Tasting the Bounty of San Francisco Markets (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: May 16, 2008

Nearly every day in San Francisco there is a farmers’ market to check out, offering not only plenty to taste and buy, but sights, sounds and people-watching.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/travel/escapes/index.html?8dpc=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1210921249-A7Z6WZxdzEjYGqkPpjGLLw

Discovering Alabama From Its Watery Byway (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By CHRISTOPHER PERCY COLLIER
Published: May 16, 2008

Kayaking the new 631-mile Alabama Scenic River Trail is to discover nature and history along the route.

With multi-media travel guide

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/travel/escapes/16american.html?ref=escapes

Alaska counts down to the Big 5-0 (USA Today)

FROM USA Today:

By Kitty Bean Yancey
USA TODAY


"WE'RE IN," exulted the 6-inch-high front-page headline of the Anchorage Daily Times June 30, 1958.

The headline meant that the Alaska Statehood Act, already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, had passed the Senate. When President Eisenhower signed the legislation a week later, Alaska was approved to become the USA's 49th state.

Fifty years later, the summer tourist magnet is planning months of celebration, featuring some of the state's biggest bashes.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-05-15-alaska-anniversary_N.htm

Canada's little Venice (Ottawa Citizen)

From The Ottawa Citizen through canada.com:

by Gary May
Ottawa Citizen

Lagoon City boasts 3,000 residences and eight kilometres of canals.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=b9d2c2d6-7438-4b1e-bdd9-fd8283fa8137

New Podcast Posting: A Place for “Bosom Buddies” and “Kindred Spirits”

To many of us she is known simply as “Anne”.

“Anne” is Anne Shirley (spelled with an ‘e’, of course), a character created by the vivid imagination of Prince Edward Island author L.M. Montgomery. An orphan since her parents died of fever when she was an infant, Anne has long dreamed of finding a real home and a real family. Sent by mistake to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert - an elderly brother and sister living in Prince Edward Island - Anne is sure that she has found her place in the world once and for all. Known for her braids of fiery red hair, un-ending chatter, limitless imagination and unshakeable optimism, Anne has been a beloved friend for readers of all ages since the first novel in the series, Anne of Green Gables, was published in 1908.


Beyond the basic facts, Anne has come to mean much more than that to many. Her story translated into dozens of languages around the world, Anne has come to symbolize many things to different people. For some, she is representative of the modern woman - competing alongside the boys for scholarships and working hard to earn her way to college. For others, Anne’s determination to succeed and to thrive despite all obstacles has made her a symbol of hope, optimism and the power of faith. She is a familiar and comforting figure from childhood for those who met her as children. For the people of Prince Edward Island, Anne means summers filled with visitors seeking Green Gables House and “Avonlea.” No matter what your relationship to her, Anne is a powerful icon and the book’s success worldwide is proof of the universality of the quest for the things we all wish for in life: friendship, love, acceptance and a home. 2008 marks the centennial of Anne of Green Gables.


In this Conversations on the Road podcast, Campbell Webster speaks with us from Prince Edward Island about Anne, what she means to anne enthusiasts and the region, and finbally just what is planned this year as part of Anne2008.


At:

http://www.conversationsontheroad.com/

New Stamp Puts Sinatra Back in the Spotlight (NPR)

From NPR News:

Morning Edition
May 13, 2208

A commemorative stamp of Ol' Blue Eyes debuts 10 years after the singer's death.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90384989

The Octopus Thing (NPR)

From NPR News:

Day to Day
May 12, 2008

Detroit Red Wings building manager Al Sobotka talks about the tradition of throwing a good-luck octopus onto the ice at the hockey team's playoff games. League officials banned the practice, but it's been recently revived — with a few changes for safety.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90371601

Call Your Mother (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By Thomas L. Friedman
Published: May 11, 2008

"The ad popped up in my e-mail the way it always has: '1-800-Flowers: Mother’s Day Madness — 30 Tulips + FREE vase for just $39.99!'"

"...I almost clicked on it, forgetting for a moment that those services would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Friedman, died last month at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without a mom..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/opinion/11friedman.html?hp

Recycling a Relic in Detroit (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

by Joe Lapoint
May 11, 2008

Decision due on the fate of Tiger Stadium (with slide show)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/sports/baseball/11stadium.html?em&ex=1210651200&en=5a9d9537e49fb79c&ei=5087%0A

The world food tour, on foot, on the cheap (Ottawa Citizen)

From The Ottawa Citizen via canada.com:

by Rebecca Stevenson

From Mexico to Israel to Jamaica to Vietnam, Toronto's Kensington Market serves up a culinary feast that even the most budget-minded will love.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/canada/story.html?id=1ec55ff0-e238-412f-b545-d67251faef8f

Spend the night in a teepee, dine on wild game (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:

Maniwaki reserve offers opportunity to engage culture of Algonquins.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/canada/story.html?id=dab9afff-fe5e-4f32-9a80-1aa6cba8b6ea

Hungry? Head to the Heartland (Chicago Tribune)

From The Chicago Tribune:

