Dear readers, I’m in Maryland, having just buried my beloved uncle and now helping to tend to my ailing father. Since I’ve been distracted away from ye olde blog this week, I gratefully accepted my friend Mara Gorman’s (The Mother of All Trips) offer of a guest post. I’ll soon resume a more regular schedule, but in the meantime, I truly hope you enjoy Mara’s writing and travel advice as much as I do.

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LOVE signs in Philadelphia

Here’s a myth: To really relax, you need at least ten days of vacation.

As a busy parent of two busy boys, though, weekends away are often the only option for me and my husband.

Luckily for me, I’m a big believer in the restorative qualities of a quick getaway, and since I live smack in between New York City and Washington, DC I have lots of options when it comes to an urban retreat. And so, a cold spring weekend found my husband Matt and I dropping our children at my sister’s house outside of Reading, Pennsylvania and heading for downtown Philadelphia for a sybaritic, if short, visit.

If you’re planning a quick trip to Philadelphia, I recommend booking a hotel through the Visit Philly website where you will find different deals, often including admission to local attractions or events. When we visited in March of 2011, we used the Philly Overnight Hotel Package, which gave us two nights at the Hotel Sofitel in a spacious junior suite plus free parking for $500. The hotels offering this deal change routinely, so check back often if you don’t see anything that appeals.

I loved the Sofitel, which has a great location just blocks from the chic shops of Rittenhouse Square in one direction and City Hall in the other. Although our room didn’t have much of a view, the huge bathroom (complete with a separate shower and tub, both quite large), super-comfy bed, and generous sofa more than made up for this. There’s a totally French vibe here, with L’Occitane toiletries, divinely dark coffee (free for pick up in the hotel restaurant), and adorably scarved desk clerks who greet guests with a chipper “Bonjour!” It was also quiet, which for parents making a getaway is so very key (I’m not going to reveal here how long we slept each night, but let’s just say I didn’t wake up feeling like I needed an immediate infusion of caffeine as I usually do).

After checking in on Friday evening, we immediately decamped to Village Whiskey, which is right around the corner, for some bar food. But this isn’t your mother’s bar food, oh no. Let’s just start with the French fries, shall we? They are cooked in duck fat. If you want (and you want) you can order them with a side of cheddar cheese sauce. Somehow we managed to devour ours along with a dinner-plate sized hamburger and a pulled pork sandwich drenched in whiskey barbeque sauce. It would have been easy to linger over drinks and people watching. But we knew that others were waiting for our table, and not wanting to deprive anyone the chance to sample some of those fries, we rolled back to our room.

On Saturday morning we decided that coffee in the hotel wasn’t quite French enough and headed over to Rittenhouse Square for brunch at Parc where I satisfied my cravings for pastries with an entire basket of them. From the subway tile to the antiqued glass mirrors, this bistro is perfectly Parisian; the one inauthentic thing is that the hosts actually smile at you when you arrive – aren’t they adorable?

The hosts at Parc Bistro in Rittenhouse Square

Enjoying brunch at Parc

Heading back towards the Sofitel, we decided to pop into Joseph Fox Books, which is across the street. This deceptively small store has such a lovingly curated collection of books, especially in the category of art and architecture, that if you’re like us, you’ll find it hard to get out of there with just two or three. In keeping with the theme of the weekend, I purchased a reproduction of a 1902 book titled Trente Six Vues de la Tour Eiffel (Thirty Six View of the Eiffel Tower), lithographs showing the Eiffel Tower from various vantage points around Paris as it was constructed. I could have happily sat in the Sofitel bar and looked at my new treasure all afternoon, but the city beckoned.

Joseph Fox books in Philadelphia

We continued our wander over to 13^th Street between Chestnut and Sansom Streets where we found a newly hip stretch of shops and restaurants developed by chefs Marcy Turney and Valerie Safran.  From coasters to chocolate to chic purses to cupcakes, you’ll find just about anything you want for your house or person here, with Mexican and Indian restaurants thrown in for good measure. We lingered for a good long time while I almost bought a completely impractical purse but decided (somewhat to my chagrin, as I look again at the pictures) that I shouldn’t let the freedom of the weekend go to my head.

