I live in Half Moon Bay, a town I first visited because I liked the name. It’s south of SF on the ocean. You can hike in the nearby redwoods in the morning and then in the afternoon walk with the dog on the Coastal Trail with amazing beach views. The Half Moon Bay Bakery has delicious apple fritters for a sweet treat, and for good food and ambiance I like to get an outdoor table at the Miramar to watch the sunset.
I live on the coast of Maine. I am not a summer person, but I do love eating lobster and drinking a dry cava on my deck in the summer. And we have some lovely state parks right on the ocean that are best visited after peak summer tourist season.
BUT…we are only 1 hour from the White Mountains, and this summer my husband and good friend went to Nostalgia Night at Storyland - an amazingly well maintained amusement park in Bartlett, NH. On 4 nights during the summer, they have 21+ nights where adults can ride all the rides, eat all the foods, and enjoy a beverage. It was the most silly fun. Everyone had a smile on their face as they rode everything from the teacups to the rather tame roller coaster. That is a new fun tradition-just a bit away from the town I live in.
That grown-up hours at Storyland sound like so much fun! And Maine... sigh. So beautiful. I could go for a lobster roll right about now. Dave and I also had some of the most delicious ice cream of our lives in Maine. —Mel
We live in a town full of apple orchards, so we love this time of year when we pick apples and hang out at Longview Cider House at the top of a hill with a beautiful vista, sipping hard ciders by a fire and eating food truck dinners. There's a blue-blazed trail for hiking; drive-in theater, bowling, mini golf; cornhole & volleyball leagues at the little local ski mountain; and next weekend is the Apple Harvest Festival where you stand in huge lines to buy the famous apple fritters and eat them piping hot right out of the bag - so good!
We once lived in Selfoss, Iceland just yards from the mighty Ölfusá river. On my days off, I loved to walk along its banks to an area under Selfoss bridge lavishly pitted with small whirlpool rock formations left over from the biggest lava flow on planet earth.
I live in Kansas City and did you know we're referred to as The Paris of the Plains??? Wild, right?!?! While there's not much to do here nature wise, our city has a diverse population and filled with every world cuisine you can think of. That's all we have to do here is eat and let me tell you- we are great at it! Of course we are known for BBQ but that might be #10 on my favorite things to eat in this town. My #1 is Le Fou Frog- a french restaurant, but our Mexican and Asian cuisines are also *chef's kiss*
In the summer we used to love doing the boat on the St. Lawerence River and Thousand Island. Then going to Canada to buy some good Canadian ale and fireworks.
That area is so beautiful! Did you know Maureen Johnsons' new book 'Death at Morning House' is set there? It's a YA Gothic mystery. I loved it!
When I was in high school, my dad took my brother, myself, and my best friend to the St. Lawrence River for a summer vacation. All my memories of it are like golden light-infused postcards. It was pretty great. —Mel
I live in Little Rock, Arkansas and some of my favorite things to do are: bike the River trail circling LR and NLR, hike oodles of trails w/in 30 min of my home and boating on the Arkansas River to see fireworks on Friday nights in the summer.
Reporting in from just outside Boston. My favorite thing to do in Boston proper is walk the Freedom Trail. It's free, reasonably short (2+ miles total) and self-guided so you can go at your own pace and take side quests at will. There are restaurants and shops on (or very near) the route, you can do as much or as little as you like, and even if you aren't a history buff whatsoever it's a good way to see the sights - you won't get lost because there's a thread of red bricks through the whole city.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska. Every evening my husband and I walk the Coastal Trail to watch for beluga whales, moose, and bears. We look to see if Denali (the great mountain) is out and where the tide is. Then we inevitably end up talking with neighbors for longer than we intended.
