LOS ANGELES -- Starline Tours is one of the biggest players in a city where tourists spend billions of dollars a year to gawk at the Hollywood sign, take selfies on Hollywood Boulevard and buy overpriced souvenirs.

But the 50-year-old company that was born in the shadow of Grauman's Chinese Theatre is facing a new, out-of-town rival to ...Read more

A city full of music

When I set out last year to write about great American music venues, the idea was to pick buildings whose histories are steeped in music, including familiar names such as Carnegie Hall in New York and half-hidden treasures such as Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla. New Orleans reshaped my thinking.

This city's musical roots ...Read more

It takes 35 hours to get from Los Angeles to Seattle on Amtrak's Coast Starlight train. Thirty-five. Hours.

Tasked with finding out what it's like to ride a train for a day and a half, I armed myself with books and crosswords to combat boredom, an extra hoodie to serve as blanket and pillow leverage, and a bag of toiletries to limit my own ...Read more

Washington, D.C.'s cherry blossoms are expected to look their loveliest in early April, according to their stewards, the National Park Service. Here's a guide to the blossoms and the festival celebrating them.

What: The National Cherry Blossom Festival, a chance to enjoy and celebrate the beauty of the cherry trees planted along Washington, D.C...Read more

We darted across the frozen lake wearing wool socks and swimsuits, the icy snow crunching beneath our feet.

Under the pitch-black night sky, steam radiated off our bodies like translucent capes in the below-freezing air after sitting in the 200-degree sauna. A lantern on the ground marked the ominous black hole carved in the ice. One by one, my...Read more

In the gathering dusk of late summer, a crowd stares expectantly at the skies above Wakulla Springs State Park.

Just 16 miles from downtown Tallahassee, Fla., the 6,000-acre wilderness sanctuary is home to Wakulla River and the world's largest, deepest freshwater spring. The place so impressed Native Americans that they called it "Wakulla," ...Read more

Las Vegas resort fees are pesky, but travelers will be happy to know that some Vegas resorts are lowering their fees or offering no-resort-fee promotions to entice more guests and increase visitation rates.

Resort fees are daily additional charges for guest services such as Wi-Fi and pool and gym access, fees that are generally included in room...Read more

The Venetian is giving "the world" to its luxury travelers with a four-night $450,000 package. The "Want The World" package pulls out all the luxury stops in some outrageous ways.

Travelers who book the package will arrive in Vegas by private jet, be picked up by a Maybach car and whisked away to the Venetian.

They'll receive a VIP check-in ...Read more

Most of us are guilty of having stolen something from a hotel, whether it was a hair dryer or a fancy glass from the lobby bar.

However, instead of punishing sticky-fingered guests, one historic hotel in New Orleans will reward one of them with a free seven-night hotel package valued at $15,000.

Now through July 1, The Roosevelt New Orleans, A...Read more

CHICAGO--You've had beer. Maybe even enjoyed it.

But you haven't indulged in beer until you've indulged in beer: a 98-degree bath filled with hops, yeast, herbs and, yes, beer.

The beer soak, as it is called at Piva Beer Spa, is a transcendental moment in a day of beer-fueled relaxation. It dazzles every sense: the warmth of the water, the ...Read more

San Diego's Hotel del Coronado is a legendary property, one that has hosted a long list of presidents over the years and even served as the backdrop for Marilyn Monroe's "Some Like it Hot."

The iconic property is synonymous with luxury and elegance. But even the most revered hotels need a facelift now and then.

In the case of Hotel del ...Read more