Shopping at Verde on 13th Street, Philadelphia

The rest of that afternoon was spent walking through Old City where we actually took the time to read the historical placards in Washington Square (although I’ve walked through it many times before, I had no idea it used to be a potter’s field). There’s of course lots to explore in the national park that surrounds Independence Hall, but we’d seen most of it before, so we limited ourselves to a quick visit to Carpenter’s Hall before ending our walk in Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest (and perhaps cutest) residential street in the United States.

Washington Square in Philadelphia

Indepdence Hall under wraps

Tired of walking, we hopped in a cab and went back to our room for a rest before gussying up for the evening. I was glad I had brought my glamour-girl heels when we walked into the Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company, a lovingly restored former speakeasy that was once the front for the largest alcohol ring in the country. This is a place where you go to drink and not much else – the cocktail menu is literally a book, with chapters titled “The Flowing Bowl” and “I Asked Her for Water and She Gave Me Gasoline.” The drinks themselves are amazingly complex and delicious, including unusual ingredients like blackberry-habeñero syrup or cinnamon tincture. It’s a sexy, dim place that might be dangerous for a first date. Or maybe not, depending on how you roll.

With a slightly wobbly hail, we grabbed a taxi and headed over to Fork, which is our favorite restaurant in Philadelphia. The seasonal American food here never disappoints, nor does the eclectic and reasonably priced wine list. If you can, ask to be seated in one of the deep leather banquettes that line the back wall – they are totally luxurious to recline against while sipping that lovely French wine you’ve never heard of before.

After another fabulous night of sleep we drove just out of the city to Merion where we had reservations to see the amazing collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings at the Barnes Foundation. You have until July 3, 2011 to see the paintings in their original location; after that they will be moving to a new and very controversial location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wherever you get to see this art, I recommend doing so – the collection includes almost 200 paintings by Renoir, to say nothing of dozens of Cézannes, Matisses, and Picassos.

Well-fed and relaxed, we left Philly feeling like we’d definitely gotten the most out of our brief time away. Our well-being was short-lived since we received a call on the way to pick up our children that our older son had badly broken his arm. But the glow did manage to last all the way to the door of the emergency room, and that’s something!

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Mara Gorman has been traveling her whole life, more recently with her two school-age sons to destinations ranging from California to Paris to India. Her credo includes stylish shoes, carry-on luggage, anything French, high thread-count sheets, hiking, afternoon tea, and ice cream. She blogs about family travel at The Mother of All Trips.

Travels With Two

This past weekend, we took a brief break from some epic spring cleaning to check out The Garden Conservancy‘s first Open Days event of the year in the Los Angeles area.

Held all over the United States each year between March and November, Open Days allow you to snoop around other people’s backyards and/or find landscaping inspiration while simultaneously raising money to provide and preserve garden spaces across the country. It’s a fun, romantic and altruistic outing, whether you’re traveling in a different city or simply exploring your own. Traditionally a mapped route of six private homes in one area that open their outdoor spaces to the public for one day, Open Days provide a unique opportunity to experience a neighborhood through its plantings, design, architecture and history. The volunteers who work these special events can generally answer questions about the people who own the homes involved, tales of the buildings and homes that surround it, why certain design decisions were made, what to call that purple flower over there, and stuff you’ll probably only think to ask once you’re surrounded by absolute floral magnificence.

Open Days gardens range from homey affairs to sprawling estate layouts, English country to low-water plantings, and it’s fascinating to see how truly gifted gardeners incorporate fountains, pools, waterfalls, patios, sculpture, lighting and a myriad artistic details into their designs. For garden and travel lovers like us, it’s also just plain exciting when we discover exotic plants we’ve never seen before.

These are some glimpses of this past Sunday’s Open Days event in Pasadena, California. Be sure to check out the entire Open Days schedule to see where you might catch some cool gardens in your area — or on your next vacation.

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Open Days are held around the U.S. between March and November,
on Saturdays and Sundays between (generally) 9am and 5pm.
No reservations are necessary, and all tours require self-driving.
Each Open Days event provides a starting point address where you can pick up a map of the day’s gardens.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance, or in person at any stop along an Open Days route.
Ticket prices: 6 for $25 US for non-members, or 6 for $15 US for Garden Conservancy members.

Travels With Two

The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut

I’ve had New England on the brain lately, missing my East Coast childhood trips to see cousins, family friends and historic sites.

Aside from a wedding near Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport, we’ve never traveled to the region together. It’s long been on our to-go list, under the vague heading of autumn leaves, pumpkins and scenic drives.

