Set on a coastal bluff, Sea Ranch assimilates with the elements rather than confronting them.
Eros Hoagland for The New York Times
Set on a coastal bluff, Sea Ranch assimilates with the elements rather than confronting them.
By PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN
A cluster of homes on the California coast called Sea Ranch lifts the souls of design aficionados with its style forged by A-list architects and its deference to nature.
PRACTICAL TRAVELER
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
The Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 2005.
As business travel continues to decline and even the wealthy begin to cut back on spending, the luxury travel segment is being hit hard, resulting in a bevy of bargains for those with cash to burn.
JOURNEYS
By AMY THOMAS
Rows of chocolate pastries and confections at Jean-Pierre Hévin.
Take a decadent, two-wheeled tour of the best chocolate boutiques in Paris. Find a molten chocolate fountain, cocoa-dusted ganache and more.
By DAVID SUTTON / Forbes.com
It's no wonder expats find Canada so welcoming. It has an accessible language, diverse culture and low levels of government corruption.
Expats say Canada, Germany and Australia are the best countries to live in, while the United Arab Emirates is the most difficult.
By PAUL SCHEMM AND SEBASTIAN ABBOT / AP
A belly dancer performing at the Shahrazad nightclub in central Cairo.
The bars that once flourished amid the sweeping boulevards of the Egyptian capital are in danger of dying because of growing Islamic piety, particularly the Muslim prohibition of alcohol.
SURFACING
By SETH SHERWOOD
The Rue du Faubourg des Postes seen through the window of Jardins de Mode.
Under a creative public initiative, the French city of Lille has been recruiting young fashion designers to set up shop in downbeat neighborhoods. For Lille, the benefit is an injection of cool and cachet, to say nothing of chic prêt-à-porter.
By JESSICA MICHAULT
Zaha Hadid's white column Christmas tree sold for 46,000 euros.
At the "Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs" charity auction in Paris, 44 designer Christmas trees in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles were sold.
By LAURIE WINER
The entrance to Grotesk restaurant in Helsinki.
Finns have not forgotten the slights about their food. But surprise, the restaurant culture of Helsinki is a proud paradise of local produce, fish and meat.
By SHIVANI VORA
Meditation in front of the Shri Krishna Temple at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in Woodbourne, one of several ashrams and monasteries in upstate New York.
In upstate New York, ashrams and Buddhist monasteries offer low-cost peace, quiet and order to the stressed, harried and not necessarily religious.
By ERIC ASIMOV
A wine list requires a reverse-angle analysis. It should be judged not from the top down but from the bottom up. It should offer thoughtful and possibly even exciting choices at every level.
2009 SKI GUIDE | NEXT STOP
By LIONEL BEEHNER
Black diamonds rule the slopes of Mount Mackenzie.
With 3,000 skiable acres, and a vertical drop of 5,620 feet, Revelstoke is the biggest news to hit the North American slopes in years.
By RACHEL DONADIO AND ANTHEE CARASSAVA
Protesters throwing stones at policemen guarding Greece's parliament in Athens on Wednesday.
A general strike in Greece is disrupting services after four days of violent protests over a police killing.
ON THE ROAD
By JOE SHARKEY
Thw Transportation Security Administration has fired 465 officers for theft since the spring of 2003.
2009 SKI GUIDE
By CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON
Skiers at Riksgransen, located more than 130 miles above the Arctic Circle.
There's an understanding among Scandinavia's diehard skiers: when the weather turns warm, it's time to finish off the season at the world's northernmost ski resort: Riksgransen, Sweden.
2009 SKI GUIDE
By NICHOLAS KULISH
Zermatt's iconic Alpine peak is perhaps best appreciated on its own turf.
Gliding among pale blue glaciers and breathing the hard, clean wind on nearly 200 miles of marked trails is the essence of skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland.
By HERBERT A. SAMPLE / AP
 Tourists taking surfing lessons off Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Tours of Barack Obama-related sites are few but set to increase as the presidential inauguration nears.
It happened to Plains, Georgia, and Crawford, Texas, but Honolulu, the birthplace of the president-elect, is not expected to swept by tourists seeking out locations where he lived or studied.
AP
The EU transport chief wants European governments to extend passenger rights to those who travel by bus or by sea.
By ERIC ASIMOV
No other category has the sheer variety of styles and expressions that single malt whiskey offers, nor has any other whiskey been as carefully analyzed, codified and parsed.
CHECK IN, CHECK OUT
By ANDREW FERREN
A light-filled dining area at the Hilton London Tower Bridge hotel.
The recently opened Hilton London Tower Bridge in the city's South Bank manages to fill two voids. During the week, its 245 rooms fill up with conference attendees and business types, but also a weekend crowd.
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Swine at Sterksel, an experimental center that converts pig waste into gases that are burned for energy and then sold to the grid.
