Search results for

On our way from Sapporo to Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan, what emerged from the road ahead was this beautiful snow-capped mountain that looks very much like the famous majestic Mt. Fuji (highest mountain in Japan). And as we jokingly called out Mt. Fuji to the kids, our local guide overheard us said we were actually right. Well, half right! This mountain is quite famous and is the Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido, and is nicknamed Ezo Mt. Fuji. Ezo is the old name of Hokkaido, the island on the northern end of Japan. Ezo Mt. Fuji is located in the area of Shiribeshi, the southwestern part of Hokkaido, where its main attraction is its amazing natural scenery. The area consists of volcanoes, mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, amazing lakes, ponds and a wealth of natural wildlife. Visitors to the area do skiing, snowboarding, other snow activities, rafting, and of course the traditional Japanese hot spring (onsen). In the summer, there are a lot of national park activities, farming, jam making, enjoying the seafood and fresh produce. The official name of this mountain though is called Mt. Yotei and it’s approx ~1,900 meters high, compared to the ~3,700 meter Mt. Fuji.

Gamers, rejoice! Card Kingdom has everything a board or card game enthusiast could ask for — including an attached gaming cafe, where you can take a game for a spin before buying. The large, nicely lit store has rooms dedicated to role-playing games, classic and independent board games, Magic: The Gathering cards, dice and accessories, children’s games, puzzles, and miniatures. Smaller rooms off to the side are for tournament play and can be reserved by larger groups, or you can just grab one of the tables in the open central area to play. At the front counter, they have dozens of tester games that they’ll let you sign out and play with in-store, and if you ask nicely, they’ll open a new game if they don’t already have a tester. Cafe Mox serves a simple menu of sandwiches and salads, plus shareable snacks (the pineapple rumaki are strangely addictive), and beer and wine; larger groups can also reserve one of the cafe’s private rooms. Shop for a new favorite game or gather with friends and play an old favorite together.

The Frank A. Wacha Bridge is also called the Jensen Beach Causeway. This bridge connects the town of Jensen Beach on the mainland with Jensen Beach on Hutchinson Island. The bridge is named after Frank A. Wacha, Sr. who was a Martin County Commissioner. In 1965 the first Frank A. Wacha,Sr. Bridge was built. It was a modern drawbridge. In 2003 -2004 a new structure was built to replace the old drawbridge ( which I, for one, miss). The new bridge is especially beautiful to see at night as the structure is highlighted over the Indian River. The surrounding area is a breeding ground for many forms of marine life in the river and it’s mangroves. There are recreational islands under the bridge. There are picnic pavilions, a fishing pier, a park, boat ramps, and four docks. Every day, you can see fishermen fish right off the bridge. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the bridge and the walk is invigorating. I enjoy this walk into town from the island. The view from the top of the bridge is of the river and the ocean beyond. Quite a view!

My wife, Robin, and I have been camping, fishing, and hiking in the Lakes Basin area, near Sierra City, since we met. These days, our usual home base is a tiny log cabin at the edge of Packer Lake, pictured here. From trailheads around Packer you can hike to many other lakes--Saxonia, Deer, Lower and Upper Tamarack, Young America, Upper and Lower Sardine. Most of the hikes are relatively easy, and on some trails you’ll rarely encounter other hikers. In early October 2007, a brief, unseasonable storm passed through and carpeted the area with an inch or two of snow, which made for an especially invigorating walk along the Pacific Crest Trail to the lookout at the top of the Sierra Buttes.

The founders of Soho House and the developers behind such buzzy hotels as New York City’s The NoMad teamed up to turn the historic Midland Bank building into—what else?—a one-stop lifestyle hub that’s drawing regulars of both the suit-and-tie and hipster variety. Part-hotel, part-member’s club, The Ned (named for the moniker of legendary, 19th-century architect Edwin Lutyens, who first envisioned the building) features eight dining options set around the former banking hall, from Italian, French, and Californian spots to a New-York-style deli, Pan-Asian favorite, and lounge for an overflowing, British-style Sunday feast, complete with a Bloody Mary bar and mimosa trolley. Hotel guests also have access to a downstairs bar, and a wellness level with a nail bar, gym, separate hair salon and barbershop, Cowshed Spa, traditional Moroccan hammam, and vitamin IV drips by The Elixir Clinic. The spa level also features an indoor pool, while the Ned’s Club Upstairs offers a rooftop pool and restaurant (with views out to St. Paul’s Cathedral) to Club members or those staying in higher-category rooms.

The entire property is done up in cool, vintage-inspired design, including the 250 guestrooms, which range in category from Crash Pad and Cosy to Heritage and six types of suites. All feature 1920s flair, such as mirrored cocktail cabinets, wingback chairs, and Jazz Age motifs, as well as marble-mosaic bathrooms stocked with rainfall showers and 10 full-size Cowshed products. Suites have bonus perks like dining areas, bathtubs, and upgraded views. Take all the pictures you want in your room, but Insta-addicts may want to leave their phones behind when in select public areas: there’s a photo ban in any place that’s part of the Club membership, including that stunning rooftop.

When you travel to the Cappadocia region of Turkey you have to stay in a cave hotel. Sleeping in a room carved out of the area’s ‘fairy chimney’ rock formations is inherently cool. When you realize that your room is also literally cool—even in the midday heat—you suddenly have a better understanding of the clever ways people managed to live in a challenging environment for centuries. The hotel’s best feature might be the terrace, where you relax on pillows and eat a Turkish breakfast of apricots and yogurt as you watch dozens of hot air balloons rise from the valley below. From $76. This appeared in the August/September 2014 issue.

