Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“I rarely have bad experiences traveling,” Dave Kox says. “However even if there are travel nightmares, I always feel blessed to be able to see and experience new things. It’s what keeps me always coming back for more.”
Linebacker Scott Fujita is a team captain for the Cleveland Browns and has played football for the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys. But his home base is in Carmel Valley, Calif. “Basically, we chose a vacation destination as our permanent residence,” he says. Fujita, who cites National Geographic Traveler as one of his favorite magazines, loves exploring and shares some of his favorite spots.
Kathy Benziger Threlkeld knows her wine. The 44-year-old Sonoma, Calif., resident is a partner in the family business: Benziger Family Winery. An avid traveler who enjoys destinations that offer both snow and beachfront views, she picks a Wisconsin resort as her all-time favorite hotel.
Our room at the Atlantis was beautiful. But let’s be honest. You don’t come to the Atlantis to sleep. As a family with a toddling baby, we needed to make sure there was enough for him to do.
Born in Canberra, Australia, and raised in Sydney, Alex O’Loughlin’s thick Aussie accent is nowhere to be heard on “Hawaii Five-0,” where he plays the lead character Steve McGarrett. “I heard that some people thought I was American,” says the 34-year-old actor during a break from shooting in Honolulu. “I take that as a great compliment. I try to be as authentic as I can for each role that I take. But once I’m done shooting, I sound like me again. I can’t hide it.” “Hawaii Five-0” airs Mondays on CBS.
Singer, actress and former “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee, 26, was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she currently resides. “I love traveling and am on the road all the time for work, but I don’t get to go on as many vacations as people would think,” she says. “But a lot of people can work on vacation or relax while they’re traveling for business. And that’s what I’ve started to do.” Her favorite vacation memory, actually, is of the days off she had during a business trip to Italy. McPhee’s latest CD is “Christmas is the Time …(To Say I Love You).”
Exene Cervenka has lived quite the life. Born in Illinois and currently residing in Missouri, the 54-year-old artist earned early fame as the co-lead vocalist of the punk rock band X. She co-starred in the 1987 film “Salvation!” with Viggo Mortensen, where the two played a married couple. In real life, the couple followed suit, but divorced after their son Henry was born. When author Michael Blake was writing “Dances with Wolves,” he crashed at her house and dedicated the book to her. Blake — as well as Kevin Costner who would go on to star in film adaptation of “Dances with Wolves” — appears in her cowboy satire “Bad Day” (www.baddaymovie.com), which is available via digital download.
Actor Jon Seda is a Jersey boy at heart, though he currently lives on the West Coast with his wife and children. “For most of my career I’ve been on the East Coast, but for about the past four or five years I’ve been based out of California,” says Seda, who was born in New York. “I’ve just recently celebrated my 40th birthday. Oh yeah, it’s all up hill from here!” Seda, who’s best known for his roles in the films “Gladiator” and “Selena,” earned rave reviews for his portrayal of World War II hero John Basilone in the HBO miniseries “The Pacific,” which has just been released on DVD.
Born in San Jose, Calif., and currently residing in Manhattan, scientist Michio Kaku enjoys traveling with his wife. “One of my favorite places is Germany,” says Dr. Kaku, 63. “In its glory days prior to World War II, it was ranked No. 1 in science and is known as the place that gave birth to modern quantum theory. For a scientist, it’s about as close as you could get to a sacred site.” A leading theoretical physicist, Kaku is the host of the Science Channel’s weekly “Sci Fi Science.
Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek) is a widowed father trying to raise a pair of unruly boys. When the twins drive off yet another nanny, he hires a kindly and angelic woman named Mrs. Merkle (Doris Roberts) to take care of their household. Before long, the twins are behaving less like feral beasts and more like well-behaved little gentlemen.