But why wait until Fall? When I heard that the Mark Twain House & Museum (a well-loved stop along one of those trips from my youth) designed a 6-day itinerary that takes you from one literary landmark to another, I just had to share. It sounds like a wonderful way to get out of the office and inspire yourself to do some traveling…and some reading.

Day 1: NYC to West Hills, New York

West Hills, New York is a 45-minute drive from New York City, but in case the prospect of driving in the city doesn’t thrill you, consider taking a train from New York City’s Penn Station to Huntington, New York (the closest station to West Hills) and renting a car there. However you choose to get there, here are directions to your first stop.

Walt Whitman Birthplace & Interpretive Center. Walt Whitman was born at this farmhouse in West Hills, New York in 1819. Newly restored, the home is a New York State Historic Site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Interpretive Center exhibits: 130 Whitman portraits, original letters, manuscripts, artifacts, recordings of his voice on tape and more. On the site you can find guided tours, an audio-visual show, the museum shop and bookstore, and a picnic area, allowing you to make a big ol’ day of it.

Walt Whitman's Birthplace, West Hills, New York

Day 2: Hartford, Connecticut

Mark Twain House & Museum. This is the birthplace of Mark Twain’s most famous characters, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. From the infamous billiard room where Twain did all his writing (and cigar smoking), to unique exhibits, educational programs and community events, Twain’s Hartford home is a unique destination for readers and history buffs of all ages. Don’t miss a chance to loll together on the round velvet settee — it’s very Showboat meets New England high society.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Mark Twain’s famous next door neighbor and the author of the best-selling anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe believed (quite correctly) that her words could make a difference. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center connects Stowe’s issues to the contemporary face of race relations, class and gender issues, economic justice and education equality. A Gothic Revival home built in 1871, the house includes Victorian-style gardens, the Katharine Seymour Day House (a grand mansion adjacent to the Stowe House) and a visitor center with changing exhibitions and a museum store.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hartford, Connecticut

Day 3: Lenox and Pittsfield, Massachusetts

The Mount Estate & Gardens.  The Mount is both a historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions of Edith Wharton (one of my all-time favorite writers). Best known for The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, Wharton described the lives of New York’s upper class (and the disappearance of their world in the early 20th century) with both humor and empathy. This gorgeous property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who, in addition to being deeply fabulous, also happened to be an authority on European landscape design. The Mount is a stunning reflection of Wharton’s love of the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design.

The Mount Estate and Gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts - photo by Kevin Sprague

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. Arrowhead is a National Historic Landmark located in western Massachusetts. Melville purchased this historic farmhouse in 1850, and it remained the home of Herman’s large, chaotic family for more than 13 years. Herman found refuge in the second-floor library, where he wrote his most famous novel, Moby Dick, three additional novels and many short stories.

Day 4: Amherst, MA and Concord, Massachusetts

Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and the Evergreens. The Homestead, where poet Emily Dickinson was born and lived most of her life, and The Evergreens, home of the poet’s brother and his family, share three absolutely beautiful acres of the original Dickinson property in the center of Amherst, Massachusetts. The Museum offers guided tours of the houses as well as a self-guided audio tour of the outdoor grounds.

Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts

The Wayside: Home to Hawthorne and the Alcott Family. The only home owned by Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, and Twice-Told Tales, The Wayside is now a historic landmark. Before Hawthorne lived here, the house belonged to the Alcott family, who had named it Hillside. Here, Louisa May Alcott and her sisters lived much of the childhood described in Little Women.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. Just minutes from Wayside, this circa-1690 house was a later home to the Alcott family; this is where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her classic novel, Little Women, in 1868.

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts

Authors Ridge at Sleepy Hollow. Perched on the uppermost glacial hill in the cemetery, Authors Ridge features the graves of Henry Thoreau (1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1864), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1882), Louisa May Alcott (1888) and her father, Bronson Alcott (1888). This popular spot proves that the company you keep does in fact matter, even after you’re gone.

Day 5: Concord, Massachusetts

Ralph Waldo Emerson House. Though open to the public, the Emerson House is still furnished with the writer’s memorabilia and keepsakes. Here, Emerson lived most of his adult life, wrote his famous essays “The American Scholar” and “Self Reliance,” and died in 1882.

