Halloween and Dia de los Muertos in Cabo

Two days. Well, two nights. Two totally different experiences. One culturally iconic, one a hybrid adaptation from Mexico’s northern neighbor (the US). Both a bit overwhelming. As I spoke about earlier, Cabo San Lucas is more a tourist hub than a “real” city. (Click here to read about Cabo.) But it does take people to…

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

There is no question that Cabo San Lucas, the southernmost point on the Baja California peninsula, is beautiful. The turquoise of the water here could be mistaken for the Caribbean, though it comes with reasonable surf at this point, where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet. Mountains surround the town, with low…

Finding Culture in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

A walk along the Malecon, the oceanside promenade that traverses Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica and Centro districts, can only be described as pleasant. Even in October, with temperatures and humidity both high, the sound of seabirds and the afternoon breeze offset the often uncomfortable heat. And when they don’t, any number of bars offer a…

Boise is Actually Really Cool!

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I’ll admit a few things here. Boise, Idaho has never been on my travel radar. I doubt I’d have been able to point to where the city was on a map of Idaho before coming. And prior to this trip to visit friends who…

Basque Boise

As the saying goes, “Before God was God and boulders were boulders, Basques were already Basques.” The Basque people, from an area along the border between France and Spain, have been around a long time, with a language that predates basically anything else in Europe. So it is a bit weird to find a large…

Maryland Crabs

Summer in Baltimore means a lot of things. It means baseball at Camden Yards. It means weekend trips to the beach. And most importantly, it means crabbing. If you are lucky enough to experience summer in Charm City, and you do nothing else, finding a crab deck will ensure your trip will be a memorable…

Los Angeles’ Koreatown

Writing this in summer of 2025 seems even more relevant and important. As followers of the news have undoubtedly seen, Los Angeles - my home - has been invaded by ICE, immigration enforcers seeking, it would seem, to inflict terror and economic harm on arguably the most liberal and diverse of US cities through arrest…

Great Times in Boise

Editor’s note: this article comes at an amazing time, since my own first trip to Boise was a couple months ago and my suite of four articles will be coming out in the coming weeks. Sam, however, has spent much more time in this truly terrific city, and does an incredible job summing up just…

Eat What the Locals Eat

For me, one of the best parts of travel is cultural immersion. I want to experience something different than my normal day-to-day, and I prefer to do that as wholly as possible, within the basic limitations I have as a visitor. So while I may not know all the customs, speak the language, or have…