Bee Travel Features

PLACERVILLE – We were staring through the locked saloon doors at an empty room. Me, my friend Jack, and three people fresh off their motorcycles – we were all bummed.

BERKELEY – If you are looking for a low-key day trip to the Bay Area, one that boasts a buffet of low- and no-cost activities for adults and children alike, consider following the locals' lead and going to Tilden Park.

Dean Martin was a frustrating entertainer.

Developers of Sacramento's newest cultural landmark like to refer to the intersection of 10th and J streets as "Main & Main," a figurative reference to the city's busiest north-south and east-west arteries.

Patrick and Jeanne Mulreany wanted to start a business in 1983. They often drove on Highway 395 south of Carson City and noticed the number of out-of-state license plates on the road. They also noticed the scarcity of dining establishments and lodges.

It comes fast. Look out your window this week, and you'll notice: Summer's leaves have lost their luster, and lawns are looking wan. That bit of yellow creeping into your willow tree is a precursor of things to come.

Hecklers are the bane of every performer's existence. Usually, they're just obnoxious egoists who can't stand anyone else getting the spotlight. They can usually be taken care of with a sharp retort.

SAN FRANCISCO – Putting a major cultural institution into mothballs is not an easy thing to do. Repurposing it for the 21st century is an even bigger challenge.

Old rock bands rarely die. They simply transform themselves, replace players and go on nostalgia tours, frequently with other old rock bands.

"Good grief!" That familiar Charlie Brown cry from "Peanuts" might have been Ludwig van Beethoven's reply had he learned that, 130 years after his death, his music had become part of the internationally distributed comic strip.

Join Rona Commins on her 22nd annual Art, Music and Culture in Florence study program offered through San Francisco State University.

Of all of Reno's festival events, Street Vibrations brings the most controversy. It's not that the annual motorcycle celebration is unsafe. Historically, it's much happier than the classic car celebration Hot August Nights.

Here is a list of other casino entertainment in the Reno-Tahoe area:

"You will get wet. Anything you wear or carry will get wet."

The economy has not been particularly kind to the gaming industry this past quarter, and the effects can be seen just about everywhere.

Take advantage of Indian summer in Monterey County with a round of fall deals for travelers.

It was bound to happen. After decades of taking abuse, the 1970s and the disco scene have become the objects of nostalgia.

Would you like to host adult foreign visitors in your home for a week – or be hosted by a family in another country?

Among California wine regions, the Santa Cruz Mountains winemaking district is the razorback boar.

Why aren't there Olympic competitions in circus skills? The athletes are every bit as disciplined. They've gone through the same years of training and perfection of their talents. If we're seeking strength, agility and timing, all we need to do is look at a catcher in a trapeze act.

Swing by the Exploratorium on Saturday for the 2008 California State Yo-Yo Championships.

Many top chefs are scheduled to appear at this year's Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, but only one can honestly carry that label capitalized.

The Learning Exchange is offering several travel classes in coming weeks. A session on planning an Italian vacation is set from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, followed by an afternoon course on planning a trip to Spain.

Apparently confident that the levees will hold if another massive hurricane and flood hit New Orleans, officials of the Audubon Nature Institute have opened what's billed as the nation's largest freestanding museum dedicated to insects.

Like it or not, Labor Day marks a change of seasons. True, autumn doesn't officially arrive until Sept. 22. But mentally, it starts when the kids go back to school, the days grow noticeably shorter, and fall colors start slipping into our daily wardrobes.

If it were possible to determine who has had the appearances in northern Nevada, Bill Cosby would be near the top of the list.

Holloway Travel Outfitters, 1150 Fulton Ave., Sacramento, presents an Australian destination talk with Matt Knowles of Sea Escape Travel at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Here is a list of other casino entertainment in the Reno-Tahoe area: Atlantis, Reno – Grand Ballroom: Kansas, Friday and Saturday. (800) 723-6500.

There is something nostalgic and charming about a lighthouse. It conjures a romantic image of the lonesome lighthouse keeper sustaining a beacon, lit for the benefit of nameless sailors on their nighttime sojourns at sea.

You've seen Lake Tahoe from the shore and perhaps from the decks of the venerable Tahoe Queen or M.S. Dixie II paddlewheelers.

We were hunkered down for a long drive, which means I had a CD cranked and my wife was patiently ignoring my witty cracks about drivers not using signals.

The first Best in the West Rib Cook-Off at John Ascuaga's Nugget 20 years ago took some convincing.

"I have a guitar army in front of me every night," said Rich Williams, one of the founders of Kansas. "They've researched the band and studied our music. They are an entirely new generation of fans."

Next Sunday marks the debut of Explore, The Bee's guide to arts and travel.

Janet Fullwood's July 13 article "Sailing With Mickey" was spot on! My family and I went on this same cruise June 22-29 and had a wonderful time. It was our fourth Disney cruise so we expected the "magic," attention to detail and a courteous and friendly staff.

Join Pat Thurin of Pioneer Travel in Pine Grove on an Oct. 5-10 trip to the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City. After a short class on how to use the renowned genealogy facility, participants will have access to its resources.

I was half-hoping to hear a door creak, the crash of something falling to the floor, padded footsteps in the hallway. At the very least, the 156-year-old building could have cooperated with a groan-out-loud shift of its sturdy redwood bones.

Mario Andretti will be the guest of honor at this year's Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Aug. 15-17.

Q: My husband and I planned a trip to Maui to join our daughter and grandchildren for a summer vacation. We contacted our credit card company, Capital One, and used 71,000 "no hassle" reward miles to book round-trip airfare from Los Angeles on ATA.

Consider this a detour of sorts.

Taking camera equipment on a trip, expecially if it involves flying or if your activities require long hours in the field, can be a struggle for those of us who eschew pocket-size point-and-shoots for full-size digital SLRs.

Leave it to Las Vegas – or rather, Vegas.com – to deploy technology that lets visitors already in town browse showtimes, ticket prices, reviews and video clips on their cell phones or PDAs, then click to be connected to a "live expert" and purchase tickets by credit card.

The seminal event in California history lasted just a few years, but in Calaveras County, the Gold Rush never quite died.
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It's doubtful that people across America will camp out in front of their local bookstores Sept. 8 to get first crack at a copy of "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star." But for fans of Paul Theroux, a new travel book is the equivalent of the next Harry Potter tale.

Q: My husband and I recently booked a flight to Europe through Alaska Airlines using our frequent-flier miles. We were going to Zurich, Switzerland, via London on British Airways, which is one of Alaska's partner airlines.

Caltrans reopened Highway 1 last weekend after weeks of intermittent closure because of the Basin Complex fire, and it took just a few days for hotels along the iconic stretch of coastline to see bookings rise to above 90 percent for the remainder of the summer.

Friends of Travel in Sacramento has planned an Aug. 6 excursion to San Francisco to visit the Dale Chihuly glass art exhibitions at the DeYoung Museum and the Palace of the Legion of Honor. The tour price of $78 per person includes All West motorcoach transportation, admission, audio rental, refreshments and time for shopping on Fourth Street in Berkeley. Reservations: (916) 207-9691.

We've written in this space before about noise-cancellation headphones. The technology doesn't come cheap, but its ability to block out background noise is much appreciated by travelers who spend long hours surrounded by engine noise in the air and ambient noise in crowded airport terminals.

The tourism heart of Calaveras County is Murphys, a former mining town that recently has morphed into a place so hip that some are calling it the "Carmel of the Mother Lode."