Thinking of Southern France evokes images of sandy beaches and blue waters, and it has those in spades. However, for those who desire a bit more history and culture, just a short one hour train ride (or two hours by bus) from your base in Marseille lies Nimes, home to some of the best preserved…
Outside of the Mediterranean, there are a few areas in the world with a Mediterranean climate: the cape of South Africa, Chile, and the California coast. Perhaps that's why, when oil tycoon J Paul Getty wanted to build a replica Roman villa on the cliffs of Malibu to house his art collection, nobody called him…
There are plenty of great art cities in the world, and a number here in the US. For instance, as you may recall, Philadelphia is home to more impressionist masterpieces than any city outside Paris. But nothing prepared me for my experience in Santa Fe, where the city itself is really one big art gallery.…
Carefully manicured trees, intricate lattice work, fascinatingly shaped rocks reminiscent of mythical creatures, and the sound of a waterfall greet me at every turn in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver's large and bustling Chinatown. Armed with a free cup of jasmine tea from a dispenser near the entrance, I slowly walk through the…
Spokane is Washington's second largest city, and the only noticeable metropolitan area for hundreds of miles around. However, its location on the far eastern edge of the state makes it the ideal home base to explore not only Eastern Washington, but the Idaho Panhandle and Western Montana as well. Many people, though, make the mistake…
I have been fascinated with the idea of the World's Fair ever since my parents read a children's book to me long ago about the invention of the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. This excitement only increased when I recently read Devil in the White City about the 1893 Chicago…
In 1914, Spokane, Washington was booming. The city was the jewel of the northwest, a center for timber and the rich mining of northern Idaho. A devastating fire a couple decades earlier, in 1889, had nearly destroyed the city, but in so doing, had opened the door for new entrepreneurs and businessmen to find themselves…
In 1974, a small city in eastern Washington, in the midst of an identity crisis, decided to do the unthinkable: become the smallest city ever to host a World's Fair. In so doing, the city forever changed itself. This is the story of that event, and of the incredible community that emerged from it. This…
Opening night of Love's Labours Lost is packed. It's a chilly night here at the Allen Elizabethan Theatre - the first of its kind - here in Ashland, Oregon, but I am wearing a thick jacket. Other spectators are wrapped in blankets; the theatre is, after all, outside. A trumpet sounds and a figure appears…
When most people think of Malaysia, they think of Kuala Lumpur, its vibrant modern capital. But drive a couple hours south (or, as in my case, a couple hours north from Singapore), and you'll find yourself in the city of Melaka (sometimes spelled Malacca), home to some of the richest history in the region. Kuala…