On my second day in Detroit I got a great start to the day with a scrumptious breakfast at the just reopened Westin Book Cadillac Hotel: a strawberry waffle with whipped cream. That's one menu item I can't resist. I was enjoying the sleek décor and pleasant ambience of the Boulevard Room restaurant of this historic hotel which has just been restored to glory after being shuttered for 24 years.

Shortly after 8 am I was joined by Bob Goldsmith of Detroit Tour Connections who was about to take me on an architectural walking tour of Detroit. Bob is a Detroit native and a true enthusiast of the Motor City. In addition to his full-time profession as a lawyer, Bob dedicates his time to providing scheduled weekend walking tours, regular Wednesday walks as well as customized walking and bus tours for groups. Many of his tours are centered around specific themes, such as downtown churches, historic hotels, cool bars, places with unique art etc. His bus tours focus on such topics as Detroit's ethnic enclaves, the city's sports history, or the recent revitalization that has been taking place in Detroit.

Rate and Review : Hello from Detroit: An Architectural Walking Tour of Detroit and a Visit to the Eastern Market

May is a month packed with events all over the country. It seems like every city in the US has a festival, celebration, concert, exhibition or some other get together planned. With nice weather all around us, outdoor activities abound. We have the Dad Vail Regatta, Revlon Run/Walk For Women, Seattle International Children's Festival, Preakness Celebration, Bay to Breakers 12K, California Strawberry Festival and The Indy 500 are mentioned in our list. I will try to make it to Oxnard for the Strawberry Festival. I have heard good things about it. More details from our selection below ...

La Catrina de Alcalá ranks amongst the city’s finest restaurants, rather unsual since most other restaurants within two blocks of the Oaxaca’s zócalo manage to get by with cafeteria-style atmosphere, mariachis and marimbas, and mediocre food. But owner / artist Rolando Rojas took the plunge, and the gamble has paid off: both quality Oaxacan, and unique continental fare in a tasteful courtyard setting, in the heart of the Centro Histórico.

Rate and Review : La Catrina de Alcalá: Oaxaca restaurant review

We first heard about swine flu, (a.k.a. the H1N1 virus), on the news, April 24, 2009 --- and worst of all there was mention of “Oaxaca,” where we live. Our house guest, John, a doctor from New York, had arrived the day before, on a bus from Mexico City. He had flown there from his hometown, waited in the airport, and then taken an eight hour bus ride to Oaxaca. There had been a traffic jam leaving the nation’s capital, so the normally six hour ride turned into eight. And the bus was jam packed.

Travel deals have arrived for the month of May 2009. Major web sites and other online destinations related to travel have provided coupon codes, promotional discounts, free nights and more to help drive traffic and most importantly sales. SeeTheGlobe.com brings you the specials we find most cost effective. We list only deals that offer very specific steps to a good travel bargain. These are precise coupons, free night offers, percent off for specific properties, dollar amount savings and similar. Absolutely no "savings up to ..." offers, "get the best deal" and anything that does not offer very definitive money savings. Links point to SeeTheGlobe.com pages with more specifics about each deal. Here is a summary of best deals for May:

Our visit to Pacific'o Restaurant was not planned at all for this day. We went out for a nice walk through Lahaina town in the early afternoon and were more interested in checking out the historical buildings, shops, galleries and what not. On the way back to our car, which was parked for free at the Prison and Front lot, we noticed the 505 Front Street sign and remembered that one of the well reviewed restaurants was located on its premises. This commercial area has a New England-y look and sort of looks out of place in Lahaina. Not many people were to be seen walking around. We made our way to Pacific'o. They were in the process of changing shifts from lunch to dinner. We were seated nevertheless and caught the last train for lunch and lunch prices.

Rate and Review : Late Lunch at Pacific'o Restaurant at the 505 Front Street Mall in Lahaina, Maui

When coming to the Hawaiian Islands you are always warned that prices are much higher than on the mainland, this being especially true for restaurants. That brings about a flurry of articles detailing affordable eateries on each of the islands. We, of course, read any we could come across. Aloha Mixed Plate was on all of them and well reviewed in all of them. This meant that we had to try it. This also meant that parking could be problematic and there might be a wait. So be it. We were ready for anything that comes our way. On an early weekday afternoon, after shopping in the nearby mall, we decided to eat at the Aloha Mixed Plate. We drove the minimal distance (it is right behind the Lahaina Cannery Mall) and found parking immediately.

