As the 2009 North American Car of the Year, the Hyundai Genesis may be the most unheralded car to win the honor. Still, many critics have bombarded it with hard-to-dispute praise. Without its badge and without what ever stigma remains against Korean cars, the Genesis is nearly as luxurious and nearly as unmistakable as its [...]
Greetings from James Raia
As a journalist since 1976, I contribute sports, business, travel and lifestyle articles to newspapers, magazines and web sites. Many examples of my work from Tour de France to my syndicated car review column The Weekly Driver to golf to lifestyle features are on this site.
I own and maintain the web sites: golftribune.com (All about golf); montereypeninsula.org (All about the Monterey Peninsula); theweeklydriver.com. (All about cars). My articles will also appear in my Twitter and Facebook pages.
E-mail: james@byjamesraia.com
Most Recent Stories
Honda, Lexus, Toyota top The Weekly Driver’s Cars of the Year, 2009
Friends sometimes as why The Weekly Driver (that’s me) doesn’t just review Ferrari or Lamborghini or Maserati The answer: They’re all fine automobiles, but not too many people buy them. The Weekly Driver is all about “The Every Driver.” Lots of car buyers purchase $15,000 cars or prefer SUVs and midsize sedans. Hybrids and sports [...]
Tour de France, 2009: Mont Ventoux on the horizon
(Originally published in the Sacramento Bee/Portland Oregonian, July 22, 2009) AUBENAS, France — It’s too bad Alberto Contador leads the Tour de France by more than four minutes. The 20th stage of the race’s 96th edition Saturday really could have been something. Now, it will only be epic. The next-to-last day of this year’s race, [...]
Columbia-HTC Means Big Business at the Tour de France
Originally published July 17, 2009 in the Portland Oregonian. COLMAR, France — Not much about NASCAR racing and professional cycling seem comparable. Perhaps the lone similarity is the biggest financial factor of each sport — sponsors. The cars and drivers in NASCAR are high-speed billboards. Cyclists at the highest level of the sport who pedal [...]
Comfort food in downtown Los Angeles at The Original Pantry
Amid skyscraper hotels, a convention center, a monstrous sports stadium and the general hustle-bustle of downtown Los Angeles, I recently discovered (like millions of others have), the best comfort food around at The Original Pantry. The place opened in the 1920s and there are often lines around the block. I had my indoctrination last week [...]
Tour de France overview: A newspaperman’s dream to a way of life
Even more than 100 years ago, French newspapers engaged in fierce circulation wars. News scoops were fine, but promotion ruled, and Henri Desgrange one day forged a grandiose idea. He invented the Tour de France and it was held for the first time in 1903. Today, the Tour de France is the world’s largest free [...]
Pacific Gardens Inn: Simple, Quaint & In The Pacific Grove Woods
Asilomar State Beach and its accompanying conference center are among the most well-known destinations on the Monterey Peninsula. It’s surprising, therefore, that several other nearby locations are among the same area’s most unheralded accommodation choices. One option is Pacific Gardens Inn. It’s located across the street from Asilomar and offers a quaint alternative for area [...]
Mariposa Inn & Suites: Monterey’s Hidden, Renovated Surprise
It’s not an official name, but travelers to the Monterey Peninsula have the largest selection of motel and hotel rooms along “Motel-Hotel Row” in Monterey. The properties extend from nearly downtown Monterey toward Highway 1 on Munras Ave. There are a handful of choices on the east side of the street and a vast selection [...]
Four Diverse Carmel-By-The Sea Hotel, Inn Reviews
Carmel is among the country’s most popular small-city destinations. Quaint restaurants, art galleries, boutique shops, unique homes and famous golf courses are all backdropped by the Pacific Ocean. As such, Carmel has a steady influx of constant visitors who often fill the city’s nearly 1,000 guest rooms, particularly during popular global sporting events, festivals and [...]
A Look Back At Monterey Auto Week: Jay Leno. The Quail, The Concours & Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
(This article, with accompanying images by David Paul Morris, originally appeared in the September, 2007 issue of Prestige Magazine, Hong Kong.) About the time Jay Leno and friend arrived in a chocolate-brown vintage Bentley sedan, 78-year-old Mike McNally had likely fixed the persistent oil leak in his 1931 Riley Port Ford. Leno, comedian, late-night talk [...]