While Central Park is a big, beautiful urban space in the middle of a crowded City, the specific goal I had in mind for my last visit was to see the Zoo there, something I had not done in more than twenty years, since the Administration of Mayor Edward Irving Koch and his Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern. Way... read more

With this summer’s addition of balloon rides, at Bethesda Fountain near 72nd Street, kiddie rides, at the site of the winter ice skating rink under the banner Victorian Gardens, and concerts, Central Park’s reputation is being pushed beyond the traditional limits of a public park into the more trafficked... read more

The most direct route to the Queens Zoo, once you get off the train, is to make a right turn around the USTA Tennis Center and then through an overpass to the Grand Central Parkway and, voila, you hear a lot of birds, you can see the aviary and the wrought iron bars that separate the zoo from the rest... read more

Having just posted a positive essay on my recent visit to the New York Aquarium, I decided it might be worthwhile to visit some of the other Wildlife Conservation Society’s urban zoological parks in the city, so I decided that I might start with the Queens Zoo. Even though the Bronx Zoo might have... read more

The Fourth of July is a proud, joyous American holiday wherein the domestic populace and various others can celebrate the so-called birth of our country.   It can also be considered the start of the summer vacation season. Some means of celebration such as fireworks, the rockets red glare, have become... read more

The New York Aquarium has been in Coney Island since 1957 so it is often referred to as the Coney Island Aquarium, a case of closeness breeding familiarity. It is located adjacent to the Riegelman  boardwalk.  In the old days well before the recent expansion, it was possible to peek in between the... read more

The entertainment area of Coney Island appears headed for a major overhaul according to news reports. I have lived nearby on West 5th Street, actually West 6th, which also goes by the name Shell Road, for around forty years, give or take some stops on the way.  The main drag in Coney Island is 14th... read more

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I wrote “New Year’s Eve Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be” and here it’s that time once again. This year it seems to have arrived even sooner since I was away for a few days and I’m just now getting back into the swing of real life. Well, my holiday trip... read more

Traveling with children isn’t always easy but it doesn’t have to limit you to an impersonal hotel chain with donuts and apple juice for breakfast. There are plenty of other options, most notably New Hampshire bed and breakfast accommodations. There are a plethora of kid-friendly B&Bs around... read more

Vermont B&Bs became famous during the 1980s when Bob Newhart starred in Newhart, a show about an bed and breakfast inn keeper in the Green Mountain State. Many vacationers, looking to recapture the romance and searching for the hospitality Bob, along with his neighbors Larry, Darryl and the other... read more