Digg DiggShepard Fairey mural at Wynwood Kitchen and Bar, MiamiQuestion: I rarely get a chance to travel and I am considering a trip in February, the 20-26. I am not really bent on going any place in particular, but I really want an experience where I will be comfortable and occupied while travelling...

In Japan, I was told that there are three things that you must eat in Tokyo: Sushi, Wagyu beef and tempura. In less than 24 hours there, I managed to consume two out of three. First, beef. We had spent our first few days in the country being served gorgeous, but often inedible, kaiseki meals that contained...

This week’s Photo Friday topic (#FriFotos on Twitter) is EXOTIC. I immediately started thinking of all the exotic fish species I saw at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world.I went through the market with Shinji Nohara, the Tokyo food fixer....

I’m bad at crafts. As in famously bad. And it turns out I’m particularly bad at traditional Japanese arts that require full attention to detail, such as paper cutting.On my 12-day trip to Japan, our group made several attempts at traditional craftwork. At Hoshinoya Kyoto, we put together...

Just as 9/11 changed many aspects of American life, so, too, has 3/11 – also called March 11, the date that the tsunami decimated the Sendai coast, affected Japan.   In Tokyo, more locals, particularly young women and couples, have been seeking out places with “healing powers,” such...

This week’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos) theme is HAPPY PLACES.   In late 2009, Chris and I traveled to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, my favorite Caribbean destination so far.  During our trip, we boarded the Friendship Rose, a 101-ft dual mast schooner for a day of sailing to the Tobago Cays, with...

Every once in a while, you come upon something in your travels that goes beyond the ordinary, something that makes you grab your camera and thank whatever deity you believe in for the life that you get to live. For me, that moment came in Jigokudani monkey park in the Japanese Alps, when I stood face...

Q: I’m looking to plan out a 5/6 night Caribbean March break for my family (wife, two kids, 19 & 22) during spring break 2012. We’re looking for a rest — w/swimming, snorkeling, boating, etc. And we’re on your basic kids-in-college budget. We’re open to going to a variety...

This week’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos) theme is DOGS.  Pictured are two beach dogs and their walkers on an early morning stroll on Sanibel Island, FL. Caption: “Forgot that little dog!  We came here to walk, remember?”  

Every professional travel writer, it seems, has a happy place, a destination where they return not so much to gather new material, but to unwind and relax. For me, that place is Sanibel Island, Florida. My parents started taking us to Sanibel when I was a teenager. Eventually, they bought a condo...