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Lone Star Rising
Arlington becomes a destination—but what’s in this Texas-size burb beyond the big game?
On Feb. 6, the national spotlight will shine on Arlington, Texas, as it hosts Super Bowl XLV. More than 700,000 football fans will descend upon my hometown, a city of 380,000, filling its hotels and drinking my beer. The NFL only places its grand bacchanal in great cities, so surely Arlington is a dynamic place, with a lively arts and nightlife scene. The city’s fame, such as it is, comes from the tourist attractions clustered along Interstate 30: the original Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (formerly Wet ’n Wild), Rangers Ballpark, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame and, of course, the bulging enormity of the new Cowboys Stadium, a $1.3 billion monument to Texas’ favorite pastime.
Read More »Enchanting Crossroads
Santa Fe melds variety of cultures, cuisines and arts
The only thing wrong with Santa Fe, N.M., as far as I’m concerned, is that it’s full of vacationing Texans. Fortunately, they’re easy to spot with their $200 designer blue jeans, $1,000 cowboy boots and trophy wives with big hair, and thus they’re easy to avoid. Otherwise, Santa Fe’s a great place for a Las Vegan looking for a break from traffic jams and torn-up streets and depressed real estate values and one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.
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Mid-Mod Mexico
The old hot spot, Acapulco, has redefined itself for the 21st century
Silver-screen stars jetting off to exotic locales to frolic in the sun and commit indiscretions outside of the glaring eye of Hollywood is nothing new. One of the destinations favored by celebrities since the 1950s is Mexico—close but not too far away. One of their original cities of choice was Acapulco.
Read More »The Margins of Metropolis
Discovering the delights and cultural character of Los Angeles’ coastal neighbors
There are few places on Earth I have been where the city streets themselves are entertainment enough. Paris. New York. There the citizens perform their city for you as they move through it. You might find it in New Orleans, if you catch a pomaded dandy with a boutonniere in the lapel of his white linen suit, an ivory-topped walking stick, handmade shoes and a diamond sparkling in a front tooth. Not Barcelona or London or San Francisco.
Read More »Shopping Scottsdale
From indie stores to high-end chains, this collection is worth a trip
Scottsdale’s winter visitors have many agendas—golfing, hiking, clubbing, just to name a few. Sooner or later, almost everyone succumbs to shopping’s siren call. Like Las Vegas, this desert city is famously loaded with high-end retail opportunities (check those out at vast Scottsdale Fashion Square or newly opened Scottsdale Quarter).
Read More »Think Ski!
Time to book your reservations: Here are seven regional resorts that have upped the ante for the new season
Hard to believe, with triple-digit temperatures still a fresh memory, but the ski season is just around the corner. Most hills open around Thanksgiving weekend and have already received some serious snow. In preparation, many resorts spent the summer getting face-lifts and adding amenities such as snowmaking machines, spiffy chairlifts and trick parks. Here’s a sampling of what’s new out West:
Read More »Dreaming of a Tropical Christmas?
Then make your reservations for Oahu, where paradise gets festive for the holidays
After a summer of staycations, it’s time for something special this holiday season—especially for those of us stuck here on the ninth island. It’s time to go back to Oahu.
During my time living in Honolulu, before I relocated to Las Vegas, I found Christmas and New Year’s Eve easily the best time of year to take in all the island has to offer: from big surf on the North Shore to an island-wide New Year’s fireworks celebration you have to see (and hear) to believe.
Read More »Home for a Holiday
Vacation rentals offer affordable alternative to hotels
The last time I went to Zion National Park, the biggest decision I had to make was which bed I would sleep in each night in my vacation rental home. That’s because Coyote Ridge (yes, the place even has a name) sleeps 14. It has a 10-person hot tub, gas grill, fireplace, a kitchen that far exceeded any I’ve owned, two satellite TVs and a DVD player. And it opens up to an acre of outdoor space, just seven miles east of Zion (see for yourself at coyoteridgezion.com).
Read More »To Hell You Ride
Beyond a wealth of skiing, this Colorado town offers a taste of the true West
Las Vegas has been called the last great frontier town in America, but given the changes of the past 20 years, it hardly seems that way anymore. Enter Telluride, a Wild West enclave at the tip of what might be the longest dead-end road in America. And if it isn’t, it certainly feels that way.
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