This recent bit I wrote for San Francisco Citysearch aims to give the jilted and cheated-upon help hunting down and busting their wayward lovers before moving on to the next great love affair. But really, it’s just a thinly-veiled roundup of cool San Francisco destinations good for city visitors and us local folk. Check it out:

To Catch a Cheater: Where Pigs Hide in San Francisco

The Mountain Outpost (pictured), a brand new eco-adventure complex that’s part of the Kapalua Resort on Maui, opens its doors to the public this week. The opening is the latest of many recent changes around the resort. Earlier this month, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua reopened after $160 million in renovations. New restaurants, a new fitness center, new hiking trails and a renovated and upgraded deli are among the numerous other improvements to this popular Maui vacation spot.

But because we love adventure, we were most excited about the new Mountain Outpost, which boasts Hawaii’s longest suspension bridge and offers heart-thumping activities like zipline tours, climbing and ropes challenge courses. To get the inside scoop on the new Mountain Outpost and other must-do activities in and around the sprawling Kapalua Resort, we checked in with Kapalua Resort’s Director of Resort Activities Adam Quinn. Read on for his local take on getting the most out of a visit to this 23,000-acre resort area.

It’s 6 a.m. We’re up, thanks to jetlag. Where should we head for early morning adventure?

Well, before starting any activity I usually like to eat a good breakfast. Luckily you can start your culinary adventure at Kapalua Resort’s newly renovated Honolua Store deli, which opens at 6 a.m. The deli serves a wide variety of ‘ono (tasty) breakfast items like Molok‘ai sweet bread french toast and a local favorite, Loco Moco, a generous mound of rice topped with a hamburger patty, eggs and gravy. They also offer new items like a crab cake Benedict and farm-fresh veggie omelette. The rustic Honolua Store, built in 1929, also sells sundries and all the snacks you need to pack for a day of exploring Maui.

On your ideal day off, where on Maui would we find you?

I like to head down to one of Maui’s best white sand beaches, D.T. Fleming Beach, for some fun watersports. This long beach is great for running, and the shore break is good for kayak surfing and boogie boarding. During the summer, it has great snorkeling around the lava rocks, too.

What activities at Kapalua Resort are most likely to satisfy our inner adrenaline junkie?

Anyone seeking an awesome eco-adventure should check out our new Kapalua Adventure Center where you can jump into a bio-diesel Mercedes-Benz Unimog for a journey to our Mountain Outpost located about 1,500 feet up the mountainside.

The Mountain Outpost’s eight dual-track zipline course is among North America’s largest—spanning nearly two miles with two ziplines more than 2,000 feet long. Adventurers can also put their endurance, balance and strength to the test with a comprehensive ropes challenge course and 35-foot climbing tower.

All activities are led by guides who have extensive knowledge of Hawaiian culture, history, geography, flora and fauna.

Can you suggest a great excursion for a family with one or more kids under 12?

The Maui Ocean Center is a great place to take the kids. This aquarium has the nation’s largest collection of living coral, and parents love taking pictures of their little ones in the see-through acrylic tunnel within the 750,000-gallon deep sea tank.

Where are the best spots for romance at Kapalua Resort?

At Kapalua Resort, The Plantation House Restaurant offers open-air island style ambiance and amazing panoramic views of the ocean.

Where would you send us to score postcard-worthy views?

Honolua Bay, a marine life conservation area, has fantastic snorkeling. Buy a waterproof camera to snap unbelievable photos of colorful coral and tropical fishes. To get there, hop in a catamaran sailing charter from Lahaina Harbor or Ka‘anapali Beach, and you’ll be taken to a picturesque bay with a scenic mountain backdrop about ten miles north of Ka‘anapali.

When friends and family visit you, what’s one place you always take them to see?

Watching the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala, the world’s largest dormant volcano, is a rare treat. I usually like to take my visiting friends and family to Haleakala National Park to enjoy the incredible above-the-clouds view, hiking and cultural activities.

What should every Maui visitor take home?

Maui Pineapple Company offers the nation’s only tour of a working pineapple plantation. Guests learn about planting, cultivation, and harvesting pineapple. A highlight is tasting pineapple in the field and then picking your own Maui Gold pineapple to take home. Kids especially love these tours. If you don’t want to carry fruit on the plane, order Maui Gold online at mauipineapple.com to be delivered right to your door.

A trip to Maui wouldn’t be complete without _______.

