Traveling with Karen

Curios Market in Milano

If your stopover in Milano falls around the last Sunday of the month, amble down to the Bohemian Navigli district for the Mercatone dell'Antiquariato del Naviglio Grande--one of the largest outdoor antiques markets in Italy. Strung along both sides of the canal, more than 400 vendors set up booths to sell artifacts and bric-a-brac, furniture, books, toys, jewelry, clothes and more collectibles. On market day, the line-up of shops, cafes and art studios in the neighborhood are open for browsing and for taking gelato, lunch and refreshment breaks.
    Art deco collectors, and lovers of vintage posters and vintage clothing make great finds at this market. i bought wonderful, still brightly colored, early 1900 magazine advertising pages for about $20 each, which I bought for gifts and framed when I got home. Murano glass chandeliers, old kitchen and wood-working tools, jade, putti, old silver--you could wander all day.
    Tips: the market was fully open by 10:30 a.m. My advice is to cruise through in the cool morning, and return to your favorite vendors to bargain in the afternoon when they are open to reducing inventory. I had good luck w/this strategy, except when I went back to bargain for a gorgeous amethyst bracelet which was long gone!

Happy Birthday Mustards!

A pioneer restaurateur in the Napa Valley, Cindy Pawlcyn is world-famous for her first restaurant, Mustards Grill, which opened 25 years ago near Yountville. She recently celebrated by throwing a party in her vast organic gardens for 1,200 of her closest friends, employees and supporters, plying them with such long-time favorites as her hanger steak, killer onion rings with housemade tomato-apple ketchup, BBQ babyback ribs, pulled pork, crab gazpacho, fresh oysters--and some of the best wines on the planet. Among other fab regulars on the menu at the restaurant are super-crispy calamari with curried slaw, sweet corn tamales with wild mushrooms and tomatillo-avocado salsa, and myriad delectibles from the wood-fired grill and oven: chipotle-rubbed quail, Mongolian pork chops––it goes on––potato gnocchi, lemon-garlic chicken . . . .   
     Beginning her career at The Pump Room in Chicago, and now a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, Pawlcyn was the opening chef at Meadowwood, and continued to expand her domain by taking a major hand in creating the Fog City Diner, Bix and Bistro Roti in San Francisco; Tra Vigne in St. Helena, and the Buckeye Roadhouse in Marin County. Mustards lovers are flocking in droves to her hot new eateries, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish in St. Helena.   
     Iconic Wine Country cuisine and great grill cookery were born here at Mustard's--long live the queen!

SF Presidio

Part of the National Park System, The Presidio of San Francisco is 1,480 acres of wooded highlands, beaches, and vintage buildings that were used by the Spanish, Mexican and U.S. armies for more than 200 years, from Civil War times to the 1990s. Precious open space near the Golden Gate, bordered by Baker Beach, the bay, Lyon Street, and West Pacific Avenue, the park is threaded by quiet roads and paths for walking and bike riding. Spend a day here, starting with a ranger-led tour or a self-guided expedition of the museums and architectural relics, from 17th century bronze Spanish cannons to Civil War barracks, pre-earthquake Victorians, adobe walls built by the Spanish conquistadors, and picturesque rows of Queen Anne–style officers’ homes. The Presidio Museum at Lincoln Boulevard and Funston Avenue is free, and there is a free PresidiGo shuttle for getting around the park. Call for tour reservations: (415) 556–0865; easy 2-hour walks focus on history, architecture, nature, or historical personalities.
    Picnic tables are found in sunny meadows, hidden in lush rhododendron groves, or perched on breezy headlands with sea views. A meandering creek and a spring-fed pond are habitats for hundreds of birds. Along the southern border of the Presidio is an excellent playground and playing fields at Julius Kahn Park. At the Letterman Digital Arts Center campus, lawns, benches and a pond are for great for bridge-viewing and resting. T he Dish Cafe here is a good place for a casual breakfast, lunch and picnic items. Organic everything, from coffee to fresh juices, homemade soups, pastries, mini-pizzas, sandwiches(closed weekends). Near the Arguello entrance, the easy Ecology Trail meanders through a grove of redwoods past meadows dotted with wildflowers. Start from the patio atop Inspiration Point and amble down to the Visitor Center, stopping off at El Polin Spring to picnic and play in a secluded greensward. While at the Center, pick up the Kids on Trails brochure, detailing walks for ages 5-9. On the west side of the Presidio, Baker Beach is unsafe for swimming but great for sunning and shore fishing, and there are World War II bunkers to explore. Smaller, more sheltered beaches and a waterfront promenade are found at Crissy Field beside the bay—also part of the Presidio.

