2013 OCR Travel Archive Stories

How does a socially-conscious shopper decide what to buy? One solution can be found at GoodGuide.com, the website and phone app co-founded in 2008 by UC California Berkeley professor Dara O'Rourke. O'Rourke, a supply chain researcher, got the idea when he tried to figure out what chemicals were in his daughter's sunscreen.

Teeth-chattering. Axle-busting. Head-pounding. The dirt and gravel stretch of the road that leads tourists to the Grand Canyon Skywalk is no doubt rugged. For some, the washboard road that twists along Joshua trees and dips into a local wash is part of the experience of reaching the remote west rim of the canyon. For others, it's the bigg

Animals have been partners in human transportation since before written history. While machines have taken their place in many travel roles, there are still locations around the world that offer historic and scenic rides on the back of beasts of burden. CANADA, Alberta Tourists can make their way on horseback along the tra

Three locations in Orange County made DogFriendly.com's 2013 top 200 list of dog- friendly spots for travelers in the United States and Canada. Huntington Beach was cited for its Huntington Dog Beach. The other two dog-friendly locations were Fashion Island and the Fun Zone Boat Tours, both in

They call it the idea that everyone had but nobody executed. Andrew Angulo and Chasom Brown launched HB2Newport with a handful of other investors about two months ago. Their party shuttle, which takes locals and tourists from downtown Huntington Beach to the Newport Beach peninsula and back again, has been gaining popularity.

John Wayne Airport passenger traffic grew 6 percent in March over March 2012. It was the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year passenger growth – for the first time since 2007. The airport reported that 771,554 passengers flew in and out of Orange County last month. That total, however, was still well down from the 2007 boom tim

Timing is everything in travel, and Japan was a great place to be the past two weeks if you wanted a front-row seat for World War III. I had saved up for a couple of nights at the Park Hyatt in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, the top-of-a-skyscraper hotel made famous in the movie "Lost in Translation." From my 44th-story bedroom windows,

Friday is Arbor Day, dedicated to the planting and care of trees. Originating in Nebraska City, the first such holiday was held in 1872 and is now celebrated internationally. Here is a collection of awe-inspiring forests from around the world. CALIFORNIA Twelve miles north

Colored glass has been produced since ancient times. Throughout history, stained glass masterpieces have decorated interiors of churches and other significant buildings with magnificent and iridescent splashes of color. Some tell stories and others are purely for decoration. Here we explore just a few of the impressive works found around the wor

Usually around this time of year, I'd be packing my snowboard gear for Mammoth or scoping out some Central American exotic surf spot where the waters are warmer than the Orange County coast. But this year, motherhood is on the horizon. I'm expecting my first child in May and find my options for a vacation have shrunk as my belly has grow

Ever wonder how baby food might taste cooked up? Or wanted to ward off evil spirits in the name of your child's health? Visit one of these unusual celebrations themed around babies – some traditional, some modern – for fun that shouldn't leave you crying. MICHIGAN, Fremont Home to the world's largest b

ANAHEIM – A developer may wait up to two years to begin construction on a pair of luxury hotels at a Disney-area mall with the final project slated to wrap up by mid-2022 -- seven years behind schedule. The Anaheim Planning Commission is scheduled Monday to consider whether to split two proposed GardenWalk hotels into separate phas

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it will delay plans to close 149 airport towers nationwide – including the tower at Fullerton Municipal Airport – to allow the agency to deal with legal challenges to the closures. Fullerton's tower was one of 24 facilities scheduled for the first wave of closures beginning Sund

WestJet said Monday it would not resume flying non-stop between Orange County and Calgary in Canada when its summer schedule begins. The route had "not performed to expectations," said Robert Palmer, a WestJet spokesman at the airline's headquarters in Calgary. "Despite the best efforts of many people on both ends of the route – an

Trains often have been a symbol of national aspirations and expansion, helping to move raw materials, goods and citizens long distances. National railway museums tell the story through local eyes. Here's some of the best from across the globe: WISCONSIN, Ashwaubenon: Located outside of Green Bay, the National Railro

The Texas Eagle pulled into Tucson mid-morning, nearly 21/2 hours behind schedule. It meant that I had missed the morning museum tour I signed up for. But on the upside, it was no longer too early to check into my hotel. Perversely, I was a bit pleased at the delay because it meant I had enjoyed a few more hours of sunshine to watch the desert r

Every time I find myself at Union Station in Los Angeles, I get this feeling I'm an extra in a classic 1930s Hollywood black-and-white suspense thriller. High ceiling, Spanish-style arches, large brown leather chairs and shoeshine stands. Alfred Hitchcock must be lurking somewhere, waiting for his cameo. And then there is the sig

Tim Busch will have an audience with Pope Francis next month as a board member of the Papal Foundation, but the Irvine-based luxury hotel owner turned down his chance to stay at the Doma Santa Marta at the Vatican. The Doma Santa Marta, seen at left, sometimes described as the Vatican's luxury hotel, is where the cardinals stayed during

From 1958 to 1974, Czech author and illustrator Miroslav Sašek created the "This Is ..." series of 18 books for children. Highlighting locations around the world, the illustrations, drawn in his signature style, share impressive details – from costumes to people and their surroundings. More than 50 years since they first emerged, th

It works in Santa Barbara, why can't it work here? That's the motto behind Steve Kent of Kent Events and Tours' plot to bring some of the cruise industry's behemoth ships to Newport Beach, fetching massive tourist dollars in the process. "This is something Newport Beach can capitalize on," Kent said. "Each ship has a lot of touri

The crush of 150,000 people in St. Peter's Square made it impossible to see, so I made my way to Bernini's fountain, grabbed an edge and swung my leg up. A man with a priest's collar reached out his hand and helped pull me into the unadorned bowl of the 17th-century fountain, which had been turned off for repairs. I had come to see Pope

"SILENZIO!" says the sign just past the massive bronze doors marking the entrance to St. Mary and the Martyrs Catholic Church in Rome, one of the two or three most important churches in Christian history. The sign reminds all that this is a church, and visitors from around the globe flock to the Piazza della Rotonda to see the austere, columned

Yearning for an exhilarating aerial experience? Here are just a few places where you can get airborne in Southern California. SANTA MONICA Ever wanted to know what it feels like to "float through the air with the greatest of ease?" TSNY Los Angeles trapeze school at the Santa Monica Pier offers a seaside setting with two-h

Passengers from the damaged Carnival Dream in the Caribbean were heading to the airport Thursday instead of sailing home after an on board generator problem halted their trip in the latest maintenance headache for the world's largest cruise line. The Dream was in St. Maarten on the final stop of a Caribbean cruise when the crew announced

AAA has recognized a handful of Orange County hotels with its Five Diamond award this year among 125 hotels honored across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The Montage Laguna Beach hotel is one of 13 newcomers, winning the award for its first time. Other Orange County hotels that have maintained Five Diamond ra