Gloucester, Mass – A few months ago, I was out for long walk on one of the first warm days of spring. It was the first day that I actually got hot. I daydreamed about cooling off with a dip…
Biking Along the Charles River
I couldn’t get my kids to go hiking with me this week, but the agreed to join me biking along the Charles River. This is closer to home than some of our other pandemic field trips, but it definitely counts.…
Hiking at Breakheart Reservation
Saugus, Mass – Continuing our series of pandemic field trips to destinations within a 30-minute drive of our house, we went hiking at Breakheart Reservation, another Massachusetts state park that I did not know existed. At 652 acres, Breakheart is…
Hiking at Blue Hills Reservation
Milton, Mass – Less than 10 miles south of Boston, Blue Hills Reservation is a 7000-acre state park with myriad opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming, and even skiing. The state park offers 125 miles of hiking trails (of which, the…
Harold Parker State Forest
Andover, Mass – We took our first pandemic field trip to Harold Parker State Forest. Unlike some other states, in Massachusetts, we are not stuck at home. At least not yet. State parks and some private reserves are still open…
Skiing at Pats Peak
Henneker, New Hampshire – There is no shortage of winter in New England. Yet somehow, with busy weekends and winter break in Florida, we often run out of time to ski. This weekend I seized a rare free Saturday for…
Hot off the Press
Boston, Mass – Not one, but two Boston guidebooks arrived on my doorstep today, hot off the press. It seems like ages ago that I worked on the newest Lonely Planet Boston (7th edition) and Pocket Boston (4th edition). In…
Appleton Farms
Ipswich, Mass – Did I mention that I am going to climb a mountain next month? As part of my research for Lonely Plant Costa Rica, I will summit Cerro Chirripó (3821m). In preparation for hiking Costa Rica’s highest mountain, I…
Best in Travel 2020
Lonely Planet announced their picks for Best in Travel 2020. Every year, they solicit input from staff, writers and other hardcore travelers to come up with a list of locations. “Each is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences and ‘wow’…
Wachusett Mountain
Princeton, Mass – Fall is in the air. I have been dying to get outside and admire the changing leaves and breathe the fall air and move my body. It’s harder than it used to be to convince my kids…