Browsing: DESTINATIONS

Food, Wine and Culture Destinations

DESTINATIONS
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Hanoi: World class shopping at bargain prices

Story and Photos by Lee Daley. Upscale shoppers will want to travel to Vietnam’s capital city with very little in their suitcases, leaving lots of room for the distinctive range of designer clothes, handicrafts, and local fashions they’ll find there.…

covered bridge Vermont covered bridge in Chiselville.
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In Vermont: Catch a Covered Bridge

Vermont boasts more than one hundred still remaining covered bridges, the most in New England and a testament to America’s golden age of craftsmanship. Often spanning rivers and streams in mountainous regions, covered bridges are inevitably inviting and many are…

California Photographers flock to the tree-lined garden path at Ironstone Vineyards in Calaveras County
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Calaveras County: A Place for all Seasons

Updated August 25, 2023. Story and Photos by Lee Daley.  When it comes to year-round activity, Calaveras County, a 2.5-hour drive from anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, has it all. Truly a place for all seasons, this is…

Art and Architecture Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay view from Presideo Tunnel Tops. Take the Park's Cliff Walk for stunning views and for the new mural exhibit on show.
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New Mural Exhibit at Presidio Tunnel Tops

Story and Photos by Lee Daley New adventures await at the San Francisco Presidio Tunnel Tops Park with a recent large-scale mural installation of creatures like coyotes, monarch butterflies and colorful exotic birds.The exhibit is now on show at the…

CA Rancho Nicasio concert with The Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, country rock.
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Traveling the Road with Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Story and Photos by Lee Daley. I first ran into Jimmie Dale Gilmore while on a writing assignment in Cambridge, MA, when a friend excitedly told me the singer, composer and guitarist was performing that evening at a local blues…

Art and Architecture Santorini Sunset, Romance on the rocks, Greece.
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An Island in Time: Santorini, Greece

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LEE DALEY. What is it about the Greek island of Santorini that captivates all who visit? It’s easy to credit its beauty to the shimmering blue Aegean, the drama of its whitewashed cube dwellings built atop…

Art and Architecture The magnificent Mendocino County Coast taken from the Little River inn, California.
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Indulge in a Getaway to Mendocino County.

Story and Photos by Lee Daley Now is the time to indulge in a getaway to Mendocino County. It’s all there, breathtaking beauty, surf, sand, a rocky coastline, world-class botanical gardens, and an oceanfront artistic village. A destination worth flying…

California Redwood Room with Klimt Paintings at The Clift
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The Redwood Room in San Francisco

San Francisco’s Redwood Room at the Clift. Welcome to the Redwood Room—an unforgettable San Francisco destination just steps away from downtown Union Square. Whether at the bar, crafted from an 800-year-old redwood tree. or seated in the extended seating area…

California Golden Gate bridge view, Limewood Bar and Restaurant
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Celebrate Holidays in the Hills at Claremont Club & Spa

By Lee Daley Claremont Club & Spa: Create memories to treasure with a celebration of this year’s Holidays in the Hills at the Berkeley-based Limewood Bar and Restaurant’s outdoor dining deck. Here is where you’ll find stunning sunset views of…

Cruise Dinner at Sea with Holland America Line, our cruise ship awaits as we explore Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line, Nieuw Amsterdam,
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Dinner at Sea with Holland America Line

 Story and Photos by Lee Daley, “Where are we eating next?” became the favorite game my husband and I played during our brief four-night cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau aboard Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner…

DESTINATIONS Utah Fall color gold, Southern Utah,Zion Overlook, Finding Fall Color Gold in Zion National Park
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Utah Fall Color Gold

Story and Photos by Lee Daley  Editor’s Note: This is an update on current conditions for Utah’s parks:  Often overlooked for New England or the Smoky Mountains, Utah’s national parks and woodlands–combined with local live performances, museums and galleries–offer not…

DESTINATIONS Benaras, On the Banks of the Ganges, sacred river, Ganges River, Ghats, Assi Ghat, India, Varanasi, India
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Varanasi: On The Banks Of The Ganges

Story and Photos by Lee Daley in Varanasi, as the sun’s glow edges the horizon beyond the River Ganges, the local boatmen are already up and about, readying their craft for visitors to the holy city. I sheepishly scan the…

Art and Architecture Peggy Guggenheim home on the Grand Canal, Venice
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Peggy Guggenheim: At Home in Venice

Peggy Guggenheim at Home in Venice: Collector, Patroness, Lover. Story by Lee Daley. Photos by Lee Daley unless otherwise noted. On the Grand Canal of Venice if you look carefully, you will see-–almost hidden, overshadowed as it is by the…

CA Mother Rose pushing her two daughters in "Gypsy" the play now at Alcazar Theater, San Francisco, California
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Gypsy, A Musical Fable

Reviews by Carol Canter and Lee Daley. (Review by Carol Canter) “Curtains up, light the lights, you got nothing to hit but the heights!” Well, everything did come up roses opening night for Bay Area Musicals’ fabulous production of Gypsy,…

DESTINATIONS rainbow-ocean-waves-Kauai
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In Kauai, a bumper crop of food trucks

The Hawaiian island of Kauai serves up cuisine that is both hot and cool. Hot as in haute and cool as in food trucks. New to food truck dining on Kauai, the lushest of Hawaii’s islands. I made my visit’s…

DESTINATIONS Ogunquit, Maine,a beautiful place by the sea, tideooos,beach walking, beach
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Ogunquit: A Beautiful Place by the Sea

When I think of the perfect Maine getaway, Ogunquit immediately comes to mind. It’s all there, breathtaking Maine beauty, surf, sand, rocky coastline and a small artistic village. A destination worth flying to from anywhere in the US and an…

