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…
Tour of Boston’s Universities at BBC Travel
Some cities run on money, while others run on politics, but Boston runs on learning. Ever since Harvard College was founded in 1636, a cool 140 years before the US became a nation, Boston’s higher education institutions have been the…
Boston’s North End on BBC Travel
A small peninsula jutting into the harbor, Boston’s North End is one of the city’s oldest and most storied neighbourhoods. Puritans from England settled the area, followed by waves of other European immigrants whose red-brick homes still crowd the narrow,…
Woo Sox, Woot Woot!
Worcester, Mass – I read with skepticism and curiosity about the revival taking place in Worcester. Apparently this gritty city is currently one of the hottest spots in the Commonwealth, thanks to a revitalization of the old Canal District. And…