I wonder if you know our friend Cheryl in Anchorage! I know it's a city, but it's like a village, too, right? We spent a memorable week one January in Anchorage for her wedding. We saw moose in her neighborhood! And had a fantastic time at the zoo in the snow. And we ate muktuk. It was all amazing. —Mel
In San Francisco, love to go to North Beach, hang out at Kerouac's old haunt, Vesuvio's for a drink, walk to get fresh roast coffee beans on Columbus Ave, hit some place on Grant for coffee or a cappuccino. Maybe have dinner there or down to the Mission where we know a good paella spot. And then cruise the Embarcadero, past the Ferry Building, and hope for a sunny day to gaze at that glorious Golden Gate Bridge.
Oh! I miss North Beach. House of Nanking is the best. And back in the day, we used to go swing dancing at a bar in North Beach. I need to time travel to the late 1990s and relive all of that. —Mel
There are so many Chinese restaurants. The Far East Cafe was a fave—it had little booths with drapes, very cute. We’d have our faves then move on. The swing dance place, don’t know it. (But love swing—Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys). Usually Vesuvio’s to get the evening started was de rigeur. Close to our parking garage with a view of the GG and easy access to Italian or Chinese fare and a walk by City Lights. We’d make the rounds.
I live in Portland, OR. While most people associate our city with food nowadays, I will always think of her as the city of parks. Our favorite tour for out of town guest (and ourselves) is to take the train up to the zoo, (optional, but a darn nice zoo), walk to the arboretum, grok on the giant trees, wind our way down the hill through the magnificent forest park (largest park in a city in the world) to the Japanese garden, a place of serenity and beauty. Then continue down the hill back into the city, where food options are myriad, or one can just keep walking to Powell’s books.
I took my boys to Portland a couple years ago and we all really loved the Japanese Gardens. We also hiked to the "Witch's House". Are you familiar with this?
I love living right between Baltimore MD and Washington DC. In Baltimore there's Fells Point with shops and eateries/bars. In Washington there's the Library of Congress and the botanic gardens. Near me is a quirky old mill that was converted to a shopping area. If I want a little drive, I go to Antietam Battlefield.
I'm from Baltimore, but while growing up, my parents took us to the sights in DC because they were free. Sadly, I've not really done a lot in Baltimore itself. I was always a huge fan of the Natural History Museum in D.C.
That must have been so cool! I worked for National Geographic for a number of years, so I am fairly familiar with the DC Headquarters even though I worked remotely (mostly).
I have a weekly routine almost every Saturday, where I go to our (small) downtown and go to the local coffeeshop and hang out with friends and then we migrate upstairs and hang out in the local art gallery. The two businesses are owned by a husband (coffee) & wife (art), who live on the 3rd floor above the attic gallery.
I live in Cardiff, California…I love a good Stand Up Paddle on a glassy ocean day, a hike along the lagoon trail to bird watch, catching the Green Flash at sunset and beers at our local brewery just a few blocks away!
There is a beautiful plant store called Terrain, but it has a coffee bar, a restaurant and artisan gifts for home. Linens, specialty hand soaps, decorations for home. I like to walk through it because it's like a secret forest. The plants are spread throughout the store so many are very tall. They also offer meditation classes for free in the nursery where most of the plants are. It's a gem. But it's wildly popular so going on the weekends there's too many people. Very cool place.
I live in Half Moon Bay, a town I first visited because I liked the name. It’s south of SF on the ocean. You can hike in the nearby redwoods in the morning and then in the afternoon walk with the dog on the Coastal Trail with amazing beach views. The Half Moon Bay Bakery has delicious apple fritters for a sweet treat, and for good food and ambiance I like to get an outdoor table at the Miramar to watch the sunset.
Strong agree that Half Moon Bay has a fantastic name and that it lives up to its magical reputation. What a beautiful place! —Mel
I live on the coast of Maine. I am not a summer person, but I do love eating lobster and drinking a dry cava on my deck in the summer. And we have some lovely state parks right on the ocean that are best visited after peak summer tourist season.
BUT…we are only 1 hour from the White Mountains, and this summer my husband and good friend went to Nostalgia Night at Storyland - an amazingly well maintained amusement park in Bartlett, NH. On 4 nights during the summer, they have 21+ nights where adults can ride all the rides, eat all the foods, and enjoy a beverage. It was the most silly fun. Everyone had a smile on their face as they rode everything from the teacups to the rather tame roller coaster. That is a new fun tradition-just a bit away from the town I live in.
