Recent Stories
Sagamore Hill filled with Roosevelt history
OYSTER BAY, N.Y.— Growing up four miles away from Theodore Roosevelt’s house has always been something I tell people to make myself seem cooler and more interesting than I am. I kept the fact that I never saw it a secret. In an effort to stop living a lie myRead More…
Ellis Island: Remembering American dream
NEW YORK — Taking the Ellis Island ferry to the “gateway to America,” visitors can only imagine what it must have been like for immigrants making the incredible journey toward the American dream. Most of the island’s visitors come not only to tour the museum, but also to link themselvesRead More…
Under renovation, Palace still a highlight
SAN FRANCISCO— Looking for an ideal location for pre/post wedding photos? Open space for children to play and roam? Or maybe a great display of nature and architecture at its best? Well, the Palace of Fine Arts is the venue of your choice. Breathtaking, serene, accommodating, vast and inviting areRead More…
Botanical tour reveals vast collection
SAN FRANCISCO— Driving into Golden Gate Park, I was taken aback by the size of the vast public space. Roads intertwining all through the park, my taxi driver had to carefully maneuver through the many cars and people. When we finally reached the front of the San Francisco Botanical GardenRead More…
Restorations improve maritime park
SAN FRANCISCO — Just beyond the scenic green hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area sits a section of the San Francisco Bay that looks as though it hasn’t evolved since the early 1900s. Historic vessels rock softly in the docks of the Hyde Street Pier while visitors walkRead More…
Alcatraz’s natural side surprises tour visitors
SAN FRANCISCO— Without a care in the world, eager guests stand in line for a tour of what some people think is one of the most haunted places in the world, Alcatraz Island, while the actuality of sitting on a ferry boat coasting through what appears to image strange, darkly-coloredRead More…
Hiking reveals Point Reyes wilderness
OLEMA, Calif. – Hiking is not only about high intensity climbs, extreme terrain and trekking lengthy distances. In fact, the Bear Valley Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore offers visitors a hiking trail for people of all ages and fitness levels. The trailhead, conveniently located just a few feet awayRead More…
Bookstore displays city’s counterculture
SAN FRANCISCO— Like two typical girlfriends on a shopping outing in the city, Nancy Mooie and Linda Snodgrass of nearby Marin County, stand huddled and in deep discussion before the display shelves of one of San Francisco’s most famous retail establishments. After this brief consultation, Mooie extends herself onto herRead More…
Ferry Plaza market delights visitors
SAN FRANCISCO— Irene Artigues, a petite figure with salt and pepper short cropped hair and cheery eyes behind thin-rimmed eyeglasses, is a sprightly San Francisco resident of 81 years. Every Tuesday and Saturday morning without fail, equipped with re-usable grocery bags in hand and a good pair of walking shoes,Read More…
Re-enactments along de Anza Trail inspire
SAN FRANCISCO — Separated from the goings-on of modern San Francisco by the stone wall of the Presidio’s perimeter and found in the largely preserved and restored Spanish mission site, history is given a venue where it can come to life. Unlike a typical guided tour of a historical landmark,Read More…
Fort Mason offers arts, culture for visitors
SAN FRANCISCO— On the San Francisco Bay lies a unique place where it is easy to fall back in time, explore the arts, delve into a mix of culture, and have a picnic, all in one place at the oldest former military base in the city. The place isRead More…
Cable cars are easy way to tour city
SAN FRANCISCO— It’s hard to walk through San Francisco without seeing them. They’re big, brightly colored, they have bells that their conductors regularly ring, and they have crowds of people hanging off the edge of them. They are the last permanently operational manually operated cable car system in theRead More…