Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
“It’s the part that looks like a lobster claw,” my wife said, explaining Cape Breton Island’s geographic relationship to the rest of Nova Scotia. It was time to escape the equatorial heat of deep summer, and Sally’s Internet search for places cool in both climate and character had led her to NovaScotia.com, where the notion of a road trip had taken root. “There’ll be seaside towns, rustic taverns, lighthouses. We’ll see whales, seals, puffins…” “Puffins?”... [Read more...]
M. Alberto Rivera
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Austerity Travel Tips By M. Alberto Rivera By the time this hits the newsstands, gas prices will probably have reached $5 a gallon or more and your side will most likely cramp with pain, real or imagined, as you reach pay for your full tank. But you’re sick of being in a town overrun by visitors enjoying their time away from home, and your own personal wanderlust is reaching epic proportions. The kids have wised up to the fact that Super Walmart isn’t really a low-rent amusement park... [Read more...]
Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
PRAGUE By Vern Hobbs They say forbidden fruit is sweeter, and everyone knows the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. So it was three decades ago, when I was first smitten with the charms of Europe. My rich uncle, Sam, sent me on a three-year sabbatical, asking that when not touring I guard against communist aggression. Those pesky communists not only instigated global tension, they hampered my all-expense-paid European vacation, confining my travels to points west of their imposing... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
John & Mary Nolan’s Ireland As tourist destinations go, it’s hard to beat Ireland for overall satisfaction. Its small size makes it easy to see many of the main tourist attractions with room to stop in a wealth of out-of-the-way spots within a relatively short span of time, and it boasts some of the oldest, most historical sites in Europe. Whether you’re in metropolitan Dublin or sleepy Doolin, you’ll experience Ireland’s genius for embracing both the past and the... [Read more...]
Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
NASSAU By Vern Hobbs “Nassau! Cool! Are you staying at the Atlantis? I hear it’s fabulous! Maybe the Crystal Palace — largest casino in the Caribbean, you know,” my favorite bartender exclaimed upon hearing our plans for a weekend escape down island. “No, we’re going ‘anti-tourist,’” we smugly replied. Anti-tourist, I hastened to explain, is our favorite, though not exclusive mode of travel. It means we avoid chain hotels, theme parks, and the... [Read more...]
L. Paul Mann
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Hollywood: A Local’s Guide to Bargain Fun Words and photos by L. Paul Mann Hollywood is well known the world over as California’s ultimate tourist destination. Millions of tourists visit the iconic bastion annually to mingle among the stars while shopping and eating in extravagant establishments. But savvy locals know how to enjoy their neighborhood playground without spending a lot of money. One of the most popular activities for locals and tourists alike is to drive up and down Sunset... [Read more...]
Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Germany’s Christkindlmarkten By Vern Hobbs “Oh, neat! What exactly is this?” my untraveled friend asked, examining the intricate, wooden, rotating nativity scene that has graced our dining room table for many, many Christmases. “It’s called a ‘pyramid,’” I answered. “It’s from Germany. We bought it years ago when I was stationed there in the service.” Lighting the votive candles whose rising heat would soon set the carved ornament... [Read more...]
M. Alberto Rivera
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Cumberland Island, Georgia By M. Alberto Rivera Georgia’s Cumberland Island is a different sort of day trip. Getting there requires a 45- minute ferry ride from St. Mary’s, Georgia, and when you arrive you will be stepping back in time — back to the roaring ’20s, the Civil War, or even pre-Revolution America, depending on where you are at any given moment — but the go-go-go feeling of the 21st century will not encroach upon you here. Cumberland Island is the largest... [Read more...]
Vern Hobbs
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Time Traveling Down East • Vern Hobbs • “Maine! There’s a good escape from the doldrums; as far north as we can go without passports and 75 degrees constitutes a heat wave!” I declared, voicing my choice for a late summer getaway. A quick tango with the Internet and we were off to the land of lighthouses and lobster — all the lobster we could eat. A popular tour book named Bar Harbor as the ultimate Maine experience, yet glossed over the fact that vast crowds inundate... [Read more...]
L. Paul Mann
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
San Diego • L. Paul Mann • Tourists have long known that San Diego is a great vacation destination comprised of iconic surfing beaches and a vast array of theme parks like Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, and Legoland. But what few vacationers realize is that the city also offers a vast network of world-renowned museums, little-known historical points of interest, and a thriving live music scene. Just across the Point Loma area that lies to the west of the city proper, a spectacular drive along... [Read more...]