A trip to Maui wouldn’t be complete without attending The Feast at Lele, an intimate, oceanfront Polynesian lu‘au experience that includes traditional, upscale cuisine from Hawai‘i, New Zealand, Tonga and Tahiti, small beachside tables in a lush garden patio, beautiful sunsets and authentic hula and fire dance performances.

Note: All activities can be arranged through the Kapalua Adventure Center’s adventure concierges. For more information call 808-665-4FUN (4386) or toll-free at 877-665-4386.

Freelance writer Lorraine Sanders has been editing the TravelPost.com Insider blog since 2005. You can reach her at news (at) lorrainesanders (dot) com.

A local gem, cult-favorite, sure bet and constant it-spot among those-in-the-know and all those other hackneyed phrases used to describe tried-and-true favorites in popular tourist destinations – call it what you want – San Francisco’s House of Nanking is one of ‘em.

Yeah, you’ll find a dirty mop in the bathroom and there might be gooey rice stuck to the underside of the plastic bowl from which you’ll eat. Sure, the staff may greet you not by saying hello, but with a tug on the sleeve that says quite unequivocally, hurry up, sit down and eat already. Yes, your table may toggle back and forth on its uneven legs as you sit hunched over a bowl of soup whose exact contents will forever remain mystery.

But you’ll absolutely love it. Well, not everyone will. House of Nanking – a somewhat dingy little joint on the border of Chinatown and North Beach (just up the block from a dive bar whose awning proclaims “Where Good Friends and Girls Go to Meet”) – is no fine dining experience, but it consistently wins accolades as the city’s best Chinese.

Instead of ordering from the crinkly, plastic-covered menu, tell your waiter (who’s likely to be one of the owners) just to choose “what’s good today” and bring enough food for the table. If you want something specific, sure, let them know (we highly recommend the onion cakes) and be clear about whether you want vegetarian dishes, meat, chicken, fish or a combination. Then let the kitchen do the rest.

Don’t waste time holding your breath for the sort of Chinese fare you’ll find in most restaurants around the United States. This ain’t no P.F. Chang’s. Far from it. Produce is market-fresh – we’d be shocked if the majority of what appeared on our plates had been in the kitchen longer than 24 hours. Sauces are nuanced and flavorful, but light enough to let the food itself take center stage.

Dishes like this plate of basil leaves, mushrooms and red onion arrive at the table in mere minutes and disappear (into our mouths of course) just as quickly.

Eggplant draped on a bed of bok choy, peppers and fresh greens:

House of Nanking
919 Kearny St
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 421-1429

The TravelPost.com Insider Native City series is a regular feature highlighting unique, iconic or influential edibles, products and other creations found in some of the world’s most popular travel destinations.

Freelance writer Lorraine Sanders has been editing the TravelPost.com Insider blog since 2005. You can reach her at news (at) lorrainesanders (dot) com.

I recently became one of the gazillion travelers to fall in love with the iPhone. It. Just. Rocks.

Since acquiring my iPhone, I’ve been having some fun exploring all the applications and widgets that make this little device even cooler than it is on its own. To be sure, there are a slew of add-on applications, widgets and programs available for download out there. But which ones are the best for travelers? Here is my list of the Best iPhone Applications and Widgets for Travelers:

New York on Tap

Use this well-designed application to find bars in New York, as well as subway stops and directions.

Hotel Widgets

A simple, but easy-to-use search tool for finding flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises using your iPhone.

Earthcomber

With its iPhone-optimized interface, Earthcomber helps you find what you’re looking for (restaurants, wi-fi, banks, gas stations, ice cream – you name it) and locates it on Google Maps. You can also get driving directions, read reviews and see the location of friends who also use the app.

Sudoku for iPhone

For those addicted to this travel-friendly game, we like the simple interface of this iPhone-based Sudoku widget. There are several similar widgets out there, but this one has a cleaner appearance and also offers players a choice of simple, easy, intermediate and expert game levels. Too bad you can’t play on the plane (yet).

iEventful

This application lets you search for events by city. If you find yourself in a new town with an evening to kill, this simple search will return plenty of options in categories ranging from Food-Wine-Cuisine to Performing Arts.