Rate and Review : Late Lunch at Aloha Mixed Plate in Lahaina, Maui

We have received several requests in the past period to make the fields in the packing checklist editable. Once the items were displayed for verification and before clicking the button to generate the PDF one could not make any changes prior to this update. Well, the request has now been fulfilled. With the latest release, when you make your initial entries and click Preview, you are taken to a page that displays all of your choices, and all fields are still editable. You can make changes to the fields: Traveler, Trip Info, General Info, Flight Info, Hotel Info, Car Info, as well as to all of the packing items fields. Clicking on the button to generate PDF will bring up the most currently entered data into the SeeTheGlobe.com Travel Packing Checklist and Travel Info Document.

In Namibia, upon the parched palate of a vast and contradictory land, the realities of thirst have created a plethora of idiosyncratic societies. The shifting dunes of the Namib Desert are honeycombed with the greatest variety of living creatures of any dunelands around the world. The desolate Skeleton Coast, monument to by-gone maritime disasters, contrasts with the vibey holiday atmosphere of the quaint German settlement of Swakopmund. Within the precincts of Etosha Pan, the lake of a mother's tears, where perimeter waterholes enclose the salt expanse, great herds of game are on a perpetual pub-crawl. This provides some of the most magnificent gameviewing opportunities anywhere. Inland, in surrealist Damaraland, you'll encounter various social curiosities, including the Petrified Forest; Welwitschia Mirabilis, the thousand year old underground tree; the statuesque Kokerboom; and the diminutive Damara Dik Dik, with its twitching nose.

Rate and Review : Namibia, Africa Travel & Tips Information

Gazebo Restaurant was listed in all of our Maui guides as one of the best places to grab breakfast on the island. Its location in Napili meant that we would have to take a brief car ride to get there from the Kaanapali resorts area. We did not mind. On the contrary, we were looking forward to exploring Napili a bit. Many people were turned off to dining at Gazebo due to long wait times. We made sure to get to the restaurant as early in the morning as possible to bypass the crowd. On the morning of our visit we meandered up the narrow and curvy Lower Honoapiilani Road. On the map, this road appeared much wider and bigger than it actually is.

Rate and Review : Breakfast at the Gazebo Restaurant, Outrigger Napili Shores in Napili, near Lahaina, Maui

Fascinating culture and museums, beaches and the Mediterranean Sea, and some wonderful parks and gardens are all to explore in Barcelona - not to mention the famous works of Antonin Gaudi, so highly regarded that 7 of Barcelona's 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites belong to the Reus-born architect. So with so many sights and attractions to see in Barcelona and so many guide books out there, it's difficult to know which one to choose. Well, let me take one of the biggest things to do on your list off your hands.

Rate and Review : A Gaudi Tour of Barcelona - Navigating Your Way Round the Most Famous Sights of Barcelona

Cafe on Park is a great place to get your breakfast fill before heading out to one of the attractions in San Diego's Balboa Park. Even though we were staying in the Mission Bay area several miles away, visiting this restaurant was convenient since it was located near our drive to the park. We like to have a big breakfast before trekking around major tourist attractions. We also like to try and taste the cool local spots and Cafe on Park promised just that. On this rainy morning we made our way to the intersection of University and Park (therefore the name) and after spotting the cafe found convenient metered parking just in front. It helped that it was before eight in the morning on a rainy day and not many people were milling about. Seems like parking could be an issue here.

Rate and Review : Breakfast at Cafe on Park, Hillcrest Neighborhood in San Diego, California

We were looking forward to eating at The Mission due to a plethora of positive reviews online. I personally love going to great breakfast places. We were wondering if we were setting our hopes too high. There was one way to find out. Go there and eat. We made it to The Mission on this windy and sunny Saturday around eight in the morning. Streets were still quite deserted. We could not find parking anywhere regardless. There were a few lots charging five dollars for every two hours. I was counting in my mind how many pancakes that would be. I just parked at one briefly and asked the staff at The Mission where to park. They suggested the free lot at the Santa Clara Point Community Park. This was a short walk away (800 feet?) but that was not a problem for us. In the meantime we got to enjoy the vistas along the path.

Rate and Review : Breakfast at The Mission restaurant, Mission Beach San Diego, CA

With its mix of antique-looking birdcages and black lacquered furniture, along with plenty of wood and bamboo accents, the Lok Wah Hin Chinese restaurant in the Novotel Siam Square Hotel in Bangkok offers diners a relaxing yet interesting ambiance in which to dine. One side of the restaurant is a glass wall which looks out over the hotel’s lobby below and outside to the busy streets of Siam Square.

Rate and Review : Great New Dim Sum Menu At Lok Wah Hin In Bangkok, Thailand

Tampa Bay & Company, the official tourism office of the Tampa region sent us a really nice list of notable attractions, events, hotel updates, tourism and travel news and more for the coming period. What's New What's to Come in Tampa - Spring 2009 provides the visitor with an impressive set of happenings around town. Check it out, find something for yourself or send it to someone heading to Tampa. It's a great resource.