Walden Pond. Set on 400 acres, Walden Pond – where Henry David Thoreau lived from 1845 to 1847 – is a State Reservation and National Historic Site. Thoreau’s experience here inspired his book Walden, credited with helping to inspire awareness of and a deeper respect for nature. Today, visitors can enjoy hiking, meandering, swimming and guided tours.

Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts

Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters. This National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost poets. By the by, the house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston (July 1775 – April 1776). In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts. (Oh, and it’s very, very pretty.)

Day 6: Boston, Massachusetts

Boston by Foot. Take a walking tour of the homes and haunts of Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Alcott, Longfellow, Henry James, Charles Dickens and more. (1 ½ hours, $12 US per adult)

Boston...by foot

And by all means, take us with you.

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See also
TWT Travel Binder: New York
TWT Travel Binder: Connecticut
TWT Travel Binder: Massachusetts

Travels With Two

We recently returned from a gorgeous Fall weekend in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, where:

-The air is clear and cool
-Woodsy back roads run along wide, stony creeks
-Deer and butterflies frolic around marshy ponds in soft meadows
-Thin, lacy trees are just starting to turn red and gold

And there we stood, lingering outside of a local real estate office…dreaming of a parallel life.

Our Catskills catalyst was the wedding of Adam’s college roommate, Joe, a truly wonderful guy. Joe met Lucy speed-dating in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, and the duo have been adventuring together ever since (e.g., they once biked from New York to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…without anyone chasing them).

I had to chuckle at the coincidence of a Yom Kippur-weekend wedding in the heart of what remains a haven for for observant Jews. The Catskills used to be full of Jewish-only resorts like real-life Grossinger’s (owned by some of my distant cousins) and Dirty Dancing‘s fictional Kellerman’s; by the mid-1960s, most of the big resorts were in decline, and almost all were closed by the mid-’80s.

Clearly, though, there are still lots of Jews attracted to the Catskills’ woods and mountain air. On our three-hour drive up from Newark Airport, we saw signs of a lingering kosher presence all over the Hudson Valley.

Fly into Albany and you’ll have a much shorter commute to the Catskills (about an hour), but the three-or-so-hour drive from Newark allowed us to clear our heads after a few grueling work weeks in a row. Having arrived at the airport at dawn, we were in no hurry; we picked up our little rental car and treated ourselves to a meandering path (I-85 -Route 42 -Route 47) beside a series of creeks and meadows, into the heart of the Catskills Forest Preserve.

Along Route 42, in particular, we passed through Sullivan County and the historic town of Neversink, regionally famed for its vibrant “barn quilt” plaques. There isn’t much to do around these parts but pull over and drink in the scenery; since this little hamlet is dry, you won’t find (or really need) anything stronger.

You'll find barn quilts, creeks and lacy forest around Sullivan County

We made it up to our Ulster County lodgings too early to check in, so continued along Route 47 to Route 28 to grab a late breakfast at Sweet Sue’s in Phoenicia. Can we talk about pancakes for a minute? They’re the specialty of the house at this 20+ year-old local favorite, so (despite the fact that I’m none too tolerant of wheat), we split two of the biggest, tastiest, fluffiest ‘cakes that anyone’s ever seen. If the gajillion kinds on the regular menu don’t do it for you, try whatever’s seasonal — and don’t plan to eat again for many hours.

Stuffed to the gills, we wandered the village Main Street past a one-room library, a general store or two, and astonishing views of tree-covered mountains. Cozy little antique houses line the side streets and the Esopus Creek trickles at the head of town. The air smelled sweet, people smiled at us, the leaves were just beginning to blush orange around the edges…

Can you blame us for standing in front of a local realty office and fantasizing about cottages/artist’s retreats/farmhouses that cost 1/3 or less than our little house in L.A.? (*Sigh*)

While actually living in Phoenicia isn’t a realistic option just now, we liked the look of the Phoenicia Belle (a Victorian B&B) and the idea of an inner tube float down the Esopus, a ride on the Catskills Railroad, and as many meals as possible at Sweet Sue’s.

Phoenicia, NY: home of apples, river tubing, pancakes and a piece of our hearts

On the day of the wedding, while the bride, groom and many others went for a three-hour hike along the Giant Ledge Trail, Adam and I escaped to Phoenicia’s Emerson Resort & Spa for massages and lunch. (We tend to pride ourselves on sound decision-making.)

