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Posts from the ‘Traveling’ Category

Jan 4

10 Reasons We Love the Berkshires in Massachusetts (updated)

We recently drove up to Great Barrington, Massachusetts to spend New Year’s Eve there because you know what, GB is our secret little getaway.  Has been for a real long time.  Like before kids long time.  But can I just say, we still love it even with our little tagalongs in tow.  Here’s why.

10. It’s only an hour and a half away via Route 8 and the drive is pretty scenic up around the border.

9.  It’s an oasis of outdoor beauty and quaint New England charm.  As long as you ignore all those other tourists who happen to agree, it really feels like an oasis.

8.  Not to mention, some cool history.  Norman Rockwell worked and lived in the area during his later years.  Activist WEB Du Bois was born and raised in GB.  And GB is home to the country’s first Community Supported Agriculture farm after the idea was exported from Europe.

7.  The Berkshire Co-op Market & Guidos Marketplace are two fantastically local grocery stores that also accept BerkShares, the Berkshires’ local currency (yes, you read that last part right.  local currency.).

6.  Baba Louie’s pizza and salad.  It’s worth the wait, trust me.

5.  We love every delicious bite of Richard’s Bread & Chocolate baked at his Berkshire Mountain Bakery.  (Although there’s no secret here.  The Berkshire Mountain Bakery was just named one of the top 10 bread bakeries in America by Bon Appetit.  Yup, A-m-e-r-i-c-a.  Kudos, Richard!)

4.  Splashing around in the Summer or my new favorite, ice skating in the Winter on Lake Mansfield is easy, cheap fun for all.

3.  Picnicing at dusk followed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the stars at Tanglewood is bliss.  Pure bliss.

2.  In all these years, there are still so many things we haven’t done but are on our list like skiing at Butternut and Catamount’s Adventure Park , for example.

1.  Two of our best friends in the world live in GB, which was reason number two we moved to the East coast in the first place and reason number one we hope to stay for a really long time.

p.s. Many of you have since asked me about places to stay in the Berkshires.  There are lots and lots of really cute inns in the area, and our good friends also recommend using Vacation Rentals By Owner online for finding rental homes.

Dec 15

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Holiday Train Show at NY Botanical Garden in NYC

So I lied to you.  But only just a little.

Last week I told you I was going to get our train on at another place, but then that train show’s not open on Fridays which was the only day we could go :(  See, we had a weekend trip planned to NYC minus the plan (we knew we were hanging out with family, but that’s it).  Yes, I occasionally don’t have a plan.  But never for long.  I looked back at this list and was reminded about the Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Garden.  Minutes later our 3:45pm tickets were purchased online.

We drove down into the Bronx on Saturday, that gorgeous December day we just had.  As we got into the massive line to enter the parking lot, I took a deep breath and got into city mode.  See, I find that if I just accept that the lines will be long and I will be surrounded by thousands of people no matter where we go in NYC, I can deal.  Otherwise, I’m just annoyed and that’s no way to spend a weekend in the city.

Having never been to the Botanical Garden, we didn’t really know what to expect or what even to do really.  We had a couple of hours before we were allowed into the train show so we meandered on over to the Children’s Adventure Garden.  We followed M’s lead, watching her wander along every side path she came across.  We eventually came upon the oversized gingerbread house kids were playing in and then the indoor laboratory.  The gingerbread house was so-so.  I mean, it was just a decorated play house for the kiddos.  The laboratory inside included real gingerbread houses on display and hands-on activities like planting seeds, microscopes and mashing different spices.  We spent a long time exploring inside. The time passed super quick, so we made a stop at the boulder climbing area (i.e. lots of great rocks to climb on, up and over) and then headed straight for the trains.

That is, us and a thousand other people (not really, but it sure felt like a thousand other people).

Before long, this became the part of our visit where I say things to myself like, “This BETTER be worth it,” and “WHY did I think this was a good idea?”  You know what I’m talking about.  The line is super long.  The crowd is so tight you can barely move.  And then there’s that annoying person that’s standing right next to you, complaining about having to wait and pushing her way in front of you and your kids.  Seriously?  People – annoying twenty-something-immature-people – think it’s ok to cut in front of little kids and mothers holding a baby? But I’m not annoyed –  I’m in city mode remember?

So after a really long time, especially for a 3 year old, we made it to the trains.  And let me just say, it was worth it.  And.  And it was a damn good idea to bring my family here.

At first sight, the cityscapes are breathtaking.  Just breathtaking.  M was enchanted.  I was enchanted.  The hubs was enchanted.  Even little E’s eyes lit up as we stepped inside the magical little city inside the Conservatory.  If 5 month olds could talk, E’s first word would have been “wow.”  This Holiday Train Show was something.  It was building after building of NYC  landmarks perfectly constructed with an insane attention to detail using only natural materials – plants, tree bark, nuts, leaves.  I even overheard someone saying that the windows in all the buildings are made of plant resin.  Craziness.  And if you haven’t already noticed, this Holiday Train Show is less about the trains and more about seeing a mini-NYC all dressed up for the holidays.  I mean, I only remember the ladybug train/trolley thing because M thought it was the funniest thing as it zipped back and forth.  No matter.  This exhibit is one to add to your bucket list.