China Black Mountain Valley, China’s Enchanted Oasis, waterfall walk, canyon trail, Chongqing day trip
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Black Mountain Valley, China’s Enchanted Oasis

Copyright Story and Photos by Lee Daley On a recent trip to China, I visited Black Mountain Valley, a place of untamed raw beauty, full of mystery, lush vegetation and silver-hued waterfalls. The two-hour drive from Chongqing on a narrow…

Art and Architecture San Miguel de Allende at Hotel Matilda, mural walkway, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Mexico
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San Miguel de Allende at Hotel Matilda

Story and Photos by Lee Daley For a soul soothing stay in San Miguel de Allende, Hotel Matilda, the “hotel different,” is an eye-opener. When you travel to a Mexican colonial city that has been designated a World Heritage Site,…

Croatia Brac Island. Croatia: Sun, Sea and Stone,, Croatia Dalmation Coast, In Croatia:, Being on Brac, Island of Stone and Sea, Bol Boat Harbor
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Brač Island, Croatia: Sun, Sea and Stone

In Croatia, aboard the Katarina Line Futura:  As we watched deckside, our small cruise ship anchored alongside the Dalmatian Coast shore of Brač Island and its Golden Horn Beach, known as one of Europe’s most beautiful. Holding just 38 passengers,…

CA Chardonnay & croquet, Croquet lawn, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Russian River, Sonoma County, Windsor, CA
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Chardonnay & Croquet at Sonoma Cutrer Winery

Story by Lee Daley.  Photos by John Sundsmo and Lee Daley Sonoma County is known for its excellent Chardonnay wines and those produced at Sonoma Cutrer Winery are no exception. Tucked away on a lush hillside in Windsor, Sonoma Cutrer…

DESTINATIONS Lake County: A Sweet Spot Getaway north of San Francisco, Olive Groves at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill,Olive Groves at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill, Kelseyville, CA, Lake County
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Lake County: Northern California’s Sweet Spot

Lake County:  Northern California’s Sweet Spot Story and Photos By Lee Daley Drive a few hours north of downtown San Francisco and a different world awaits. On a recent weekend getaway, my city stress lessened and lessened, almost in layers,…

DESTINATIONS La Cocina Que Canta, young chef
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Rave Reviews for La Cocina Que Canta

Story and Photos by Guest Columnist Stephanie Levin. Snippets of independent, quiet conversations from our little band of hikers erupted as an umbrella of oak trees narrowed to a dirt trail that ascended, descended, twisted and ascended again before leveling…

DESTINATIONS Georgós Nu Wines, Greek red wine, organic, hand harvested, Georgós Nu Wines imports grapes from Greece where they are shipped to the US and blended, then bottled in Sonoma, CA. Some of the grapes are grown here in Santorini on ancient, old-growth vines. vines
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A mythological wine tasting with Georgós Nu Wines

A mythological wine tasting with Georgós Nu Wines “Come.Taste my wines and experience the glory of Greece.” So said Georgós Zanganas, company founder of Georgós Nu Wines. And so our small group of wine lovers gathered in San Francisco to…

DESTINATIONS Palm Springs, Heart sculptures at the Palm Springs Art Museum patio, Palm Springs indulges the Senses.
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Palm Springs Indulges The Senses

Approaching Palm Springs, that desert oasis nestled between two mountains–the Santa Rosa to the south and the San Jacinto to the west—I knew a treat was in store. The scent of sagebrush carried on the wings of clean desert air…

Death Valley National Park Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, nature's pallette
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Death Valley Meditation

It’s early morning and I have spent the last 10 minutes admiring the light and shadows on a small brave bush somewhere alongside the road to Furnace Creek in Death Valley, a place my husband and I have come to…

CA Pacfica,, CA, Rockaway Beach "Watchin' the tide roll in.", Sunset golden reflections on the waves, Taken about 5 p.m. as the sun was descending into the horizon.
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Pacifica: the beaches are only the beginning

I’ve always known the Pacifica coastline boasts just about the best and most diverse five-mile span of beaches in Northern California. I thought I knew it well. Until I extended my usual day-trip to two nights and three days in…

DESTINATIONS Romantic Kaui, Hawaii's Garden Isla, Kauai beach
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Romantic Kauai, Hawaii’s garden isle

Story by Lee Daley. Photos by Lee Daley and John Sundsmo More than five million years ago, Mother Nature swept over the Pacific Ocean and in a burst of hormonal ecstasy. created the first of the Hawaiian Islands, that green…

DESTINATIONS Casa Majani Resort, Sunset
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Casa Majani at Punta de Mita, Mexico

Approaching Punta de Mita on a bright fall day, the flawless sky a cerulean blue, I knew I was in for something special. The warm breeze felt like a caress; its clarity etched the curves of the Sierra Madre Mountains…

DESTINATIONS Oaxaca: A collage of culture and cuisine, Oaxaca Cafe Culture, Flute player and guitarist serenade cafe patrons
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Oaxaca: A collage of culture and cuisine

Oaxaca’s appeal is so fundamental it’s a wonder this southern state of Mexico and its mile-high capital, Oaxaca [pronounced wah-HA-ka]  City, are not more traveled. Blessed with year-round temperate climate, nearby archeological ruins, distinctive cuisine and magnificent artisan handicrafts, the…

CA Limewood Bar & Restaurant, Claremont Club & Spa
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Limewood Bar & Restaurant opens in Berkeley

  By Lee Daley Claremont Club & Spa, an urban resort in the Berkeley Hills, has long been a draw for its spectacular setting and club amenities. Now, a new option offers another reason to visit as the Claremont welcomes…

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