Erika Mailman

Often, a train takes you where the freeway doesn’t, giving you spectacular views you can’t see otherwise. You roll through countryside where herds of elk graze or go through back regions of national parks with a vantage point all your own. While the train lets you doze off, read a book or scroll your phone (so long as wifi works) because someone else is at the wheel, odds are you’ll instead be glued to the window, unwilling to miss a single picturesque thing that floats by. But not all trains are created equal. While some traverse uninteresting corridors, others earn the title of a “scenic” railway. We’re most interested in those, and the chance to make the journey just as enjoyable as the destination...or maybe the train ride really is the destination. That’s especially the case with trains that focus on luxury. Here’s our list of the most scenic train rides across the United States (unless otherwise stated, prices below are for one-way travel).

Zoos provide an amazing chance to connect with wildlife and develop empathy. Who can’t be moved to protect wildlife after watching newborn lemurs energetically play with each other? Or after seeing the placid stare of a tiger or pop-up nature of the prairie dogs? Zoos let us see animals that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to see without traveling across the world, and most zoos do their best to provide habitats that give animals humane treatment and a safe place to roam with as much space as possible. Often, the funds raised by zoos can pay for captive breeding programs that protect endangered species. There are even some species that are extinct in the wild but still living within zoos, such as the Przewalski's horse (can be found in the San Francisco Zoo, among others), Père David's deer (can be found in the Bronx Zoo and others) and the Guam kingfisher (can be found in the St. Louis Zoo and others). Here are the best zoos in the U.S. RECOMMENDED: ⛰️ The best outdoor adventures in the U.S.🌍 The best camping in the U.S.

San Francisco’s got a lot to offer families. Besides the usual fun things you’d expect in a city of a certain size (a wonderful municipal zoo, great science museums), San Francisco has some things you can only do here: ride the bright red cable cars, visit a pirate supply store, walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and watch 1800s animated dioramas spring to life. There are plenty of vantage points to show your kids the incredible beauty of the bay, including the Presidio Tunnel Tops with 14 acres of playspace with the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge for every cartwheel and Frisbee toss. And while at the end of the day mom or dad might want to slide into a chair for a Michelin-starred restaurant experience, here is our list of best cheap eats to make this family vacation more affordable. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in San Francisco  

There’s a reason people travel here from all over the world. We have incredible views, world-class dining, diverse neighborhoods, a park in walking distance from every home, hiking trails overlooking bay and ocean waters, spectacular museums and stunning architecture. A bridge or underground BART train leads you to the fabulous towns of Oakland and Berkeley, or you can take a ferry or the Golden Gate Bridge north to beautiful Sausalito and the wine country cities of Napa and Sonoma. Heading south, you’ll find San Jose and other tech cities. The entire Bay Area welcomes you with memorable experiences like kayaking, visiting brewpubs, tasting your way through Michelin-starred restaurants and perching on a rooftop bar to fondly regard the picture postcard vista below you. Here are a few of our don’t-miss activities to make sure you really get the best of the Bay Area. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in San Francisco

Here in the City by the Bay, there’s always something cooking, whether it’s a jaunt across the elevated playspace of the 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops, taking an urban hike across the Golden Gate Bridge, celebrating gay culture in the Castro neighborhood, dancing yourself into a frenzy or chilling to incredible music. There’s always a festival of some sort unfolding, and one of the best things is that many of these events are free. We’ve put together our picks for the best things to do in San Francisco this weekend (you can check the website for each event for further details). Now: Grab that weekend by the horns! RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in San Francisco

A train is already a luxurious thing as we sit back and let someone else whisk us past beautiful landscapes and drift into a lulled sleep. But some trains make the experience even more extraordinary by offering little touches to upscale the ride. That may be special food delivered to your seat, a glass of champagne to sip, velvet upholstery, huge windows that open up the view or service that adds that extra level of indulgence. Here is our list of the best luxury train rides in the U.S., plus some extra information about what to expect for travel time and pricing. RECOMMENDED: 13 weird and funky train rides to experience across America