In it’s 19th year, I totally understand why the line was so darn long and the crowd so darn tight to see the NY Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show.  NYC is a special place in this world as it’s oversized, overcrowded and sometimes overdone self.  And as if that’s not reason enough to love NYC, this train show brings an elegance to the city that will charm the socks off you, the Scroogiest Scrooge and everyone in between.

the essentials:

Bronx, 200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard (Exit 7W Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road)

#718.817.8700, Automated Info: events: #718.817.8777 ; directions: #718.817.8779

Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., plus some special extended hours

Rates are more expensive during Peak dates (Holiday Weeks); Advance purchase of timed tickets is strongly recommended

Oct 5

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NYC with Kids – a (kinda) short list

3056953388_4512c89d0aSo one of my favorite friends was planning a weekend trip to NYC recently and asked if I had any kid-friendly suggestions for exploring “the City” with the fam since I get there (somewhat?) often.  I had a few to share, but frankly, I am still a relative newbie when it comes to NYC.  I still rely on my handy dandy guide book – New York City with Kids by Frommer’s (and still secretly carry around a laminated subway map in my bag when I’m there!  Total tourist no-no, I know.).

After I shot off an email with a list of ideas to my bueno amigo, I couldn’t help but think, “I wanna go do some of these things, too!”  So I’m sitting down tonight re-working my initial list and turning it into a ‘To Do with Kids in NYC’ list.  I’ve sorta thought about doing this before, so thank you Pablo for the final push I needed to get it done!

Oh, and anybody who really knows NYC knows that this list could go on and on.  For me, I picked out a lot of the big, famous things to do in NYC but also tried to sprinkle a lot of other tidbits I’ve picked up from friends, kidHaven fans and the ‘ole guide book.  It was hard to keep this list under control because there is just SO much to do in the Big Apple!  As it is, it’ll take us years before we get through everything I’ve included. Oh well, it’s good to have goals, right?

Kids Events Resources:

Super Famous Spots:

  • Times Square
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Empire State Building
  • Top of the Rock
  • Grand Central Station
  • Central Park – Children’s Zoo, Carousel, Conservatory Garden, Story Hour next to Hans Christian Andersen sculpture Sat @ 11
  • United Nations (offers hour-long tours)
  • Bronx Zoo

Museums:

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • The Cloisters
  • MoMA (+ story hour in sculpture garden)
  • American Folk Art Museum
  • American Museum of Natural History
  • Children’s Museum of the Arts
  • Children’s Museum of Manhattan
  • New York City Fire Museum

Theatre & Broadway:

  • The New Victory Theatre
  • Symphony Space Just Kidding series
  • Stomp
  • Mary Poppins on Broadway
  • The Lion King on Broadway
  • Galli’s Fairytale Theatre
  • Puppetworks weekend shows

Holidays & Festivals:

  • Chinese New Year in February
  • Children’s International Film Festival in March
  • Street Fairs May – October (look under ‘Events’ in the ‘Spare Times’ section of Friday New York Times)
  • Museum Mile Festival in June
  • Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day at the U.S. Open in August
  • Broadway on Broadway in September
  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November
  • The Nutcracker, Rockefeller Tree, Holiday Train Show at NY Botanical Garden in December

Misc:

  • Indoor Playspaces in NYC
  • Circle Line boat tour –or- Staten Island Ferry (free) for good views of Statue of Liberty
  • Explore food carts, food carts and more food carts
  • Farmer’s Market, people watching, and playground at Union Square
  • Ice Skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park
  • Imagination Playground near South Street Seaport
  • Washington Square, Rockefeller Park and Teardrop Park
  • Do American Museum of Natural History’s sleepover, ‘A Night at the Museum’
  • See a professional sporting event (anything, I’m not picky)
  • American Girl, FAO Schwartz, Toys R Us
  • Books of Wonder shop
  • Cupcakes from Crumbs or better yet, Magnolia Bakery
  • Dylan’s Candy Bar
  • Counting taxi cabs and screaming lunatics (idea courtesy of Stephanie!)
  • Brooklyn: Bridge, Promenade, Children’s Museum, Botanic Garden, Prospect Park,

Aug 13

Tip for Visiting the Statue of Liberty in NYC

Statue of LibertyBook your tickets online BEFORE visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to avoid waiting at least an hour to get through security and on to the ferry.  That’s right.  Book your tickets online, print them at home or pick ‘em up at will call, then enter through the “Reserve Ticket” gate for priority entry to the security check-in.  On a recent visit it took us 20 minutes to get our tickets, go through security and get on the ferry.  I’m telling you, the line to get through security was really, really long and it was really, really nice not to have to stand in it!

p.s. The Statue of Liberty’s crown is now OPEN!  As of this post, “Crown Access” tickets must be purchased at least 3 months in advance and “Pedestal Access” tickets must be purchased at least 2 weeks in advance.

the essentials:

Book your tickets at www.statuecruises.com. Ticket prices include ferry ride & entry fee to sites.  Prices start at $12 per adult, $5 per child age 4-12, children 0-4 are free

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