Things to Do in Napa & Sonoma

Overlooking the Potomac River at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, this statue of Marines raising the American flag on Japanese soil after the Battle of Iwo Jima is dedicated to the military service of U.S. Marines since 1775. Sculpted by American artist Felix de Weldon, the 32-foot soldiers and 60-foot flagpole comprise the largest bronze memorial in the world, while the Stars and Stripes here are made of real cloth. In accordance with a 1961 proclamation made by President John F. Kennedy, the statue’s flag flies 24 hours a day.

The scene depicted by this memorial is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph called Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken by D.C. native Joe Rosenthal in 1945.  Five of the six soldiers in the scene were Marines (one was part of the Navy Corps), and three died in this famous last battle of World War II.

At the memorial site, the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps presents the Marine Sunset Review Parade on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., generally the first Tuesday in June through mid-August. Wearing red-and-white dress uniforms, the corps perform a variety of military standards and vintage tunes from wartime eras.

Walking distance from both Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, this condensed, stylish center of black culture and boutique shopping was formerly one of D.C.’s sketchiest neighborhoods. Its Victorian homes echo its post-Civil War origins as a bedroom community for newly-migrated Southern blacks, and a few preserved Art Deco club and theater facades belie its history as a Harlem-owned “Black Broadway,” but for decades after being the epicenter of D.C.’s violent 1968 riots (sparked by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), this area was sadly known best for drug trafficking.

However, the U Street area was almost wholly revitalized during the real estate boom of the 1990s. Still a bit gritty in the evenings (when music clubs like Black Cat and the 9:30 Club draw hip, young crowds), milder daytime attractions here include the famed Ben’s Chili Bowl (where longtime fan Bill Cosby offers the on-hold accompaniment for to-go orders), the funky, literary-themed café scene at Busboys and Poets, and the African-American Civil War Memorial and Museum. The independent shops here offer some of the city’s most unusual and artistic finds, from jewelry to clothing and housewares.

Wildlife abounds in southern Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park. Here, open-top jeep safaris bring visitors within close range of members of the park’s resident elephant population — some say it’s the country’s largest, with as many as 400 individuals. The park is centered around a massive man-made reservoir, which displaced hundreds of hectares when it was created in the 1970s but now draws wild buffaloes, sambar deer, crocodiles, jackals, macaques, leopards and flocks of water birds. Udawalawe’s dry weather and short, grassy vegetation provides an ideal setting for viewing these creatures.

Most park visitors arrive via an organized tour; only official vehicles and those with park-licensed guides are allowed to explore the park. For an extended stay and a greater chance of seeing some of the park’s rarer critters, visitors can also opt to stay in onsite accommodations, which include four campsites and bungalows ranging from plain rustic to rustic chic.

Just outside the park, the ETH, or Elephant Transit Home, is a popular stop often combined with a trip to Udawalawe — there, baby elephants, orphaned by the ivory trade, are rehabilitated and released to join the park’s population.

Ever since its founding in 2,750 BC, the Lebanese city of Tyre (Sour) has been a center of conquest, exploration and empire. Originally an island city with one of the finest harbors in the eastern Mediterranean, scholars argue that the first explorers to navigate the waters of the Mediterranean Sea departed from the modern day port of Tyre. Although heavily fortified and able to repel many previous attacks, the island of Tyre was finally conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC when his armies constructed a causeway to get within striking distance of the island. Due to thousands of years of sedimentation caused by the man-made causeway, the city of Tyre is now an isthmus which forms a rugged promontory jutting out into the sea.

Tyre is renowned for having the cleanest beaches in Lebanon, and is also known for the authenticity of its souks and wealth of Roman ruins. In addition to the Monumental Arch which once served as the entrance to the city, the most notable ruin in Tyre is the massive Roman hippodrome set in the Al Bass Archeological site. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest ever constructed in the ancient world, the hippodrome staged raucous chariot events for crowds numbering over 20,000.

While regarded as safe for modern day travelers, Tyre has been a place of much turmoil in the past. The city was damaged in 1982 and 2006 during conflicts with neighboring Israel, and though Tyre is fully open for tourism and deserves a spot on any Lebanon itinerary, the political situation can nevertheless be tense.