New stories added this month:

Destinations

Local Destination Mini-Guide: Brooklyn
Away from the glitz of Times Square and the drama of Broadway, Brooklyn has suddenly become a hot commodity. Several operators have developed bus tours solely within the borough and Carnival Cruise Lines has proposed a new $100 million passenger terminal on the Brooklyn docks. Poet Anne Sexton put it best when she wrote, 'Poor thing/ To die and never see Brooklyn'. The time has come to step off the well-worn path of Manhattan tourist destinations and spend time in the borough many locals believe should be the 51^st state. Continue story

Cape Heaven: The Tip is Tops!
Soweto sounds and safari sights are unbeatable. That isuntil you stroll a pier in Cape Town, South Africa. It's everybody's darling destination. Lively, sun-kissed and a perfect place for Africa's last stop. Comparisons to Sidney, San Francisco and Fairbanks often are spoken but the city is all its own.    The tip is tops! Just a few miles out of the harbor is Robben's Island, the place where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in captivity. Ex-inmates now guide the tours. Wine vineyards are nestled within the area's mountains and valleys. History and history in the making are Cape Town's forte. Continue story...

Lodgings
Virginia's Northern Neck: Surrounded by Water, History and Natural Beauty
The Northern What? My friend had proposed a weekend getaway to Virginia's Northern Neck…an area I had never heard of.Little did I know that I was in for a treat! It was the end of summer in New England, but in Virginia, it was still as warm as July. Imagine lush, flat green fields stretching to the horizon; narrow roads winding around tall trees, and in any direction you choose, a bay or cove or inlet. They're called creeks in the NN and are wider than many rivers. This region has changed little since colonial times, when George Washington, James Monroe, James Madison and Richard Henry Lee were born here, amidst working farms, historic villages and watermen who still ply their trade on the rivers and the bay. Continue story...

family travel

New Zealand's South Island: Adventures in Pure Paradise
If the North Island journey was focused on culture, geology and beaches, the South Island would be our outdoor adventure playground. Josh and I would spend the next two months working our way from top to bottom, hiking, kayaking, ice climbing, wildlife watching, and exploring all the diversity NZ's South Island has to offer. While we had taken several day hikes in the North Island, Josh and I were itching to do a few overnight tramps (hikes) in the south. Fortunately, one of the best and most kid-friendly hikes begins where the Cook Strait ferry from Wellington drops you off in Picton. Continue story...

Features

Midnight in the Piedmont: Chasing the Wild Truffle
Somewhere in the distance a church bell chimed the midnight hour. A heavy mist made visability along the valley road challenging. Nearing our rendevous site we spotted two small nondescript Italian cars hovering by the side of the road. The drivers flashed their lights at our mini-bus, then with a squeal of tires, sped off along the twisting country road.

Our driver, not intimidated by their speed, followed closely behind as we bumped our way into the hills near Alba in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. We were in search of the legendary "White Diamonds," tartufo bianco, or white truffles. At a market price of nearly $2,000 a pound, truffle hunters are willing to go to amazing extremes in secrecy as to where these incredible tubers are located. Continue story...

Going to Gion, The Geisha District of Kyoto
The novel "Memoirs of a Geisha," Puccini's tragic opera "Madame Butterfly" and countless movie references have provided the curious West with various views of what life of a Geisha is like. But for those interested in getting beyond the fictional images, it is necessary to walk the streets of the Geisha district of Gion in the ancient city of Kyoto, as I did recently. A visitor strolling the cobbled lanes and alleyways of Gion would miss the hidden clues and overlook the subtle hints that reveal this extraordinary way of life without an informative and enthusiastic guide.
Continue story...

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