Moscow, Russia–A city that people love to hate. It’s big, crowded and confusing, and people speak Russian there (eye roll). It is often appears near the top of lists of the world’s “unfriendliest cities” and this year it was the…
NEW Lonely Planet Guidebooks
Somerville, Mass – The NEW Lonely Planet guidebooks to Moscow and Russia are here, as is the first edition of the brand new Pocket Moscow & St Petersburg guide. This is the culmination of the first half of my summer…
3 Must-Read Book Series for Little Travelers
So what do we do for fun when we’re not traveling? We read about traveling! And sometimes we read about traveling while we are traveling. Because let’s face it, reading offers insights and experiences that are different than (and complementary to) what…
Swimming Pool
Somerville, Mass – There are many keys to a successful family vacation: planning, flexibility, novelty, down time, etc. In our family, however, the most important element is not what you would expect. The surefire guarantee of a good time for…
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,…
Nakomis Drum Circle
Sarasota, Florida – What better way to kick off winter break than feeling the beat at Nakomis Beach? Here, on Wednesday and Saturday nights, local drummers bring their instruments and provide the rhythmic accompaniment to the setting sun. Other revelers…
Dinosaur Books & Toys for Little Paleontologists
Somerville, Mass – I always liked the TV show Dinosaur Train, but my kids never really got on board with it. In fact, they were always ambivalent about the whole dinosaur thing. I mean, they liked examining the skeletons at…
Kids Cultural Events in January
Somerville, Mass – The holidays are over and the presents are no longer new, and the weather is still frightful. As in, single-digit temperatures and–if you’re as lucky as we are in Boston–two snow days in one week. That makes…
Coco Key Water Park
Danvers, Mass – We have Caribbean Islands on the brain, thanks to the recent arrival of a box of books on the subject. We can’t go to the Caribbean this winter, but we can go to Coco Key, an indoor…