Washington DC – In another life, I used to live in Washington DC. In fact, this is where Daddio and I met, way back when (but that’s a story for another time). This year, we took the twins for their…
Winter Break Escape
Sarasota, Florida – This week the twins joined all of the other grandchildren of Massachusetts, making our annual winter break escape to Sarasota, Florida. I don’t love Sarasota: there are too many strip malls and traffic jams. But how I…
Venice Museum of Natural History
Venice, Italy – The Venice Museum of Natural History is creepy. So of course my kids loved it. This place is filled with specimens that explorers brought back from around the world — featuring everything from stuffed animals to mummies…
Adventure awaits in Costa Rica national parks
Covering some 10% of Costa Rican territory, the country’s national parks protect a stunning array of landscapes – wetlands and forests, caves and volcanoes, and habitats for creatures galore. This is the country’s greatest natural resources, and it’s all yours…
Big Cat Habitat
Sarasota, Florida – We took a break from the beach to visit the lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!) at the Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary. It’s like a zoo, except all of the animals are rescues.…
Venice Rookery
Sarasota, Florida – This is birding at its best. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of wine, prop up your binoculars, and the birds come to you! Actually, they are coming home to roost at the Venice Rookery,…
Great White Shark
Boston, Mass – Martha’s Vineyard celebrated the 40th anniversary of Jaws in 2015. But Cape Cod stole the limelight from the island, when real live great white sharks started making regular appearances near beaches from Chatham to Truro. The town…
Experience Kissimmee
Boston, Mass – We’re not going to Florida this year, so I was happy to receive an invitation from Experience Kissimmee for an event in Boston. In addition to drinks and swag we got to: Ride an air boat in the Boston Harbor thanks…
Cayman Turtle Center
West Bay, Grand Cayman – I have spent all week deliberating about the Cayman Turtle Center — reading about it, questioning locals and grilling tourists about their experiences. On my last day, I finally went to check it out in person. Why all…
Stingray City
Grand Cayman – The Wreck Bar at Rum Point posts a lists of Questions Not to Ask, ie, dumb questions frequently asked by tourists. (Example: “Do you live here?” Answer: “No, we jetski in from Miami daily.”) Or this one: Is…