A romantic restaurant isn’t a tall order. We just need some flattering lighting, a space quiet enough to hear each other and food that feels special in some way, either because it’s beautifully plated or because it tastes so good it’s a great precursor. A restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive to be romantic—it just has to have a certain warm, intimate vibe that mirror how the diners are feeling. Here are our 16 picks for the most romantic restaurants in San Francisco. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in San Francisco🏛️ The best museums in San Francisco🍽️ The best restaurants in San Francisco🏨 The best hotels in San Francisco  

Breakfast: It all starts with coffee, but after that it can go a number of different directions, all of them delicious if it’s San Francisco. You might be after a tower of pancakes or a full plate of shakshuka, dashing in for a bagel or luxuriating over some perfectly plated French confection. Whatever it takes to get us going in the morning—eggs, bacon, mimomas—we’re grateful for the chance to sit down with family and friends with a bite to sustain us. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in San Francisco

Time spent in nature is always healing, but you can also find equal pleasure in traversing city streets. Whatever your favorite type of hike—on a sinuous path above oceanside cliffs, through a historic part of town, over the span of a very particular bridge or in rustic meadows where you can almost forget you’re in a city—you’ll find it here. And while San Francisco is famous for being steep in certain parts, you’ll always be able to find a relatively flat hike if that’s more your style. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in San Francisco

San Francisco’s such an iconic city that images of it are instantly recognizable: our beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars winding their way up steep streets, the hilltop Coit Tower, the cityscape crowned with the Transamerica Pyramid, the tie-dyed remembrances of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, the red lanterns of Chinatown… alright, you get the point. Everywhere you look, neighborhoods bustle with their own identity and history. Add in the blue waters that form a picturesque border around three sides of the city, atmospheric fog that drenches photos in a moody blur, elaborately painted Victorian row houses and an incredible food scene, and you have just a sliver of an idea of how bountiful and rich the City by the Bay is. So get out there (always make sure to pay attention to your surroundings, of course) and enjoy these top things to do in San Francisco for colorful moments you won’t find elsewhere. RECOMMENDED: 🎨 The best museums in San Francisco🛏️ The best Airbnbs in San Francisco🏨 The best hotels in San Francisco

Lunar New Year is a spectacular community festival with colorful elements like dragon and lion dances, firecrackers going off to scare away evil and people wearing red clothes for the same reason: it’s a vibrant, exciting way to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new one. Sometimes called Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year is a more inclusive term that draws in other East Asian countries that celebrate the lunar calendar, including Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Many U.S. cities put on parades and celebrations in the streets so everyone can be festive, eat traditional food, wear masks, exchange red money envelopes and cheer on—this year—the onset of the Year of the Snake. This year’s festival cycle begins January 29 (the official Lunar New Year this year, based on the moon’s phases) and ends February 16, and the lucky color is green. Where is the largest Lunar New Year celebration in America? That title would go to San Francisco, whose Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is one of the largest and most spectacular in the world.  RECOMMENDED: The best Chinatowns in the USAThe best Chinese restaurants in the USA

San Francisco has a full slate of world class museums, with sprawling art galleries across multiple levels, tiny genre-specific museums, hands-on playful spaces and serious historical overviews. The great news is, pretty much all of these museums are either free or have a monthly or even weekly free day—so start planning how to time your visit. Of course, if you pay for a museum membership, you’ll get a year of free entry, and if that museum is part of the NARM network, you also receive free entry to all the other NARM museums (Nationally! And 16 in San Francisco.). Just remember to bring proof with you. Please note that free museum days don’t usually include entry to special exhibitions, which will carry their own admission fee. You’ll want to investigate the Discover and Go program through the San Francisco Public Library that offers free or low-cost passes to not just museums but also zoos, science centers, theaters and other cultural destinations. Most museums don’t charge for children under a certain age or for disabled visitors and an accompanying guest; check each website for details.

