San Fran Is Best US Vacation Destination

Arts, culture, beauty, jobs—these towns have it all, and real people, too

(NEWSER) - Outside magazine selects 30 sweet spots—the best towns for mixing city life with the big outdoors—and, oh yeah, getting a job, too. Here are the top nine:

1. Santa Cruz, California
2. Jackson, Wyoming
3. Iowa City, Iowa
4. Bend, Oregon
5. Santa Fe, New Mexico

Houston takes over No. 1 spot, TurboTax says

(NEWSER) - Your taxes are due April 15, and TurboTa x says it has a pretty good idea of who’s going to file late. Herewith, its list of US cities most likely to procrastinate:

1. Houston (up from No. 2)
2. Chicago (up from 4)
3. New York (holding steady)
4. Austin (a big jump, from 11)
5. San Francisco (down from No. 1)

Forget Paris—these great vacation sites can be found in your own backyard

(NEWSER) - Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die, turns Forbes readers onto her top 15:

1. The Pacific Coast Highway
2. Monument Valley, Utah and Ariz.
3. Texas Hill Country

Sunbelt lusts for Great Lakes' water, but eight states vow to keep it

(NEWSER) - You'd think the warm weather and easy living would make the West and South leave Frostbelters alone. But no, they want what that frost is made from: water. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua—and eight Great Lakes states are teaming up with two Canadian provinces to stop them. More»

If vacation isn't vacation without Rover, consider one of these ten pet-friendly towns or your next trip

(NEWSER) - Man's best friend has become a member of the family, so why shouldn't he get a break, too? Make it fun and easy to travel with your pet by visiting one of these hound-hangout towns MSNBC recommends:

1. San Diego, CA
2. Long Beach, CA
3. Carmel, CA