By Dan Reich 

Driving up Santa Fe Avenue on an unseasonable balmy Friday night, the streets teemed with people taking part in a monthly Denver tradition known as “First Friday,” as galleries stay open for the evening crowd. This night, with the nearby town hall bathed in pink light for a breast cancer walk, the buzz had an extra fizz: the imminent opening of the Daniel Libeskind-designed Hamilton Building of the Denver Art Museum. Three years of anticipation, and much local curiosity had reached its zenith with its grand opening weekend. The DAM was inviting the whole city to the party, over the next 35 hours. Intriguingly titled “Hot DAM: Art At All Hours,” 33,755 free tickets were distributed at timed intervals.

by Wendy VanHattan

Try these three simple tips the next time you want to visit an art gallery, museum, or historical site.  Your vacation to the Uffizi in Florence, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, or the Museum of Modern Art in New York should be more enjoyable for all.

by Steenie Harvey

Every English school-kid knows Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest was home to Robin Hood and his band of outlaws. Yet despite what the movies say, the outlaws were probably all men. Maid Marian was actually invented by the Victorians.

by Stan Sinberg

Dateline, Argentina – I’m in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, only 500 miles from Antarctica, about to embark on a five day/four night cruise that will cut me off from all forms of civilization. In other words, a cruise without… internet!

by Ray Batson

Camels are nasty creatures, never mind that serene, dopey look that appears in peaceful pictures.  They are bad tempered and have really ugly teeth. On the other hand, they are surprisingly smooth-riding, and quiet. They don’t have hooves, so they don’t clop on pavement. We learned all this stuff when we went for a camel ride in Cairo, hard by the Sphinx and at the feet of the three greatest pyramids in Egypt.

by Stan Sinberg

I was wondering how they’d celebrate New Year’s Eve in Buenos Aires, given that on a regular Saturday night many clubs don’t even open until 1AM, and don’t fill up until much later. Still, what I discovered shocked me.

by M. Ruth Little

A Den of Iniquity…my Father had warned me about this from childhood.  He never told me exactly what it was, but as I opened the door to this offbeat joint, I was sure this was it.

by Gloria Casale

The 12-foot spire of an Agave parryi, the desert plant that blooms only once in its lifetime, stands regally on a quiet side street... the 300-year-old San Felipe Neri Church, quiet and peaceful, draws worshipers and visitors through its arched, stucco gates... Native American artisans sell their wares on blankets beneath La Placita’s portal, just as they've done for centuries.