Dolores Park is the kind of place that can give you all those San Francisco feels, with green grass covering a slope that gives you incredible city views. It’s also much warmer than Golden Gate Park and appeals to locals and visitors. Named for nearby Mission Dolores, the property became a park in 1905 and served as a refugee camp for those uprooted by the 1906 earthquake. You’ll find palm trees, sports fields and courts, off-leash dog play areas and a playground. But the real draw is the expanse of luscious lawn, where scores of people in various states of undress sunbathe, read, do yoga, drink, smoke, play lawn games and socialize on warm weekend days. Bring a blanket and a burrito from nearby La Taqueria. Why visit? Dolores Park is worth visiting because it gives great views of the city skyline and the bay—and even the East Bay glimpsed across the water. You can take Muni’s J Church line to get here, or the closest BART station (16th Street Mission) is a half-mile away. It’s almost 16 acres, giving you plenty of room to roam, which is important since on a sunny day you can find a few thousand people here sharing the park. There’s a festive atmosphere when the weather is warm and vendors walk around selling tamales and even crème brûlée. Fun fact: The park has a pissoir (an open-air urinal, for those of you not accustomed to peeing alfresco) in its southwest end on Church Street. This grated hole in the cement has a curving fence around it for privacy—and a white tarp for c

Attend the CinemaLit film series for a 6pm showing of a different vintage film each Friday. The café opens at 5:30pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice and fresh-popped popcorn for sale, and the movie begins at 6. The Mechanics’ Institute was built in 1906 to house the 1854 organization providing classes, a library and a chess room for residents (some say, “out of work gold miners”). Today it’s a cultural center as well as a library. The film series is curated by author Matthew Kennedy who has written several books on film. 

We realize an hour isn’t very long, but if you embrace the calm and tranquility, an hour at the Japanese Tea Garden can reward you for the rest of the day. Each Friday from 9 to 10am, you can enter the garden with its arched bridge, pagodas, stone ornaments, koi ponds and, of course, gardens. San Franciscans can enter for free anytime (with ID), but visitors can have a free hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 10am. The teahouse, with tea and light snacks, is open for purchases at that time as well. Admission outside the magic hour is currently $19 for adults.

The Function, San Francisco's brand new Black-owned comedy club, spotlights the Bay Area’s top Indian, Pakistani and South Asian comics every Sunday (and on Saturdays check out the "Crazy Funny Asians" shows). Many other themed nights happen, and there’s always a full bar, dance floor and comedy. Tiered tickets range from free to $18. 

Visit the redwood park tucked in beside the Transamerica Pyramid daily from sunrise to sunset to view 20 major sculptures of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, inspired by flora and fauna. Les Lalanne is the collective name used by these artists. These sculptures constitute the first public installation of Pyramid Arts, which will rotate twice a year. Free.

Every Sunday there’s a free event at the Great Highway Park, from chair or mat yoga to tai chi and live music performances through the Second Sunday Serenades. You can’t really say you’ve reached nirvana until you’ve done yoga in the middle of a former highway. Free.

Meet Loren Rhoads, the author of 222 Cemeteries to Visit Before You Die, along with writers Emerian Rich and Francesca Maria, who’ll be discussing cemeteries and horror stories. This SFinSF event takes place at 7pm at the San Francisco Columbarium. Rich and Maria were contributors to the anthology Death's Garden Revisited. $10 at the door. 

History buffs, come out for a video installation, Fort Point: A Bastion of Memory, created by artist Ben Wood in collaboration with the Fort Point National Historic Site. The 45-minute work consisting of historical photographs will be projected onto the interior walls of San Francisco’s Civil War fort to interpret area history, such as the lighthouse that once operated here, the building of the Golden Gate Bridge and more. Free (as is admission to the fort).

This recurring event series comes to a neighborhood shopping district near you, with backyard party vibes, live music, DJs and family-friendly activities. On October 26, it starts at noon at Faxon and Ocean Avenues; check the website for the next happening. Free.

Every day at 4pm, gather at the campfire circle to hear a free talk by a National Park Service ranger, covering the stories of the Presidio: indigenous history, military stories including the Buffalo Soldiers’ connection to the Presidio, and the story of the Presidio’s role in the WWII Japanese American internment camps. Having a view of the Golden Gate Bridge during the talk isn’t too shabby. Free.