SoonR

Need access to computer files, photos and programs like Skype from your iPhone? SoonR allows you to do just that. The downloadable program loads the SoonR Desktop Agent onto your home computer and allows you to search, find and share files with any mobile phone – even when your computer is turned off.

iPhone Miles

A simple tool that allows business travelers to track auto mileage with their iPhones. We especially like the way this application allows users to specify driver, purpose and distance and then exports the information to Excel for easy record-keeping.

IM+ for Skype

ddicted to Skype? You can use your account to call or instant message contacts via your iPhone with this application. The only bummer: it’ll cost you $25 to download the service.

Cool Gorilla Phrase Books

Much like traditional translators, this iPhone-friendly application offers phrases in five languages (French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish). But unlike many electronic handheld language gadgets, this application will actually pronounce the phrases for you using Quicktime.

Flight Stats

Search for flight status, departure and arrival times, airport and airline information, security wait times and current airport delays all from your iPhone.

JiWire Wi-Fi Finder

Find wi-fi hotspots in cities around the world. Allows you to browse by country, city, address, wireless provider and even connection type. An added bonus? You can search exclusively for free wi-fi hotspots.

iPhone Tipper

While many tipping applications exist for the iPhone, we like this one because it allows you to split the check among up to 10 people and offers an easy interface for viewing 15, 20 and 25 percent tip amounts alongside the bill total .

Travel writer Lorraine Sanders has been editing the TravelPost.com Insider blog since 2005. You can reach her at news (at) lorrainesanders (dot) com.

Oftentimes, the only restaurants you read about in travel publications and on blogs, etc., are the new ones that everyone is talking about, but last night I was reminded that old favorites may just be the best places for city visitors to discover.

Case in point: San Francisco’s Betelnut, a pan-Asian small plates restaurant that I dare say is, hands-down, one of the best moderately-priced, semi-casual spots within city boundaries. Sure, some snooty foodies may not think it daring nor gourmet enough and some picky eaters may prefer a place with steak-and-potatoes offerings. But for those who want a crowd-pleaser of a place with a lively vibe and cool interiors (check out the fans above the bar) that works well whether you’ve got a party of two or a party of 10, Betelnut is as close to a sure bet as you can get.

On a Tuesday night in the middle of January - not traditionally a prime time for dining out - this Cow Hollow eatery was packed, as it is most every night of the week almost every day of the year. Chef Alexander Ong’s mall and large plates meant to be shared among everyone at the table range from the signature garlicky Szechuan green beans (a must!) to the divine oven smoked sea bass with ginger-cucumber namasu. If you go, don’t miss the hot and spicy firecracker shrimp with five-spice sambal dip, veggie-friendly happy buddha dumplings or the wok-seared galanda beef filet with crispy yams. And travelers who are watching their wallets will appreciate the reasonable prices. With wine, three of us dined (more like stuffed) last night for $120, tip included.

Take it from someone who isn’t a restaurant critic or a food writer: if you’re visiting San Francisco and have any taste for Asian cuisine whatsoever, you won’t be disappointed with anything - other than the wait you may have to endure for a table.

We don’t care who you flash from which balcony, how many beads you collect or the number of frosty, pink hurricanes it takes to render you senseless and befriending a lamppost in the French Quarter. But if there’s anything we do care about, it’s that you plan accordingly before you head down south to the nation’s biggest party. A few things to keep in mind for Mardi Gras 2008:

1. You can skip Mardi Gras and still go to Mardi Gras. Contrary to popular belief, the actual day on which Mardi Gras falls (this year, Feb. 5th), is not necessarily a day you need to include in your travel plans. The party officially ends the Wednesday after Mardi Gras - Ash Wednesday - and the town shuts down to recover from a month of parades, balls and parties. The best time to hit New Orleans for a taste of Mardi Gras debauchery is basically anytime during Carnival season, which officially began this past weekend and continues through Feb. 5th. While the weekend prior to Mardi Gras (Feb. 1-4) is prime time for those who love crowds, booze and packed bars, many who want to sample the sites and sounds of New Orleans without all the mayhem go in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. Check the Mardi Gras 2008 Calendar, and you’ll see that there are parades and events every weekend in January.

