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AP - The sea of Marmara shimmered to my right, a pod of dolphins played improbably in the ferry-and tankers-choked Bosporus strait, and minarets pierced my jet-lag fog on my first Istanbul evening.

AP - Skiers and snowboarders can finally rejoice over the season's chill, but the long-delayed snowfall won't make it any easier to traverse the steep cost of winter sports.

AP - You like chocolate. You like warm baths. But are you ready for a milk chocolate bath for two?

AP - Thomas Jefferson wrote "all men are created equal" to declare U.S. independence from Britain, yet he was also a lifelong slave owner who freed only nine of his more than 600 slaves during his lifetime.

AP - Universal Orlando, with an eye on bolstering attendance, announced ambitious plans Wednesday for a daily interactive character parade and a nighttime light and pyrotechnics show at the theme park highlighting the company's 100 years of moviemaking.

AP - Cowboys. Horses. Guns. Booze. And tennis?

AP - Photographer Annie Leibovitz says she has come back from some dark days and revived her creativity with a new project now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that marks a departure from her popular celebrity portraits.

AP - Tel Aviv has long been a gay paradise, one of the few places in the Middle East where gays feel free to walk hand-in-hand and kiss in public.

AP - Florida is marking the centennial of Henry Flagler's Over-Sea Railroad, which steamed through the Florida Keys Jan. 22, 1912, carrying residents and tourists from Miami through the once-isolated island chain to Key West for the first time ever.

AP - From color therapy and medi-pedis to frigid blizzard rooms and swankier eyebrow bars, fresh trends are surfacing around the world in the $60 billion spa industry, according to an annual forecast.

AP - I took a deep breath, positioned my skis and shot down the hillside, whizzing through a forest of trees covered with thick, feathered layers of ice.

AP - Indianapolis won't ever be mistaken for Miami's South Beach or New Orleans' Bourbon Street, but visitors headed to the Circle City for the Super Bowl will find plenty of attractions, great restaurants and interesting taverns — not to mention some uniquely Hoosier experiences.

AP - You don't have to be in Asia to celebrate the arrival of the year of the dragon, Jan. 23. From New York City to Vancouver, there are parades, performances and other events marking the Lunar or Chinese New Year in many North American cities.

AP - "Everything in the Sonoran Desert either sticks, stings, bites or eats meat. There are quite a few things you don't want to touch and in the dark it's harder to discern between safe and scary," said tour guide Bruce Leadbetter as he geared up to lead a night hike of McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, northeast of Phoenix.

AP - The relationship between skiers and snowboarders might still be a bit icy at times, but a versatile group has discovered there's more than one way to get down the mountain.

AP - The Year of the Dragon is approaching, ruled by the fabulous beast that is the most powerful sign in the Chinese zodiac. And the San Francisco Bay area, with its rich tradition of Chinese culture, has a host of events planned.

AP - In spring and fall, desert camping attracts thousands of tourists in Southern California. Joshua trees curve up out of the dry ground like spiky sculptures, and Mojave rattlesnakes sunbathe on rocks. Temperatures can peak into the triple digits.

AP - In the shadow of Mount Everest and its magnetic lore, a cross-border route with a grand name, the Great Himalaya Trail, is being touted as an epic, untapped alternative to the bucket-list trek to base camp on the world's highest mountain.