Fish Taco Ground Zero

Some food is closely identified with specific cities - Philadelphia has it's cheesesteaks, New York has pizza.  For San Diego, it has to be fish tacos.

The history of the fish taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico, and Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to experience eating one.

Fast forward to 1983, when Ralph Rubio opened up his first Rubio's restaurant that featured his version of the fish tacos he experienced while on a college break in San Felipe Mexico.  Now every Mexican eatery offers them, and they are the subject of culinary competition at high end restaurants.

Who has the best?  The San Diego Union-Tribune has an article called "Quest for the Fish Taco" that sheds some light on some unique San Diego versions, but the only way to know for sure is to go eat a bunch.  Let us know what you decide.

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Best Summer Attractions For Families

The perennial summer question has to be "where should we go this summer?"  Budget Travel magazine takes a stab at answering that question with their article "16 Best Summer Attractions for Families".

Some of the places you've heard of (Grand Canyon, NASCAR Hall of Fame), some are far away (Denali National Park), and others fairly new (places in the Twilight series).

The official end of summer may be coming up soon, but good weather and smaller weekend crowds mean that you can enjoy these places for months to come.  What are you waiting for?

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Smallest Towns in the U.S.

What if a town meeting is called and you're the only one that shows up?  Maybe you live in one of the fourteen towns in the U.S. that have a population of one, or the twelve towns that have a population of just two.

Where are these small places of interest?  We've pulled together two lists:

• Mother Nature Network -
  12 U.S. places where your visit could double the population
• Wikipedia (only the towns with one or two residents) -
  List of places with fewer than ten residents

If you ever wanted to be a big presence in town, here's your chance.

The Best National Park Lodges

National Parks can be wonderful places to visit, but what if you want to stay the night?  There are a handful of parks that can offer you not just a night in the park, but a special experience too.

The National Park lodges on our map range from expensive (The Ahwahnee) to remote (Phantom Ranch), and have been picked by Sunset magazine and Frommer's as the best lodges to experience:

• Sunset Magazine - The West's best national park lodge experiences
• Frommer's - The Best National Park Lodges in the U.S.

Which one is best?  Let us know.

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Best Road Food - Western U.S.

Sunset magazine, which is "the premier resource for achieving the ultimate Western lifestyle", has put together the absolutely best places to eat along Western highways.

In their article called "Top 41 road food spots in the West", they show you the best places to pull off the road and chow down burgers, milkshakes, fish taco's, breakfast, pie, or just good road food.  Yum!

And if you're in Hawaii, or planning to travel there, don't forget to check out the food places on Kauai and Oahu.