By Roger Allnutt Located on the west coast of the country facing the Arabian Sea, Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is India’s most vibrant city. It’s the financial capital of India, the country’s busiest port, a thriving center for film production…
The Gateway of India in Mumbai
By Joann Deutch Most road warriors who set off for an Alaskan adventure head off to the Denali. My mission – to see the Bering Sea and the Aleutians Islands – took me in the other direction. My route took…
A remote cabin off the Sterling HIghway on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula (Photo by Joann Deutch)
By Rachel Melikian An orphaned unknown teenage girl, the greatest, bravest woman in history, miraculously arrived alone in the United States 101 years ago, after three and a half years of wandering on foot from her hometown in Western Armenia.…
By Rachel Melikian What do Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Franz Werfel, Clark Gable, Sarky Mouradian, and Sylvester Stallone have in common? They were fascinated by the Armenian heroism explored in Franz Werfel’s book, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.” This literary-historical gem…
By J.C. Thomas The seaside village of Del Mar, just north of San Diego, is surely one of the loveliest spots in all Southern California. More than 2 miles of sandy beaches bound Del Mar, encompassing coastal parks, playgrounds, top-notch…
L'Auberge Del Mar, a luxury hotel on the coast of Del Mar, California
By J.C. Thomas Newport Beach, one in a string of glorious beach towns along the coast of Orange County, has a reputation for being fancy. There’s no denying it’s a gilded playground of sorts, profuse with country clubs and yachts,…
Beachfront views from the private terrace of a cottage at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina
America, We Thank You By Rachel Melikian On Oct. 29 this year 405 Congress members struck a historic bipartisan vote for the house resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 1915 to 1923. The H. Res, 296 strives to “commemorate the…
By J.C. Thomas Many SoCal residents are eagerly awaiting the arrival of snow in Big Bear, whether it’s by nature or machine. But with temperatures across California still on the warmer side, we’ll all just have to be patient. Real…
Racing go-karts at the Big Bear Speedway
By J.C. Thomas Irvine is commonly characterized by the hundreds of corporate headquarters whose high-rise office buildings tower over the city’s neat and sunshiny master-planned landscape. This makes it easy to overlook Irvine as a vacation destination, but look beyond…
One year after his death, the “last of the giants,” is still on stage By Rachel Melikian He was short, plain and not conventionally attractive, yet against the odds, he climbed to the global heights and was named “France’s Frank…
By J.C. Thomas With vibrant and artsy Oakland as its urban hub, the East Bay is a fantastic destination for a family getaway. Adding to its appeal are dozens of other charming cities set against substantial stretches of wilderness. Whether…
A resident lion at Oakland Zoo
By Rachel Melikian Photographs preserve history and teach us about the past without any language involved, but as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. Now most of us are amateur photographers using smartphones to capture selfies…