Boston, Mass – Who wants to think about winter in the midst of this gorgeous fall weather? Not me! But it is time to start planning your winter getaways – and why not one to Boston? It was a treat…
Where Cultures Meet & Mingle
Kodiak, Alaska – I always love the places where cultures meet and mingle. Kodiak Island is the ancestral homeland of the Native Alutiiq and site of the first Russian settlement in Alaska. Lots of cool history here (which of course…
Ketchikan for Cruisers
Ketchikan, Alaska – When we were in Ketchikan three years ago, we were doing research for Last Stand of the Raven Clan. We visited every totem park and totem museum in the city (which is a lot), learning much about…
Underwater Sculpture Garden
Cancún, Mexico – In 2009, the government of Mexico launched a creative project to protect the reefs near Cancún, at the same time offering visitors a wonderfully unique underwater experience. The Museo Subacuático de Arte – better known as MUSA…
Boston vs Philadelphia
I go head to head with my Philly-based colleague to help you decide which city is best to visit: Boston vs Philadelphia. When I first moved to Boston, I thought I had landed in the smartest place on the planet.…
Beauteous Beaufort
Beaufort, North Carolina – Beaufort was the best surprise of my trip to North Carolina. I fell in love with this picture-perfect town, with its white-washed Bahamian-style houses (including one where Blackbeard lived!) and its wildflower-strewn, pony-dotted offshore islands. Welcome…
Graveyard of the Atlantic
Hatteras, North Carolina – Shallow shoals, shifting sandbars and inclement weather have long posed a threat for ships navigating the waters off the North Carolina coast. Near Cape Hatteras, the Diamond Shoals are particularly treacherous. As evidence, the seafloor is…
The Lost Colony
Manteo, North Carolina – Here’s a little piece of history that I didn’t know about: the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke Island. Here was the FIRST English settlement in the Americas, dating from 1585 (more than 20 years before Jamestown!). The…
The Best Things to Do in Salem
Salem, Mass – Halloween is coming! In honor of the spooky season, we have a new article about the best things to do in Salem. “It was 1692 – a dark time indeed – when the residents of Salem village…
The Dropsical Woman
Paris, France – Anyone who read The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure knows that the Dropsical Woman – masterpiece by Gerrit Dou – used to hang in the Louvre in the Salon Carré alongside the Mona Lisa. Now, the Dropsical Woman is…