San Francisco City Guides offers walking tours of the Ferry Building, once the second busiest transit hub in the world at its peak in the 1930s (construction of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge created a devastating blow to ferry service). Tours are on Tuesdays at noon and Saturdays at 10am. Free, but a $20 donation is encouraged; guides can’t accept tips.

With a history as a simple coffee shop and now expanded to multiple locations as a resort hotel, the Peppermill is an upscale, kitschy, Italian-inspired resort. If you love marble columns, gambling under golden ceilings, and walking past the benevolent view of old-world statuary, you’re in for a fun stay. The Reno resort sprawls with two towers and two wings, with its entry lobby a nod to the Duomo in Florence with its Gothic dome. The AAA Four Diamond resort treats guests well, with an 82,000-square-foot casino and a playful outdoor pool (swimmable in winter) with a cascading waterfall descending from the top of a round, columned structure and the chance to swim in a circle around a statue of a fabulous mermaid. Heavy on fantasy and architecture that places the modern next to the ancient-seeming, the Peppermill is a quick eight-minute drive from downtown Reno and its Riverwalk, world-class art museum, casinos and hiking trails. Photograph: Erika MailmanThe Caldarium at the Spa Toscana The best part, however, has to be the Spa Toscana, rated the third best hotel spa in the U.S. by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. We highly recommend getting a day pass to experience the three-story spa, where you travel by elevator to the exquisite Caldarium. Originally, a Caldarium was a Roman space with a hot plunge bath and steam room heated by a fire-fueled furnace. The Peppermill’s version is a beautiful space with a vaulted ceiling, an indoor pool with beautiful mosaic tiles

Just looking at the official website for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. is a happy experience with its beautiful photos of trees in bloom and pink blossom illustrations (even the bright pink cookies notification banner is nice!)—attending the festival itself must be a joyful, uplifting experience. It’s an intense celebration of Spring and its wonders, and celebrates friendship between our country and Japan. The festival honors the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees by Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo; First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees of the 3,000. The U.S. reciprocated in 1915, sending flowering dogwood trees to Japan. The Washington, D.C., orchard was augmented in 1965 by the gift of another 3,800 Yoshino trees from Japan. The festival will be filled with the beautiful vision of pale pink and white blossoms, as well as their light aromatic almond scent. National Cherry Blossom Festival 2025 Dates This year’s peak bloom is predicted to be March 28-31. The festival itself spans from March 20 to April 13. You can peek in via the BloomCam to see how things are progressing. Right now, things are looking pretty wintry and spare. Best places to see the cherry blossoms The hands-down best place is the Tidal Basin, according to the website cherryblossomwatch.com. The Tidal Basin famously provides a glorious view and is free to enter. It’s right next to the National Mall. The stretch along t

You guys, spring is happening tomorrow. I know we are all still reeling about Daylight Savings and now we have another seasonal thing to contend with, but this one is great news. Snow will subside, flowers will arise and the beaches are busy getting the sand ready for you. Here are some FAQs to assist: When is the first day of spring 2025? It’s Thursday, March 20, 2025. What is the vernal equinox? It’s the beginning of spring, but the reason why it’s the beginning is a little more complex. It refers to two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the equator, and day and night are of equal length (thank you, Britannica, for explaining). The United States fits completely into the northern hemisphere, where the vernal equinox traditionally falls around March 20 or 21. The sun, after creating that perfectly poised moment, then crosses the equator and heads north, which is why our weather then gets warmer. For the southern hemisphere, the March equinox is their autumn equinox. But why did you say two moments in the year? Because there’s another moment when the sun does the same trick, on September 22 or 23. For us in the northern hemisphere, that’s our autumn equinox, and for the southern hemisphere, it’s the spring equinox. When does this end? When we get the summer solstice, which happens June 20 or 21 in our northern hemisphere (and December 21 or 22 in the southern hemisphere). Are these dates solid each year? Let’s run that past the Farmer’s Almanac. That handy reso

