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11 things you need to know to cross the U.S.-Mexico border
11 things you need to know to cross the U.S.-Mexico border
By Spud Hilton
So you take a day trip or a weekend out of San Diego to visit an evolving Tijuana, or the burgeoning wine regions of northern Baja, and now you have to get back into the United States. Don’t worry; it’s ... -
This Baja wine region is the Napa Valley of Mexico
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After disasters, now is the perfect time to go to Hawaii
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Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood
Podcast: Everest guide Adrian Ballinger and rock climber Emily...
Subscribe to the Wild West podcast here . Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington are one of the pre-eminent power couples in outdoor sports. He’s a mountain guide who has summited Mount Everest eight ...
This Week's Stories
The 8 creepiest places to fall asleep in California
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here . While scaring guests half to death might seem like an iffy marketing proposition most of the year, October is the month when ...
Friday Fares: Cabo, Barcelona, Vegas, Rome, Nashville, Taipei, Phoenix, Singapore and more.
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area. This week our ...
A tech-fueled revolution in air travel is nearly here
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here . It was rush hour in Los Angeles, but I was going 155 miles an hour, northbound along Interstate 5. Ordinarily that would merit ...
Oh, crap! All toilets at New York JFK terminal shut down
A water main break at New York JFK Airport at 8:30 this morning shut down all toilets at JetBlue's Terminal 5, forcing travelers to "hold it" until they got on the plane-- which, according to social media ...
Review: Across the pond in United's shrinking economy seat
This flight from San Francisco to London is my umpteenth time in United's extra-legroom Economy Plus section. I've lost count of just how many times after spending hundreds of thousands of air miles in ...
Chris McGinnis
How to find a great meal in a strange city
Travelers often rely on social media reviews when they're trying to find a good restaurant in a strange new city, but not all reviews – or reviewers – are created equal. I rely on social media to ...
Howls over Hyatt program changes
Hyatt Hotels this week is telling members of its World of Hyatt loyalty program about some changes coming to award redemptions effective November 1, affecting suites, upgrades and points + cash ...
Details about Alaska Airlines’ new basic economy fares
In January, Alaska Airlines announced it would follow in the footsteps of competitors in selling deeply discounted, fee-heavy and highly restrictive "basic economy" fares. Months later, the airline said it ...
Why frequent travelers hate their jobs
When you travel on business for your company, are you forced to stick to a travel policy that nickels-and-dimes you on air fare and hotels, and a trip schedule that eats into your personal time? If so, ...
See the 10 newest Marriott hotels in Manhattan (PHOTOS)
Over the past two years, Marriott and its recently acquired Starwood brands have enjoyed a growth spurt in New York City. As of this month, the behemoth brand boasts at least 10 new hotels in Manhattan ...
New hotels: Las Vegas, Chicago, Portland, Phoenix, St. Louis
In news of the latest hotel openings, the top floors of Las Vegas' Park MGM hotel-casino have been remade into a separate upscale hotel; Marriott brings its Aloft brand to Chicago's Magnificent Mile ...
Routes: United adds California flights + Aeromexico, Delta,...
In route news this week, United unveils more changes to its domestic network, including new California routes; Aeromexico backs off a San Jose market; Delta plans a new transatlantic flight from Boston and ...
Alaska Airlines boosts bag fees
Alaska Airlines is the latest carrier to raise its fees for checked bags, effective for tickets purchased starting December 5. In August, JetBlue and United increased their checked bag fees from $25 to ...
Travel Troubleshooter: New Mexico wildfires made Boy Scout...
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. Enter your email and click “Sign up.” Q: I’m writing on behalf of Boy Scout Troop 130 in Morehead City, N.C. We ...
Friday Fare Deals: Texas, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Paris, London,...
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area. (This is ...
Airport news: PreCheck adds + Istanbul update + JFK, LAX...
In airport news, TSA adds three new airlines to the PreCheck roster; the opening of Istanbul's huge new airport is delayed; American starts work on a big terminal overhaul at LAX; the Transportation ...
Chris McGinnis
6 reasons why now is the "golden age" of air travel
I always cringe when I hear people talking about the so-called "golden age of travel." You know, back then when people used to “dress up” to travel. When flight attendants in go-go boots doted on ...
6 new long-haul flights taking off from SFO
Ready to fly to far away places? Then San Francisco International Airport is where you can take off this fall. Three airlines are bringing new flights or additional frequencies to five transpacific and ...
Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii: An update on what we...
When it comes to Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii, there are still so many questions, so few answers. One of the most highly anticipated announcements along the west coast this year is exactly when ...