Stanford University

Bring your bikes to cruise the rambling, tree-shaded Stanford campus, which is studded with lovely Spanish-colonial landmark buildings. Take the elevator to the top of 285-foot-tall Hoover Tower for the view and to get your bearings. Picnic in the Oval, hike in the foothills, walk and bike scenic paths and enjoy the gardens and the dining options. I find that eateries on college campuses are among the least expensive and most fun and satisfying places for families to dine; check the Web site for a locations and descriptions of several food outlets on campus.
    At the Cantor Arts Center are treasures from Renaissance paintings to African masks, and the largest collection of Rodin bronze sculptures outside Paris. Have snacks or lunch on the patio of the museum's Cool Café. On the Web site, choose from guided tours to the Papua New Guinea sculpture garden and to the extensive outdoor collection of 20th-century sculpture in the quad and south campus areas--a way for parents to drink in some culture while kids get fresh air and an easy walk. Across from the Cantor, 128 tons of sandstone blocks comprise world-famous artist Andy Goldsworthy’s impressive "Stone River" snaking sculpture. He used salvaged pieces from buildings that toppled in the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes.
    The campus is in Palo Alto, bordered by El Camino Real, Stanford Avenue, Junipero Serra Boulevard and Sand Hill Road; Visitor Center at 551 Serra Mall, Memorial Auditorium Lobby.

New Attractions in SF's Japantown

Anchored by a 5-tiered pagoda tower, the Japan Center and the Sundance Kabuki movie theater, sleek, exciting “J-Town” comprises more than 50 Japanese restaurants, and shopping malls, entertainment venues and a few hotels—this is the largest Japanese neighborhood in the country. Kids love Kinokuniya Stationery, a store jammed with cute and cool, mostly inexpensive collectibles; art, school and office supplies, and mini everything—Hello Kitty, Neruto, Dragon Ball Z, origami paper, stickers and more. The huge Kinokuniya Bookstore specializes in books, magazines and manga comics from Japan. The newly opened Sundance Kabuki Cinemas is a main attraction, with 21 screens and a restaurant serving exotic California cuisine, plus a few kid-friendly favorites like pizza and mac and cheese.
Slated to open in early 2009 in a multi-boutique commercial building, the J-Pop Center will screen Japanese films and anime, alongside a bookstore, café, and several hip fashion boutiques. Among annual gatherings in Japantown are the two-weekend Cherry Blossom Festival in April; the huge Asian Heritage Street Celebration in May, featuring Asian DJs, pop culture, j-cars, martial arts, food, karaoke and much more; the two-day Nihonmachi Street Fair in August, and Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day) in May, when entertainment, food, games and hands-on fun are all about kids. J-town is ordered by O'Farrell, Pine, Fillmore and Octavia.

A Path to Survival in Costa Rica

During my first trip to Costa Rica more than a decade ago, I went on a small-boat expedition with three or four other tourists and a guide, on the Tortuguero River, which winds through a dense rainforest near the Caribbean coast. We glided by trees where dozens of black toucans with huge, vivid yellow, orange and blue bills perched in rows on the branches. Caimans and iguanas sunned themselves on the riverbanks. Flocks of lime-colored parrots screeched as they swooped above our heads, and bright blue kingfishers jetted from one side of the river to the other. One batch of monkeys jumped angrily up and down in the trees, raining leaves down on our heads. The electric boat engine was rather quiet, yet, the guide turned it off frequently, and we floated in silence. As we came around a wide bend in the river, our guide said, "Ssssh. I think I hear macaws." A distant, husky "caw caw" became louder, closer. The guide moved the boat under an overhanging tree and held onto a branch. "There they are", he said, "up there. It's a pair of green macaws. It's been a couple of years since I've seen them."

The emerald-green pair posed for a few seconds then flew across the river and into the forest. All of these sightings occurred within the first hour of our cruise, and that was the hour I fell in love with Costa Rica.

At roughly the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica shelters 850 bird species, a greater variety than all of North America. The brain child of the Rainforest Biodiversity Group, and partially funded in the last couple ofyears by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Costa Rican Bird Route is a new project that has established 12 birding sites in the San Juan–La Selva Biological Corridor in the northeast of the country. The first of its kind in Central America, the Bird Route gives visitors access to primary rainforest, and also gives land owners access to tourism income and an alternative income to activities that are not as environmentally sustainable. Of the 12 Bird Route sites, six are newly created reserves owned by local landowners.“We want to be able to provide a way for locals to sustain their forests,” explained Andrew Rothman, president and founder of the Rainforest Biodiversity Group. “We can take a little bit of pressure off of them by providing an economic alternative.”

An emblematic species with less than 200 remaining in Costa Rica due to loss of habitat, including fewer than 30   breeding pairs, the Great Green Macaw lives in the Biological Corridor(about 2,500 individuals remain in all of Central and South America). The loss of almond trees from logging poses a formidable threat to this macaw, which uses the tree for nesting and mating. Protecting the bird’s habitat also protects 515 bird, 139 mammal, 135 reptile and 80 amphibian, and countless plant species in the region.

Within Selva Verde are a variety of comfortable lodges and myriad eco-activities for visitors. A pioneer of the eco-tourism movement in Costa Rica, one of several rustic lodges along the Bird Route, Selva Verde Lodge provides onsite birding, day trips to remote bird route sites and an extensive birding safari package.