It seems like the news changes daily. President Trump’s original January 20 executive order asked the State Department to identify countries where passengers to the U.S. may not be stringently examined and checked—to the degree that the U.S. would not admit them. Since then, there has been “credible reporting,” according to the Guardian, citing two Yale law professors’ emails, that nationals from targeted countries may be banned from entering the U.S. The professors Muneer Ahmad and Michael Wishnie urged students studying in those countries to consider returning to the U.S. right away or staying in the U.S. if they are already here. Here's what we know so far: What are President Trump’s new travel bans? These possible travel bans affect people from other countries trying to visit the United States. The Trump administration has initially suggested a sweeping ban against entry for residents of as many as 43 countries, with 11 nations specifically targeted for a complete travel prohibition, as reported by the Guardian. Which countries face U.S. travel restrictions? The 11 "red tier" countries whose residents might face a total ban against coming to the U.S.: Afghanistan Bhutan Cuba Iran Libya North Korea Somalia Sudan Syria Venezuela Yemen There is also a second “orange” tier identifying countries with sharp visa restrictions on entering the U.S.: Belarus Eritrea Haiti Laos Myanmar Pakistan Russia Sierra Leone South Sudan and Turkmenistan In a third “yellow” tier, 21 countri

Bringing back a purse from Ibiza, purchased in the Dalt Vila marketplace? Or carefully packing a hand-painted ceramic mug from the Amalfi Coast? Or maybe it’s that beautiful pair of turquoise earrings made by a Navajo artisan that you purchased at Scottsdale’s Native Art Market (that last example is mine). If you’re someone who buys souvenirs to have a tangible way to remember where you travel, you’re not alone, says Amex.   In 2025, more people will buy bespoke souveniers  According to American Express’s 2025 Global Travel Trends Report, 82 percent of Millennials and Gen Z folks and 68 percent of Gen X and Boomers that participated in the survey look for one-of-a-kind goods to remind them of their trip. While a T-shirt can shrink in the wash and tiny tchotchkes get lost, a more substantial souvenir—especially something bespoke and handcrafted—can bring pleasure each time you look at it. And it’s a great way to support the local businesses where you travel, which 73 percent of respondents said they try to do. The breakdown for purchases was 58 percent purchasing designer goods like handbags, clothing and leather items, 46 percent purchasing beauty products like perfume, makeup and skincare and 43 percent purchasing housewares like rugs, ceramics, art and furniture. Besides travelers redefining their travel mementos, three other themes arose in the Amex report. Family adventures are back in a big way Multi-generational travel is up, as is letting kids have a say in planning. T

There’s a thing you can do to get the Wiggles out: take your kids to see The Wiggles. The popular singing and dancing group embarks this summer on their North American Bouncing Balls! tour. We remember them announcing they'd never tour again so we feel a little lied to. People have been snapping up tickets, and so they’ve added additional shows in seven different cities. This live show will feature favorites like Tree of Wisdom, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Captain Feathersword and, of course, the Wiggles themselves. They’ll perform classic songs and fresh ones, too. When do tickets go on sale? Tickets go on sale today at 10am local time. Which cities have been recently added to the tour? Los Angeles, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Vancouver and Hamilton, Ontario Which cities were already included? Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Fresno, Tucson, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Arlington, Memphis, Nashville, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Huber Heights, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Tysons (Virginia) and Brooklyn. That’s a whole lot of wiggling. How can people buy tickets? Visit the website and do it as fast as you can. Thanks to the artist/fan club pre-sale, many shows are listed as sold out or selling fast. Sadly, right now in Tysons, Virginia, the only seats available are single ones, which makes that hard when you’re trying to take your kids. Good luck, babe! Is there anything strangely hypnotic we could watch? Yes, it’s “Bus Stop.” P