The resort is a long, sprawling compound set against a forest backdrop, and its (oddly incongruous) four-star Ayurvedic spa features an antique Rajasthani wood-carved doorway and stone Hindu statues. Everything’s clean and fancy, and there are steam rooms and saunas in the locker rooms and a co-ed hot tub on the outdoor deck. However, the treatment-room walls could use some soundproofing (from, say, children running and yelling through the spa), and if you want deep-tissue, be sure to specify when you book; our massages were soothing, but we left with the same knots we brought in.

Post-spa, we headed next door to the resort’s Catskills Corner Country Store, which features the world’s largest kaleidoscope (a paid attraction in a small theater) and an amazing warren of rooms stuffed with everything imaginable, and all for sale. This is not the place to bring your shopaholic partner if your goal is to get outside in the autumn sunshine.

We skipped the shopping and went for lunch at the Coffee Bar here, which offers gorgeous sandwiches, salads, homemade quiche, soft pretzels, cupcakes and locally-made ice creams. We opted to eat indoors, surrounded by a small gem of a bookstore with tons of tomes on the Catskills and Hudson Valley.

The Emerson Resort & Spa in Phoenicia, and its bookstore/coffee bar

The town of Woodstock (yes, that Woodstock) is about 12 miles from Phoenicia, and turns out to be several bustling blocks of independent boutiques and restaurants, a few B&B’s and a lot of fine clapboard homes with fluffy little gardens. Several stores capitalize on the town’s Summer of Love past with tie-dye shirts and peace-sign memorabilia, but it’s kept a bit on the QT that the actual festival happened several miles away on a farm field in Bethel, New York (now the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts). Today’s Woodstock is a lovely little New England-y place for a stroll and a gourmet snack; for the latter, we’d choose C’est Cheese, our winner for best name ever.

The town of Woodstock...not the actual site of the festival

Not too far from Phoenicia, along Route 47, the Lost Clove Valley Road is a traffic-free microcosm of the whole area. If you need a break from all other people except for each other, turn off, pass the Buddhist compound (replete with stupa), and spin up into the quiet woods. We’d at first thought the road was devoted to Lost Love, but it luckily turns out it’s just missing a “C.”

Along Lost (C)love Valley Road

Our home for the weekend was also the wedding location: the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian.

Everything here looks just right — the glass-enclosed porch, the big ol’ barn, the tranquil ponds, the window boxes full of flowers, the babbling brook — but know that the main house is no place for a romantic weekend. A glorified dorm, you’ll end up sharing the half-heated hall baths with a dozen other people; the tiny, spare rooms have no closets, and the rock-hard beds with starched sheets are just plain awful.

But before you skip the Full Moon entirely, remember that the location is stunning and the food’s delicious. For a more adult, civilized getaway here, try to book the solitary yurt or any one of the private cottages.

Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY

We had a wonderful time reuniting with old friends and meeting some new ones. The wedding itself, held in a meadow at the far end of the property, was full of humor and grace. (Before the ceremony, I took a few minutes to cast stones of atonement [for me] and good wishes [for Joe and Lucy] into the creek.) Later on, we’d dance the night away in a huge tent to the best wedding band we’d ever heard…and make a wish to come back to the Catskills in autumn someday.

Hopefully, Joe and Lucy would be up for joining us.

Setting the wedding scene at Full Moon

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See also

TWT Travel Binder: New York

Travels With Two

Moore's "King & Queen," Hirshhorn Museum - photo by Anna Boman

I grew up in the capital city of the United States, Washington, D.C., and sometimes I still dream about it in the wee hours — as though it and I have unfinished business, or I’m looking for something I can’t find.

It’s a city I haven’t called home since 1993, but because my family lives there, so does a part of me. We were just there in late summer, and with my parents as tour guides I learned two valuable things:

You can live in a place your entire life and still discover something new.

You can go home again whenever you like, as long as you’re prepared to let it change.

I love being from D.C., and I love the city it’s become. Everywhere you look, there’s a person from a different corner of the Earth, a different experience, skin color and sense of humor. I love prowling the city with my family, and we all love sharing this East Coast city with Adam, who grew up clear across the country on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay.

