HILLS NEWSPAPERS: January 18, 2013
In the anthropology of eating, food is what holds society together. We dine together at the table of life.
Never have I felt this more deeply than at chef Tanya Holland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen new B-Side BBQ. Warm and inviting, this bluesy West Oakland cafe brings out the best in our town — folks from all walks of life breaking bread and supporting a city that’s had more than its share of struggles. Continue reading
Photo by Emma Krasov
MERCURYNEWS.COM: January 4, 2012
If health tops your list of New Year’s resolutions, welcome to the party. A survey by the Journal of Clinical Psychology shows three of the top five resolutions for 2013 are wellness-related. Combine this with travel, and you have a $106 billion industry worldwide.
I pondered this briefly as I climbed to the top of a crag of red spires above Enchantment Resort in the scenic Boynton Canyon of Sedona, Ariz. There was an hour before sunset, and I wanted to catch nature’s light show from a perch I’d picked out on the edge of an energy vortex. Continue reading
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 21, 2012
The Wall Street Journal calls it the world’s premier Christmas dinner — a pageant so grand that only the angels in heaven could summon a more joyful celebration.
The Bracebridge Dinner in Yosemite National Park has been held almost without interruption since 1927 — the year the Ahwahnee Hotel opened. It’s a must-see event that should be on everyone’s wish list or bucket list. Yet you may be thinking, “How can I even get a ticket to this popular event that seemingly sells out a year in advance?’ Continue reading
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 6, 2012
Trains are to Christmas what chocolate bunnies are to Easter. They’re a symbol of a simpler time — when we looked at the holidays with childlike wonder. But not since “The Polar Express” hit the theaters has there been such strong interest in holiday train rides. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: November 21, 2012
Pack up the pinot and the roast turkey sandwiches — it’s a beautiful weekend for leaf peeping. Yes, while most of the country ushers in winter, we’re in full autumn splendor in the Bay Area and beyond in Northern California.
Every fall, travel expert John Poimiroo tracks California’s changing colors on his website, www.californiafallcolor.com. He says the mid-elevations are the best places for crimson and gold this week, including the Bay Area wine regions. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: November 9, 2012
His steely eyes stared at me from across the sweeping lobby. Long hair tumbling down his back, he wore black boots and armor and spoke in a strange, guttural tongue.
I’ve met a lot of men in my travels, but never a Klingon. In fact, dozens of these Star Trek aliens were staying at the Hyatt Regency SFO recently as part of a science fiction and fantasy convention. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: October 12, 2012
When it comes to travel — the nose knows. It’s the sense of smell that stimulates your olfactory nerves, sending messages to your brain. Take Hawaii, for instance. From the minute you step off the plane, the perfumed scent of gardenias seduces you. The nose tells your brain this is a pleasing fragrance — perhaps one you already recognize. If so, it’s even more enjoyable. Continue reading
Courtesy of the Yolo County Visitors Bureau
OAKLAND/ALAMEDA MAGAZINES: Sept/Oct 2012
The wine blush becomes you. Yet everyone, it seems, is “crushing” on wine country this time of year. Luckily, there are plenty of off-the-radar regions where you can get away from the crowds during harvest. The lure, here, is wineries where you can talk tannins with vintners, taste for a nominal fee and — in some cases — even help crush the grapes by breaking their skins to prepare them for wine production.
Here are three emerging California destinations to explore: Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: September 14, 2012
Autumn. Just the word gives me goose bumps. Autumn is chili and beer with a big square of cornbread. It’s pumpkin-braised short ribs and a peppery Zin. It’s oompah bands and Octoberfests and — did I mention the beer?
Few places are more serious about beer than Montana. Where we have our wine trails, they have a Brewery Trail — no small feat when you consider the state is 700 miles wide. Montana is also the No. 1 producer of barley, and more folks than ever are harvesting hops there — the flowery cones that grow on leafy green vines up to 20 feet tall.
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: August 17, 2012
I call it the $5 face-lift; but it’s really gravity and saltwater working to make you feel 10 years younger.
Since 1924, more than 59 million people have ridden the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
It’s a classic wooden coaster that plasters a smile on your face at top speeds of 55 mph. Legendary columnist Herb Caen called it a “tooth-loosener” for its jarring twists and turns, but my favorite part of the ride is the view. As you climb the crest before the first drop, you see miles of scenic coastline dotted with palm trees and sailing ships. There’s nowhere like it on Earth. Continue reading
Ginny Prior 