Freelance members of the Society of American Travel Writers interested in agritourism in the Tohoku region north of Tokyo sample traditional Japanese cuisine and locally produced wine at a rustic restaurant outside the city of Sendai By Jacqueline Swartz “You have the best job in the world,” remarked a person I was introduced to at…
By David DeVoss If baseball is played in Heaven it probably resembles spring training in Arizona’s Cactus League. Every year, during the glorious month of March, 15 major league teams prepare for summer baseball at ten fan-friendly stadiums designed for culinary indulgence, relaxing in the sun and meeting friends you didn’t know you had. Spread…
Spring Training baseball opens in Arizona this week with 15 teams playing more than 200 exhibition games. All of the games take place throughout the Greater Phoenix area from now until March 22. People can argue about the relative popularity of football and baseball, but for native-born Americans baseball will always be the national pastime.…
Revisionist history once was associated with Soviet Russia, where leaders repeatedly erased the names of disfavored revolutionaries like Trotsky and Malenkov from the nation’s collective memory and airbrushed rivals from old photos. Today it is increasingly prevalent in the United States. One organization you might expect to dispense unadulterated history is the National Park Service, but its “interpreters” readily inject p.c. bias. Certainly this is the case at the Manzanar National Historic Site in California’s Eastern Sierra…
How restaurants control your experience in ways you may not realize By Peter Greenberg Ever wonder why so many fast food chains use red and yellow in their logo? Research shows that color scheme is an intentional stimulant signifying happiness, energy – and hunger. They subtly tell consumers enjoy yourself, but to also get in…
LA’s New Landlords Is Los Angeles the Next Shanghai? By David DeVoss There are more than 225,000 Koreans living in and around Los Angeles and this week they have a new symbol of accomplishment, a glass-sheathed hotel, office and retail tower topped by an enormous, sail-shaped LED screen that nightly beams the Korean Airlines logo…
Montreal is 375-Years Old and is Hosting a Year Long Birthday Party By Jacqueline Swartz Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday this year. The French-Canadian city on the St Lawrence River has long been known for its festivals, including the dramatic, mostly outdoor Festival of Lights in freezing February. But this year will be special.…
California Declares War By David DeVoss To hear governor Jerry Brown tell it, California is all that stands between the United States and the ruin of the nation. In his recent “State of the State” address, Brown promised to defy Donald Trump, fashioning it as a great patriotic quest: “When we defend California,” Brown said,…
Pasadena Craftsmanship By David DeVoss Every New Year’s Day America turns its attention to Pasadena, California to watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl football game, which this year will showcase Penn State and the University of Southern California. The spectacles are marvelous advertisements for the city, which almost always enjoys winter sunshine while…
Cuba Flirts With U.S. Entrepreneurs, But Courtship Can Be Challenging By David DeVoss Seattle tour operator Zach Smith built Anywhere.com into a $15 million travel business by offering customized tours to exotic locations in Latin America. The 35-year old entrepreneur knew from ten year’s experience that small and medium-sized companies like his must constantly…