Travel
Enjoying the winter sun in Madrid’s Parco del retiro
Last December I was with my family in Madrid. We spent lots of time walking around and exploring, and hours in museums enjoying the collections. But the blue skies beckoned and the warm December sun led us to the Parco del retiro, a place I had been for summer visits to Spain’s capital. It was…
Read MoreThe Met’s rooftop art – New York
I’ve been a member of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art for years, and it’s a place I visit often when I’m back in New York. Between the permanent collection, exhibitions and guided talks, there’s always plenty to see. But since my visits generally happen in the summer, I always make a point to…
Read MoreVisiting the birthplace of the nativity scene – in Greccio, Italy
For years I have “meant to” visit Greccio. My luck changed when my youngest son joined the track team in nearby Rieti, about 16 kilometers from this tiny town. Since we are often in Rieti for races, and since this last visit coincided with sunny skies, I finally got my wish post-race. Greccio is a…
Read MoreEnjoying a new angle – from NY’s The Vessel
When I was back in New York with my family this summer, we were curious to see a new monument that sprung up during our absence. In the building frenzy that is the Hudson Yards neighborhood of downtown Manhattan, a new landmark has taken shape – just beside the Hudson Yards subway stop. The Vessel.…
Read MoreHanging out in Washington Harbor
Over the past weeks of travel blogs, I’ve written about a visit to Old Town Alexandria and returning to Washington via water taxi along the Potomac. It seems fitting to include information of where I disembarked – the newly developed Washington Harbor. I first visited Washington Harbor last year, when it was just opening. A…
Read MoreTraveling the Potomac – via water taxi
Last week I wrote about a visit we took this past summer to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, just a short trip away from Washington, DC. I’ve always been reached Alexandria either by car or the metro. On this visit, we took public transport, arriving by metro. But after a nice wander around the town and…
Read MoreA day in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
This past summer while I was with my family in Washington, DC, we decided to take the easy trip out to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. It’s easy to reach with public transport – an easy stop on the metro. From the metro station, we enjoyed the pleasant summer day for a walk through the city’s…
Read MoreHike the Adirondacks, and never leave Manhattan … in Central Park
I’m a big fan of the Adirondack Mountains. My grandmother had an old hunting lodge that had been converted to a summer home on Lake George and I visited often as a kid. Lake George’s Buck Mountain was the first mountain I climbed as a kid, and I’ve climbed it many times since then. So…
Read MoreFrom the top of the world. The Pizzo di Ovindoli, Abruzzo
On a hot summer weekend, I took my kids out to our place in Ovindoli – in the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy. An hour and a half away in Rome, it was sweltering, but at 1400 meters/4500 feet from sea level, we could be active all day, without succumbing to heat stroke. My older son…
Read MoreNew York beach day! Rockaway, Queens
When you think about New York City, many images and impressions probably spring to mind. I’ll wager none of those include pristine white beaches and refreshing ocean waves – all reachable by subway. Rockaway Beach in Queens offers an easy beach day far from the stresses of mega-city life, and all for the price of…
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