Travel Tips & Adventures

For over 75 years at Third and Fairfax, the L. A. Farmer’s Market has been an institution.

Just west of downtown L.A., and just south of Hollywood on what was formerly a dairy farm, the Farmer’s Market has grown from farmers selling their products from the back of their trucks to a mostly enclosed building offering groceries, shops and restaurants.

LA Farmer's Market

The atmosphere is festive and busy, but there are so many choices that is difficult to decide what to choose. Everything from a farmer’s produce stand to sit down locations, delis, Asian options and much more tempt the hungry shopper. There are 35 restaurants and drink choices with over 20 grocery and specialty food outlets.  You can’t decide what to eat?  Well, try a few!

Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing our Los Angeles dining options, we are going to look at a couple of establishments where we had dinner. Both of the following restaurants serve lunch also, with one open for breakfast.
Read the rest of this entry »

When we were in L.A. a week ago, we detailed some places to go, and people to see. Actually, we didn’t give you any people to see, but that won‘t be hard in a city of 4,010,000 (if you really can’t find anyone to see there are 11,000,000 in Los Angeles County).

So there are things to do, and people to see, but, also, you’ve gotta eat …

Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

When Gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896 and a ton of gold arrived in Seattle in 1897, the gold rush was on! Everyone rushed to the goldfields through Chilkoot Pass. It was six hundred miles over treacherous and dangerous trails and waterways. Another trail was developed through White Pass and this became the route of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.

White Pass and Yukon Railroad on its Climb to the Klondike Photo by George Bradshaw

Read the rest of this entry »

By Guest Author Peggy Bradsaw

The Alaskan gold rush lured thousands to Skagway, which became known as the gateway to the goldfields. By 1898, it was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000, not counting the 10,000 people living in the tent city of nearby Dyea. Today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents but the population more than doubles on the days when the cruise ships pull into the dock.

Skagway boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it was far from being the easiest. Over a hundred years ago, the White Pass route through the coast mountains and the shorter, but steeper, Chilkoot Trail, were used by thousands of stampeders. The treacherous Chilkoot Trail, combined with the area’s cruel elements, left scores dead. The hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospered, but as the gold supply dwindled, so did the population of the town, as the miners left to go to newly-discovered gold fields.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

A whale watch is a rare and exciting experience that provides views of our fellow mammal, the whale. In Alaska, The whale watch tour we took began in Auke Bay at the marina and traveled through the Saginaw Channel to the Lynn Canal, the main summer feeding waters of the humpback whale. You are always assured of seeing at least one whale, and seeing just one is a rarity. Read the rest of this entry »

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

Ketchikan, referred to as “Alaska’s First City,” is the first port of call for all the cruise lines. Because the cruise lines are the lifeblood of the town, the store’s hours in downtown are “whenever the ships are in port.”

World-famous for the abundance of incredible totem poles in the region, Ketchikan is also known as the “Salmon Capital of the World.” The amazing thing about Ketchikan is that there are no roads into it from the outside world. Everything must be brought in by boat, ferry or plane – even the garbage truck that reads “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Garbage Back.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

I was amazed at the size of the big white ship docked at Vancouver, B.C. We had flown in and were ready to board for our 7-day cruise through the famous Alaskan Inside Passage. Traveling with two other couples, we had mini-suites with balconies side by side on the Dolphin Deck, Deck 9.

Cruising from Vancouver Photo by George Bradshaw

Read the rest of this entry »

Los Angeles has fascinating attractions. Some of the finest and most reasonable are in LA’s giant park, Griffith Park. Spread out over 4,200 acres, Griffith Park has something for everyone. Nestled northeast of downtown LA, Griffith Park is “the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States.” (LA Parks Web site)

 
With grassy lawns, but also mountain vistas, you can see for miles – smog permitting. The roads leading into the park do not all connect, so it’s best to know where you want to go before you arrive or you may wander about trying to get to the correct location.

 
There are pony rides, horseback trails, hiking trails, picnic areas, an observatory and a merry-go-round, among other attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

Unfortunately, I was a victim of a scam this past week. It could have happened anywhere, to anyone, any time. But, it happened to me and I could kick myself!

 
Also, I paid the penalty by spending hours talking with my credit card company and the police, giving statements and trying to reconstruct a timeline.

 
Luckily, American Express was the credit card we had used to cover our travel expenses and they picked up on an irregular charge. They alerted me, so I could also look at my account and see that there was another charge, as well, that I had never made.

 
How did someone do this to me? I consider myself knowledgeable, skeptical and savvy. Well, it’s a long story, but it comes down to the fact that my zip code changed and I was vulnerable to people who said my credit information did not go through. This has happened numerous times, as this is the second time in two years that my zip code has been changed.

Read the rest of this entry »