November / December 2009
Top Stories:
Go List 2009
Noodles, Santa Monica, Segways, shopping districts, travel lists, Kauai, Zion National Park, and a cornucopia of travel ideas.
Member Benefits: Nov./Dec. 2009
Highlights include the difference in gas brands, AAA Rewards Visa card, Stonehenge, and free iPhone app.
Best Winter Destinations
Winter activities in the West include carnivals, holiday lights, ice-skating, and much more.
Pacific Coast Winter Hot Spots
VIA picks the best places and activities along the coast from Alaska to Southern California.
San Francisco: Best Picks
Favorite San Francisco stores, restaurants, neighborhoods, and cultural hot spots please visitors and locals alike.
Sonoma Coast
A road trip north of Bodega Bay delivers beaches, a Russian fort, a Bufano sculpture, beaches, trails, and a bounty of seafood.
Oregon Zoo
Portland's zoo boasts the ever-popular Asian elephants, plus trains, a menagerie of animals, and an impressive program for imperiled critters.
Volcanoes National Park
On Hawaii's Big Island, you can tour Crater Rim Drive atop Kilauea's caldera and explore Bird Park on Mauna Loa.
Oahu: Obama Style
The President Obama Tour on Oahu romps through Honolulu and his favorite island haunts.
Vacation Essay
Why should Americans take vacations? Here's one writer's answer.
Western Souvenirs: Nov./Dec. 2009
Cowgirl Creamery's Pierce Pt. cheese is only available in fall and winter. Tillamook's three-year-old cheddar celebrates its 100-year anniversary. Jewelry by Susan Fleming graces the Depot Gallery in Ennis, Mont.
What's New in the West: Nov./Dec. 2009
A new planetarium show in San Francisco, a vertical city in Vegas, plus art openings, the latest travel books, and a new air terminal in Fairbanks lead the latest travel news.
Banzai Pipeline
Oahu's North Shore draws surfers with gigantic tubular waves in winter.
Coffee Exhibit
Portland's World Forestry Center Discovery Museum examines the history of coffee.
VIA Extras: Nov./Dec. 2009
Check out independent bookstores in the West, the Carmel Coast, great San Francisco neighborhoods, and the happening downtown in Modesto, Calif.
Treasures: Nov./Dec. 2009
Amish quilts star at San Francisco's de Young Museum; a gold pocket watch commemorates Alaska's 50th anniversary; and a centuries-old Japanese sword finds a home in Brookings, Ore.
Butterflies!
Three places in the West make for great butterfly viewing: Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Calif.; the Tropical Butterfly House in Seattle; and the butterfly habitat at Six Flags in Vallejo, Calif.
Abalone Farms
Four farms in California sell fresh abalone for mollusk lovers.
Cooking Abalone
Chef David Kinch of Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos, Calif., shares his tips on how to cook abalone.
Chimayo Chile Project
An heirloom chile makes a comeback, thanks to Marie Pilar Campos.
Solving Road Disputes
Avoid travel squabbles with these reader tips.
Hot & Spicy Eateries
VIA readers share their favorite restaurants that serve spicy dishes.
Park City Museum
A newly renovated museum in Utah includes features such as an old Skier Subway car and a video about bad boy Patsy Coughlin.
President's Message: Nov./Dec. 2009
Paula Downey discusses fuel efficiency and what drivers can do today and in the future.
Weekenders:
Saratoga, Wyo.
A Wyoming resort town touts a spa and the annual Ice Fishing Derby.
Downtown Modesto, Calif.
A Central Valley town offers antique shopping, the Gallo Center for the Arts, museums, and fun restaurants.
Civic Center in San Francisco
Opera, ballet, Asian art, city Hall, and an eclectic assortment of restaurants define this culture zone.
Goldwell Open Air Museum
Peruse a 24-hour outdoor sculpture park near Rhyolite, Nev., in the Mojave Desert.
Scuba Diving in Utah
Bonneville Seabase offers saltwater snorkeling and underwater exploration near Grantsville.
Old Pasadena, Calif.
A 22-square-block historic district hums with shoppers and diners during the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Astoria's Commodore Hotel
A newly reopened hotel on the Columbia River mixes modern touches with maritime history.
Duck Watching in Idaho
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge welcomes some 250 species of birds every fall on Lake Lowell near Nampa.
Grand Union Hotel
Built in 1882, an historic hotel in Fort Benton, Mont., reminds visitors of the city's heyday.
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