Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

Remembering famous show biz mama and daughter, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher. More on interviews.

Discover why the Welk Theater in Escondido delivers one of the most charming and intimate live performance experiences in Southern California, blending nostalgia, talent, and comfort.

A splendid Georgia mansion built of rare pink marble, known as "Etowah Pink Marble" is decked out for the holidays. Through Dec. 21, the Tate House offers holiday tours, with a delightful luncheon or hors d'oeuvres presentation. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "The Carpe Diem Kids" STELLAR CREATION OF a land baron, philanthropist and tycoon, Tate House -- "the Pink Palace" -- is known throughout the south for its gorgeous pink marble patina and its exquisit

Nick and Nora love huckelberry ice cream, a roadie treat in Julian, California which they visit twice a year. "Charley is a mind-reading...

Christene "Cookie" Meyers and Bruce Keller take to San Diego Bay and a Flagship dinner cruise, with spectacular views. TAKE YOUR PICK OF...

WE WERE delighted to discover that remains of the prehistoric culture can still be found, with artifacts and fossils in the ranch house named after those lovely "little cliffs" on the hills. A plaque denotes Rancho Santa Maria de los Penasquitos, with parts of the original walls. The ruins of stalwart structures of adobe are fascinating, and the splendid canyon and walking trails wind through 4,000 acres of the Penasquitos and Lopez canyons. It's one of the largest urban

On a half-dozen visits since 2010, we've found Lake Tahoe's scenery some of the most beautiful in the western United States. Dixie II offers a fun night on the lake, even on a recent rainy evening. "It is a vast oval, and one would have to use up eighty or a hundred good miles in traveling around it. As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface, I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole world affords.” -- M

Witness one of California’s most unforgettable wildlife spectacles along the rugged shores of Central Coast, where massive northern elephant seals gather in astonishing numbers. At places like Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, these remarkable marine mammals transform the coastline into a living stage of raw nature—complete with dramatic battles, tender moments, and the rhythms of life by the sea.

ENJOY THE REAGAN LIBRARY FOR A WELL ORCHESTRATED TRIBUTE TO A DEDICATED PRESIDENT Flowers are left at the foot of Reagan's bronze each day, a docent told us. During the weeks after Nancy Reagan's recent death and burial on the site, the number of bouquets grew. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER The approach to the Reagan Presidential Library is typically "southern California" with a lovely fountain, mosaic tiles and nicely kept gardens. HIGH ATOP a Simi Valle

Good-bye Marlee: We will miss your sweet smile, music and precocious wit. SATURDAY MEMORIAL CELEBRATES BRIEF, LOVING LIFE OF MARLEE CLUFF...

Actor Ron Campbell gives a brilliant performance as R. Buckminster Fuller in "The History (and Mystery) of the Universe" at San Diego Repertory Theatre. 'HISTORY, MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE' GLITTERS: A STAR-SPANGLED, BEAUTIFULLY ACTED, THEATRICAL WORK The real Buckminster Fuller by his famous geodesic dome. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER and courtesy San Diego Rep and Scatena Daniels FASTEN YOUR seat belts, and prepare for a wild, wonderful ride. You're ab

Thrilled guests watched a pair of whales blow -- thanks to Hornblower staff who make announcements on sightings, explaining various whale...

William Wrigley Jr. put his heart and his pocketbook into his beloved Catalina Island, where his widow erected a loving memorial in the...

Catalina casino

TOUCHING PLAY WITH FINE ACTING, A COMIC EDGE AND A TOE-TAPPING TRIO TO SET THE MOOD Manny Fernandes and Carla Harting square off and eventually admit their attraction in a winning play at San Diego Rep. From left, Richard Tibbets, Jim Mooney and Alicia Previn set the tone for "Outside Mullingar," a lyrical tale of family, loyalty, pride and love. The pastoral pull of Ireland's countryside comes inside with "Outside Mullingar," San Diego Rep's first-rate production. STORY By

I love watching the marine life that lives beneath the surface of the waters. The Aquarium of the Bay at San Francisco's Pier 39 is a wondrous, compact way to get up close and personal with the ambassadors of the waters

THE SAN FRANCISCO Zoo is not pretentious, and that is one of its charms and strong suits. It wants people to learn something while enjoying the animals. There are guided tours and lectures throughout the day and feeding times with commentary.

The "Painted Ladies" near Alamo Square, San Francisco, California, represent an architecture used for Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings painted in distinctive pastel hues. The term is over a century old. HEAD TO THE CITY BY THE BAY FOR VARIETY, FUN, WITH A FEAST FOR THE EYES AT EVERY TURN STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "One day if I go to heaven ... I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.'" Herb Caen, noted San Fr

Hershey Felder channels the great Irving Berlin at La Jolla Playhouse, in a spirited, fast-paced and engaging program. It's set in...

Signature coconut shrimp, hibachi steak with mushrooms and yummy soup made moments ago are part of a delightful "Taste of Catalina" food...