Cash is not king in the airline ecosystem
Cash is king, except for air travelers. Recently, something caught my eye traveling through airports in Jacksonville and Denver: reverse ATM kiosks where travelers can turn cash into prepaid debit ...
Fares tumble as airlines ramp up service to Palm Springs
Palm Springs has found itself in a position that is the envy of small cities across America: its airport has captured the undivided attention of the airlines. This year, Palm Springs International ...
Airport news: Seattle, New York, Dallas, LAX, LaGuardia
In airport news, the FAA gives a green light to delayed commercial airline service out of Paine Field north of Seattle- and two airlines will add flights to SFO; the New York Governor's Office releases ...
Routes: United at SFO; Singapore, Cathay, Lufthansa, Delta,...
In airline route news this week, United will double frequencies on a popular transcon route from San Francisco and will overhaul its Denver schedules; Singapore Airlines starts the world's longest ...
Friday Fare Deals: NYC, DC, Hawaii (still!), Dubai, Barcelona,...
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area. This week we have ...
Was Jack London “the Steve Jobs of his day”?
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. Enter your email and click “Sign up.” Typically, renovating a small museum shouldn’t be that difficult: some newly ...
Hemp activist finds fertile ground in Hawaii for creating...
While Hawaii has long been known for its coffee and macadamia nut industries, the islands are now cultivating a reputation for hemp with the help of a former Bay Area resident. Under the Industrial Hemp ...
California footwear maker OluKai understands sole of aloha spirit
While it can be easy for consumer brands to co-opt the appeal of the aloha spirit for good looks and revenue, some weave their purpose tightly within the fabric of community. Take, for example, OluKai, ...
The ultimate guide to Livermore's top wineries
“What are we, chopped Livermore?” The prominence of Livermore'w wine scene has shifted in the past 15 years. These are the top wineries to visit.
Podcast: Everest guide Adrian Ballinger and rock climber Emily...
Subscribe to the Wild West podcast here . Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington are one of the pre-eminent power couples in outdoor sports. He’s a mountain guide who has summited Mount Everest eight ...
This Week's Stories
The 8 creepiest places to fall asleep in California
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here . While scaring guests half to death might seem like an iffy marketing proposition most of the year, October is the month when ...
Friday Fares: Cabo, Barcelona, Vegas, Rome, Nashville, Taipei, Phoenix, Singapore and more.
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area. This week our ...
A tech-fueled revolution in air travel is nearly here
The Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here . It was rush hour in Los Angeles, but I was going 155 miles an hour, northbound along Interstate 5. Ordinarily that would merit ...
Oh, crap! All toilets at New York JFK terminal shut down
A water main break at New York JFK Airport at 8:30 this morning shut down all toilets at JetBlue's Terminal 5, forcing travelers to "hold it" until they got on the plane-- which, according to social media ...
Review: Across the pond in United's shrinking economy seat
This flight from San Francisco to London is my umpteenth time in United's extra-legroom Economy Plus section. I've lost count of just how many times after spending hundreds of thousands of air miles in ...
Featured Columnists
Weekend getaway to Skyline Ridge on the Peninsula
What you see: At Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, you can take a short stroll to pretty Horseshoe Lake. Or you can go all day, with an ambitious hike or mountain bike ride to a ridge with a view west across the foothills, the Butano Rim and to the coast. What you have here is a preserve ...
Going straight to the source: a day of crabbing on Monterey Bay
In a few hours, Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf will be packed with people — perusing menus at seafood restaurants, browsing souvenir shops, snacking on saltwater taffy, and leaning over the railing to ...
How sleepy Healdsburg became a dining destination
Chef Dustin Valette is a third-generation Healdsburg native whose downtown restaurant Valette is proudly housed in his great-grandfather’s former bake shop. A quarter century ago, he remembers the plaza ...
One Day, One Place: Amador City
Matt Andrae is sipping a latte on the back deck of his eponymous bakery, the burble of a flowing creek filling the air behind him. With just 170 residents, more or less, and a downtown a couple of blocks ...
Sample the landscape, not the wine, in Napa Valley
Much of the old-growth forest was felled for the sawmill that once operated here, but in the narrow canyons, some old giants persist. The preserve offers a taste of a lesser-seen side of this world-famous ...
User-friendly arts capital: See farm country’s cultivated side
Dominating the gallery’s front yard are two gigantic animal sculptures, “Roy the Dog” and “Calico Cat,” brilliantly colored, whimsical and not intimidating in the least. Famed first for farming, ...
Big Basin: Finding solitude in California’s oldest state park
Morning mist collects in branches reaching high above the forest floor of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, making me feel as if the trees and I are surrounded by a protective fog. Intense greens of mosses ...