By Phil Vettel
May 11, 2008

"My search for out-of-the-way Midwest dining jewels encompassed more than 600 miles, three states and one hotel that I hope never to revisit...And it was totally worth it".


http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-midwest-eats_r_pmmay11,0,1660510.story?page=1

Living large in Rhode Island (Boston Globe)

From The Boston Globe:

A Slide Show
By Patricia Harris and David Lyon
May 11, 2008

"Rhode Island is proof that good things come in small packages. At just 1,214 square miles, Little Rhody is smaller than some Texas counties, but its stature has never kept Rhode Island from thinking big. Witness its bay-spanning suspension bridge and first-in-the-nation outdoor jazz festival. Here are leads on exploring a baker’s dozen of the biggest things in the smallest state".

http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/rhodeisland/galleries/big_in_rhode_island/

Second Time Around: Boston (Washington Post)

From The Washington Post:

by Jane Black
May 11, 2008

"You've Done This: Try This - We present a dozen Boston tourist traps paired with their lesser-known equivalents that locals treasure for fresh trip experiences".

With a slide show.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/09/AR2008050900515.html

Rural Wisconsin "book shop" (CBS News)

From CBS News:

By Bill Geist
CBS Sunday Morning, May 11, 2008

Down County Road K in Markesan, Wis., Lloyd and Leonore Dickmann -- a farmer and retired college professor -- have a used bookstore they estimate has a million books. There are no billboards to lead you there, no signs directing you down the driveway. Yet people come. This all started simply enough, with Lenore's small book collection which, somehow, grew big enough to fill a bookstore. So they opened one. But Leonore kept buying books and they outgrew the store too. So they moved it into a larger building right on the farm. And when they had too many books for their space on the farm, Lloyd decided to empty the silo that held cow droppings and, somehow, because Leonore wanted to, they turned it into a castle that's now filled with books. In fact, they now have books in more than a dozen buildings on their farm.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/09/sunday/main13562.shtml

Charlie Brown: Authenticity and Honesty (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Scott Simon
Weekend Edition Saturday, May 10, 2008

Charlie Brown was born in 1950, at a time of cautious optimism about America's global role after World War II, and about the average guy's day-to-day prospects back in the states.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90344033

Heard on the Radio: "Rising Beer Prices could leave you tapped out”

Small brewers line up to pay premium prices for scarce ingredients - A double-whammy shortages of two main ingredients have sent the price of beer significantly higher - After water, the biggest components of most beers are malted barley, whose sugar starches are fermented into alcohol, and hops, which add the bitter tang. In recent months, both have been in increasingly short supply, and when they have been available, their prices have leaped — by as much as 500 percent in the case of hops.

Peter Martin, head brewer at Brown’s Brewing Co. in Troy, N.Y. talks with Mark Walsh & Sam Seder about it in a "Beer America" segment on "Left Jab Radio".

The segment can be heard on XM Satellite Radio's Channel 167 Saturday at 11 am or Sunday at 1 pm. If you miss it there, it can be heard as a podcast at http://www.leftjabradio.com

They Came to New York for the Waters (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By EVE M. KAHN
Published: May 9, 2008

A century ago, New York State spas were pacesetters when it came to luxury.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/travel/escapes/09Mineral.html?ref=escapes

Passing: Eddie Arnold, Country Singer who bridged to Pop (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

A crossover music star who helped to make a niche mainstream.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/arts/music/09arnold.html?ref=obituaries

Mural Tests Vermont Law That Forbids Billboards (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By Katie Zezima
Published: May 8, 2008

Despite its retro charm, a mural painted on the side of a barn has come under fire in a state determined to keep its landscape free of commercial intrusion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/us/08vermont.html?ref=us

New Podcast Posting: Minnesota’s 150 Years of Statehood

The land of 10,000 Lakes is celebrating 150 years of statehood this year. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the Union as the 32nd state.

We speak with Tayne Danger from the Sesquicentennial Commission in St. Paul about Minnesota’s origins, its history as a state, and just what they’re doing this year in the way of celebrating.

At:
http://www.conversationsontheroad.com

Passing: Irvine Robbins, Ice Cream Entrepreneur and a Maestro of 31 Flavors (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By Dennis Hevesi
Published: May 7, 2008

Irvine Robbins, who with his brother-in-law, Burton Baskin, started the Baskin-Robbins chain of ice cream stores — together concocting quirky flavor combinations with names like Daiquiri Ice, Pink Bubblegum and Here Comes the Fudge — died on Monday near his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 90.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/business/07robbins.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=obituaries&adxnnlx=1210169956-KgmccCI3/vNnxYb/q3htaQ

Utah Dudes Undertake 48-State Road Trip (NPR)

From NPR News:

Bryant Park Project
May 6, 2008

Joey Stocking, Adam Gatherum and Josh Keeler are attempting a record-breaking cross-America road trip. As Keeler says on a cell phone call Tuesday morning, the three friends started driving in Vermont on Sunday to begin their attempt to hit all 48 continental states in 124 hours — and beat the record by three hours.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90245843