Kayaking

SEATTLE - Pike Place Market. The Space Needle. Pioneer Square. Check, check and check. If you've hit these obvious Seattle destinations, you're not a newbie. But maybe you're not an insider either. So, this 21-stop Seattle checklist is for you. It skirts those three attractions and several other popular stops to make more room for Ballard, Capitol Hill, Fremont and the University District - four asset-rich Seattle neighborhoods my family and I explored on a visit last summer.

You've just paid for plane tickets to Pago Pago, so now it's time to make sure you have what I call the stuff of vacations - clothes, luggage, shoes. More often than not, you need at least a few new items. The hunt for new stuff must begin, but where to start? We can't promise we can get stuff for you wholesale, but we can offer tips from experts on where to look for real bargains on vacation-related items. Here are some ideas: - If EBay is your go-to for secondhand stuff, also consider NoBetterDeal.com . This site handles returns from major retailers, and its items are 30% to 70% off retail prices, says Tom McElroy, vice president of e-commerce.

After a long wait, online flight-and-hotel search resource Kayak Software Corp. announced Monday that it will sell shares at between $22 and $25 apiece, which would raise up to $100.6 million. Kayak will sell shares on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol KYAK, the company said in an amended filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Norwalk, Conn.-based company first announced its intent to go public in November 2010, but then delayed its plans.  The bungled Facebook initial public offering in June, in which the social network's shares lost 27% of their value in two weeks, chilled the IPO market . Kayak  reportedly delayed its roadshow in the aftermath of the Facebook offering.  Kayak said in its IPO filing that it made $73.3 million in revenue in the first quarter of this year, 39% more than the same period last year.

NEW YORK - The giant dorsal fin sliced through the sparkling blue water, trailing an oblivious kayaker. Closer to shore, bathers splashed in the waves. One tourist shot video of the idyllic scene. The only thing missing was the ominous soundtrack from"Jaws,"the 1975 blockbuster about a great white shark eating its way through a seaside resort. That and terrified hordes fleeing the water. But this came soon enough, after a paddle-boarder spotted the huge fin behind the kayaker and shouted the one word sure to clear swimmers from the sea: "Shark!"

Who says California is more laid-back than the East Coast? Just take a look at the sharks cruising off the respective coasts. Over the weekend, a  great white shark guesstimated at 14 to 18 feet attacked a fisherman's kayak off Santa Cruz, biting the front end and throwing the man into the water.  He was rescued unharmed but with quite a story to tell . That same day in the waters off Cape Cod, another great white -- estimated at...

  The shark's giant dorsal fin sliced through the sparkling blue waters off Cape Cod, trailing an oblivious kayaker as wide-eyed beach-goers watched in horror. The only thing missing was the ominous, thumping soundtrack from "Jaws," the 1975 blockbuster about a great white shark that terrorizes a seaside resort. "Shark!" people began screaming at the kayaker, who looked over his shoulder, spotted the looming fin, and paddled faster. He got away and the beach has reopened following Saturday's drama.

Sailing aboard the Californian is a throwback to the era of tall ships and re-creates what 19th-century travel by sea was like. The Martitime Museum of San Diego offers three sailings to Catalina Island aboard the topsail schooner where participants take turns standing watch, setting sail and learning other on-board skills. (Yes, there's a motor so you won't be stuck in the doldrums.) But it's not all work. There'll be time to relax on board and to go kayaking in the waters off Catalina with guides and gear provided.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The hardest part for Carrie Johnson is not knowing. The 28-year-old kayaker can handle endless days of training on the water. She can remain calm in a race — the flatwater sprint — that requires two minutes of explosive strength and steely nerves. But as Johnson prepares for her third consecutive Olympic Games this summer, something else could quash her medal hopes before she so much as reaches the starting line. "It's frustrating," she said.

CHICAGO — Swans have a seemingly placid demeanor, and their monogamous mating habits have made them a symbol of lasting love. But the creatures — generally white, with long graceful necks and a black "mask" around their eyes — are territorial and can be quite aggressive. That makes them good at driving off geese, but can also lead to disaster. Anthony Hensley, 37, encountered the uglier side of their personality last weekend in a horrific way. He tended swans that helped keep geese away from a condominium's pond near Des Plaines, Ill. Witnesses told police that a nesting swan circled Hensley's kayak early Saturday, then attacked him, toppling the kayak and tossing him into the water.

With airfares to Europe on the rise, it looks like Americans are planning to rediscover the good ol' U.S.A. this summer. As a result, perhaps more Americans will use the opportunity to visit some of the country's landmarks such as the Alamo and the Grand Canyon that sometimes get overlooked. Summer airfares to Europe have climbed about 11% compared with last summer, according to travel website Kayak, which attributes the jump to airlines trying to cash in on travelers visiting the London Olympics starting in July.