Well, I certainly could have done better on my 2015 wishlist — of the 11 items I wanted to do, I did 4 1/2 — the half being that, although I didn’t actually get there, a guest blogger kindly did the strenuous hiking up Maryland Heights (it’s straight up the side of a mountain). Check out […]
Year: 2015
Peace, Love and Folk Art
Tonight is the eve of Christmas Eve, and I think it is fitting to post about one of the surprises and pleasures Pittsburgh offers! We discovered this place quite by accident. The morning we were due to leave Pittsburgh, our waiter at breakfast commented on a brightly colored sweatshirt I was wearing, noting that the […]
My Top 5 December Activities
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is yet another in the continuing series of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!December is a favorite time of year because […]
Rivers, Bridges, and Views, Oh My!
I’d never thought highly of Pittsburgh. The city and its inhabitants were the butt of jokes when I attended Penn State, and as an adult, I’d never had the opportunity to go there. My sense of Pittsburgh was of a city clouded with coal-induced smog (don’t ask, but I guess I watched one of those […]
The Budget Friendly Day Trip Challenge
This added feature of the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips Blog came about through a discussion with my husband about how to enhance the content of the blog pages. We toyed with the idea of starting another blog, cleverly titled “Budget Friendly Day Trips” but soon realized we didn’t want to compete with the existing blog, into […]
Christmas in NYC And Bucket List Item: Check!
I should have been home working on our kitchen reno… instead my husband suggested we go up to NYC to show a friend of his, who’d never been, around the major tourist sites. Within seconds, I had a plan in mind: Staten Island Ferry (to see the Statue of Liberty, and also, just because), lunch […]
We Blew It!
I met Foster, the owner and co-founder of Art of Fire Contemporary Glass Studios, at the most recent Maryland Blogger Bash, in downtown Rockville, Md. Normally, glass doesn’t intrigue me: I don’t need any new glass pieces, in fact, if anything, I have too many. But Foster kept talking about his work and the studios, […]
A Really Grand Day at the National Zoo
I’ve been going to the Smithsonian National Zoo since I was a child. Every summer, mom would take us down to the zoo. It would be crowded and swelteringly hot, as July and August usually are in Maryland. My sister, thinking she was clever, would tease me about leaving me with the apes, and I’d […]
My Top 4 Dog Friendly Day Trips
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is another in the series My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature! 4. Tail Lights at Columbia, MD’s Symphony of LightsA lot of […]
Bolivar Heights Battlefield
The Battle of Bolivar Heights, which took place on October 16, 1861, was an early battle of the Civil War. During the battle, Confederate States Army colonel Turner Ashby attempted to take the strategic Bolivar Heights from Union colonel John White Geary. After a 6-hour battle, the Confederates were ultimately repulsed, and the Union planted […]
Biking the Battlefields
Each time I visit the Gettysburg National Military Park I learn something new. This Sunday morning, however, my intent was just to focus on the bike ride and scenery, and not try to read the signs or follow a narrative to understand how the battle unfolded. The day before the weather had been rainy and […]
InSite Gettysburg Brings the Battlefield into Clearer Focus
This is fourth of a series focusing on Gettysburg, PA as a great day trip destination. I’m always intrigued by different ways to tour the National Military Park at Gettysburg. I loved the segway tour of the battlefield my husband and I went on a couple years ago, but that was as much for the […]
Visiting Maryland’s Ghost Town: Daniels
Good friends of ours offered to take us to some “local ruins” that were “only a short hike.” They had me at “ruins.” I lept at the chance, and so a windy, blustery late October Sunday found us hiking off of Hollifield Road, following what’s left of old Alberton Road into the ghost town of […]
My Top 5 Budget-Friendly Day Trips
Periodically I’ll post my top picks. This is the latest My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature! 6. Visit the National ZooWhether you take the metro or drive and park ($22 flat rate for parking), the Smithsonian […]
Leafpeeping in Shenandoah NPS: This Time the Sun Shone
Last year we went leaf peeping in Shenandoah and when it wasn’t blindingly foggy, it was raining! Still, we saw some gorgeous trees and the fog leant a mysterious beauty to the autumn scenery. We made the best of it. This year, though, I was hell bent on seeing the Skyline drive in all its […]