That grown-up hours at Storyland sound like so much fun! And Maine... sigh. So beautiful. I could go for a lobster roll right about now. Dave and I also had some of the most delicious ice cream of our lives in Maine. —Mel
Aw, that sounds amazing Sarah!
We live in a town full of apple orchards, so we love this time of year when we pick apples and hang out at Longview Cider House at the top of a hill with a beautiful vista, sipping hard ciders by a fire and eating food truck dinners. There's a blue-blazed trail for hiking; drive-in theater, bowling, mini golf; cornhole & volleyball leagues at the little local ski mountain; and next weekend is the Apple Harvest Festival where you stand in huge lines to buy the famous apple fritters and eat them piping hot right out of the bag - so good!
YES to food truck dinners! I'm also very into the street food eaten out of crinkly paper. A still-hot apple fritter sounds amazing. —Mel
Lots of apple orchards and cider mills in my home town in NY.
That sounds like the ultimate autumn outing. Love a bit of hard apple cider!
That sounds AMAZING.
We once lived in Selfoss, Iceland just yards from the mighty Ölfusá river. On my days off, I loved to walk along its banks to an area under Selfoss bridge lavishly pitted with small whirlpool rock formations left over from the biggest lava flow on planet earth.
Wait. WHAT?! You lived in Iceland. How awesome is that? —Mel
It must be stunning!
Everything about Iceland is stunning (except for living costs which are eye watering). If you haven't been before, it's worth saving up for.
Iceland is such a beautiful country!
I live in Kansas City and did you know we're referred to as The Paris of the Plains??? Wild, right?!?! While there's not much to do here nature wise, our city has a diverse population and filled with every world cuisine you can think of. That's all we have to do here is eat and let me tell you- we are great at it! Of course we are known for BBQ but that might be #10 on my favorite things to eat in this town. My #1 is Le Fou Frog- a french restaurant, but our Mexican and Asian cuisines are also *chef's kiss*
Kansas City also has an excellent art museum, the Nelson-Atkins, and the National World War I Museum.
I love everything about this. Especially because eating might be my favorite thing to do. —Mel
In the summer we used to love doing the boat on the St. Lawerence River and Thousand Island. Then going to Canada to buy some good Canadian ale and fireworks.
That area is so beautiful! Did you know Maureen Johnsons' new book 'Death at Morning House' is set there? It's a YA Gothic mystery. I loved it!
When I was in high school, my dad took my brother, myself, and my best friend to the St. Lawrence River for a summer vacation. All my memories of it are like golden light-infused postcards. It was pretty great. —Mel
I am shocked whenever i discover anyone knows about this area of NY. Thanks for the book recommendations
I live in Little Rock, Arkansas and some of my favorite things to do are: bike the River trail circling LR and NLR, hike oodles of trails w/in 30 min of my home and boating on the Arkansas River to see fireworks on Friday nights in the summer.
That sounds like the perfect summer plan. —Mel
Reporting in from just outside Boston. My favorite thing to do in Boston proper is walk the Freedom Trail. It's free, reasonably short (2+ miles total) and self-guided so you can go at your own pace and take side quests at will. There are restaurants and shops on (or very near) the route, you can do as much or as little as you like, and even if you aren't a history buff whatsoever it's a good way to see the sights - you won't get lost because there's a thread of red bricks through the whole city.
SIDE QUESTS! I love that phrase. —Mel
Boston is such a great city filled with so much history.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska. Every evening my husband and I walk the Coastal Trail to watch for beluga whales, moose, and bears. We look to see if Denali (the great mountain) is out and where the tide is. Then we inevitably end up talking with neighbors for longer than we intended.
I wonder if you know our friend Cheryl in Anchorage! I know it's a city, but it's like a village, too, right? We spent a memorable week one January in Anchorage for her wedding. We saw moose in her neighborhood! And had a fantastic time at the zoo in the snow. And we ate muktuk. It was all amazing. —Mel
Oooh, good question!
