The Home of the Eccentric Recluse

I swear I could HEAR my daughter’s eyes roll back in her head when I suggested we stop by Emily Dickinson’s house after touring UMass Amherst. I explained that I feel personally responsible for supporting these types of museums. If old English majors don’t visit Emily’s home and other important literary sites such as the House of the 7 Gables and Poe’s grave, then, really, who will? She conceded, if I promised a sweatshirt in return. Deal.

I enjoy touring college campuses, at least I did, the first 4 or 5 times. After awhile they begin to blend, like Caribbean cruise ports. Since precious vacation days must be spent on this important teen/parent bonding activity, I long ago began to package the campus visit with an unrelated sightseeing adventure. The Emily Dickinson museum is the perfect detour if you’re spending the day at one of the schools that comprise the 5 College Consortium:  Amherst, UMass, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke or Smith.

Secrets of the Sweet 16 Revealed!

Plan on watching the games at your local bar? Bring along one or two of these “did you know” facts about the Sweet 16 to cheer up your buddies as their brackets implode.

By Sanjay Acharya via Wikimedia Commons

Wichita State – The original Pizza Hut was opened in Wichita in 1958 by two enterprising students. The name? They were told the restaurant looked like…well, you can guess the rest. The building was relocated to the campus from its downtown location and serves as an inspiration to undergrads:  ”if you build it, they will eat it.”

Play Ball! Let’s Eat!

© Garlic World 2013

In springtime a young woman’s fancy turns to baseball, for the love of stadium food (and the game, too). In today’s edition of Budget Travel magazine’s newsletter, Robert Firpo-Cappiello (Deputy Editor, Budget Travel) offers samples of the Best Ballpark Food in America. Included are my thoughts about San Francisco’s AT&T Park, home of the Giants. If you’d like to try to replicate the taste at home, Gilroy’s Garlic World offers its famous recipe here.

Nature and Nurture in da Bronx

Consider this camel’s back broken. The snow that fell Saturday was my last straw. I needed spring and I needed it bad. So I headed to the Bronx.

Stop thinking what you’re thinking. The Bronx is home to the New York Botanical Garden.  Featuring the iconic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Garden is home to all good things flora.  And running now through April 22 is the annual Orchid Show, a dazzling display of common and exotic varieties. The smell alone is worth the $25 admission.

Headphone Tourist

If Elton John was the only artist you recognized during this year’s Grammy Awards, then it’s high time you tried on some new tunes. To assist you, NPR has compiled a 100-song playlist you can download until April 4th. Featured are the artists performing at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival.

Fruity Water

Lean in.

Closer.

I want to tell you about my first time.

It happened in the lobby of the Myrtle Beach Marriott.

Photo: Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes

We collapsed into the tasteful British Colonial plantation chairs after too many hours on the road. Myrtle was the tail end of a whirlwind roadtrip through the Carolinas that included Asheville, Raleigh, Durham, 5 kids, 4 adults.

And it was hot.

6 Reasons Why Orlando Theme Parks Aren’t Just for Kids

The team at “Love Orlando Tickets” recently contacted me and asked if I would publish their guest post. For those of you who haven’t thought of Orlando as a destination since the kids left the nest, here are a few reasons why you may want to consider a trip.

Theme parks are always associated with kids but when you talk about Orlando theme parks, it’s a whole different story. Although Orlando theme parks cater to young children they have much to offer adults as well, so if you are going with the entire family, everyone has something to be excited about – besides looking after the little ones.