Tag: Travel in the USA

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New York City USA

Family Travel to New York City

Looking up at the Statue of Liberty (Scarborough photo)The Big Apple is one of my very favorite cities, and I’ve had a few good links laying around that I need to get out there for those who may be thinking of a trip to New York.

I’ve visited as a single person, as part of a couple and as a parent, and the place just never disappoints. It is truly an amazing town.

For a good overview of options, see Fodor’s 5 great itineraries for the city. If you just want the down-and-dirty:

** If you have time for one museum, take the kids to the Museum of Natural History (Ben Stiller’s fun new movie “Night at the Museum” is set there.) Want to throw in some art? My children liked the Guggenheim, mostly because of its cirucular ramps and neat architecture. Not sure they even remember the art works within!

Running around on Ellis Island (Scarborough photo)

** The Staten Island ferry gives great harbor views for 25 minutes for an unbeatable price: free.

** I think that for kids, the Statue of Liberty is actually more interesting when viewed from a distance out in the harbor, especially since you can’t climb up to the crown any more for security reasons (plus it can get really crowded.) Ellis Island is a worthwhile visit for older kids; my youngest mostly enjoyed running around on the grounds rather than looking at immigration exhibits.

** See a Broadway play. The spectacle is well worth the cost, especially if you luck into less expensive seats from the TKTS booth in Times Square or the lesser-known booth down at South Street Seaport. Frommer’s online has a comprehensive guide to maximizing the New York theater experience — click here. Try to see bustling, bright Times Square at night to complete your theater event.

Bronze casting of the Statue of Liberty's foot (Scarborough photo)

A new site on educational travel, Gifted Travel, has some unique ideas for avoiding New York tourist traps and finding alternatives to the “usual places.”

From a British perspective, here’s one father’s trip to NYC in the UK’s Times Online.

For some midwinter ideas about seeing the city without spending a fortune, here’s Newsweek’s “New York on the Cheap.”

How about something for kids who are budding foodies? Smarter Travel talks about a number of culinary destinations, but here is their take on New York for chowhounds.

Want to see something besides Manhattan? Cross over the iconic bridge into Brooklyn for all sorts of treats.

And finally, here’s Gotham with an 11-year-old, with all kinds of good ideas for those ‘tweens. Enjoy your visit!

Subway ride with toddler backpack (Scarborough photo)

Update 08 January 2007: Just came across some good hotel deals for families going to New York, courtesy of About.com Guide Teresa Plowright’s always-useful Travel with Kids site.

Update 23 January 2007: If you visit New York over the holidays, I have to absolutely agree with Wendy Perrin’s blog post on the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. My daughter and I loved it a few years back, but my son was too young to go. No problem; Dad gets to take now-old-enough son on our next NYC trip and it’s MY turn to ice skate at the Rockefeller Center rink under the giant tree!

Update 31 March 2007: Take a look at this fun video, 24 Hours in New York, from concierge.com (the umbrella Web site that includes Conde Nast Traveler magazine.)

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Texas USA

Support your parks: take the kids and visit

Bastrop State Park cabin area (Scarborough photo)We just returned from a quick weekend trip (along with the grandparents) to see one of the most unique and wonderful state parks in Texas — Bastrop State Park, about 30 miles southeast of Austin.

It’s hard to beat a place with pine trees, ponds, a golf course, an orienteering course and a pool.

Many of the amenities don’t get much of a workout in December, but we still enjoyed our stay.

The highlight was our 1930s-era stone and log cabin, one of many in the park that were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. CCC was one of the Federal government’s New Deal recovery programs during the Great Depression. They were also called “Roosevelt’s Tree Army.” The Corps put hundreds of thousands of young men to work improving municipal, county, state and national parks all over the United States.

Their projects are sturdily enduring examples of construction craftsmanship in our natural areas; many of the CCC buildings are still with us today, to be enjoyed by your family.

Examples include the Painted Desert Inn in Arizona’s Petrified National Forest, Mather Lodge in Arkansas’ Petit Jean State Park, White Pines Park near Chicago and the Myakka cabins in Florida. Go to your state park Web site and search for “CCC” to find out whether there are any near your home.

We loved our little cabin in Bastrop, with its Hobbit-like doors and windows, a teensy kitchenette (small fridge, microwave and 2-burner stovetop,) beamed ceilings, simple furniture and yes, a combo air conditioner/heater to keep us comfortable in any weather.

Carved log mantel, Sam Houston cabin, Bastrop State ParkThere was a nice fireplace with a big log mantel, and we lit a fire in the evening to make S’mores and another fire in the morning to enjoy while eating breakfast.

All of the cabins have sayings carved into their mantels: my favorite one is pictured, “Old friends are best.”

Our family combined the park visit with a stop at a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm, so now we have happy camping cabin memories and our house’s Christmas tree. Pretty good haul for a cold December weekend.

Categories
Philosophy Texas USA

Why the bleep would I want to go there?

Lubbock CVB logoThis post is about going to those sucky places. Maybe they aren’t so bad.

These are destinations that (at least initially) evoke no sense of excitement or anticipation in your family. When you tell friends your travel plans to Boring Town, they say, “Uhh, hmmm, that’s….interesting.”

Let’s take Lubbock, Texas, for example. The city that Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings got the heck out of. Sights include, hmmm, the National Ranching Heritage Center (exhibits of spurs and bits!) and ummm, the American Wind Power Center (windmills!)

“Lubbock or Leave It,” sing the Dixie Chicks.

The legendary folk/country Texas vocal group the Flatlanders (Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore) didn’t name their group “Guys from a Nifty Place,” they named it “Flatlanders.” ‘Nuff said.

OK, so why am I whipping up on poor Lubbock? Because I just don’t think you can designate a place Yuckyville until you have physically been there to investigate.

Ergo, I need to travel to Lubbock before I can pop off about it.

Good thing there’s a visiting RMS Titanic exhibit enticing me to go up there. My daughter and I like the movie about the doomed passenger ship, and I’ve long been interested in its artifacts, so here’s my chance to see something I’m interested in plus check either the Lubbock or the Leave It box.

The exhibit only runs until January 1st, 2007, so I’d better get the family loaded into the minivan and make tracks to northwest Texas.

You never know when a lowly burg holds hidden delights.

One of our best trips while living in the Netherlands was to the industrial seaport of Rotterdam. Awesome place with unbelievable architecture and a fun September Harbor Festival that my kids loved. Believe it.

And you know what else is around Lubbock? The acclaimed Llano Estacado Winery. If the town is that bad, I will at least be able to drown my sorrows in a classy joint.

So try not to ever completely write off a destination. Put it in the hopper and look for an excuse to go sometime. Because you never know how a place might turn out.

Update later on 20 November 2006: Here’s a Frommer’s article on “Favorite Underrated Cities,” including Cleveland, Ottawa, Bratislava, St. Louis and some other surprises.