Walking Into the Past. And Beer.

In recent years, a non-profit group called the PATH Foundation has been carving out trails for walkers and bikers around Atlanta, and one of those starts right down the street from the Martin Luther King Center and continues 18 miles east all the way to Stone Mountain, a massive granite dome emblazoned with icons of the Confederacy that nod to a past the progressive city would rather forget (and these days often does).

Check out the cover of this month's issue of Westways Magazine. That's our founder, Jamie Stringfellow, on the cover, with her story about walking from Hermosa Beach to Malibu. For Westways Magazine, Jamie walked 34 miles from Hermosa to Malibu. There’s a shorter walking adventure you might like and an invitation to share your best Southern California tips in our Plan a Trip section. Click here to read Jamie's article in PDF format (warning: it's a big file and takes a minute to load the entire article) You can also view the article on the Westeways site at www.aaa.com/westways. A note about that link: Before you can view the WestWays Magazine site, you have to enter your zip code into the AAA.com site. If you enter a zip code, such as 90210, that falls in the circulation area, you'll see the article. If you enter a zip code outside the WestWays distribution area, the AAA national office directs you to the corresponding regional site.

I’d guess most people wouldn’t think of Boise, Idaho as a “green” town; yet it’s known as the City of Trees. This has always amused the heck out of this East Coast girl. Trees? Well, sure, I thought: There are a few that have been trucked in over the years.

At least, that’s how I considered the matter before spending two days walking the town. Though Boise is Idaho’s capital, and its largest city, getting around its downtown core is more like strolling a small town. Each neighborhood brings its own delights. And surprise – who knew there were so many flowering trees?

A family finds itself in the big city

We were nervous and excited at the same time. When my little family of four stepped away from our car to begin our three-day walk across the big city of Dallas with nothing but our backpacks of clothes, we felt like...well, pioneers.

We’d driven in from our home in Shreveport and left our car at SMU, but I bet even a full-time Dallas resident might feel the same trepidation, stepping off the DART train at the Mockingbird station and setting off without even one horsepower of locomotion.