2. Grandstanding can make all the difference. Unless you’re a college kid or someone with really solid legs and a strong bladder, standing alongside the parade route can get real old real fast. Not only will you have to fight your way through the crowd every time you need to get a drink or use the bathroom, but you’ll have few bathroom options save porter potties and those in packed bars and restaurants (which are almost always reserved for customers only). Especially if it’s your first Mardi Gras or you’re traveling with kids, we suggest forking over the extra moolah for grandstand access during at least one of the parades. For example, you can get $50 tickets to the Bacchus Parade (Premium Seats via Ticketweb) that will land you general admission access to the grandstand at the Intercontinental New Orleans Hotel on Sunday, Feb. 3rd. You’ll have access to bathrooms, as well as food and drink (for an additional fee, of course). Many local hotels and restaurants offer tickets to special viewing areas for watching parades, so do some research online before you go.

3. Book activities and restaurant reservations in advance. If you want to participate in any guided tours, excursions or other activities or dine at a specific restaurant during the Mardi Gras season, it goes without saying that you should buy tickets or reserve your table well in advance. Don’t wait until you arrive - you may be disappointed.

4. To really see New Orleans, you don’t have to see Mardi Gras. Yes, Mardi Gras is one of the most unique, exciting and culturally important annual celebrations in the country. That said, it’s also the most hectic time of year in the Big Easy. But New Orleans has the same festive spirit, party-hardy bars, colorful markets and great restaurants all year round. It’s worth keeping in mind that, while you may miss the big bang that is Mardi Gras, visiting at another time of year will definitely be more economical and may result in better service at restaurants, shops and hotels.

Carnival season in New Orleans officially kicked off on Sunday. And as of today, Mardi Gras 2008 is officially 28 days away. If you’re planning to hit the Big Easy for all the fun leading up to Feb. 5th, now’s the time to lock in hotel reservations. We’ve done some checking around to find the best hotels for different tastes and budgets. Note that many require full payment upfront for stays the weekend prior to Mardi Gras.

Where to stay for Mardi Gras 2008 if you want…

Bourbon Street Accommodations

It ain’t cheap, but the Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans is one of the best options for revelers who want to be right in the middle of the French Quarter action and want a moderately upscale place to rest their heads at night (hint, bring some earplugs…staying here means lodging in the part of the city that never sleeps). Double and King rooms are still available for the weekend prior to Mardi Gras. When we checked, rates were $339/night.

A Taste of the Traditional

For lodging that features a dose of classic New Orleans, Hotel Monteleone is hard to beat. The hotel offers many of the amenities you’d find at a similarly-priced chain (fitness center, rooftop pool, on site dining), but ups the ante with rooms outfitted in grand window treatments, ornamental moldings, prim sitting areas and marble bathrooms. Spa junkies can escape the rabble rousers in the French Quarter with a trip to Spa Aria, which offers luxe treatments like the signature Caviar Facial. Ready to splurge? Try one of the decadent suites, named after Southern literary heroes like Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Eudora Welty. When we checked rates for the weekend before Mardi Gras, we found a variety of guest rooms and suites available with rates starting at $279/night.

A Party Pad

With nightly rates for the weekend starting at $129 and a location near the French Quarter, the Baronne Plaza Hotel is our pick for budget-minded travelers who care more about having a convenient home base than top-notch service, flashy interiors or high-end amenities.

A Full-Service, Business-Class Hotel

Even if you’re hitting N’awlins mainly to party, you may still want all the creature comforts of a business-class hotel. Bed down at either the The Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel or the JW Marriott New Orleans Hotel, and you won’t be disappointed. Both hotels are located a few blocks from the action, but the real draw to these picks is knowing your room will be comfortable, clean, attractive (good design, marble bathrooms) and that amenities like high-speed Internet, room service, fitness facilities and concierge assistance are there when you need ‘em. When we checked, available Double and King rooms for the weekend were $279/night at both hotels. Note: you’ll have to prepay in full for accommodations during Mardi Gras weekend.

Jetsetter Digs

For travelers who put aesthetics on par with practicalities like location and amenities, the W Hotel New Orleans is the way to go. With touches like the outdoor courtyard area, pictured here, plush in-room furnishings, private poolside cabanas and sleek interiors befitting urban sophisticates, this destination won’t disappoint those willing to pay for looks. A recent check showed rooms for the weekend before Mardi Gras starting at $339/night.

New Year’s Travel Resolution #1: Earn More Miles

Earning miles should be something every traveler does every single day. Even if you only fly a few times a year, you can still collect a nice stash of miles and points to use towards future travel through activities you’re already doing. After all, you probably purchase something almost every day of your life. And with chances to earn miles as plentiful as they are these days, savvy travelers can accrue miles for almost every dollar they spend.

