Istanbul’s old soul lives on in the Grand Bazaar
Dodging four men pushing a cart full of honeydew melons, I step out of the noisy traffic of Istanbul, pass through the horseshoe-arched door, and trade one commotion for another. Suddenly the air — heated by millions of watts of electric bulbs — is several degrees warmer. Like carnivorous flowers, merchants seduce from glittering shops. They say “Welcome to the Grand Bazaar.”
SeaWorld at 60: It survived ‘Blackfish’ and COVID. Where San Diego’s biggest theme park is headed now
SAN DIEGO — When SeaWorld San Diego marked its half-century anniversary 10 years ago, it was enmeshed in a public relations quagmire following the release just a year earlier of “Blackfish,” the searing anti-captivity documentary that threatened to upend the theme park’s identity as the home of Shamu the beloved killer whale.
Tropical Gardening: Celebrate Hawaii Island chocolate this week
As the Hawaii Island cacao industry continues to expand, it is time to celebrate with the 11th Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival from Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27. According to Fern Gavelek, the event culminates with the “Mystical Chocolate Masquerade” gala offering everything from sweet to savory.
Fast horses, tasty bourbon, stylish boutiques, even a castle are found in this one Kentucky county
Where can you taste the world’s best bourbon, make the acquaintance of the world’s most famous Thoroughbred, tour the home of the “Paul Revere of the South,” shop for high-end antiques in a converted schoolhouse, and spend the night in a castle — all in the same small county?
Nice: Laid-back capital of the French Riviera
A hundred years ago, bigwigs from London to Moscow began flocking south to the French Riviera and the sun-drenched city of Nice. They came to socialize, gamble, and escape the dreary weather at home, and ended up creating Europe’s first tourist boom. Today, this classy resort town is a popular fun-in-the-sun destination that caters to everyone.
Tropical Gardening: April showers to bring spring flowers
As the sun gets stronger, many shrubs, trees and especially vines can grow at a rapid pace. This makes vines great for covering unsightly fences like concrete or chain link. Good fences and hedges make good neighbors goes the old saying, and maybe in the old days it was the case. Stone walls are traditional and impressive, but expensive. Today, we have so many choices that an unattractive fence or hedge might create all kinds of neighbor problems depending on type of material used.
Global wine glut compounds headaches for struggling California vineyards
LODI, Calif. — Times are getting increasingly tough for many of California’s wine grape growers.
The Hawaiian steel guitar changed American music. Can one man keep that tradition alive?
KAILUA — Quincy Cortez plucks at a slim black box laid across his legs, his fingers flashing silver.
Lush foliage, dazzling beaches, deep traditions put Fiji’s hundreds of islands on the map
“That’s Tom Hanks’ island, in ‘Cast Away’ the movie,” said the passenger sitting nearby, on the rear deck.
Tropical Gardening: Easter lilies may be saved for next year
Easter 2024 has passed but like the Easter lily you received, it may be resurrected after appearing dead. Easter reminds us that life is a cycle of what appears to be death and rebirth. In cooler climates, it is what we learn by observing plants that go dormant in the winter only to sprout anew in the spring. Bulbs like crocus and daffodils are examples.
As Earth overheats, scientists test way to repel sun’s rays
ALAMEDA, Calif. — A little before 9 a.m. on Tuesday, an engineer named Matthew Gallelli crouched on the deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier in San Francisco Bay, pulled on a pair of ear protectors, and flipped a switch.
Your dog can understand what you say better than you think, new study shows
Our dogs understand us better than they’ve been given credit for — and scientists say they have the brain wave evidence to prove it.
Springtime in Georgia: Go for the Masters, stay for Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ever since Bobby Jones organized the first Masters at Augusta National in 1934, the international tournament has become the holy grail of every golfer hankering to play on its hallowed links or at least snag a coveted ticket to walk the 18-hole course alongside the greats of the sport: Woods, Mickelson, Scheffler, McIlroy and Fowler.
It’s a bittersweet Easter for chocolate lovers and African cocoa farmers but big brands see profits
ACCRA, Ghana — Shoppers may get a bitter surprise in their Easter baskets this year. Chocolate eggs and bunnies are more expensive than ever as changing climate patterns eat into global cocoa supplies and the earnings of farmers in West Africa.
Olympics taster: Paris race celebrates the waiters and waitresses who nourish city’s life and soul
PARIS — Usain Bolt’s sprint world records were never in danger. Then again, even the world’s fastest-ever human likely wouldn’t have been so quick while balancing a tray with a croissant, a coffee cup and a glass of water through the streets of Paris, and without spilling it everywhere.
For your eyes only: Visiting the unlikely gadgets of ‘007 Science’ at Chicago exhibit
CHICAGO — The last time we saw James Bond he was being blown to bits.
Riding this train through California’s snowy mountains rules right now
Crossing up and over the fabled Donner Pass in the northern Sierra Nevada and descending to Lake Tahoe is one of those essential rites of passage for Californians.
Tropical Gardening: Many palms figure in human history for thousands of years
This Sunday is Palm Sunday and is celebrated by Christians world wide. It is said to be the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to celebrate Passover. He was greeted by a great crowd acclaiming him by waving date palm branches and shouting ”Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
How explorers found Amelia Earhart’s watery grave. Or did they?
After nearly 100 days at sea, the crew had given up. Since early September, they had logged nearly 12,000 miles aboard the Offshore Surveyor, crisscrossing the equator near the 180th meridian. Now a few days past Thanksgiving, the time had come to move on.
I regained my sense of self by baking bread
Something was missing from my life. I was feeling restless. Listless. All kinds of less.