D.C. is full of elegant architecture, much of it from a time when our country was inspired by Paris, both for its revolution and city planning. I sometimes wince when I hear people call D.C. a dowdy, conservative town, because to me it’s a vibrant place full of art, light, flowers, music, theater, and food from Ethiopia to El Salvador to Spain, on to India and then back again. Whole chunks of the city have been refurbished in the last few years, and I suddenly find myself not knowing my way around lots of neighborhoods — and having a great deal more to explore.

As the base of our country’s political machine, D.C. might be a transient city for lots of folks, but to many others it’s an exciting place to call home; if pressed, I’d say that’s how I still think of it. 17 years in L.A. and half the time I still answer the question, “Where are you from?” with, “Washington, D.C.” Sometimes I feel like an expat who’s stayed in the U.S.

But what does all this mean to you, you might ask? Well, if your routine needs a hit of romance, culture, beauty and a chance to learn something new, I’d encourage you to visit D.C. for yourselves…especially if the last time you went there was for a fourth-grade field trip. The sunset sky glows pink over the Potomac, a lot of the museums are still free, and it’s changing every day; it’s a cool town to help you reconnect with your American selves, or discover how global America can be.

Key Bridge over the Potomac River, linking D.C. to Virginia - photo by Scott Ableman

Adams Morgan, a NW neighborhood full of color, nightlife and ethnic restaurants - photo by Dennis S. Hurd

Eastern Market in Capitol Hill, opened in 1873 and reopened in 2009 after a big fire

Capitol Hill rowhouse that was briefly my parents' home (before I was born)

National Archives and Pennsylvania Avenue from the deck of the Newseum

At the Newseum, three different headlines from the 2000 presidential election

The Connecticut Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek Park - photo by Tom Smith

"People mover" at the National Gallery, connecting the East and West Wings - photo by Martin Prochnik

A D.C. Metro station, with the signature ice-cube-tray ceiling - photo by George Goodman

Ceiling at Union Station, both a train station and destination mall - photo by Murali Danakhoti

Elaborate ceiling at the Library of Congress - photo by Christoph Schrey

Splashy entrance to Chinatown, in downtown D.C. - photo by Jonathan Gagle

Much of Georgetown was originally built in the late 1700s, like the still-standing Old Stone House - photo by Anna Boman

Washington Harbour, a lovely place to stroll and dine along the Potomac River, just below Georgetown - photo by Anna Boman

The Smithsonian Castle, one of my favorite buildings anywhere - photo by Victor

The National Cathedral, built largely by Italian stonemasons and surrounded by flower gardens - by Photo Phiend

Cherry blossoms make a spectacular show in early April down by the Mall - photo by Nathan Walls

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See also
Top 5 Spots for Romance in D.C.
Between D.C. and the Deep Blue Sea
TWT Travel Binder: Washington, D.C.

Travels With Two

Long time no talk…but that’s just because it’s been a long time since I’ve had consistent wi-fi.

Costa Rica has many things – lush jungles, howling monkeys, screeching frogs, crashing waves, endless palm orchards, dramatic thunderstorms – but satellite coverage when it’s cloudy?  Not so much.  So, I’ve contented myself with being on vacation and taking lots of photos.

After a week of beautifully preserved nature without crowds (besides the wedding  party for Adam’s cousin Minona and her new husband, Peter), it’s hard to get my head around the fact that tomorrow Adam and I will each be in one of the largest cities in the world…just not the same city.

As of last night, we‘d arrived in San Jose, the last stop on our Costa Rican trip and itself a bit of a culture shock.

Yesterday, we awoke to the sights and sounds of, well, howling monkeys, screeching frogs and crashing waves amidst a lush jungle on the remote, southern Osa Peninsula.  The eco-lodge El Remanso proved to be the highlight of our drive down the Pacific Coast, and I’ll be sharing it (and the whole trip) with you starting late next week.

We reached San Jose via a gorgeous but turbulent/nauseating one-hour flight from the Osa’s Puerto Jimenez airport, and after a short Nature Air van ride (with Otto the ultra-helpful driver) to our shabby downtown digs, the Hotel Don Carlos, we once again found ourselves in a land of concrete and clear-cut civilization. San Jose is full of grime, faded glory, vibrant murals, wrought iron porticoes, aggressive traffic, smokers, hagglers, and a little elegance.  It’s made for an atmosphere-readjusting transition between the back of beyond and halfway home.

