Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Mass. —Lori Tripoli Planning a trip to Salem, Mass.? You might like these posts: Bonus History in Witch City Salem, Where Were You during the Revolution? Don’t Miss in Salem, Mass.: One Over-the-Top Bookstore…
How Far to Fargo? A Summertime Drive through North Dakota
In Search of Big Skies, Badlands, and Some North Dakota Nice ~sponsored post~ Around the time the Brawny Sherpa and I decide to get into better shape for an anticipated walk on the Way of Saint James in Spain next winter, I develop a new fascination with roadtrips. I might as well rest my not-yet-weary…
Should You Take the Kids to Murano?
Do youthful adventurers and glass really mix? Will you and your family have fun in Murano, Italy?
Beacon beyond DIA
A Visit to Artist Jeffrey Terreson’s New Gallery For those who grew up in Upstate New York at a time when it was thriving, what’s happened in decades since is sometimes disheartening. Failure to thrive in too many places comes in the form of mothballed factories, declining real estate prices, and Main Streets full of…
Alligator Warning: Dangers in Foreign Places, Signs or Not
Avoiding Death by Alligator and Other Tragedies The horrific death of Lane Graves, a toddler visiting Disney in Orlando, serves as a reminder to all travelers to remember customs, and dangers unknown to us, in places we visit. There apparently was ‘no swimming’ signage by the lagoon on the Disney property where the little…
A Visit to Logan, Utah for Foodies, Families, and Artful Adventurers
Cache Valley Offers Something for All of Us ~Sponsored Post~ How do we happen upon Logan, Utah? Somewhere during the long winter in New York followed by frosty gray spring rains and hours spent listening to tunes about the merits of Route 66, the Brawny Sherpa and I become keen on the idea of taking…
The Mystery of the Amber Room
A Must-See in Pushkin, AKA Tsarskoye Tselo To the list of places I don’t know I need to see when I head to Russia is Pushkin, also known as Tsarskoye Tselo (‘czar’s village,’ I am told). Not far from St. Petersburg, it is home to the Catherine Palace (named for Catherine I of Russia, not…
A Visit to Manhattan’s Churchill Tavern
History for Hungry Adventurers in the Flatiron District When, shortly after we place our food orders, one of the Youthful Adventurers returns from the restroom at Manhattan’s Churchill Tavern quoting Winston Churchill (whose recordings are apparently running on a continuous loop in the bathrooms), I begin to wonder whether taking the kids to a tavern…
Meeting the French in Cold Spring
Dining at Brasserie Le Bouchon I don’t know how many times the Brawny Sherpa and I walk past Brasserie Le Bouchon in Cold Spring, N.Y. Hey, it’s French, it could be good, it could be full of butter, meh, let’s keep going. It’s a friend who insists we go there, says it’s fantastic, try it,…
Benjamin Franklin for Any Age
Finding a Founding Father at the National Postal Museum U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin offers something of interest to just about everyone. The younger set tends to be drawn to his kite-flying exploits, elders might explore his history with bifocals, and anyone in the workforce might appreciate his endeavors as perhaps one of the founder…