Tagged With "Boston Commons"
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've often advised travelers with jam-packed itineraries to step back and leave themselves time to take a walk in a park or sit there a while, experiencing what the locals see and do. That is absolutely excellent advice. I hope that most people were wise enough to take your advice. Many of my best trip memories are made of such stuff. Thank you so much, PHeymont, for this walk in the park. It is just what my jangled nerves needed today.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I suspect a walk in the park is a habit acquired over time and familiarity with a place. I have a feeling, too, that the urge to go at top speed is the initial and overriding one. Or is it years and not travel experience that slows us down enough for such places to finally come into focus? Looking back over the decades I think maybe it's the latter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I do think people's perspectives and priorities change with time. For example, I care little about a bar or nightlife scene in most of my destinations nowadays; that mattered more to me when I was much younger. I have always loved walking in parks because of the beautiful gardens, etc. But I think i'm much more into people watching in these places than I used to be. One of my favorite places to visit is the provincial park a short block from my home. It's grand to go for a walk in it, see...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Maybe travel advice of the very concrete sort then, hotels, trains, etc. is the most satisfying for all concerned. A suggestion to slow down just may not compute, something for each of us to discover on our own. So PHeymont may be preaching to the choir...may he continue.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Good advice is good advice. People can accept it or ignore it. I'm all for freedom of choice. But sometimes an alternative needs to be presented in a clear way, as PHeymont has nicely done in this piece.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I don't disagree. Just pointing out the nature of human beings and, like world peace, we can wish for it while not actually expecting everyone to join in. But lessons are learned from war too and how would we feel about every tourist in town flocking to OUR park.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've mentioned in other pages that I love wide open spaces - like the State Delaware Park - but the designer of New York Central Park rung a Bell with me. Frederick Olmsted came to Liverpool to check out the "Peoples Garden" and he wrote in 1850 : "Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent studying the manner in which art had been employed to obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
It is clear that the "dumb" animals always seem to know the best places to hang out. We can never have enough parks. Nice to read that Frederick Olmsted also knew a good park when he saw one. Thanks for that info GarryRF
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Garry's note about Olmsted's travels (and he was quite a traveler) set me off on a quick look to find the park he was referring to (which I didn't; apparently "people's garden" was a description rather than a name?) and found that Liverpool has more parks and especially top-class parks than any British city besides London. The article also mentioned that for reasons of health—and keeping social unrest down—the city commissioners set out on a park-building spree starting about 1833. Many...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Another Park from the 1850s. People would escape Liverpool for the day and travel north to Hesketh Park. 20 minutes on the train. This is taken in Mid-Winter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Originally Posted by Grouchy Gumbo: The last pic is of my cousin Priscilla, who lives in Prospect Park. I see that you gave her a little gnosh. Not that she needs it. She seems to be putting on a little extra "winter coat" this year. She has a fine home. I would really like to visit the park sometime. Grouchy, I'm curious how a squirrel manages long distance travel to visit relatives. Maybe you can enlighten us mere mortals.
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 3) cars from the USA and UK
The original 3 wheeled vehicles were Motorbikes with a side-car. So you could drive 3 wheels on a motorbike license. In the 50's and 60's most young people were Bikers ! But to move up to a car required another Driving Test. So we had BSA - RELIANT - BOND - BMW - ISSETA - MESSERSCMIDT all producing 3 wheeled vehicles to meet the needs of those not wanting to undertake the training and testing for a full license. I'd taken my car test in 1968 and they were very strict. It was common to fail...
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Re: Gallery: Burma, on Inle Lake
Thank you for another look at a place and life that are so different from mine...and that yet reminds me that each of us goes forward each day with the common necessity of living, contributing and contemplating the next day.
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Re: The Architecture of Old Sana'a, Yemen
Indeed, confusion is especially common in societies where cultural homogeneity is encouraged or even required. I found it to be true, even though I wore local dress, in Pakistan. Again, skin color seemed to be the issue, the only clue, and while not hostile, men in particular seemed completely at a loss about what to do when they encountered me, even though I was in the company of local friends, in essence my bodyguards. Both Pakistan and Yemen have been off the tourist track for years now...
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Re: Flood of new agents to speed up Customs at JFK and Newark
it's nice when the countries treat their transit people that way, GarryRF. Someone passing through. But I've had long delays with transit situations in the UK, Japan and most recently in Chile. It's unfortunately common.
