Gloucester, Mass – For years, I have fantasized about spending my summer exploring New England’s many glorious beaches, each week checking out a new sandy spot. Normally, we are just too “busy” to do it. We are traveling. Or we…
Front Beach in Rockport
Rockport, Mass – Here’s the thing about the global pandemic… we got nothing but time. We have none of the things that normally keep us busy in the summer. There’s no day camp. There’s no Ferry Beach. And there’s no…
Pandemic Field Trip to Salisbury Beach
Salisbury, Mass – We had so much fun at Wingaersheek Beach on our last pandemic field trip, that we decided to do it again. I mean, there’s not many things we can do during a pandemic, but we can go…
Pandemic Field Trip to Wingaersheek Beach
Gloucester, Mass – A few months ago, I was out for long walk on one of the first warm days of spring. It was the first day that I actually got hot. I daydreamed about cooling off with a dip…
Biking Along the Charles River
I couldn’t get my kids to go hiking with me this week, but the agreed to join me biking along the Charles River. This is closer to home than some of our other pandemic field trips, but it definitely counts.…
Hiking at Breakheart Reservation
Saugus, Mass – Continuing our series of pandemic field trips to destinations within a 30-minute drive of our house, we went hiking at Breakheart Reservation, another Massachusetts state park that I did not know existed. At 652 acres, Breakheart is…
Pandemic Birthday Bike Parade
Somerville, Mass – The twins are turning 10 and here we are in the middle of a global pandemic. I know I am not the first parent to confront this dilemma. But I *might* be the first parent to come…
Hiking at Blue Hills Reservation
Milton, Mass – Less than 10 miles south of Boston, Blue Hills Reservation is a 7000-acre state park with myriad opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming, and even skiing. The state park offers 125 miles of hiking trails (of which, the…
Harold Parker State Forest
Andover, Mass – We took our first pandemic field trip to Harold Parker State Forest. Unlike some other states, in Massachusetts, we are not stuck at home. At least not yet. State parks and some private reserves are still open…
Hot off the Press
Boston, Mass – Not one, but two Boston guidebooks arrived on my doorstep today, hot off the press. It seems like ages ago that I worked on the newest Lonely Planet Boston (7th edition) and Pocket Boston (4th edition). In…