If your spring break travel plans involve jumping in the car and heading out on the highway, you’re not the only one. AAA says that nearly 30 percent of people surveyed in eight states plan to make their spring break one of looking out the window, drinking from the sweaty fountain drink in the car’s drink holder, devouring gas station snacks and cruising along on an adventure. As always, thinking ahead just a little bit helps avoid trouble down the road (although spontaneity sometimes rules the road trip), so Pilot Travel Centers offers some tips to consider while you’re throwing bags in the trunk and pulling up your playlist. 1. Plan your stops: That doesn’t mean you can’t immediately pull over when you see the sign for the dinosaur attraction, but plotting out the best places to stop to eat, stretch your legs and gas up is a smart idea so you don’t find yourself, say, on the loneliest road in America without knowing where your next pit stop is.2. Stretch out your pit stops: If you’re just stopping for gas and then bolting away, you’re missing out. Walk around, take a few deep breaths, peruse the snack aisles and head to the bathroom just in case the next one isn’t for another 200 miles. Some rest stops have a little historical plaque you can access via a short trail, especially in wagon train country. 3. Download rewards apps: If you’re stopping at the same place each time for gas and snacks, make sure you’re not missing out on discounts available through the app. 4. Be pla

Don your tinfoil hat for this one! Along with a beautiful coastline, you may find that California is attractive for humanoid organ gathering. A study by the National UFO Report Center, crunching data from 1974 to 2025, finds that of the 149,000 UFO sighting reports, a whopping 36,286 of those were in California. That’s important news as National Alien Abduction Day looms (March 20: it’s on your calendar, right?). This gem of interstellar data is that one in every 1,075 Californians may be abducted. For Americans in general, the risk factor is 1 in 1,834, according to this spurious, I mean valuable, data. Need to relax a little? Fill your bowl with gumbo and enjoy the fact that people in Louisiana are the least likely to be abducted by aliens. You’re probably thinking about Area 51 in Nevada; that state is the 10th most likely one for you to find yourself in the tractor beam (1 in 1,740). The study actually conflates UFO sightings with alien abduction rates, but we suppose seeing a UFO could get you one step closer to being beamed up.  The states with the most UFO sightings: 1. California 2. Washington 3. Florida 4. Oregon 5. New York 6. Texas 7. Pennsylvania 8. Arizona 9. Colorado 10. Nevada

Here at Time Out we love our national parks (I’m writing this from Firefall Ranch in Yosemite), and time spent in nature. Here, we can recharge our batteries, step away from the demands of everyday life and appreciate how sunlight falls on a rockface and how a forest trail can emanate a scent better than any other fragrance in the world. A new list of the 25 most popular national parks (and places managed by the National Park Service), according to users of the travel app Visited, has been released. Although some of the expected heavy hitters are here—Yellowstone and Yosemite—you’ll find the top three include some spots we might not usually associate with the national parks system. The first on the list is the Grand Canyon. This monumental mile-deep cleft in the earth spans 277 miles and really must be seen to be understood. This is an iconic spot unlike any other in the U.S. and figures on many people’s bucket lists for good reason. Second on the list is the Washington Monument, which is not exactly a park but is managed by the National Park Service. It’s the tall obelisk you see at the national mall in Washington, D.C. It stands 555 feet tall and honors George Washington. Entry is free but must be reserved in advance to take the elevator to the top. The third most visited spot is President’s Park, better known as the White House. Who knew the White House was considered a national park?! To get inside, you must schedule a tour through your Congressperson or embassy, but you

If you’re concerned the recent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will affect your travel to Mexico or Canada, here are some things to consider, according to the L.A. Times. First of all, your airfare and hotel costs shouldn’t rise in the short term, but business travel between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico may experience a slump soon. With fewer business travelers, flights might be reduced which raises the cost for leisure travelers. And in the longer term, if higher tariffs continue, the cost of building, buying and leasing jets may cause airlines to boost airfare. The tariffs affect goods traveling between the countries and not people, but of course the sensations of anger may trickle down. It’s important to be aware that Americans may not be seen as welcome visitors anymore. Practice cultural sensitivity and being a respectful visitor. The term "Ugly American," coined in 1958 by a book of the same title, refers to travelers being loud and arrogant with behavior that is offensive to the people of the country being visited. Speaking of “loud”…the idea of going on spring break to Mexico or Canada? Maybe tame your tequila intake this time. If you’re visiting Canada and expecting to drink your favorite name brand liquors, you’ll be out of luck in Ontario. There, the prime minister has had all American alcohol taken off the shelves at government-run liquor stores. Additionally, Air Canada has reduced flights to some U.S. cities. Sadly, although 60 percent of Americans

