Written in 2021. After numerous trips to the central coast, we have decided that Arroyo Grande is our new "go to" location. It seems to be cleaner, and less crowded than Pismo Beach. In other words, it is less touristy. Our favorite restaurant these days is Ember, also in Arroyo Grande. We have been dining at Brian's place for many years now. And he has a patio so we can bring Lexi!!! Some of our most memorable meals have been here! Just south of the town is Laetitia Vineyards, a relatively quiet little winery. We generally go wine tasting there, after buying some sushi at the California Fresh Market. The staff there will make just about any type of sushi that you request. We bring the sushi to the winery, since they have multiple picnic areas. ... read more

On a stay a few years back, to attend a special anniversary party, we stayed at the old Mayflower Park Hotel. It is situated almost perfectly, between the Nordstrom flagship store, and the old Bon Marche', then a Macy's, and now Uniqlo and office space. Here is some information about it: Still locally owned, the Mayflower Park url=http://i.viglink.com/?key=1779361d4a956134e030a7c269533d19&insertId=661d0c4bc044c18a&type=CD&exp=-100%3ACILITE%3A3&libId=jkvwyg8s01016ga7000DAjweaon1t&cuid=BBBxxQg%7Cus%7Ctra%7Css%7Ctraveltripidea&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Ftravel%2Ftripideas%2F20-american-hotels-hiding-historic-secrets%2Fss-BBLZ33A%3Fli%3DBBnbklE%23image%3D32&v=1&iid=661d0c4bc044c18a&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2F&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%3Finst%3D7&title=20%20American%20hotels%20hiding%20historic%20secrets&txt=%3Cspan%3EHotel%3C%2Fspan%3E... read more

Originally written in 2017. We are here in beautiful and sunny Seattle. Locals have complained about an extremely long, dreary and wet winter and spring. It is gorgeous here this weekend, in fact, on Sunday morning at 8am, the sun was already out! We got very lucky with the weather, as I had to buy a pair of Bermuda shorts yesterday, to wear today. What is the most obvious thing about Seattle this weekend besides the sunny weather? It has turned blue, completely blue, and it is not even Seahawks season. The blue belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays MLB team, in town for a three games series with the hometown Mariners. Why so many Toronto fans? Blue Jays fans outnumbeed the Mariner fans last night by at east 2 to 1!!!! Why? It turns out ... read more

Many of you, including Gen Z, Millennial's, and such, have lost interest in the great American pastime, watching baseball during the summer. But growing up in the 50s and 60s, baseball was about the only activity we could enjoy and participate in. Long, hot summers in the Valley were punctuated by our youth baseball, and later with high school and college teams that traveled the Valley and State. But what I refer to mostly is the "great move west" by the Dodgers and Giants to the west coast. All of a sudden, we had baseball on the radio most every day during the long, hot summers. And soon, my Dad, brother and I would drive to LA or San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon for ball game. Needless to say, it was the highlight of our ... read more

The other night at a group dinner, a friend asked about the best place I have ever been. Here is my answer. The tumbled, jungle-clad ruins of Angkor Thom are intensely atmospheric and have long lured travelers. The sprawling complex of temples, gates and monuments, decorated with carvings, was built between the 9th and 14th centuries, when the Khmer civilization was at the height of its power. The largest and most famous temple of them all is the breathtaking Angkor Wat – watching the sunrise as its striking silhouette is mirrored in the still waters of the reflection pool is the ultimate experience. The beautiful Bayon Temple, evocative jungle-strangled Ta Prohm and pink-sandstone Banteay Srei are other must-sees. I have made the trek to Cambodia and Angkor Wat three times. Ta Prohm is my favorite. We ... read more