Lido is a Green Getaway From Venice

Reachable in a few minutes by public sea bus from various points in Venice, the island of Lido is a quiet, green getaway from the hubbub of tourism in the city. A strip of beaches facing the Adriatic and tree-shaded parks are popular with daytrippers all summer, and visitors in the know stay in Lido hotels, zipping back and forth on the frequent water taxis, ferries (you can bring a car) and sea buses. Families opt for lodging on Lido, so that kids can run around, swim in the hotel pools and play on the beach--not possible in the city.
    The Westin Excelsior Resort is the top choice, a smashingly flamboyant, century-old resort with private cabanas on the beach, luxe designer boutiques, a sunny, beachside terrace for drinks and meals, and 5-star accommodations and service. The hotel offers complimentary private launch service to and from Venice all day and into the evening, connecting with sister Starwood hotels, the Danielli, the Westin Regina-Europa and the Gritti Palace.
    If you're on a budget, consider the Hotel Panorama, on the waterfront right at the ferry/sea bus stop. Also a hundred years old (completely updated now) the hotel is fresh and clean, and the people very friendly and helpful. We had a king room with 3 big windows overlooking the Venice skyline, with a tiny bathroom and a tiny shower, high ceilings, Murano glass sconces; breakfast on the terrace; bar but no restaurant––about 200 Euro. Restaurants in the village are a few steps away, the hotel has an arrangement for guests to enjoy a nearby beach, and you can take long walks or bike rides. Unlike most Lido hotels, the Panorama is open all year round.

How to get to Lido from the train station? It's either a $100 private water taxi (up to 6 people); or the public sea bus, with taxi to the hotel, about $50 altogether for two people. Because we were jetlagged and exhausted upon our arrival, we took the water taxi to Lido. Days later, we departed on the sea bus to the train station, which was fun, as the bus makes several stops and goes through the port area and along the waterfront; the water taxi jets along so fast that you don't get that nice tour.

Luxury Golf Magazine: 1 Year Anniversary

My online magazine focused on luxury golf resorts, BestGolfResortsofTheWorld.com is a year old now, and continues to change and expand. We have just launched the new blog, in time for this year's golf travel season, to keep readers up to date on what's hot, what's new, what's coming up in the world of golf resorts and golf travel around the world.

Check out the new blog:
BestGolf.typepad.com/blog

Current features at BestGolfResortsoftheWorld.com:
World Golf Village, Florida
Girls Getaway Palm Springs
The Greenbrier, West Virginia
Playground in Orlando
Cruises for Golfers

Hiking in San Diego County

Unlike the several other creek valleys that run to the sea out of the coastal mountains in San Diego County, Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve is a rare patch of semi-wilderness where a year-round artesian spring has for about 6,000 years or so provided a ribbon of life. Native Americans were the first inhabitants--acorn-grinders, they huddled near the dense forest of California live oaks, trading with coastal and inland tribes. The vast canyon became the first Mexican land grant in the early 1800s and the site of one of the first adobes built in Alta California. Later in the century the first intercontinental mail route ran through, joining the western territories with the midwest and the east, and was followed by the Butterfield Stage coaches.
    Today, miles of idyllic hiking and mountain biking trails wind along the scrub-covered hillsides and across the canyon floor, meeting, as bobcats, coyotes, deer and Southern Californians have always done, at the bubbling stream of fresh water cascading downhill between a cacophony of giant boulders.
    The canyon is easily accessible, just east of Highway 5.

Tranquility in England

Renowned author and Anglophile, Bill Bryson, recently addressed the Society of American Travel Writers in Manchester, England, regaling us with jokes and tall tales. He said, "I have made a career out of being a terrible traveler." When asked what he likes about England, he said, "Just look around."
    Originally from Iowa, now a resident of Norfolk, England, Bryson is Chancellor of Durham University, and the recipient of an honorary OBE for services to literature. Beyond just looking around his beloved English countryside, he is president of the Council to Protect Rural England (CPRE). Among accomplishments over the last few years, CPRE has helped to prevent A303 becoming a dual carriageway road through the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset.
    The organization launched "tranquillity maps" to show the range of tranquillity across England, and facilitated new legislation to save starry nights by making light pollution a Statutory Nuisance. CPRE Oxfordshire created the Oxford Green Belt Way, a 50-mile circular walk around Oxford, a route created using existing footpaths and bridleways. CPRE believes that a beautiful, tranquil, diverse and productive countryside is fundamental to people's quality of life(cpre.org.uk). 

Progress? for Women Traveling in Saudi

Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel without a male guardian, according to a government decision that comes as the country faces increasing criticism for its severe restrictions on women. The ministry issued a circular to hotels asking them to accept lone women — as long as their information is sent to a local police station. The decision was adopted after a study conducted by the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Commission of Tourism and the religious police authority known as the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Ohhhh, thank you very much.