Kaua'i is among the "Ten Best Islands to Live On," according to a list being released in the July/August issue of Islands magazine, due on newsstands this week. The magazine devoted to sea-surrounded living attempts in the list to make the case that it's not as impossible a dream as many may think to find a place on or near the shore. Islands editors consulted with experts and expatriates around the world to assemble the list, covering islands from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Among the others on the list: tiny Bequia, the Caribbean; Orcas in the Pacific Northwest; Gozo, Malta (where you can live indefinitely as a 'temporary resident' on less than $40,000 a year, the magazine claims). Also in the magazine: a story, "The Aloha Code," in which a newcomer to Kaua'i talks about learning to be local, or at least figuring out how to "pass" for a kama'aina.

— Wanda A. Adams

ONLINE

LET SEATGURU GUIDE YOU TOWARD COMFORT ON YOUR FUTURE TRAVELS

When you make a flight reservation online, choosing a seat is one of the few choices left for passengers. At www.seatguru.com, you'll get an alphabetical menu of the planes the airline flies. Each model shows a diagram of its interior. You'll learn the seat pitch and width, and you'll be able to instantly see which seats are the best based on a color code. Good seats are green; yellow seats have some issues, such as being too close to the bathrooms; red, you're in trouble. Roll your mouse over the seat, and you'll get a mini review, such as whether it has a power outlet.

SeatGuru also includes information about food service, pet policies and facilities for infants. It also has baggage rules such as American Airlines' baggage charges for economy-class domestic flights.

SAN FRANCISCO

HISTORIC GHIRARDELLI SQUARE UNVEILS NEW LOOK, MORE SHOPS

San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, a working chocolate factory in the late 1800s, was turned into a shopping and dining complex in the 1960s and granted National Register of Historic Places status in 1982. This month a revitalized square is unveiled that includes new high-end shops, fine dining, artisanal foods, wine shops and a 10,000-square-foot spa.

New landscaping, outdoor seating and renovated terraces are among the improvements. Shops now open or opening in the near future include Cellar 360, a wine and food bar; Marché on the Square, a specialty food market; Kara's Cupcakes; Lola's of North Beach; O'Neill's Irish Pub; and Peekadoodle Kidsclub, an indoor family club.