Taking preemptive measures on Tuesday, airlines began canceling Wednesday flights from New York to Chicago and easing ticket-change fees because of the nor'easter expected to hit the storm-weary East Coast on Wednesday.

Stake out a cool view of the Gulf of California from the renovated pool at Mexico's Las Ventanas al Paraiso, an upscale Baja resort that is celebrating its 15th year with a multimillion-dollar upgrade.

On Sunday, United Airlines' Boeing 787 Dreamliner made its inaugural commercial flight, flying from Houston to Chicago. The carrier became the first North American airline to fly the 787. The plane, fabricated from composite materials, is Boeing's first all-new one since the 1990s. It uses LED lighting and features shade-less windows that dim with the push of a button. Boeing has delivered the Dreamliner to five other airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines and LAN. Here's a look some of these planes.

A wavering El Niño makes this year’s winter outlook less certain than previous years, NOAA forecasters say. The phenomenon has not shown up as expected, making this one of the most challenging winters ever for forecasters. Typically, El Niño means warmer ocean water that can influence the strength and position of the jetstream and storms over the Pacific.  An El Niño watch remains in effect because there’s still a window for it to emerge . . . . Speaking of outlooks, a lighthearted survey of 1,062 people by Cheapflights.com finds that nearly equal numbers would choose President Obama to “fly their plane” as they would to “throw him off.” From a list of 19 past and current candidates, he was selected most often as the choice to pilot the plane as well as to be bumped from the flight. He was also top choice for a seatmate on a long fight . . . . ....

Greyhound will roll out its new Express service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas starting Wednesday with five round trips daily and two added round trips on Fridays and Saturdays. And seats start at just $1 each way.

Though fall is far from over, the Kaanapali Beach Hotel on Maui has put together a spring break deal that's good through the end of November. Daily breakfast for two and a rental car come with rooms starting at $215 a night.

Hotel guests and area residents can get their morning jolt of java or ease into the  evening with a glass of wine at Stonehaus, which opened last week in Westlake Village.

In 1950, Californians and gamblers knew of Las Vegas. But it wasn’t until Nov. 15 of that year that Sin City was thrust  into the national limelight.

It's a presidential election year, which also means that 2013 will be an inauguration year for whomever emerges as the victor Tuesday. If you plan to go but haven't yet made hotel plans, well, that's a good thing.

The historic Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix is putting rooms on sale for the holidays -- but only this week. Stay for the holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas) and pay just $89 a night.

Question: Several readers have asked for information about what to do when a relative who plans to make an airline trip dies before the trip can be taken. Does nonrefundable mean nonrefundable?

Both a virtual and honest-to-goodness human guide to wine country in northern Sonoma County.

AirTran and Southwest are offering a post-Sandy special from LAX to New York’s LaGuardia for $254 round-trip, including taxes and fees. The tickets must be purchased by Nov. 15; travel is Mondays-Saturdays through March 6. Conditions include some holiday blackouts.

When in Florence, Italy, be sure to visit the small Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the Museum of Precious Stones, to see how artisans used semi-precious stones and marble to create beautiful artwork hundreds of years ago.

During a trip to Paris in September, Mary Resnick and her husband, Lawrence, visited the Musee d’Dorsay. Inside the art museum, hosted within a rail station built for the 1900 World’s Fair, Resnick photographed this clock overlooking the Seine River.

NEW YORK -- The New York City Marathon has been canceled, but that hasn't alleviated transportation woes out of post-Sandy JFK airport.

Thrill seekers will have to wait a little longer for a big new ride as Knott's Berry Farm unveiled plans for a trio of family attractions in 2013 aimed at bridging the gap in the Buena Park theme park’s collection of kiddie and extreme rides.

A donation to the Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy can not only make you feel good but also comes with a thank yoiu in return.

Knott's Berry Farm plans to add a family coaster, a flying scooter and a classic scrambler ride in summer 2013. They will be part of the Buena Park theme park's Boardwalk section after a water ride is removed to make room for the new additions.

I saw dead people -- lots of them banging drums, dancing to mariachi music and roving the streets of downtown San Pedro. Dia de Los Muertos began Thursday night when Sixth Street came alive with skeletons wearing brightly colored shawls and skirts, and sporting huge painted-on grins. The highlight of the traditional Mexican holiday: more than 20 altars, carefully constructed with candles, dolls, keepsakes, pictures, treats and anything else that reminded their creators of the loved ones who have passed. The holiday continues Friday, so keep a look out for bony ones on the loose. --Mary Forgione

Fall colors come to Southern California, but usually a month later than the rest of the nation. So as November settles in, look for news from color spotters in the Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Even the most diligent parent can lose a kid now and then — mostly now. A new product may help take some of the angst and desperation out of such an event.

Red double-decker tour buses have begun rolling again in New York and Circle Line boats have started plying the waterways as tourism took a few more baby steps toward normalization after the super storm Sandy, AP reports. The Empire State Building, Broadway theaters, the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum, and many stores, have reopened. But the wire service says city parks (including Central Park), the High Line and the Statue of Liberty remain closed pending damage assessment . . . . Enjoy nibbles from top chefs and specialty food companies at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, Nov. 14-18. Tickets, www.sandiegowineclassic.com . . . . Las Vegas’ vibrant dining scene adds another player Dec. 28 with the opening of Andrea's, in Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. The 6,194-square-foot restaurant will feature a spacious lounge conducive to socializing, and a 2,100-square-...

