Torrens Lake and the Adelaide skyline at dusk. (Getty Images) In my mind, Adelaide is forever hot and sunny. That’s the way it looks on television when the cricket’s on, with the velvet voice of Richie Benaud welcoming viewers to a day’s play. As a teenager I’d watch rapt while the great man intoned, “Yesss, it’s a very good morning and welcome to the Adelaide Oval, the most picturesque cricket ground in the world.” But of course the city is...

Na Pali Coast is a great place to view from a helicopter in Hawaii. (Getty Images) Every Monday we ask a few questions of a St. Louis travel professional. Today, Cynthia Friedenberg of Brentwood Travel talks about Hawaii. If someone is visiting Hawaii for the first time, what are the don't-miss sites you recommend? For first-time visitors to Hawaii, Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center are musts on Oahu; on Maui, go to Haleakala National Park and a pineapple...

With the New York City skyline as a backdrop, a United plane prepares to land at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) WASHINGTON — A safety program that encourages air traffic controllers to voluntarily disclose their mistakes in exchange for amnesty from punishment needs significant improvement before it can work effectively, according to a report released Monday. The program has been FAA's primary answer to the problem of controller errors that bring planes dangerously close together....

Casinos, hotels and fountains at night, Macau, China. Macau is the largest gambling center in the world, by revenue. (Getty Images) Fionnuala McHugh visits China's Macao region, a buzzing casino island, across from Hong Kong, with hidden pockets of tranquility and a unique colonial heritage. It takes about an hour to travel by ferry from Hong Kong to Macao. On polluted winter days, it’s often a hazy crossing but in summer, the bright-green humps of Hong Kong’s 235 islands jostle...

Air travelers should get a break next month, when airfares are expected to drop 10 percent to 20 percent. (Getty Images) Air travelers, rejoice: Relief from soaring airfares may be just around the corner, at least temporarily. For travelers, it can't happen soon enough. In the first three months of the year, the average domestic airfare in the U.S. climbed to $373, up 4.8 percent from the same period last year, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. That was on...

A special sale designed to celebrate Southwest's 3 million Facebook fans was supposed to give customers who booked flights on Friday a 50 percent discount on certain fares. Instead, they were overcharged. (AP Photo) DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines said it has begun filing refunds to customers who were accidentally billed multiple times for a single flight, after a half-price online ticket promotion backfired. The special sale designed to celebrate Southwest's reaching the 3 million mark in Facebook fans was supposed...

Charleston Light, the last major lighthouse built in the United States, is seen on Sullivans Island, S.C. The National Park Service is considering alternatives in a draft management plan to refurbish the lighthouse and provide public access. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith) SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. -- The last major lighthouse built in the United States is showing its age at 50, but the National Park Service is reviewing a management plan to maintain the beacon that still shines 27 miles out into...

(MCT Photo Service) America is full of baseball pilgrimages and road trips. Fenway Park in Boston turns 100 this year. Wrigleyville, the neighborhood around Wrigley Field in Chicago is the best baseball neighborhood in the country. California has five major league teams to visit. New York City has two major league teams and two minor league ones. Roadtrippers can enjoy the Pioneer League with stops in Montana, Idaho and Utah. But for me, a road trip from Louisville to Cooperstown...

(MCT Photo Service) Erik Lars Myers, 36, has built quite a career out of beer. Since the Maine native came to North Carolina a decade ago, his home-brewing hobby turned into a business Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough and Nash Street Homebrew, also in Hillsborough, which last year began selling ingredients and equipment to aspiring home brewers. This year he topped off his portfolio with "North Carolina Craft Beer & Breweries" ($16.95, John F. Blair), a guide to 45 microbreweries from...

Delta Air Lines ramp agent assists a pilot as he pulls into a gate at JFK International airport in New York. Nearly 84 percent of domestic flights arrived within 15 minutes of their schedule time in the first half of the year, the best performance since the government started tracking such data in 1988. (AP Photo) NEW YORK — Fliers rejoice: U.S. airlines are more punctual and less likely to lose your bag than at any time in more than...

Quo Vadis Club (Photo courtesy of Quo Vadis Club) This members-only club in a former home of Karl Marx is on two floors above the excellent British-food destination Quo Vadis. It offers a pool room, a martini trolley and a bartender who creates drinks based upon a patron’s favorite spirit and cocktail ingredients. quovadissoho.co.uk Coolest Olympic StadiumsTop London RestaurantsFoods American Olympic Athletes Love To see the rest of London's Coolest Bars, visit FoodandWine.com. Callooh Callay (Photo courtesy of Callooh Callay)...

Sketch: The Parlour (Photo courtesy of Sketch: The Parlour) Two huge French talents—restaurateur Mourad “Momo” Mazouz and legendary chef Pierre Gagnaire—are the brains behind this multifaceted eating-and-drinking complex in a Mayfair townhouse that includes two bars, a high-end restaurant, a brasserie and an ornately-decorated tea room, which is the true highlight. Called The Parlour, this later concept has bold-patterned furnishings (plaid, skulls, jungle animals) and heavenly cakes and pastries ranging from classic éclairs, to exotic concoctions such as the Scoubidou:...

These medal-worthy stadiums continue to impress with their design, history, and cool activities. (icpix_can / Alamy) When spectators take their seats in London’s new Olympic Stadium, they’ll be focused on the moment: cheering athletes competing for track-and-field gold. But the stadium is designed to outlast the 2012 Summer Games: the lightweight, ecofriendly structure will be reduced to a more functional size (25,000 seats) as part of the Olympic Park, complete with gardens and a riverfront promenade. Related: Top London Bars...