Family Travel Archives - Page 7 of 20

27Feb

Skiing at Windham Mountain with the Family

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Last weekend we were faced with ten days ahead of us of no school for the kids, so we decided to pack our bags and head north for a few days of skiing. We headed to Windham Mountain, just 200 miles from NYC (2 hours and 45 minutes by car), in the Catskills. My kids were psyched as we don't ski as a family all that often. My husband and son go regularly, but my daughter and I are lesser skilled and I knew we would require a warm-up before taking off on the slopes. Windham is a very popular slope for New Yorkers, but we were still surprised to see as Read More

21Feb

A Day at The Museum of the City of New York

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I wasn’t born in NYC but I became an official New Yorker on 9/11. I was in the city when the towers fell and from that day on, I was no longer an ex-pat. My accent got thicker, my roots got tighter and I set down my fort and never left. Just a few years later, I would bring two children into this world and they would inherit my fierce patriotism to the city we live in. Our passion for the city is universal and I never have to struggle to get my kids in for a dose of culture. So, during the February break, I decided it was time to visit the Museum Read More

23Jan

Wanderlust is My Drug

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Wanderlust. It's like a drug. I encountered my first dose while living abroad at age 18 when I was introduced to a completely different culture, language, cuisine and fell in love. That was a crazy year and it opened me up to everything and made me realize how much the world had to offer me. I would spend the next 10 years exploring as much of the world as I could, spending a year in London, traveling around Europe, living in Israel and ending up in NYC. And then I had kids. And believe me, having kids has not deterred my love of travel. We've Read More

02Jan

Our Winter Family Getaway to Southampton

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This year when we decided to get away during Christmas break, we decided to focus on places close to home. Last year we had an unexpected delightful visit to Montauk in the Hamptons. So we decided to return to the Hamptons. Even in the dead of winter, we found it to be a great destination for us. It was peaceful, cathartic and relaxing for every single one of us and incredibly child-friendly. We chose Southampton, one of the "poshest" towns in the Hamptons. My husband actually spent several summers out there before we were married and we have Read More

19Nov

A True Travel Adventure: Paddle Boarding on the Salt River

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While recently on a visit to Mesa, Arizona, I was taken on a real adventure: paddle boarding on the Salt River. I will admit upfront that I did not stand up on the board like you're supposed to. When we arrived, I was ready to stand up and paddle but was advised by the instructor that the winds were pretty bad and she didn't recommend it as a first-timer. Looking back, I wish I had tried, but I really enjoyed riding around the river in the middle of the desert on my knees. I took deep breaths, ogled at my surroundings and as I thought about Read More

14Nov

Chocolate, Chiles and Plenty of Cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden

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This past week I was fortunate to be invited to explore the Desert Botanical Garden while visiting the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Located in Papago Park, not far from downtown Phoenix, the park is a local gem for any visitor either living in the area or coming from another place, like me. A “Phoenix Point of Pride,” it's one of only a few botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums. And it feels like a museum! The 20,000 plants from around the world represent 3,931 plant classifications in 139 plant families. They accurately Read More

13Nov

A Bit of England at High Tea at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix

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How do you hold your cup of tea? Do you lift your saucer and insert your pinky through the handle of the tea cup? Little did I know before I had high tea at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon that I would learn the true way to hold my cup and experience an Afternoon Tea right out of England. Yes, I do go to the UK every year and I do get served a lot of tea when I'm there, but I haven't mastered the art of high tea. I was in for a big surprise at High Tea at the Ritz. The Ritz is as elegant as it gets and you can't beat the Read More

08Oct

NYC with Kids: Boo at the Zoo

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Tombstones
Hay Maze
Hay Ride
Visitors in Costumes

Looking for a Halloween themed activity in NYC to get your kids into the holiday spirit this weekend? Boo at the Zoo returns to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo for the next few weekends of Halloween-themed family entertainment and activities. Attractions and activities embrace the spirit of the season while highlighting wildlife and conservation. Annual favorites including a haunted walk-through adventure – The Haunting at Habitat Mansion – and the spooky Hayride through Creepy Hollows headline the festivities and have been enhanced for Read More

06Sep

Dear Mrs. Gordon: Notes on Our Road Trip By My 9 Year-Old

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I had to post my nine year-old daughter's letter to her teacher. Be aware: there are typos, many of them. She typed this on my lap top and had me edit but I didn't have the heart to make every correction. We've been back from our trip for two weeks, so I'm very impressed that she remembered so much about our trip and I would definitely qualify it a success in terms of what she learned. But the last line is VERY funny and you have to read to the end. Dear Mrs. Gordon, During the summer I went on a road trip to Atlanta we went through New Read More

24Aug

Exploring Greater Williamsburg with Kids

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Colonial Williamsburg is a place I've been wanting to take my family for some time. I have vivid memories of traveling to the historical town as a child and have been waiting for them to be of a certain age to appreciate it. My kids are 7 and 9, maybe a little bit younger than needed to understand about the American Revolution, but its an education in its own rite and gave them a basic understanding of how life in America evolved over two hundred years ago. But I also didn't remember it being so big and diverse in its history, as this was the first Read More