For the last 42 years, the Big Island of Hawaii has celebrated its world-famous java each November at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. This year’s celebration of all things coffee and more begins today (Friday) and continues through Nov. 11 at various venues on the leeward (Kailua-Kona) side of the island.

Bank of America and Merrill Lynch card holders this weekend receive free admission to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, the Autry National Center in Griffith Park, the Hammer Museum in West L.A. and other venues in Southern California and across the country. Just show the card and you receive a cultural freebie.

Getting a visa for travel to Brazil – already a tricky task for Americans – got trickier this week.

Tens of thousands of vehicles took a modified route from California into Mexico on Thursday with the opening of an expanded entry point at the busy U.S.-Tijuana border crossing that hopes to double the number of vehicles processed.

Fight to be fit at a new luxury Bangkok hotel that has pulled out all stops to create a wellness center. There’s even a boxing ring in the hotel gym where guests can take Thai kickboxing lessons.  

Come early, leave late — and it won't cost you a dime extra.

If your name is John Kennedy or John Adams, Boston's Revere Hotel has a suite for you. Anyone with the name of a Massachusetts president or nominee (yes, Michael Dukakis counts) will receive a free night in the 24th-floor presidential suite and some extras such as a haircut from Mitt Romney's stylist.

Across America, tourists and armchair adventurers thrill to the idea of haunted hotels. Yet it turns out there are none. Despite all those websites, brochures, midnight tours and grainy, night-vision reality TV shows, we are stuck with no proof that ghosts exist at all. Which is a shame, because this country is full of ghost-worthy hotels, including these eight. In recognition of this fact, here's a gallery of photos from purportedly haunted lodgings I've inspected or slept in in the last few years from California to New York. In all those visits, I had no mysterious ill effects, heard no otherworldly noises, sensed no specters, and found no ectoplasmic traces (a great relief for maids, I'm sure). Really, there is nothing special about these places at all -- except that they all have long histories, many have intriguing architecture and some have great views. Christopher Reynolds

Pumpkins are rock stars at this time of year, not just for Halloween but for Thanksgiving too. But how many pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pies can one consume? Here are some other ways to get a pumpkin fix,  near and far.

Thanksgiving is already over in Canada--it’s celebrated the second Monday in October--so now our neighbors to the north are already preparing for Christmas festivities.

Even these animals at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, about an hour south of Anchorage, are celebrating Halloween. OK, maybe not celebrating but certainly chowing down on some pumpkins. One local grocer had some pumpkins that weren't quite right for customers, but they made a fine treat for the animals at the center, which takes in injured and orphaned wildlife, working with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They're returned to the wild if possible.

Las Vegas embarks on a whole new game next week when Aviation Nation rolls out at Nellis Air Force Base. Want to see a drone close up? Check out the M-9 reaper, which might even make a demo flight. Want to see your tax dollars at work? F-15 and F-16 fighter planes will be ready for inspection.

Those last-minute hotel booking apps on your smartphone can be more than just a convenience when a super-storm like Sandy blows into town.

This summer, we received over 1,500 vacation photos from readers. In September, we featured about 100 of our favorites. Summer is quickly becoming a far off memory, so we took one more look at the submissions to see what we missed. Here are 10 quirky images that made us grin.

It's a wonderful dog's life at Hyatt-Regency, Ritz-Carlton and La Quinta hotels and inns, according to the website Pet Hotels of America, which has listed its picks for the dog-friendliest hotel chains in America. 

Lake Tahoe ski resorts reported more than 3 feet of fresh powder last week, with several chairlifts opening early (the majority of the resorts are slated to open in mid-November). Best deal: the $299 Ski Lake Tahoe Six-Pack Lift Ticket offers six days of skiing/snowboarding at all seven Ski Lake Tahoe resorts. The lift tickets are completely transferable (friends, family or complete strangers can use them) and they do not have to be used on consecutive days. Details, click here . . . . Mammoth, meanwhile, reports more than a foot of snow from the storm, with temps cold enough that the snow guns are going at night.  Opening slated for Nov. 8 . . . . Might be the best Halloween San Francisco has ever seen. On Wednesday, the city is staging a ticker tape parade down Market Street after the team’s four-game sweep.  Looking to beat the mob,...

Interjet, a Mexican airline that began service from Orange County's John Wayne Airport earlier this month, has a surprise in store for passengers: $289 round-trip fares to Mexico, extra legroom and two free checked bags.   

JW Marriott Resorts have a little something extra for holiday visitors: a $100 credit to spend during their stay. The deal is good at resorts in Tucson, Orlando, Fla., San Antonio and other venues and lasts until the end of January.

And you thought travel insurance was necessary only for overseas trips?

More than 2,500 miles from the dramatic winds and rain of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, airport hotels in Los Angeles are seeing their own dramatic ebbs and flows: As cancellations stack up from travelers stranded elsewhere, travelers stranded here are eagerly booking rooms.