Category Archives: Attractions

Attractions, Massachusetts, Museums, Science, USA

What to do during the April Break? Go To the Cambridge Science Festival!

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If your kids have a vacation break in April, like the kids in the New England states (Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), consider heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts next year to geek out during the annual Cambridge Science Festival.

As they say on their website,

the Cambridge Science Festival is a celebration showcasing fun and the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and/or math in our region.  A multifaceted, multicultural event, the Cambridge Science Festival makes science accessible, interactive and fun, highlighting the impact of STEAM in all our lives.

Be mindful, though, that the science-related events start before the festival officially opens, and sometimes go on after it ends, so you may not be able to see everything if you come for just a week.

This year (2015), for instance, the Cambridge Science Festival included a series of events marking the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which started with a March 26 event “Cosmic Loops: Music Beneath the Stars” at the Museum of Science.

 

And the “Black (W)hole” interactive experience at the Central Square Theatre ran into May.

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Attractions, Blogging, Travel Tips

Memorable Travel Experiences: A Collaborative Post

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It’s better to spend money on “experiences such as travel over material goods” Cornell University’s researchers tell us.

“[P]eople get more retrospective enjoyment and satisfaction from their experiential purchases than from their material purchases”

I completely agree.

Yes, it would be nice to see every day an updated and gleaming bathroom or kitchen, but even though I hate the wallpaper in our kitchen, and our bathroom could use updating as well, I get much more enjoyment from reminiscing our recent trips, to the Alhambra, London, or Portugal.

I love traveling back in my mind to places I’ve been to, especially when I look at the pictures. Keeping the memories alive is one of the reasons I blog about our trips – it lets me relive that moment I smiled when I saw the Trafalgar Square, or the time we had leisurely breakfasts on the balcony of one of the places we stayed at.

Even when I look at old photos, going back to when I was five, I still remember bits and pieces of those vacations.

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Attractions, Nature, South Carolina, Tours, USA

Dolphin Cruise on the Sea Thunder in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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For April vacation this year we needed something fun and kid friendly, and when it comes to the kids, especially our daughter, the thought of dolphins is never too far from the tip of the tongue.  We were spending the week at a resort in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and there are a number of options available.  We chose a ride on the Sea Thunder.

How to get to the Sea Thunder

Getting there wasn’t too difficult – it’s a short drive from the beach, less than ten minutes from our resort.

Be careful if you’re using Google Maps, though – it will send you to the wrong location.

Sea Thunder is at the Harbourgate Marina, directly behind the Harbourgate Resort, and the dock for the Sea Thunder is almost directly under the Rt. 17 bridge.

Google Maps will put you on a residential street on the other side of Rt. 17.

Instead, you should go down Little River Neck Road, and go past the entrance for the resort (even though the sign does say “Harbourgate Resort & Marina”). The turn for the Marina parking lot is just before you go under Rt. 17.

Do NOT turn down Sea Mountain Hwy, or you may end up stuck in traffic while an interesting drawbridge (which is actually a swivel bridge) lets the boating traffic pass in front of you.

location of the dock for the Sea Thunder Dolphin Cruises
location of the dock for the Sea Thunder Dolphin Cruises

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Attractions, Europe, Historic Sites, UNESCO, United Kingdom

Before Visiting Stonehenge, Learn a Bit of its History

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The grey stones covered with greenish and orange lichen look like a giant child’s play area.

Some stones still stand upright, in a circle. Others are on the ground, as if knocked down in a moment of frustration. There are gaps in the circle as if some pieces were taken away, or have not been put in yet.

Bright green grass separates the stone circle from a rounded path along which people walk around the monument, their faces turned toward the stones.

Beyond the path a herd of sheep pays no attention to stones or humans, concentrating on finding the juiciest bits of grass.

sheep grazing in the field next to Stonehenge
sheep grazing in the field next to Stonehenge

This is Stonehenge.

An ancient place of … well, we don’t really know what.

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Attractions, Massachusetts, Tours, USA

In the footsteps of movie stars: Boston TV & Movie Sites On Location Tour with Javier

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The top requirement for the Boston TV & Movie Sites On Location Tour guides states: “must be working actors or actresses [… ] with television and film experience. Stand-up comedy, singing and improv experience is a plus.”

That is correct. The tour that takes you all around Boston, to places the other tours won’t take you, such as Southie (South Boston) and Charleston, is not just a tour, it’s a one-man show, and a very entertaining one at that.

I was impressed at how our tour guide, Javier, could talk nearly non stop for the whole tour, while at the same time operating the buttons of a DVD player remote to cue in relevant movie clips, just at the right moment.

As you tour the locations with Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour you also get to watch clips from movies shot at the locations you are passing by
As you tour the locations with Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour you also get to watch clips from movies shot at the locations you are passing by

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Attractions, Museums, USA, Washington DC

America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC

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When my sister was hired as a stewardess by the Polish Airlines LOT back in the 1980s, before she flew anywhere she had to attend trainings not only about airplane layout and duties and responsibilities of her job, but also complete a training on proper make up and behavior.

That’s why I stopped when I saw a big sign asking “Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?” while wandering around the huge Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

"Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?" display, part of the America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
“Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?” display, part of the America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

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