Sicily comes to Waikiki.

If you're like us, it won't take long for you to get your fill of plate lunches, Ahi tuna, and kahlua pork. Once you've reached saturation, head for Taormina, and delicious Italian food in the heart of Waikiki.

We stumbled across this little gem after passing all the packed-with-tourists restaurants on Waikiki Beach Walk.

Although we didn't have reservations and it was prime dining time, we were quickly seated in the enclosed, outdoor patio. It wasn't the best table in the house, but under the circumstances, we were glad to have it. And our waitress couldn't have been more accommodating.

Tickets on sale soon for top U.S. beer festivals.

The blessings of spring are almost too numerous to count -- birds chirping, crocus croaking, little lambs wagging their tails. After a long hibernation, everything is refreshed and renewed. Plus, it's the start of beer-drinking season.

The first of the big league events, The World Beer Festival in Raleigh on May 2, 2009 is already sold out. So it's not too soon for serious beer drinkers to start making plans.

Sometimes it's best to jump ship.

When you're on vacation, time is your most valuable commodity. And you hate to waste a minute of it on something that‘s not enjoyable. Over the years, we've learned that sometimes, you're better off cutting your losses.

Like the time we asked our concierge to arrange tickets for a flamenco show, only to find ourselves near the train station, in a bad part of Seville, crammed seat to seat next to 500 other tourists who arrived by tour bus.

We looked at each other, said, "We don't have to do this," and grabbed the next taxi which took us to El Arenal, an intimate little Flamenco club a short walk from our hotel.