LOS ANGELES ― When my son Noah was little ― no more than 2 years old ― his favorite book was “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, who died on Tuesday at age 83. We used to read it and reread it, every night before bed.The routine was always the same: Noah would stand up against the slats of his crib and stare at the fabulous lushness of Sendak’s drawings, while I not so much recited as intoned the text. Often, Noah would mouth the words along with me; although he couldn’t yet read, he’

HEXHAM, England ― A bone-chilling rain swept over the moors on the October day we hiked to the top of the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall, a few miles south of the Scottish border.Gusts of wind, scouring the tumble-down ruins of the Second Century Roman barracks built on the summit drove most sensible people indoors. But the dark clouds and lowering sky, pelting the armory, shrine and sleeping quarters with rain, set the mood as nothing else could have done. Shivering in my summer-weight parka ― a last-

LONDON ― Between the Olympics and a certain queen’s Diamond Jubilee, expect plenty of airport delays here this summer. That could mean napping with the masses in the vast open seating areas of Heathrow.But here’s a tip. Tucked away in Terminal 4 is a futuristic little place called the Yotel, where for as little as 32 pounds, or $51, for a single, you can grab a few hours of blissful shut-eye and a hot shower in something that looks like a deluxe cabin on a federation starship.My wife and I flew

Barbaresco doesn’t usually come in under $30 ― and when you find one of this quality at this price, jump on it. One of the great bargains in Piedmont is the Paitin “Serra” from the Elia Pasquero family, which has been farming these hillside vineyards since the late 18th century. Very drinkable already, the 2008 has a lovely bouquet of cherries and earth. Complex and elegant, this Barbaresco has lots to reveal as it sits in the glass ― concentrated dark berries, violets, tobacco leaves and more.

Set aside your shot glasses. The next bottle of whiskey you open deserves to be savored.The Bay Area has become the center of a booming American craft whiskey movement. For years, artisan distillers such as Anchor and St. George Spirits have been dedicated to the craft of small-batch liquid amber. Their innovation is inspiring a new wave of craft distillers, whiskey-themed eateries and events such as October’s WhiskyFest.The trend comes on the heels of a renewed interest in handcrafted artisanal

Samhap janggwa is a dish of three kinds of seafood (mussels, abalone and sea slug) braised with beef and seasonings. Nowadays, the seafood is cooked alive, but in olden days it was dried then cooked after soaking in water because the amino acid and taurine content increases during drying and enhances the taste. Ingredients● 160g abalone, 5 cups water ● 60g soaked sea slug● 100g mussels, 3 cups water, 2 tsp salt, 2 cups seafood scalding water, 1/2 tsp salt ● 50g beef (top round) ● seasoning sauce

Chefs use Asian cuisine as spring board for fare that is outside of the boxIn the world of cuisine, the term “fusion” was usually married to a set of regions; giving the diner an idea of what to expect. Shall we be having Korean-Italian, French-Chinese or some other hybrid and hopefully a harmonious meeting of several different cuisines tonight? The experience was at times sensational, where ingredients that one might never have imagined appearing on the same dish did successfully meet, attracti

A self-proclaimed dating expert said in order for a man to become attractive to women, he has to be a confident, ambitious person who has principles.Carlos Xuma, who has spent more than 10 years teaching timid guys how to flirt with the ladies, has introduced three basic steps to becoming a desirable stud. Xuma’s first advice to all the love-seeking loners is to have confidence. In order to achieve this, one has to first go face-to-face with one’s fears. A man who is afraid to ask out a woman sh

 Shocking or no big deal? A woman breastfeeding her 3-year-old son is the cover photo of this week's Time magazine for a story on ``attachment parenting,'' and reactions ranged from applause to cringing to shrugs.The photo showed Jamie Lynne Grumet, 26, a stay-at-home mom in Los Angeles who says her mother breastfed her until she was 6 years old. She told the magazine in an interview that she's gi

The Vatican named Bishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung the new archbishop of Seoul, sources from South Korean Catholic Church said Thursday.Yeom replaces outgoing Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, who will retire from the top post of the Seoul Archdiocese next month. Cheong offered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 ― the year he turned 75. Every Catholic bishop, upon reaching the age of 75, is required to submit their resignation to the Vatican. Cheong’s resignation was not accepted by the Pop