full-time historian who, for 17 years, has overseen its unique archives –– clothing, photos, oral history tapes, letters from customers,…