Pretty soon West Palm Beachers might ask you, "Have you been to the Ben?"

That's because a cool new Florida hotel -- the Ben West Palm -- is coming to the hot downtown area with an opening slated for Feb. 13.

The boutique hotel sits on Flagler Banyan Square, where City Hall used to be. The location gives the Ben bragging rights as downtown ...Read more

Once a well-kept secret, Sri Lanka has gained popularity for its beautiful beaches, incredible hillsides with tea plantations, and elaborate Buddhist temples. Although the country is small, it packs a punch with lots to see and do - so much in fact that we recommend at least two weeks to experience the culture, cuisine, landscape, and history on...Read more

NORFOLK, Va. -- The expression on my face must have shown my sheer frustration. I had been waiting half an hour for Fred -- make that F.R.E.D. (Free Ride Every Day.) This eco-friendly taxi comes equipped with battery power and solar roof and is available on request for those in need of a ride to a specific Norfolk destination.

As luck would ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Much attention has been focused on Washington in recent weeks as the impeachment hearings have played out. The president may have been impeached, but there is one unimpeachable fact regarding our nation's capital. It has developed quite the reputation for world-class cuisine. From sizzling steaks to spicy Afghan kebobs, Washington ...Read more

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- The "Great Skedaddle" proved the salvation of Beaufort, the jewel in the crown of South Carolina's Low Country. Following the 1861 firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, which precipitated the Civil War, the entire state was under siege. Beaufort, just 70 miles south of Charleston, was at particular risk.

The city's residents --...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Six Flags Magic Mountain in nearby Valencia operates the world's longest hybrid coaster, the world's first 360-degree vertical loop and the West Coast's tallest pendulum ride.

So when the executives at the self-described roller coaster capital of the world were looking for a new kind of thrill to offer adrenaline-junkie fans, ...Read more

By now you have probably overdosed on all those Hallmark Christmas movies that begin before Halloween and continue up to New Year's Day. You know -- the ones that are always set in impossibly picturesque small towns where the entire population turns out to light up the tree and help the hero and heroine rekindle an old flame.

If you're tired of...Read more

LATROBE, Pa. -- "Welcome to Mr. Rogers' real neighborhood," says Mary Lou Townsend as she opens the door to the Latrobe Area Historical Society on a warm fall Friday afternoon.

The building, formerly a synagogue, sits on a tree-lined street in the small town with a population of about 8,000, about an hour outside Pittsburgh. Just a few blocks ...Read more

SAN ANTONIO -- As I made my way past the steps leading down to the river level of the Paseo del Rio and headed toward La Villita, I found myself surrounded by an army of black-clad figures, faces painted a luminous white, giving them a skull-like appearance. It might have been a scene from "The Walking Dead."

It wasn't the "Walking Dead," ...Read more

LOMPOC, Calif. -- I thought I'd seen everything.

Then I discovered a remarkable collection of the world's oldest pictorial art hiding out in Lompoc, a modest hamlet perched on the wave-dashed coast of California, north of Santa Barbara.

Murals are what I mean, 36 huge paintings on the walls in the Old Town district, an art whose origins reach ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Just as the Death Star exploded into stardust in the movie "Return of the Jedi," the popular Star Wars attraction at Legoland California will also soon evaporate.

Jan. 6 is the last day visitors at the Carlsbad theme park will be able to tour Star Wars Miniland, an extensive outdoor collection of more than 2,000 Lego brick models ...Read more