I go head-to-head with my Chicago-based colleague, debating which city is best to visit, Boston vs Chicago. “I am a Midwesterner by birth and a New Englander by choice, so I feel well qualified to weigh in here. And considering…
Costa Rica on a Budget
Traveling in Costa Rica on a budget? It’s easy to experience sticker shock when checking into eco-lodges and renting vehicles and booking tours in Costa Rica. Indeed, it is the most expensive country in Central America, thanks to a booming economy and…
How to get around Costa Rica
Costa Rica packs a world of adventure into a relatively small area. Limited infrastructure means that getting around can be a challenge, but it’s also one reason that Costa Rica is the wild and wonderful place that it is. Do…
Things to know before you go to Costa Rica
Originally written for LonelyPlanet.com but they took it down, so now you can read the whole thing here! On a recent trip to Costa Rica, on a hike in the remote forests of Volcán Tenorio National Park, the sky unexpectedly opened up,…
Somerville Community Path
Somerville, Mass – Something wonderful happened in Somerville this summer. After many years of construction, they finally completed an extension of the Somerville Community Path, a paved rail trail that now connects the Minuteman Bikeway to North Point Park. The…
NEW Lonely Planet guidebooks to Costa Rica
After writing guidebooks for 20 years, it can be anticlimactic to receive the final products–sometimes as much as a year after completing the research and writing. There have been times that my author copies languished in the box for weeks,…
Up North
Interlochen, Michigan – When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, everybody used to go Up North in the summer. Up North is the generic term for Northern Michigan, where everybody seemed to have a vacation…
Buddy’s Pizza
Detroit, Michigan – Let’s talk about “Detroit-style pizza.” This is the square pizza that I grew up eating, although we never ever called it “Detroit-style pizza” (and I’m still not sure that is actually a thing). The iconic Detroit restaurant…
Helicopter over Detroit
Detroit, Michigan – Here we are, back in the Motor City! As a special surprise, the grandparents treated us to a flight in a helicopter over Detroit! It was actually cloudy and rainy as we drove to Detroit City Airport,…
Boston’s Hidden History at BBC Travel
Some travellers come to Boston to follow The Freedom Trail past famous sights from the US’ colonial and Revolutionary history. Others wander around the hallowed halls of the Boston Public Library and the red-brick buildings of Harvard University. But Boston’s hidden history is rich and…