Up the Road

The dream of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad—a cross-country rail line to connect the West with the rest of the nation—was first dreamed in…

People love to poke fun at Sacramento. Mark Twain was among the first. In Sacramento, he observed, “It is a fiery summer always, and you can gather roses,…

Sitting around the pool doing nothing is no sin in Palm Springs. Countless swimming pools here, reportedly one for every six residents—all kinds of water…

Greater Palm Springs is another good place to travel with, and among, people again.In the beginning was the desert—the Colorado Desert, and its wide,…

We’ve been getting ready for crowds of people again, now that the COVID tide is turning—maybe even traveling for the purpose of being with people. We…

Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara, boasts surreal Lotusland, 37 acres of exotic gardens created by Madame Ganna Walska, thwarted opera singer and…

We’re trying out the idea of urban travel again, after long social isolation. Almost a year, now. Just thinking about groups of people—at crowded…

One thing about Santa Barbara is how hard it can be to leave. One thing making that easier, for most of us, is how insanely expensive it is. The cost of…

Soon we’ll be able to travel—really travel, to places where other people are part of the point. Including cities large and small. Queen of California’s…

Unless you’re long in the tooth, like me, you’ve probably never heard the Midwestern witticisms of Bill Vaughan, editor and columnist at the Kansas City…