Tropical Gardening: What would Hawaii be without palms?
Until recently, palms in Hawaii have had relatively few serious insect and disease problems. Unlike Florida and the Caribbean, we dodged the bullet of Lethal Yellowing. That disease destroyed most coconut palms in the region during the 20th century.
Let’s Talk Food: Curries from around the world
When we think of curry, we often think of Indian, Thai, Malaysian or Japanese curries.
Steves: ‘It feels like a new morning in Belfast’
Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city, is perhaps best known for the sectarian strife that took place here during the era of the Troubles, and as the birthplace of the Titanic (and many other ships that didn’t sink). While these two claims to fame aren’t too uplifting, Belfast’s story is hardly a downer. This unsinkable city, just two hours away from Dublin by train, makes for a fascinating day trip.
Volcano Watch: A decade later, remembering the Pahoa lava flow crisis
Over the past few years, eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the Island of Hawaii have happened in remote regions and lava flows have not directly threatened communities. However, the approaching anniversary of a lava flow crisis a decade ago reminds us that eruptions on Kilauea have the potential to cause damage and island-wide disruption.
Tropical Gardening: Father’s Day origin is not that old
Mother’s Day has been celebrated long before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in one form or another. Art in early cultures of Asia, Europe and the Middle East recognized that women were the source of life and fertility. Somewhere along the path of history, patriarchies became en vogue and here we are today trying to recognize the importance of both men and women.
Colorado’s best dinosaur destinations, from museums to track sites and quarries
Colorado could come across as dinosaur-obsessed — and with good reason.
Underrated national parks to visit this summer
National parks are incredible places for discovery, yet oftentimes we think about visiting only the most popular: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, and a few others. Yet the National Park Service maintains and protects hundreds of parks, national lakeshores and seashores, recreation areas, walking trails and more, all for you to take in and enjoy.
Italy’s Ravenna: once powerful, still glorious
Ravenna is on Italy’s tourist map for one reason: its 1,500-year-old churches decorated with best-in-the-West Byzantine mosaics. While locals go about their business, busloads of tourists slip in and out of this town near the Adriatic coast to bask in the glittering glory of Byzantium, the eastern Roman Empire.
Tropical Gardening: Warm summer days mean fragrant gardens
Warm humid summer days stimulate flowering of many fragrant flowers especially plumeria, angel trumpets, orange jasmine, pikake, night blooming jasmine and ginger species.
Would you pay $400 for this designer pineapple?
Inflation and high food and housing costs are squeezing millions of families in the United States. At the same time, a designer pineapple priced at nearly $400 sold out within weeks of its launch. The disparity reflects a deepening chasm between luxury food consumers and average American families just scraping by.
Disneyland’s ‘Fantasmic!’ returns after fire — without a dragon
For more than three decades, Disneyland’s nighttime show “Fantasmic!” has lighted up the Anaheim park’s Rivers of America. A story about our dreams and nightmares centered heavily on Disney’s animated works, “Fantasmic!” has long boasted an assortment of projections, pyrotechnics and fireworks.
Medieval Erfurt’s unspoiled German charm
Long ago I gave up looking for an untouristy, half-timbered medieval German town, but a few years back I stumbled upon it in the sleepy town of Erfurt.
Tropical Gardening: Hurricane season officially starts today
What does hurricane season mean for us in Hawaii? The old adage, June is too soon, July-standby, August-a must, September — remember, October all over is no longer accurate. The hurricane season starts today, but has been extended through the month of November due to increased storm activity from global warming.
‘Did you tase him in the face!?’ Inside ‘Goon Squad’ deputies’ group chat
BRANDON, Miss. — Between vacation photos and cookout invitations posted on their private text thread, a group of Mississippi sheriff’s deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad traded pictures of rotting corpses and joked about rape and shocking people with Tasers.
Let’s Talk Food: Roasting or baking?
These two words, roasting and baking, are so interesting, and technically may mean the same, but there are many explanations of their differences.
Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen Valley does not disappoint
I learned to respect the power of nature in the shadow of Switzerland’s towering Jungfrau, just south of Interlaken in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Mirage is just weeks away from closing its doors, opening way for 3-year transformation to begin
LAS VEGAS — The Mirage’s expiration date officially has come into view: July 17, 2024.
Tropical Gardening: Hot summer days ideal for mango and papaya
Hawaii is known for our lush tropical gardens but much of our land especially on the leeward side is desert. There are many delectable fruits that actually do best where conditions are hot and dry. Figs, pomegranates, papaya and dates are just a few that come to mind, but mangoes are by far the most popular. These fruit have become part of our Hawaiian cuisine and represent the amazing food fusion of our multicultural islands.
When a tale of migration is not just fiction
GUÉDIAWAYE, Senegal — The two teenagers on the screen trudging through the endless dunes of the Sahara on their way to Europe were actors. So were the fellow migrants tortured in a bloodstained Libyan prison.
Beyond Barcelona: Montserrat, Figueres and more
It’s hard to top Barcelona, Spain’s most cosmopolitan and fun city. But it’s still worth considering at least one of several temping, scene-changer day trips from Barcelona: the mountaintop monastery of Montserrat, the Salvador Dalí museum at Figueres, and the seaside towns of Cadaqués (with Dalí’s home) and Sitges (great beaches).