Plenty of people are aware that they could, technically speaking, earn miles from any number of sources. But the hassle of signing up for mileage programs, credit cards and mileage promotions often stops them from maximizing miles earned from everyday activities. But once you’ve completed the initial sign-ups, earning miles is more a matter of habit than anything else. It’s like the traveler’s version of diligently (or obsessively) clipping coupons. You just have to get into a routine. And there’s no better time to adopt a new habit than the New Year.

Here are five tips for making 2008 a mega-mile year:

1. Register, register, register. If you aren’t already signed up for loyalty programs with every airline you could possibly fly, then it behooves you to take 45 minutes - say, on Saturday afternoon, or whenever else you get a free minute - and just go through the drudgery of entering all your information into the various sites. Sure, you may think it doesn’t make sense to register for a loyalty program with an airline you may or may not fly with this year, but it’s far better to have your account set up in advance. When you’re actually in the process of buying a ticket, it’s disruptive to have to stop and create an account with an airline. In some cases, taking the time to register for a loyalty program can mean you’ll lose the very fare you’re trying to buy. Many people just figure they’ll sign up later. But then they don’t - and that means lost miles. If you only want to register for a few loyalty programs, WebFlyer has a great, useful side-by-side comparison chart that rates all hotel and airline programs.

2. Replace regular credit cards with reward cards. If your top priority is travel, then one of the best ways to earn free airline tickets is through a reward credit card. Compare available programs on a site like CreditCards.com, which has a Hotel and Travel Rewards Credit Card comparison section. Which card you choose should depend on your priorities. Some companies - Capitol One is an example - require travelers to redeem miles through their own travel agency, while others will just transfer the miles to you and let you book travel using any online travel agency or airline web site. In the former situation, you have less flexibility when redeeming miles, but you can avoid restrictions like blackout dates that you’d face using other programs. Do some research and decide what works best for your needs.

3. Ask your bank about debit card reward programs. Some banks (Chase, Bank of America, KeyBank, to name a few) offer account holders the opportunity to earn miles for purchases made with their debit cards. As someone who often tries to pay for things using a debit card instead of credit cards, I have personally found this to be one of the most effective methods for earning miles. I earn miles whenever I use the card - even if it’s for groceries.

4. Earn miles for everyday purchases. Travelers can earn miles in some unexpected places. Safeway, for example, offers its Club Card members different ways to earn miles for various airlines. Check out the Safeway Club Card Airline Miles page to see what sort of programs are available in your area. In addition to mileage promotions offered by individual retailers, travelers can earn miles from pretty much every store under the sun at Shop4Miles.com. Check out the store list, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. One drawback to this site is that it isn’t partnered with every airline. If your preferred airline isn’t part of the program, then you can always earn miles for everyday purchases through each airline’s online shopping portal (most of the major ones have them). Just make sure you read all the fine print before completing a purchase - you’ll probably have to log-in or, in some cases, enter a code of some sort before you buy anything in order for the miles to hit your account.

5. Search for available promotions whenever you shop for travel. Before you buy an airline ticket, rent a car or book a hotel stay, check out MileMaven to find current promotions associated with your travel plans. This is a great site that allows travelers to search for promotions. It’s common for travel companies to offer miles to customers who pay with certain credit cards. You may also find limited-time bonus mile promotions that you might otherwise have missed.

Found another sale with appeal for frequent travelers. Jan. 11-24, boating and outdoor sports supplier West Marine (one of my favorites for boating gear) is knocking 15 percent off electronics, boats and kayaks, as well as up to 40 percent off other merchandise from fishing supplies to footwear (in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m on a sale kick right now). So if your consumer sensibilities weren’t totally sated by the holidays, you can satisfy the urge to spend, spend, spend with some great deals on gear that will come in handy when the warmer months kick in.

Outdoor retailer Peter Glenn is having an online post-holiday sale that could help you feel, perhaps, just slightly less guilty about buying winter sports gear midseason. So if you’re heading to the mountains in ‘08, you can grab brands like Spyder, Sport Obermeyer, Nils, Bogner and Orage for 30 to 50 percent off. Shipping is free for orders over $99. One of my favorite sale items: the Orage Kai Pinstripe Insulated Ski Jacket, pictured here. It features a highly functional waterproof hardshell with cool details like the offset zipper, windflap closures in a cheeky, faux-formal pattern. Regularly $370, the jacket is on sale for $299.