Parque Forestal is Santiago’s lung and central park. Created for the first centennial celebration in 1910, the park has become an iconic area of the city with elegant residential apartment buildings along the perimeter. One of the most enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon is walking under the century-old trees and then strolling the cobblestoned streets of the adjoining Lastarria area. Parisian-style facades, cafés full of intellectual life, boutiques, museums like Bellas Artes (a copy of the Petit Palais in Paris), restaurants, and bars all bring this neighborhood to life.

Most people that backpack in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area usually either go over West Maroon Pass to Crested Butte or go over Buckskin Pass and camp at Snowmass Lake. A lesser known lake is Willow Lake. With fewer visitors, this is a secluded backpacking trip where the lake feels like it is all yours. You still get the great views of the Maroon Bells because you are in the same area without the crowds of people. Head as if you were going to go to Buckskin Pass and when the path forks with signage toward Buckskin pass to the left, bear right and continue hiking. You could do this as a long day hike for the ambitious.

Bray Farm is located in Yarmouth Port, Mass on Cape Cod. There are some scenic walking trails there and a variety of animals. Just behind the farm is a nice Cape Cod marshy area. If you go there during mealtime the animals can get animated. These sheep were too busy eating to care that I was taking a picture of their backsides; Either that or they were in time out.

Cairo is more than camels and desert, although they have that too. The areas around the Nile are green and lush with trees. Sometimes when I’m walking in Dokki or Zamalek I feel like I’m walking in my hometown in downtown Chico. Unlike the posh island of Zamalek, that’s filled with expats, Dokki is quite authentic. This bustling very local area is full of interesting and unusual restaurants such as my favorite, the Yemeni restaurant. You can also find delicious Sudanese food nearby.

Most of Oaxaca‘s better restaurants are quite new, but La Catedral has been around since 1976. It is a Oaxaca institution, and besides reliably tasty food, you can also expect a lovely atmosphere and seamless service. You can pick a spot in one of the indoor dining areas, or in the lovely back courtyard next to the fountain. The menu at La Catedral is extensive and includes Oaxacan specialties such as mole negro and mole amarillo, as well as chiles rellenos and sopa de guias (soup made with zucchini shoots), but my favorite dish is the huitlacoche crepes. They also offer a buffet on Sundays from 2 to 7 pm that is popular with well-to-do Oaxacan families.

New York City vs Montreal. Oh, the debate. In the ongoing Great War of the Bagels between the two cities, Montreal has always been the favorite contender, both among the proud locals and the tourists. Let’s be honest here—Montreal wins, and there is no such thing as better bagels than Montreal bagels. If you agree with the premise of this highlight, then you might want to add this to your next Montreal trip: the Fairmount Bagel Bakery in the Mile End area. Founded by Jewish immigrant Isadore Shlafman in 1919, the knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation, and the family still uses the same methods even today. Everything is done by hand, and with love! It’s very rewarding, as a consumer, to buy things locally and encourage an almost-century-old family-owned business. And in this case, it’s double the reward: good conscience, and full stomach. What’s not to like?

A couple of years ago, on Black Friday, my wife and I headed away from the malls of Tucson and into the mountains: Chiricahua National Monument, just west of the New Mexico border in SE Arizona, was one of the last strongholds of the Chiricahua Apaches, who called this area “the land of standing-up rocks.” This particular mountain peak is Cochise Head (elev. 8087'); cock your head to the right and it resembles a man’s profile. The ‘eyelash’ is formed by a tall Douglas fir tree. The volcanic formation is named after Chief Cochise, who died in 1874. About a decade after his death, several hundred of his surviving fellow Apaches were deported to Florida, never to return to their homeland again... The history of the American Southwest is a sobering mix of people on the move with conflicting labels: pioneers/invaders, defenders/terrorists, war/genocide, natives/aliens...It still hasn’t been all sorted out.

Nantucket is a perennial favorite summer destination, with Atlantic Ocean beaches, picturesque harbors, and iconic lighthouses. Accommodations on the island range from cozy bed-and-breakfast rooms to marina-side cottages to penthouse loft apartments. Water views and beach shuttles are in-demand amenities, and most hotels can arrange boat rides and lobster bakes for a quintessential New England vacation.

Mission Dolores Park, aka “Dolo”, is one of the most popular parks in San Francisco, especially when the sun is out, since this neighborhood is known for being one of the sunniest in the city.

On a sunny weekend, you’ll be hard pressed to find a patch of green to plant yourself on, but that’s what makes Dolores Park so much fun. Yes there is a playground for kids, and basketball and tennis courts, too. But the real sport here is people watching.

You’ll hear music booming between dog barks; people toss footballs, tightrope walk, and fling their Frisbees. Bodies slathered in oil glisten in the sun; ice cream melts down the arms of laughing children; the whiff of cut grass (and other questionable varieties) linger in the air. Vendors will also come around to sell a variety of snacks and drinks, and you’ll also encounter people collecting your cans after they’re empty.

The abundant restaurants and markets in the area (Bi-Rite and Tartine are two popular ones on 18th street, just a block from the downhill portion of the park) make make it easy to pack a picnic and fuel your day out. All you need to do is bring a blanket, plop down on a hill where the views reach to downtown, and chill out San Francisco-style.

Dolores Park is named for Miguel Hidalgo, a priest in Dolores, Mexico who urged his countrymen to overthrow their Spanish rulers in 1810, sparking Mexico’s battle for independence. A statue in his tribute stands in the center of the park.