All Countries
Wildest Mating Strategies in Animal Kingdom Now on Display in San Francisco Museum
From sex change to cannibalism, the natural world is filled with wild mating strategies. In a new aquarium gallery titled Animal Attraction, the California Academy of Sciences delves into the science of sex, exploring the remarkable and often surprising techniques animals have developed for attracting mates and producing offspring. Visitors will encounter hermaphroditic banana slugs, [...]
Wine Tour & Tasting in Chianti
Wine tasting in the Tuscan hills is a “must” while visiting Italy. Three other students and I rented a car in Florence and took off for a 12- hour tour of the Chianti Region, home of the famous Chianti Classico wine. We began with a three-hour hike through the vineyards. The vines were [...]
Weekend in the Tuscan hills
By: Annalyse, College Correspondent in Italy Studying (Sometimes) For my second weekend in Firenze, my friends and I decided we wanted to have a truly Italian experience, so we rented a car. We rented a mini compact car from Eurocar, for 70 Euro for a day full of adventures. When split between five people, it [...]
Paris where the summer solstice is a night of music
I went to Paris, thinking I’d visit museums and historic sites. Jazz in St. German des Pres. Instead I happened upon the summer solstice on June 21st, the “Fete de la Musique” – one of the best free, street-music festivals in Europe. The mood was electric and I got a taste of authentic Paris culture [...]
Trendy, Chic and Cheap in Paris
Don’t be put off by the name or the location, Mama Shelter, nestled into the 20th arrondissement, is one of the trendiest hotels I’ve discovered in terms of quality and price (89 Euro). The lobby, rooms, lively bar and bistro are tres chic with a guests to match. On my last trip to Paris I [...]
Valentine’s Day without a lover
If a lover is not part of your life right now, join the crowd! I spent many, many years without a significant other and I learned to “turn off” all the Valentine’s Day babble and Hallmark messaging. I either went out with friends or bought a special take-out dinner and luxuriated in a long bubble [...]
Shhhhh….San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has a secret speakeasy.
A girlfriend and I were recently on Fifth Avenue in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter looking for a bar. Actually, we were surrounded by bars – throbbing music, dancing disco lights and crowds of pretty party people. But we were looking for a secret place, a prohibition-style underground speakeasy. We had an address. [...]
How to make it through boys’ weekend at the Auto Show in Motor City
The Weekend Before the Girls’ Yoga Retreat. Meeting in the Middle So you’ve gone ahead and bitten the bullet. Your other half has eagerly proposed a weekend away and you’ve lovingly agreed to indulge him. The mission? A weekend at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, the Motor City. That’s right, even [...]
Rome. Where the Pope has achieved both celestial and celebrity status
Rome and the Vatican I have to say that religious traditions in any country are a fascinating portrait of the local culture and a jumble of natives and tourists all scrambling towards the same goal. Italy, of course, is no different. After we visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel last Sunday, we joined [...]
Florence’s Sweet Spots and Italian Men
The hardest part about your first few days in a foreign country is trying to balance your need for rest after a long week with your need to absorb anything and everything all at once. It’s kind of like trying to soak up the culture through osmosis while running erratically from one spot to the [...]
