Somerville, Mass – Before I was a travel writer, I worked as a program administrator for an environmental research program at Harvard. I’ll never forget the day that a box of brand new, hot-off-the-presses books showed up at our office.…
Heart of Robin Hood
Cambridge, Mass – Since we celebrated Christmas in Costa Rica, Daddio and I did not do a great job buying presents for each other. Let me rephrase that… I did not do a great job buying Christmas presents for Daddio.…
Lou’s Pet Shop
Grosse Pointe, Michigan – Whenever we visit the grandparents in Michigan, we always pay a visit to Lou’s Pet Shop, the greatest pet shop in the world. At Lou’s, the twins have made friends with catfish, manhandled baby bunnies and…
Boston in 2014
Boston, Mass – Last month, Lonely Planet released its list of Top US Travel Destinations for 2014. Number 3 on the list–right there behind Yosemite and, um, Grand Rapids–is good ol’ Beantown. LP’s resident author (that’s me!) offers up what’s new in…
Jungle Boys
Somerville, Mass – Regular readers may remember that the twins started potty training shortly before leaving for Costa Rica. This was not planned by me, obviously. But when the boys showed an interest in using the potty, I was not…
Traditions
Monteverde, Costa Rica – Now that the twins are old enough to understand and remember, I’m becoming more sentimental about Christmas. I grew up practicing the same traditions, year after year, at home–and I loved it. Even as a young…
Children’s Eternal Rainforest
Monteverde, Costa Rica – The Bosque Eterno de los Niños, or Children’s Eternal Rainforest, started back in 1987, when a fifth-grade class in Sweden decided to raise money to protect the rainforest. They did the typical fundraisers–puppet shows, bake sales…
Scenic Route
Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica – I have a love-hate relationship with the GPS. I love her because decent road maps are practically nonexistent in Costa Rica, and we are dependent on the GPS much of the time. I hate her…
Centaur Costa Rica
Platanar, Costa Rica – This week we have been staying at Centaur Costa Rica, a gorgeous horse farm that is about 25km east of La Fortuna. In the background is Cerro Platanar; in the foreground are acres and acres of…
Ecocentro Danaus
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – There must be hundreds of Mariposarios in Costa Rica. It seems that every town has a butterfly house, where you can witness the life cycle from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Last year we went…