A) Go for a walk around Green Lake
B) Take a ferry ride across the sound
C) Stroll along Pike and Pine streets
D) Look at the new highrises downtown
You said the magic words: ferry ride. Love it! —Mel
In San Francisco, love to go to North Beach, hang out at Kerouac's old haunt, Vesuvio's for a drink, walk to get fresh roast coffee beans on Columbus Ave, hit some place on Grant for coffee or a cappuccino. Maybe have dinner there or down to the Mission where we know a good paella spot. And then cruise the Embarcadero, past the Ferry Building, and hope for a sunny day to gaze at that glorious Golden Gate Bridge.
Oh! I miss North Beach. House of Nanking is the best. And back in the day, we used to go swing dancing at a bar in North Beach. I need to time travel to the late 1990s and relive all of that. —Mel
There are so many Chinese restaurants. The Far East Cafe was a fave—it had little booths with drapes, very cute. We’d have our faves then move on. The swing dance place, don’t know it. (But love swing—Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys). Usually Vesuvio’s to get the evening started was de rigeur. Close to our parking garage with a view of the GG and easy access to Italian or Chinese fare and a walk by City Lights. We’d make the rounds.
We visit SF frequently and like to ride bikes around the wharf and across the bridge!
I live in Portland, OR. While most people associate our city with food nowadays, I will always think of her as the city of parks. Our favorite tour for out of town guest (and ourselves) is to take the train up to the zoo, (optional, but a darn nice zoo), walk to the arboretum, grok on the giant trees, wind our way down the hill through the magnificent forest park (largest park in a city in the world) to the Japanese garden, a place of serenity and beauty. Then continue down the hill back into the city, where food options are myriad, or one can just keep walking to Powell’s books.
I took my boys to Portland a couple years ago and we all really loved the Japanese Gardens. We also hiked to the "Witch's House". Are you familiar with this?
If it’s the one I know, it’s a cool old stone house on the north end of forest park near the Audubon center…? Another fun place to visit. 😀
That sounds right. You have to hike in. And try not to step on banana slugs.
BANANA SLUGS!!!
That sounds like a perfect day. Sign me up, please. —Mel
I love living right between Baltimore MD and Washington DC. In Baltimore there's Fells Point with shops and eateries/bars. In Washington there's the Library of Congress and the botanic gardens. Near me is a quirky old mill that was converted to a shopping area. If I want a little drive, I go to Antietam Battlefield.
I'm from Baltimore, but while growing up, my parents took us to the sights in DC because they were free. Sadly, I've not really done a lot in Baltimore itself. I was always a huge fan of the Natural History Museum in D.C.
My mother worked at the natural history museum, so I got to know it well!
That must have been so cool! I worked for National Geographic for a number of years, so I am fairly familiar with the DC Headquarters even though I worked remotely (mostly).
Ooooh, the Library of Congress. Good one! —Mel
I have a weekly routine almost every Saturday, where I go to our (small) downtown and go to the local coffeeshop and hang out with friends and then we migrate upstairs and hang out in the local art gallery. The two businesses are owned by a husband (coffee) & wife (art), who live on the 3rd floor above the attic gallery.
That is a perfect Saturday routine. No notes. —Mel
This sounds perfect!
I live in Cardiff, California…I love a good Stand Up Paddle on a glassy ocean day, a hike along the lagoon trail to bird watch, catching the Green Flash at sunset and beers at our local brewery just a few blocks away!
Oh, Cardiff. Such a pretty place! California is, like, ridiculous with all of its awesomeness. I love it so much. —Mel
There is a beautiful plant store called Terrain, but it has a coffee bar, a restaurant and artisan gifts for home. Linens, specialty hand soaps, decorations for home. I like to walk through it because it's like a secret forest. The plants are spread throughout the store so many are very tall. They also offer meditation classes for free in the nursery where most of the plants are. It's a gem. But it's wildly popular so going on the weekends there's too many people. Very cool place.
Oh, how cool! Meditation among the plants. I am very into that idea. —Mel