Spring break is almost upon us, and to prepare passengers for the plane rides ahead of time, TSA has released some essential tips they want us to have. There will of course be a very high volume of people going through airport checkpoints (an increase of 5 percent just over the period of March 6-24), so anything we can do to make things run more smoothly is a huge help. Moreover, the REAL ID deadline of May 7 is on the horizon, so we all need to think ahead and make sure we’re prepared with the necessary ID by that date. The four TSA recommendations at this time are: 1. Pack your carry-on bags carefully so that they comply with TSA regulations. Not sure what those are? You can text 275-872 with any questions or use @AskTSA at Apple Business Chat, Twitter or Facebook. A list of what’s allowed in carry-on baggage versus checked baggage is here. You’ll be relieved to know you can bring your antlers and your artificial skeleton bones in either form of luggage. 2. Get there early. While on previous visits you may have sailed through security, that doesn’t mean it can’t be backed up exactly when you’re running late. 3. Make sure you have the right ID. You’ll either need the REAL ID or another form of acceptable identification to board the aircraft. 4. Take deep breaths and work on being patient. The airports will be busy, and knowing ahead of time that you’ll need to navigate around stressed-out passengers may help prevent you from becoming one yourself.  

Hey, serfs and court jesters, gather around for a free deal alert. Her Majesty the Dairy Queen is hosting Free Cone Day, and thou mayest eat the most succulent of ice creams on the first day of Spring! If that olde English isn’t clear, Free Cone Day returns to DQ on March 20. You can go up to the window and get one free small vanilla soft-serve cone with the classic curl on top without pulling out your wallet. This deal works at all non-mall locations (or at the mall if you also make a purchase). Limit one per person while supplies last. And it’s not valid for delivery or mobile orders. It’s a great little 220 calorie boost to your hot day. Even better, if you want to experience having a free cone every week for an entire year, you can try to win the sweepstakes for that grand award. The prize is a $500 Dairy Queen gift card which is enough to buy a cone a week for 52 weeks (or go less frequently and get the hot fudge sundae; that’s what we’d do). To apply, you must download the DQ app and sign up for the DQ Rewards program (you must be 18 to apply and a resident of the 50 states excluding Texas or the District of Columbia). The sweepstakes entry period ends March 19. Photograph: Courtesy Dairy Queen And if your interests lean towards weird and blue-tinted, you’re probably already into the brand-new Crunchin’ Cookie Dip Cone that launched last week. Guests started posting their own menu hacks online, so Dairy Queen just added those to the menu and their app for a limited ti

As someone who nearly lost her life in the surf off the west coast of O‘ahu (everytime I blew my nose or Q-tipped my ears for the next few months, sand came out), I can attest that it’s important to know ahead of time that a beach can be dangerous. Even for strong swimmers, surf can change their attitude quickly, and a fun day in the waves can become a fight to return to safety. Researchers at the tide forecasting platform Tideschart analyzed 528 U.S. beaches using the three risk factors of shark attacks, hurricanes and surf zone fatalities to come up with a list of the 10 most dangerous beaches. Despite its name, a surf zone fatality doesn’t mean a death that happens while someone’s surfing. It refers to deaths in the surf zone, the area between breaking waves and the shore—the place where I struggled in water that frankly wasn’t even deep. The dangers in this zone are rip currents, high surf and sneaker waves. A sneaker wave is a very large wave that sneaks in among gentle ones. Number one rule: never turn your back on the ocean. The overall findings are that Florida’s beaches are the most deadly—in fact, all 10 entries are Floridian. In part, that’s because Florida is taking the brunt of hurricanes, facing 126 of them between 1851 and 2024. Florida’s also prone to shark attacks and those horrible surf zone fatalities. And despite my experience, Hawaiian beaches are some of the safest, with no recorded incidents in those studied risk factors. The safest beach on the list is