It gets easier to come up with a packing list for a summer-long cross-country road trip when you’ve done it a few times. I have a pretty good idea of what I will actually use, and what will clutter up the car. The first time I took the kids on my own across the USA,…
It has been decided. Starting June 24th, thirteen-year-old Alex and I are setting out on a road trip along the Lincoln Highway. “America’s First Highway,” which runs from New York City to San Francisco, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013. A century which saw a dramatic shift in the very idea of the American vacation…
There’s one good thing about rainy days–waterfalls. New York has many waterfalls, including the spectacular ones found at Niagara Falls. But in New York’s Capital Region, we’re lucky to have the impressive waterfalls of the historic Indian Ladder Trail in Thatcher Park. What a scenic overlook! On a clear day you can see Vermont’s Green…
If it were left up to Jenn Holderied, Golden Arrow Resort’s General Manager and second-generation proprietor, all of Lake Placid would be certified as a Green destination. As it is, the young mom and local Ice Meister has been instrumental in helping the hotel earn Audubon International’s platinum level eco-certification, the highest available honor awarded to…
Of all the places I most enjoy in New York’s Capital Region, few surpass the Albany Pine Bush. When I was new to the area, hardly a day passed that I didn’t pack my young toddler, Kayla, into the Kelty carrier so that I could explore the hiking trails with my Yellow Lab, Mowgli, by my…
If you thought that the only way to capture great Niagara Falls photos was on a Maid of the Mist boat ride, think again. Having previously done the Maid of the Mist tour with kids on the New York side of the border, I wanted to experience the popular waterfall attraction in a new way. I…
The Great Maple Syrup Caper of 2012 brought worldwide attention to a little known major industry. Quebec, which produces up to 80 percent of the world’s maple syrup, was reputed to have 10 million pounds–valued at $30 million– of the golden liquid in the warehouse that was hit. The New York Maple industry isn’t yet on that…
When the Wild Center opened near Lake Placid, New York in 2006 it was hailed as “the place to go” by the The Boston Globe. A crowd of more than 5000–the largest Adirondacks gathering since the 1980 Olympics–attended the opening celebrations. By the time that I arrived with my family in 2011, the Wild Center…
The best-kept secret to finding a budget NYC hotel is that there’s more to the Big Apple than Midtown Manhattan. New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and the often-forgotten Staten Island. Because it’s frequently overlooked, Staten Island lodging is significantly cheaper than other parts of the city. But…
Touring Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, I was surprised to hear that it was built by one of the more frugal of William Vanderbilt’s eight sons. That assertion becomes a lot more clear if you happen to visit the house his youngest son built in Asheville, North Carolina–Biltmore, the largest home in the…