TRAVEL
April 1, 2012 | By Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times staff writer
As the wife of an ambitious politician, Pat Nixon had her hands full. Besides keeping up with Richard Nixon's various political incarnations, she had a household to run and two daughters to raise. But as a new exhibit on the centennial of her birth at the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda makes clear, she had another passion in her life: The desire to see new places and meet people tugged at her as forcefully as her husband's dreams of winning the presidency. Pat Nixon, born Thelma Catherine Ryan, is the second most-traveled first lady in history (Hillary Rodham Clinton is first)
ENTERTAINMENT
March 2, 2012 | By Jamie Wetherbe, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Life's a drag, but if we're talking about Los Angeles after dark, that's a good thing. The city's drag show scene, once a closeted affair hidden in dive bars, now sells out theaters and pulls in straight crowds. During the last 20 years, female-impersonator shows in L.A. have become more than dressing like Cher and lip-syncing "Believe. " "Performers are real singers and real writers," says Jon Imparato, director of cultural arts at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. "It's become an art form.
TRAVEL
February 12, 2012
1. The closure of the U.S. Embassyin Syria and ongoing violence will limit visits to and may endanger the country's six UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Damascus and Bosra. Poland "will serve as the protecting power for U.S. interests in Syria," the State Department said. 2. The State Department's renewed travel warning for the Philippines cites Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago as special danger spots but says any gathering place, such as an airport or mall, could be a terrorist target.
NEWS
January 19, 2012 | By Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger
Peru's legendary Machu Picchu turns up on many bucket lists -- for good reason. A visit combines touring the Incan ruins with the thrill of trekking in high-altitude countryside. Intrepid Travel offers a six-day Inca Trail Express that hits the highlights. The trip begins with a tour of the stepping-off point of Cuzco before heading to the Sacred Valley and the trail that climbs to 13,773 feet at Warmiwanusca, also known as Dead Woman's Pass, and the steps at Intipunku, the Sun Gate.
NEWS
December 4, 2011
If Peru's capital is on your agenda, LAN has a round-trip airfare from LAX to Lima for $601, which includes all taxes and fees. It is subject to availability and requires a Saturday night stay for travel between March 1 and June 30. You must buy this fare by Dec. 12. Info: LAN , (866) 435-9526 Source: Airfarewatchdog.com
NEWS
September 17, 2011
In August, Cameron Taylor-Brown and her husband, Charles, spent a week in Peru's Sacred Valley before hiking the Salkantay Route to Machu Picchu. Just north of Maras, the couple visited stream-fed salt ponds where the contrasting elements caught her eye. "The off-white grid of the salt pools playing against the dark clothing of this person feels mysterious and intriguing," the Los Angeles resident said. Taylor-Brown used a Canon PowerShot SD850. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.