Adam is headed home to Los Angeles today at a reasonable hour, and will spend the weekend throwing a tennis ball for our neglected dog.  After an easy, happy nine days of togetherness in a foreign land, I sadly won’t see his face again until next Tuesday night.

At the crack of dawn this morning I’m off to New York City and TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange), a travel bloggers’ conference that, in its second year, now has big-name sponsors like American Express, public relations agencies footing the bill for cocktail parties, and seminars on everything from monetizing blogs to shooting video to making connections with PR reps. In addition to a reunion with ¾ of my fellow #belizetrip bloggers, there’ll be almost 300 people at this shindig.

Excited to meet folks I’ve heretofore only known through blogs and social media, I feel like I’m going to cyberspace summer camp.

In New York, where I’ll be frolicking around my alma mater (NYU) and staying at the nearby Cooper Square Hotel (a building that my Aunt Lisa, an NYC local, decries as a blight on the face of historic preservation), I’ll have more wi-fi than free time…

…so, please check out my Twitter (#tbex10) and Facebook pages for updates, be sure to take a look at our photos from Costa Rica — and I’ll see you around here next week!

Travels With Two

Continued from
Cape Cod: Jay & Tony’s Provincetown

Hens Cove, Patuisset Island

The last few years, Jay and Tony’s Cape Cod headquarters has been Patuisset Island, in a cottage that’s been in Tony’s family for sixty years; for those of us less fortunate, we can rest assured there are plenty of places to rent and stay in the area.

From the island, Jay and Tony easily take day trips to small towns and villages across the Cape, where New England’s charm seems to simultaneously evolve and stay unchanged.  Neat trick.

Patuisset Island is an hour-and-a-half drive from either Boston’s Logan or Providence’s Green airports. The island lies beside Pocasset in eastern Bourne, bordered on the east by a beach and by cranberry bogs on the west.  (And truly, you had us at “cranberry bogs.”)

From this heavenly corner of Massachusetts, Jay and Tony’s favorite day-trip haunts are Falmouth, Sandwich, Mashpee and Chatham.

Falmouth is one of the closest towns to Patuisset Island, a 20-minute drive. Main Street runs right through Falmouth with several blocks of shops and cafes.

Their favorite restaurant here is La Cucina Sul Mare, one of the best Italian ristorantes they’ve sampled anywhere in the U.S. Chef/owner Mark Ciflone’s signature dishes are fresh, homemade northern Italian classics, and the service is excellent. Jay and Tony warn that though it’s always a busy place, La Cucina Sul Mare doesn’t take reservations; you have to just wing it by putting your name on the list and killing some time in neighboring shops and bars.

While in town, Jay and Tony will often rent bikes from Corner Cycle and take daily rides around the visiting old villages with Native American names (e.g., Scraggy Neck, Wing’s Neck, Tahanto Beach, Megansett, etc.).

Also in Falmouth, they recommend staying or eating at The Coonamessett Inn. Built in 1796, it offers six period rooms, meticulously landscaped grounds, and an exceptional restaurant with traditional New England fare.

Tony and Jay at the Dan'l Webster Inn, Sandwich

In nearby Sandwich, they frequently visit the Dan’l Webster Inn, which has a cozy dining room and yet again, traditional New England cuisine.  They recommend:  Strolling the seaside boardwalk, poking into antique stores and galleries; checking out Hoxie House, the oldest home on Cape Cod; making an afternoon visit the Sandwich Glass Museum (for the best light, making the glass seem to glow); or treating yourselves to the all-year respite of the Heritage Gardens.

While family-run establishments are generally king on the Cape, there are a few exceptions. The Mashpee Commons is a fairly new open-air mall designed to look like a small New England village. Along with The Gap, a Starbucks, a Banana Republic, a Williams-Sonoma and lots of small, independent specialty shops, you’ll find Siena, which specializes in Tuscan cooking and boasts a hand-picked wine list.

Terrace at the Chart Room, Cataumet

The closest restaurant to Patuisset Island, the Chart Room, is about two miles away in Cataumet.  Set on Red Brook Harbor next to the Kingman Yacht Center, locals have been parking their boats and dining here on fresh seafood for almost fifty years; it hasn’t been remodeled in all that time, and even though Jay and Tony love the place, they, um, try not to use the facilities. The look here is marine rustic, the scene very casual and it’s always crowded. Reservations will ensure you’re on the list, but you’ll still have to wait.

