Of course, visitors to the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome are drawn to the story of how Peter escaped those chains while a prisoner. But are there other reasons to visit? The Bashful Adventurer finds out.
New England History for Truth-Seeking Tourists
Of Pilgrims, Progress, Power I begin reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower with the hope that the ending is going to be a slightly different one. I resist picking up this work for a long time because I know it isn’t going to end well for the indigenous people. Still, I am curious to see how much…
Flatiron ABC
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Casual Cocina at Union Square Once dismissive of restaurants situated in strip malls (so suburban!) and those located in department stores (crustless cucumber sandwich, anyone?), I keep expectations for ABC Cocina, located in the same building as the store I love to love, ABC Carpet & Home, low, especially when, arriving three minutes…
Central Park: Enter through the Vanderbilt Gate
Nature in New York City Fresh from a visit to the Museum of the City of New York, the Brawny Sherpa and a Youthful Adventurer and I cross Fifth Avenue to admire the Vanderbilt Gate at 105 Street. Although the Youthful Adventurer and I lived in the city for a number of years, there are…
Melting-Pot Museum Full of New York City History
The Bashful Adventurer heads to the Museum of the City of New York. Will her visit be fun, or will she feel like she’s snooping in Grandma’s attic?
Hyannis Holiday Convenience
A Road Trip to Cape Cod On a road trip to Hyannis, Mass., we almost pass our motel by —despite admonitions from our global positioning system—because it looks just a bit like a car dealership. We know we are in the right place when we enter the lobby and right there on the wall is…
Is a Cape Cod Whale Watch Worthwhile?
The first time I sign up for whale watching, on a trip to San Diego, I somehow manage to book myself on a pretty small boat on what I consider to be a pretty choppy ocean, or maybe it only seems that way because I am in the early weeks of pregnancy. So with those…
Grand Central Secrets
What to Look for in the Manhattan Train Station To visit New York City’s Grand Central Station with the eyes of a tourist, rather than the blinders of a daily commuter, look for what is memorable. Of course, we’ve all made arrangements to meet at that Grand Central clock at some point in time, but…
Postmarked Hyannis
Post Office Tourism in the Land of Kennedy Remember the days when post offices had unique designs? When they weren’t generically and homogeneously crafted buildings designed, if only aspirationally, for some sort of efficiency? Remember when going to the post office and buying a stamp and sending a letter was fun? When the entire event…
Dining at Ryder Farm in Brewster
Ryder Farm in Brewster, N.Y. has been in existence since at least 1795. Hundreds of years later, it’s still a special place to visit.