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How to visit national parks and avoid crowds
For years I’ve been trying to figure out how to visit National Parks and avoid the crowds. From the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and Bryce and Zion (all my favorite national parks), I’m zoning in on one park and 4 tips to help you enjoy your vacation. Yosemite National Park attracts 4.5 to 5 million…
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Carmel, monterey and big sur with your pet
Carmel, Monterey and beyond with your pet. Tips for pet travel. When I was young our pets stayed in the kitchen. When we started planning our pet travel to Monterey, Carmel and beyond, we were clueless. In the past, our poodles and terriers always knew their place–at the bottom of the family hierarchy. Over the…
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Ditch the diet and follow the foodies along Napa Valley’s gourmet mile”
Now is not the time to start a diet: ditch your guilt and follow the foodies along Napa Valley’s Gourmet Mile! In the land of culinary riches that is Napa Valley, Yountville, a small town has big reputation for exceptional cuisine and extraordinary wine. Located in the heart of Napa, about an hour drive from San Francisco,…
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San franciscobest things to do recommended by locals
Click here IMG_4779 to listen to the seals at Pier 39 in San Francisco. As a San Francisco local, we have lots of recommendations of things to do that are a bit off-the-radar. After our guests have gone to the “must see” tourist places: Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, Ghirardelli, and The Golden Gate Bridge, here are…
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Travel rip-offs and how to avoid them
Let me share my travel tips of how to avoid theft, frauds and over-paying. 1.) Avoid baggage fees. Depending upon the airline you can pay $15 to $75 for the first checked bag, and more for overweight bags. When possible, pack lightly enough to carry-on one bag or fly airlines that still allow free checked bags (two…
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Family travel on a disney cruise
My Mickey ears were cast aside in my teens when I graduated to American Band Stand and Woodstock. Later in life, as a parent, I bought new ears on our numerous family visits to the Disney parks, but I thought our Disney days were over when our daughters reached their teen years. Not so! A…
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Celebrate the love of life in wine country of california
A place to celebrate the love of life in the heart of Alexander Valley There is still room at the table on the terrace overlooking the vineyards of Alexander Valley at the newly opened Francis Ford Coppola Winery restaurant near Geyserville. The 88-acre property of rolling land includes sustainably farmed vineyards and embraces bucolic…
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Napa valley’s best breakfast picks
Before Stepping up to the Tasting Bar, Sit Down to the Most Important Meal of the Day Bed, then breakfast At Calistoga’s Chateau de Vie, bed and breakfast guests dig into a classic winemaker’s breakfast consisting of fresh pastry, eggs scrambled with fresh tarragon and triple crème brie and wild mushroom duxelles, paired with a…
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Chef’s holidays at yosemite
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul – John Muir Hike through Yosemite Valley surrounded by waterfalls, or cross-country ski along the Merced River beneath granite walls, then return to the giant fireplaces and soaring ceilings at…
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Relaxed island life in southern california
Coronado Island is a world away from skyscrapers, freeways and malls, yet it’s only a bridge away from downtown San Diego. Blue skies and warm sun keep watch on 70 miles of beaches in the San Diego area where a gentle Mediterranean climate tempts you to go to the beach. Coronado’s wide, white sand beaches…
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Celebrate wine, food, love of life in the heart of alexander valley
There is still room at the table on the terrace overlooking the vineyards of Alexander Valley at the newly opened Francis Ford Coppola Winery restaurant near Geyserville. The 88-acre property of rolling land includes sustainably farmed vineyards and embraces bucolic views from the terraces, tasting rooms, movie gallery, pools and bocce ball courts. Recently on…