The modern city is a desert paradise where you can go on morning hikes in the nearby, snow-topped mountains. Then, returning to desert life, your afternoon can be spent surrounded by rattlesnakes, javalinas, cacti and other wildlife.

Visitors can also enjoy golf, horseback riding, backpacking, biking, along with great shopping and dining. Tucson is 100 miles south of Phoenix and 100 miles north of the Mexican border at Nogales. Average February temperatures are in the high 70s day and mid 40s days. tucsonaz.org

Tohono Chul Park and Nature Center is a botanical garden featuring the many varieties of desert plants. It's a wonderful place for young and old, with an outside tea room. tohonochulpark.org. The nearby Reid Park Zoo is also a great place to experience. tucsonzoo.org

Davis-Monthan Boneyard: On the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Base in Tucson is a huge outdoor display of vintage aircraft. Including museum buildings housing historic artifacts, it covers almost a century of war and peacetime aviation. dm.af.mil

Osaka is a great destination for senior travelers. The city has a great mix of modern life and traditional Japanese culture without the big-city crowding of Tokyo.

The subway and train systems are excellent and cover just about the entire city area. The subway offers a one-day pass for $12, and has a great website in English offering detailed schedules and maps.

The Osaka Aqua-Liner tourist boat sails the Okawa River. Among the many historic sights along the route is Osaka Castle, an ancient fortress, featuring a museum with fascinating examples of Japan's feudal past.

While Tokyo may have more fancy Western-style restaurants, Osaka has more authentic Japanese cuisine, along with Asian-influenced flavors. The classic Dotonbori restaurant district offers a great variety of traditional Japanese food choices.

First Person Report: Loyal Beatles fans since we first saw the Fab Four 51 years ago on a small, black-and-white TV screen. It was on that February 9th night when they performed live on the Ed Sullivan TV Show.

Several years ago, on a visit to London, we took the journey north to see the city where the mop-haired quartet got their start. It’s a two-hour train ride from London Euston Station to Liverpool Lime Street Station.

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. celebrates its 80th birthday this year. Based on the ancient Parthenon in Athens, it’s one of several well-known copies throughout the world.

Your travel4seniors.com editor has visited all, and is very familiar with two of these imposing structures. He spent a combined 14 years with them: 10 at Girard College residence school for fatherless boys, and four earning a BFA degree at the Philly Museum College of Art (now University of the Arts).

For info on touring the U.S. Supreme Court, go to www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/touringthebuilding