So, Jay and Tony try to arrive early to snag Adirondack chairs on the gravel terrace overlooking the harbor, a perfect spot to have a cocktail and enjoy a postcard-perfect sunset. On weekend nights there’s live music (usually a trio of piano, bass and singer performing standards), which only adds to the relaxed, old-fashioned neighborhood charm.

Jay looks forward to the Room’s clam chowder for months before he arrives, and he’s been known to wax poetic on their lobster roll (a Cape Cod classic of fresh lobster salad on a Portuguese bread roll). Tony recommends the award-winning gazpacho when tomatoes are in season, or the “Chicken Parm” special.  Thursday through Saturday, the enormous prime rib here is one of the best cuts in New England.

<All photos courtesy of Jay Werner>

◊ What are your favorite adventures on Cape Cod? ◊

Travels With Two

Tony (L) and Jay (R) on Cape Cod

Our friends Jay and Tony have been together about 14 years, and in that time have traveled around the world with each other. But the place they keep returning to, year after year, is Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

With Fall temps in the mid-70s during vivid-blue sunny days, the high 40s on clear, starry nights, and changing autumn leaves on the way, this just might be the perfect time to escape there for a last-minute weekend of your own.

Jay says that Cape Cod is such a part of their travel routine, he’s actually lost track of how many times they’ve been there since he and Tony met (at Mardi Gras in New Orleans) in 1995. They both have a rounded sense of America, as Jay spent most of his life in the Midwest, Tony in the Deep South, and now they live in Los Angeles; but for them, nothing compares to the soft, gauzy light, pastel-watercolor palette, friendly people, rough-shingle architecture and sea-fresh cuisine of the Cape.

Provincetown Harbor

Their first few trips to Cape Cod were to Provincetown, on the furthermost tip of Cape Cod, for anywhere from four to seven days.

Downtown Ptown

Provincetown, or as it’s more colloquially known, “Ptown,” is known for being both an artists’ and a gay/gay-friendly community. Ptown is very casual by nature and you could spend days just wandering through the art galleries, curio shops and clothing stores.  Jay and Tony especially love digging through the entire Marine Specialties store, which boasts a vast, quirky inventory of everything from old American Airlines china to army issue surplus supplies.

In Ptown, most visitors stay in historic inns, and there are dozens to choose from.  Jay and Tony’s choice for several years was the Anchor Inn Beach House, the only inn on the water side of narrow Commercial Street (one of two main streets, running east-west through town).

A three-story former captain’s home from the 19th century, the Anchor Inn has a large covered front porch with about a dozen wooden rocking chairs. You could spend most of your day on this porch:  Steal away with fresh baked breads and pastries from the morning buffet, spend an afternoon watching the foot traffic parade on by, or unwind after an evening of drinking, dining and dancing.

Jay and Tony especially loved the Anchor when their favorite innkeeper, Bea, was still there; however, the inn has changed hands, and after a disappointing stay there in 2008, they worry it may never again be as homey a place to stay. Tripadvisor’s reviews seem mixed.

A fabulous garden in Provincetown

Ptown boasts metric tons of cafes, restaurants and diners. Some of Jay and Tony’s favorites are:

• Cafe Heaven (for breakfast)
• The Lobster Pot (for casual lunches on the seaside terrace)
• Sal’s Place (fine dining, for special occasions)
• Pepe’s Wharf (for casual dinners)
• Tip for Tops’n (Portuguese diner)
• Front Street
• Napi’s (open every day, including holidays)
• Ciro & Sal’s (Northern Italian cuisine)
• Bubala’s By the Bay
• Bayside Betsy’s
• Post Office Café & Cabaret

All this said, they feel no trip to Ptown is complete without a visit to Spiritus Pizza. A landmark on the Cape for over 30 years, Spiritus sells great New York pizza by the slice. When area bars close at 1am, hundreds of people congregate out front here to scarf hot pizza and talk into the wee hours of the morning.

In case you choose to visit all of the eateries above, know that you can easily burn off calories and sightsee at the same time: Rent bikes at Ptown Bikes and ride the paths through the Province Lands and over to Race Point Beach. Continue around to Herring Cove, head out to the very tip of Cape Cod, and back around to the west end of Commercial Street and the heart of Ptown.

<All photos courtesy of Jay Werner>

Continued in
Cape Cod: Jay & Tony’s Favorite Day Trips

Travels With Two