Quirky California Hideaway: Leave your stilettos at home if you're planning a visit to lovely Carmel-by-the-Sea in California . No high heels is one of the town's more unusual by-laws, which also include a ban on live music, neon signs, parking meters and fast food joints.
Story by Lee Mylne

Steinbeck Country: Cannery Row, on the historic waterfront district of Monterey, was called Ocean View Boulevard until Steinbeck wrote his famous novel. The street name was changed in 1958, but you can still spot many of the places described in the book. At no. 835, the Wing Chong Market is still owned by the family Steinbeck wrote about, and at no. 851 is La Ida Café, established in 1929 as a bordello and owned by Kalisa Moore, “the Queen of Cannery Row”. Story by Lee Mylne

Sundance & Snow: Park City, Utah, is best known as the home of the annual Sundance Film Festival, founded 25 years ago by actor/director Robert Redford. With his own Sundance ski resort about 40 minutes from Park City, Redford is seldom visible in the town but you can dine at his restaurant, Zoom Roadhouse Grill, offering “American neighbourhood cuisine”, on Main Street. It's said that Redford has apologised to the town for the influx of visitors – and celebrities – the festival brings each January, when the population of 7000 almost trebles. But for those in the know there are advantages: while the festival is on the town may be crowded, but the ski slopes are almost empty.
Story by Lee Mylne

The High Life in Aspen: Aspen may be America 's most famous ski resort, but there's much more to it than celebrity spotting and it has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that's a great surprise. No snobbery here…everyone hobbles down town in their ski boots and acquaintances are soon made on the ski lift.
Story by Lee Mylne

Ski Town USA: Stetsons and cowboy boots are as common as beanies and ski poles in “ Ski Town USA ”, the Colorado snow town of Steamboat Springs where western heritage lives alongside a more modern passion for skiing and snowboarding.
Story by Lee Mylne

Bluebird Days in Utah: When I first hear the term “a bluebird day”, I know instantly what it means. It sums up perfectly the kind of day I've just experienced on my first day on the slopes in Utah - clear blue skies, brilliant sunshine and dazzling white snow beneath my skis.
Story by Lee Mylne

Sonoma County: Unlike nearby Napa Valley, which attracts crowds of wine snobs to its multi-million-dollar wineries, Sonoma County, just a couple of hours drive from San Francisco is predominately rural. While wineries are big business here too, there are many more small-time innovative and amateur winemakers. What this means for the visitor is less crowds in the tasting rooms, cheaper accommodation and friendlier locals. Story by Lee Atkinson

New York 's Hottest Hotel: Nicole Kidman moved in the day before we moved out. Jack Nicholson had just slipped away from the suite most favoured by the rich and famous, in one of New York 's most illustrious hotels, The Carlyle . Story by Lee Mylne

Dropping in on Disney: It's the giant spinning teacups that clinch it. Or Minnie's red-and-white polka-dot dress. Or maybe Mickey's smart little red car. Or my first sight of Sleeping Beauty's Castle and the entrance to Fantasyland. It's hard to pick the moment when a reluctant parent who had never had a desire to visit Disneyland suddenly “got it”. Perhaps, in fact, it was Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams. I'd seen other parades, but never anything like this.
Story by Lee Mylne

One day in San Francisco: Where do you start in this stunningly lovely city clinging to the edge of the bay? Story by Lee Atkinson

New York 's Many Museums: New York is the home of museums - here, as likely to be art galleries as they are historical collections – which will fascinate you for hours. Go beyond the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim, and you will find undiscovered gems which will deepen your knowledge, understanding and appreciation of this complex nation.
Story by Lee Mylne

Just Visiting: The clang of the cell block doors at Alcatraz has resounded through dozens of movies in which the infamous jail itself does not feature. But the dull finality of that sound is such that it is seldom replicated elsewhere. Story by Lee Mylne

Big Apple Bargains: Sightseeing in New York City need not cost a fortune. Ride the subway, take free tours and get a new perspective on this fantastic city.
Story by Lee Mylne

Bodega Bay: My hotel room has a balcony overlooking the grassy wetlands and waters of Bodega Bay, which is being steadily covered in a dense cloak of impenetrable fog. All around me birds circle and swoop, their shrill cries piercing the murkiness. It's no accident of imagination that this place reminds me so vividly of Hitchcock's classic horror film. It was shot here in Bodega Bay, 68 miles north of San Francisco, in 1962. Story by Lee Atkinson

San Francisco By Night: Full of colour and character at any time, San Francisco offers a wealth of night-time entertainment. Catch one of the long-running shows, order a cocktail with a view, take a dinner cruise on the Bay, or head to Fisherman's Wharf for a feast of crab. Story by Lee Mylne