Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Sailing on the Californian is as close as I'll get to "going down to the sea in ships."...

Chocolate coated waffles caught Cookie's eye resulting in a tasty purchase from Belgium Gourmet ( www.belgium-gourmet.com )  STORY BY...

Cookie and Nora sit by Tony Bennett's vibrant heart which is on display in San Francisco's Union Square. The famed jazz singer is also an...

San Francisco's inventive Personality Hotels offers a stylish flash drive "bracelet" of images and information, including this.  Your...

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Last Saturday's "starter kit" talked prices and posed questions to ask yourself when planning a cruise. Cruising offers value, variety, safety and more... you pack and unpack  once!  Recapping: *Are the ship and amenities more important than ports? Prefer to sail the Norwegian Fjords or wander the streets of a Sicilian village? *Must you have an ocean view or balcony? Happy with a cheaper, inside cabin? What's your budget?

A walk through a vineyard always surprises and delights. Both European and American grape growers frame vines with roses. STORY By...

The Colosseum remains one of tourism's most visited sites.       Story by Christene Meyers      Photos by Bruce Keller      "Rome...

Yes, jalapeno makes a tasty, zingy, complex brittle. Chocolate candy, of course!  Photos by Bruce Keller  Story by Christene Meyers...

Paradise Point on Mission Bay, and San Diego Bay offer treats galore, memorable sailing and a chance to learn the lingo Cap'n Keller...

One of our favorite sunset views is near the university above La Jolla shores. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER      I...

COOKIE RECALLS MISS AMERICA, PROTESTS, PLAYBOY AND HER FEMINIST GROUNDING STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS THE SUMMER of 1968 was a memorable...

Editor's Note: This story was written a few years before Meyers and Keller were married in a pop-up ceremony during a family reunion in her native state, Montana. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS: VINTAGE and BRUCE KELLER The famous photo taken on VJ Day at Times Square,1945, inspired the "Kiss" sculpture that inspired this column. Top photo: Bruce Keller and Christene Meyers on a date in San Diego. THIS VALENTINE'S  week, with "The Kiss" statue back in San Diego, I'm taki

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Carpe Diem Kids Today while perusing journals, I began a tally of cruises I’ve taken. The result surprised me! View from the promenade deck on our ship where art is part of the enticement. The grand total:  99!  So my next cruise will be my centenary.  I am excited.  What and where will it be?  Crystal, Oceania, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Cunard, Holland America, Carnival, Disney? Although born in land-locked Monta

Bruce Keller joins legions of tourists to take on the Leaning Tower    STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER & COOKIE No...