130 articles tagged with outdoor activities
As someone who's spent decades studying coastal ecosystems, I've developed a sixth sense for overlooked marine playgrounds. Port St. Lucie isn't just another Florida retirement community—it's an adventure sports paradise hiding in plain sight. While snowbirds flock to Miami and...
When my dear friend Elaine invited me to join her family reunion in Corpus Christi last spring, I jumped at the chance to explore this coastal Texas gem. After five years of European adventures from my Florence home base, I...
When most people hear 'Woodbridge, New Jersey,' their minds immediately jump to the sprawling Woodbridge Center Mall. But having spent childhood summers with my mother's cousin in this unassuming township, I've discovered there's so much more beneath the suburban veneer....
When I first landed in Oslo for a tax conference (of all things!), I expected another concrete jungle with suits and spreadsheets. *Que surpresa maravilhosa!* What a wonderful surprise to discover that this Scandinavian capital is actually an outdoor enthusiast's...
When my epidemiological conference in Detroit was unexpectedly extended by a weekend, I found myself with 48 hours to kill in nearby Warren, Michigan. As someone accustomed to analyzing patterns, I quickly recognized that this Detroit suburb—Michigan's third-largest city—harbors a...
While I typically document my solo adventures through historic hot springs and prestigious golf courses, my recent trip to Atlanta with my sister and her two children (ages 7 and 9) revealed a surprisingly delightful family destination that merits sharing....
I've always been a sucker for the road less traveled, especially when I'm trying to stretch my vacation dollars. After visiting Virginia Beach five times in the last decade (three times with my buddies from the correctional facility for our...
Standing on the shores of Sitka Sound at midnight, watching the celestial dance of stars reflected in the still waters below, I was reminded why this remote Alaskan outpost has captivated me for decades. As an astronomer who has gazed...
Twenty years chasing Olympic athletes through stadiums worldwide never prepared me for the challenge of navigating Zion's Narrows with a friend's enthusiastic seven-year-old in tow. Yet here I was, trading press credentials for hiking poles, discovering that Utah's crimson canyons...
When most folks think of Bangkok, they conjure images of teeming streets, neon lights, and the constant hum of tuk-tuks weaving through traffic like wee maniacs on a mission. It's a fair assessment—I certainly thought the same before my first...
The juxtaposition never ceases to fascinate me: a metropolis of gleaming skyscrapers and bustling commerce where giraffes and lions roam freely just minutes from downtown. Nairobi defies conventional urban planning theories I've studied, offering a rare synthesis where wilderness and...
When I first brought my daughter Ellie to Chicago at age three, I wasn't sure how the bustling metropolis would compare to the charming Mediterranean plazas and markets we'd grown accustomed to in Valencia. But watching her eyes widen at...
When an athlete client of mine needed a unique recovery retreat away from the spotlight, I found myself researching destinations that offered both adventure and unexpected history. That's how I stumbled upon Beckley, West Virginia—a place where the mountains tell...
Standing at the summit of Pilot Butte as dawn breaks over Bend, Oregon feels like witnessing the Earth's geological history unfold in real time. The ancient volcanic cones that punctuate this landscape remind me of Japan's Mount Unzen—less volatile, perhaps,...
Growing up just two hours southwest of Toronto, I've always had a complicated relationship with Canada's largest metropolis. As an urban planner, I'm fascinated by its architectural evolution and cultural layers, but as someone raised near the shores of Lake...