Oct. 1, 2009 I almost missed old town Truckee altogether. I hadn’t been there for decades and took a turn off the freeway that sent me past condominiums, luxury cabins, spiffy new office buildings and a few upscale shops and businesses. I had remembered a mountain community with historic structures and was baffled by the

April 20, 2009 I took a seat in the breakfast area at Stanford Inn by the Sea, relaxing back into my chair as I looked out over lush, green gardens to the blue of the ocean beyond. Soft music flowed through the air and, hands wrapped around a mug of fresh brewed coffee, I said

Nov. 13, 2008 Unfortunately, there will always be a few inns and hotels across the country that have, shall we say, gone to the dogs. But, on the other hand—or perhaps I should say paw—there is one lodging establishment where the opposite has occurred and fortunate dogs have gone: the Cypress Inn in Carmel, California.

Oct. 14, 2008 The Mediterranean style scenery of Santa Barbara, CA, is hardly a hidden travel secret. Fresh air, clean beaches, lush gardens, and ocean vistas are all part of the draw to the area often referred to as the American Riviera. I’ve been a longtime fan. Northbound on Hwy 101, I dropped onto the

April 18, 2008 I sat in the Surprise Café and Java Bar, consuming a veggie burrito and using the café’s wireless Internet access. An extensive collection of coffee pots stretched along high shelves, a product of 40 years of collecting by the Rotary Club. Locals stopped in and greeted each other, exchanging tidbits of gossip

May 8, 2007 Traveling along historic Hwy 49 in California’s Gold Country, my father as a travel companion, I pulled into the town of Columbia, just a few miles north of Sonora. We had a reservation at City Hotel, an historic inn that sits inside Columbia State Park. The history of the hotel takes on