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Re: Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland. Where Gumbo was #44
Interesting, Dr F, that you're a fan of fannings (the F in BOPF). The smallest particles of the tea, what tea bags are made from, I too prefer it to whole leaf as I like my tea strong. Now we have a beverage in common.
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Lovely pictures! I was surprised to see so many signs in English...is it the most common language, or is Maltese widely-spoken also?
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Re: Gold Country, California: The Great Republic of Rough & Ready
And it's fascinating to see how these towns, so near each other and with so much history in common, have become so different in feel and appearance. Sort of like looking at Levittown in 1950 and again in 1990. Or...some years ago, we visited the Eckley Miners' Village in Pennsylvania; it's part of the state's anthracite history museums. When we went, there were still a few pensioners living there with life rights. We didn't notice as we arrived, but on the way back to the main highway, as we...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 14, 2014: Passing by America, 1969
DrF...Pennsylvania is well worth exploring, with its tremendous variation between the coastal plain, the Alleghenies stretching in bands across much of the center, lush rural areas to the south, hardscrabble mining and forests in the northeast...and more. An interesting thought: rural locations are sometimes hard to place, because although what is common in one area may still exist, even if less usual, in another. Absent something like the lavender of Provence in bloom...sometimes it's...
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Re: The Day Japan Shook
Interesting read Rob. You've "captured the moment" with your description of events. Moments that make you realise how fragile our existence is. Thankfully common sense prevailed and you could get your luggage. Something that's often missing in a natural disaster !
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Re: Chattanooga & Paris?
Not that I read Conde Nast's newsletter often...but I'm ready for the Chattanooga choo-choo sometime. It's on my "southern road-trip bucket list" for someday...along with Charleston, Memphis and revisits to Nashville and Savannah. Maybe we could all get together and get Food Network to fund us... And here's a softball: What do Nashville and Athens have in common?
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AirAsia offers 1-month 10-city pass
AirAsia, one of the major budget arilines in Southeast Asia, is offerning a one-month pass for about $148 that allows travelers to fly free among 10 Southeast Asian cities. Airport taxes, etc. are extra. The pass is designed to increase tourism...
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Memphis, Tennessee: 1) Graceland
3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. It’s an address most Elvis fans know by heart because that’s where you’ll find Graceland . Graceland is THE place every Elvis must visit at least once in their lifetime. Not only was...
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Following the European Beer Trail: Oktoberfest to Sorrento
To answer your question. Yes, Italians drink beer. It’s not a well-known pastime of Italy, however it is becoming more common. But before we get to Italy let me tell you about my beer adventure that led me to central Italy. I started the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 9, 2015: "Teddy Bear" Cholla
When you see a group of them at a distance in the "Cholla Cactus Garden" (Joshua Tree National Park), they're a memorable site. With their arms outstretched, these cacti seem rather fuzzy, almost soft, and hence the name "teddy...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 10, 2014: Black Arctic Ground Squirrel
Ground Squirrels are fairly common in western North America. Many people call them gophers but this is not correct. A gopher is an animal that lives underground and stays there. Most people have never seen one. Ground...
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Charleston and its Single Houses: Where Gumbo Was #79
TravelGumbo member Club2013, by e-mail, was the only one to correctly place Gumbo’s secret destination: Charleston, SC. He found the special characteristics in an almost generic “old town” streetscape, and hit the nail on the head....
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Arctic Birds on Migration: Saskatchewan
Many of the Arctic birds are large white birds such as geese and swans but also include smaller and different coloured sandpipers and other birds. Where is the best place to see these magnificent Arctic birds? The most...
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Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, NY: Where Gumbo Was (#81)
As my fellow New Yorker Jonathan L recognized right away, Gumbo was at Erasmus Hall High School, the oldest public school in New York, and certainly one of the most beautiful. The exterior seen in the puzzle picture, in "Collegiate...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec 20, 2013: Hot Horses - even horses need an ice cream sometimes....
Basking in the warmth of an unusually sunny and delightful English summer, there is nothing nicer, particularly if you are a hot horse, than being able to queue up for a cooling ice cream cone at the Winstones ice cream van parked up on Minchinhampton...
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Wow! Iceland Express successor adds U.S. flights
The headline's not a pun; Wow Air is the company that bought budget carrier Iceland Express in 2012. The carrier will now re-enter the U.S. market with roundtrip Boston-Reykjavik-London Gatwick flights, connecting in Reykjavik with its other European...
