The little French place up the street
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photo: Jim Fer
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A few nights ago, in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula south of San Francisco, we walked out of a popular restaurant. It turned out to be the best thing we did all day.
We had chosen the restaurant only because there were too few in town, and this one seemed popular judging from the crowd inside. But after a while we decided the wait was too long, the atmosphere too sterile and the menu too snooty, since it required a dictionary and foreign phrasebook to understand.
My wife suggested, "let's try that little French place we passed up the street."
That little place turned out to be "Le Normandie," which shared a non-descript building (it once housed an old department store) with a bank and perfume shop. It didn't have the glitz of the seafood place we had just left, but it did promise authentic French country cuisine. It kept its promise, and more.
When we walked in the door we were welcomed and brought to our table by a cheerful French woman. And as soon as she handed us her hand-written menus and wine list, we realized just how fortunate we were to have left the place up the street. There was no fawning over us here, I understood all the entrée names and we didn't feel were dining in a place with all the warmth of Home Depot. This was cozy, almost home-like...
To read the entire article click here
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British businessmen still love their teddy bears
Has someone put something into the beer in Britain? I'm beginning to wonder because of some news articles I read several months back.
The first, in The Telegraph, a UK newspaper, revealed that the staff of the British hotel chain Travelodge had reunited more than lost 75,000 teddy bears with their owners over the past year. 75,000? It seemed odd to me that so many kids would lose their teddies when on holiday with Mum and Dad .
But guess what -- Travelodge found that it wasn't kids who were losing their teddies. It was adults.
After taking calls from a large number of "frantic businessmen and women" phoning about forgotten teddies, the chain surveyed 6,000 Britons about the matter and found that more than half of Brits still have their teddy bear from childhood. Furthermore, it found that British adults still feel that sleeping with a teddy is a "comforting and calming" way to end the day.
Having your teddy bear from childhood? Okay, I can understand that. Sleeping with it in adulthood? Well....
To read the entire article click here
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The five safest places in Mexico for travelers
 Mexico's drug-related violence has recently spilled into tourist destinations. But that shouldn't stop you from traveling to Mexico says the San Francisco Chronicle.
It editors have selected Tlaxcala, Puebla, Baja, the Yucatán, California Sur and Querétaro (about which we wrote last week) and it tells you why they're safe. (photo: Dennis Jarvis)
To read the entire article click here
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Travel insurance that's got you covered
 In uncertain times, how do you best protect your investment in an expensive vacation, especially when that travel is getting more and more expensive?
Travel insurance can help, but only if you do your homework says The Wall Street Journal.
This is a good article that includes a chart with some recommendations on how best to protect yourself from particular worries. (photo: Kim Watkins)
To read the entire article click here |
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Napa + Sonoma: the two-county bounty
 Gorgeous weather. Michelin-starred restaurants. Outdoor activities galore. Tasting the latest vintages from world-renowned wineries.
No wonder so many vino lovers flock to California's venerable Napa and Sonoma counties each summer.
Heading that way? Private Ckubs magazine has published a juicy guide to what's new to make your getaway that much more fun. (photo: Kim Watkins)
To read the entire article click here |
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Best ways to save money making calls abroad
Imagine spending three beautiful weeks traveling in Italy, wandering the cobblestone side streets of medieval villages, spending nights in Rome  and mornings on the Amalfi Coast. Then you return home and find a $230 cell phone bill. Not a pretty thought.
But that's just what happened to a neighbor of an editor of International Living magazine who said how making a couple of calls and sending some text messages meant she went from roaming the Tuscan hills to dealing with roaming charges. (photo: Jenny Downing) To read the entire article click here |
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Seen along the way
 | | Bryce Canyon, Utah at sunset / photo: Alan Vernon |
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NeverStopTraveling video
 Ever wondered what the Subway, Underground and Metro compared in other countries? Here's your chance to get a close-up view with all the bumps and sways that go along with the ride.
Take a 100-second ride on the trains in London, Beijing and Paris.
Click on the photo to start your trip.
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