ArcaMax

Two centuries ago, there were dozens of independent states in the part of Europe that was German-speaking. Today, there are only four: Germany, Austria, Switzerland ... and Liechtenstein.

I like the way tiny countries are defined so clearly by geography. Liechtenstein is a bowl in the mountains – high ridges on the east, milky baby Rhine ...Read more

Suviche, anyone? We were spending the weekend at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and having a sunset dinner overlooking the 18th hole at Toro, the resort's newest expansive restaurant in the Clubhouse of TPC Scottsdale. Toro is a collaboration with celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, with a “...Read more

After growing up in the college town of Champaign, Illinois, “Reasonable Doubt” actor McKinley Freeman didn’t get homesick when he attended college. He chose to study finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Growing up in Champaign was cool,” said the actor, who’s now based out of Los Angeles. “I still keep in touch...Read more

Getting close to one of the big icons of Western civilization – the Acropolis, the Palace of Versailles, the Colosseum – can be the spine-tingling high point of a European trip. But don’t paper over Europe’s “smaller” achievements. Many of Europe’s lasting cultural contributions are captured on dusty sheets of vellum or parchment, ...Read more

What was the best part? Ask three people who have shared a vacation – even in the same family – and they will each likely have a different answer.

Maybe it was a superb meal, maybe it was scoring a designer bargain at a vintage store. Maybe it was stunning scenery or doing something completely out of your comfort zone or allowing your kids ...Read more

Comedian and author JT Habersaat is a keen observer of life, which is why a lot of things he hears make their way into his stand-up shows. “I tend to pull from real life quite often,” said Habersaat, who resides in Austin. “I’m a bit of a storyteller. The constant travel of stand-up comedy lends itself well to adventure and insane ...Read more

When traveling in the Netherlands – with its canals, windmills, and tulip fields – it all seems so cute and sweet; you may find yourself exclaiming, "Everything's just so…Dutch!" But for another side of the Netherlands, visit the no-nonsense "second city" of Rotterdam.

Mighty Rotterdam has a gleaming skyline and Europe’s largest port. ...Read more

Sparkly, spooky or scary? Your preschooler may want to be Frozen’s Elsa, while The Addams Family’s Wednesday is proving a popular choice for grade-schoolers and Beetlejuice characters for teens.

Have you dusted off your witch’s hat yet? (Maybe you can be Elphaba, Wicked’s fantastic Wicked Witch of the...Read more

For cellist Derek Stein, touring is a part of his life as a member of Vitamin String Quartet. But one of his fondest memories is of traveling with his grandfather many years ago. “My maternal grandfather took me to Germany the summer between junior and senior year of high school,” Stein said in an interview from Los Angeles. “It was my ...Read more

While London sits upon an ancient Roman foundation (Londinium), today’s city was shaped in a powerful way by England’s Industrial Revolution. In 1800, London had about a million people. By 1900, its population had quadrupled to over four million, as people came from the countryside into the big city for the promise of a good job and a better...Read more