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Steamboat Rock, Washington — Wildflowers and Vistas galore!
The large basalt mass of Steamboat Rock is a distinct landmark in Central Washington state. Steamboat Rock State Park is a dozen miles southwest of the massive Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. The Park is on a peninsula...
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A Day Among the Ruins
I chose Ostia Antica for a day trip from Rome, rather than the much longer trek to Pompeii. Aside from a few school groups, I had this remarkable place almost to myself. I realized that there’s a different crowd on...
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Super Bowl crowds the skies
U.S. airlines are adding dozens of extra flights, and even some temporary routes, to get fans to next week's Super Bowl game in Phoenix. United's added the most, with 55 extra flights, both others are not far behind. As well, some airlines are using...
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Monterey Bay Aquarium: Oceans Apart
Located directly on the Monterey Bay just south of Santa Cruz is a sprawling complex of nearly 200 exhibits of more than 550 species in a 2 storey building nearly 30 years old: the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA). Started in 1978, and open to the...
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San Juan's El Morro: Layers of Stone, Layers of History (Where Gumbo Was, #84)
El Morro, the giant fortification that's guarded San Juan Harbor for nearly 500 years, is the sight we saw before we saw it. Its image is everywhere when you do online research for a trip to Puerto Rico; its "garitas"—small domed...
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Visiting Western Greenland. Part II – Western Greenland on Foot!
Part I covered three Greenlandic towns I have visited but my real passion is being out in West Greenland’s wilderness. So this part is about what it has to offer those willing to get out there on foot and under canvas! I...
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A summer trip to Valencia, Spain
Last Summer, in 2014, I went on an internship program in Valencia, Spain. My internship took place in a nice hotel near the center of the town and lasted 3 months. While I was there I could visit and enjoy many touristic points while also...
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(More) Signs of Boston
Those of you who are regular readers of TravelGumbo know that I like to collect photos of signs. I've come to find that signs tell us much about a destination and the people who inhabit it. Boston was filled with artistic, clever and...
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Signs of Boston
I'm fond of looking at a city's signage, and often find it a reflection of that city's personality. I've previously published several galleries on this website featuring signs I've encountered in different cities, a listing of which you...
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Who Is Puerto Rico's Artisanal Ice Cream King?
That's a tough question...and can only really be decided by tasting and tasting and tasting and...well, we couldn't spend all our time at it, could we? So, intrigued in advance by tales of great ice cream and unusual flavors, we identified...
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Airport playgrounds take off for kids
The GO Group supplies limos and shared shuttles at airports, but they've also taken a look at what goes on inside the airports, and found what they call the Top Five Airport Playgrounds for Kids, including the "Kids on the Fly" shown below at...
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JetBlue knows how to rock an inaugural flight
Cleveland and JetBlue are a new happy couple, as JetBlue opened its new Cleveland services with a bang. The first flight from Boston arrived at JetBlue's new Cleveland gate April 30, after a flight that started with an Elvis impersonator at the Boston...
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Move over, Siri: Guðmundur has Iceland answers.
What Iceland is billing as "the World's First Human Search Engine" has been launched. Seven Icelanders, each named Guðmundur or Guðmunda, and each expert in his or her home region of Iceland, are taking questions via social media and...
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Brooklyn's Spectacular Botanic Garden (Where Gumbo Was #112)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a pint-size treasure that always seems bigger than it is (and which occupies an outsize place in botanical research) was this week's answer to Where in the World is TravelGumbo? Because the Garden presents an array...
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The Colby Trophy Room, Museum of Science, Boston (Where Gumbo was #116)
Gumbo was visiting the interesting Museum of Science in Boston. It's especially a great museum to explore with children, but fun for everyone! There are many fascinating exhibits and demonstrations that take a full day to...
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Skedans, Haida Gwaii, British Colombia (Where Gumbo was #106)
Gumbo was visiting the "misty isles", Haida Gwaii, in British Columbia. Specifically, the remnants of the Haida village of Skedans. Sadly, not much remains of the village, captured at its prime in the above image (1878), rich...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Mar. 15, 2015: The Tea Lady, Istanbul
Tea, we discovered in our week in Istanbul, is a necessity of nearly every meal and occasion, and one fraught with ritual. It must be made with the right tea, it must be steeped for a long time and then diluted to the right color, and served in small...