What to do about farm emissions is one of the main issues being discussed during international talks on a new global warming treaty.
FINDINGS
By JOHN TIERNEY
Have Americans been seduced into overeating by the so-called health halo associated with certain foods and restaurants?
By STEVEN KURUTZ
Fans at Lebowski Fest last month in New York.
The White Russian, a sweet cocktail made with vodka, Kahlúa and cream or milk, is seeing a renaissance thanks in large part to the cult following of "The Big Lebowski."
ON THE ROAD
By JOE SHARKEY
Consultant's book recommends "stepping back from the metaphorical baggage claim in life."
By HENRY SHUKMAN
Andrew Dean, right, and Scott Garland, chefs at the Masons Arms in Branscombe.
In Britain as elsewhere, organic restaurants are increasingly seeking out local suppliers. After all, what good is an organic carrot or blueberry with a giant carbon footprint?
By JOYCE HOR-CHUNG LAU
The Michelin guide for 2009 gave a top ranking of three stars to two area restaurants: Robuchon a Galera in Macao and Lung King Heen in Hong Kong.
AP
Water in Venice rose to its highest level in more than 20 years Monday, flooding much of the Italian city and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water.
By ADAM BEGLEY
Tourists roll through the piazza near the Basilica di Santa Croce. The basilica plays an early part in "A Room With a View."
Perhaps the best way to enjoy the capital of Tuscany is to swap your guidebook for a copy of "A Room With a View" — and see this city as E. M. Forster captured it 100 years ago.
SURFACING
By LIONEL BEEHNER
Piran, Slovenia, on the Adriatic, a well-preserved medieval town, was once part of the Venetian empire.
Pleasure-seeking travelers are flocking to Piran, Slovenia, to experience the Tuscan-like rolling vineyards, coastal views and rich cuisine — but without the throngs of tourists.
By KEITH BRADSHER
The deadly terrorist attacks at the Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotels in Mumbai could leave an enduring imprint on the design and security procedures of luxury hotels.
Multimedia
More Multimedia:

Roger Collis's top travel Web sites
  • OAGflights.com: Shows flight schedules for 1,000 airlines (including low cost carriers) serving 3,000 airports around the world.
  • Opodo.com: Powered by Amadeus, offers more than 350,000 fares from 480 airline partners.
  • Trailfinders.com and Airline-Network.co.uk: Cheap long-haul flights from the UK.
  • Orbitz.com: A travel site created by American Airlines, Continental, Delta and Northwest.
  • Flightbliss.com: Strategies and deals for buying first-, or business-class, tickets at a discount, or upgrading with frequent flier miles for U.S.-based travelers.
  • Travel.com.au: Australian site offering round-the-world deals, stop-over packages, activity holidays and more.
  • Skyscanner.net: Searches airline and travel sites for cheapest flights between European cities; to and from a wide range of regional airports; and worldwide from Britain.
  • Flighttime.com: Online booking facility for executive aircraft charter, from more than 2,000 operators around the world.
  • Bestairfares.ca: Discounted fares from Canada to Europe, Africa, Middle-East and Central Asia.
  • TravelMaker.co.il: A useful option for travelers based in Israel to book travel abroad.
  • Imperialconsultants.com: Montreal-based specialists in creative ticketing for first- and business-class travelers.
  • Travelonweb.com: More than 1 million negotiated fares from France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland to destinations around the world.
  • Asiatravelmart.com: A Malaysia-based site that offers flight and hotel bargains.
  • Expedia.com: The Microsoft U.S. site links to sites in the UK, Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Netherlands.
  • Zuji.com: Based in Singapore for Asia-Pacific-based travel.
  • Star-alliance.com: Check schedules and published fares and book flights for any of the Star Alliance partners for trips starting at most business destinations worldwide.
  • Europebyair.com: A Flight Pass program intended for North Americans visiting Europe allows you to build your own itinerary and to book one-way travel.
  • Travelocity.com: Airline, hotel and car rental information, scheduling and booking service from the Sabre global distribution system.
  • Airlinequality.com: Skytrax airline research compares seat pitches and recommends the best seats to ask for on all the major carriers.
  • Flatseats.com: Compares first- and business-class 'lie-flat' seat-beds and (nearly) horizontal 'angled flat-seats' along with 'sleep comfort ratings' on many carriers.
  • Lovemyseat.com & Seatscorecard.com: A seat selection tool showing you the best leg room, recline and locations for over 80 airlines.
  • Seatguru.com: Tells you which seats to choose and which to avoid on long-haul flights.
  • Globalflight.net: Mileage junkies can check the status of more than 120 frequent flier programs and partner programs and plan their strategies.
  • MaxMiles.com: MaxMiles Mileage Miner consolidates all your mileage accounts into one document.
  • Webflyer.com: Comprehensive, up-to-date information on all frequent flier programs. More than 2,000 screens of news and resources in an easy-to-use format.
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