Most children growing up in Westchester go to the great little amusement park Playland in Rye (Playland Parkway, Rye, NY 10580). I know I went every summer as a kid, and actually spent my 21st birthday there having an apple pie time. I haven’t been back since until a few days ago, […]
birding
I go to so many preserves to see what they have to offer, and this is one of the few that is a true winner warranting return. I went to the Marshlands Conservancy with my Mom over winter break and we had a really great hike. It is conveniently located […]
Ko Olina Lagoons This was our absolute favorite beach, and we didn’t even mind traveling over a half an hour to get there, so worth it (Ko Olina exit off of Farrington Highway). The weather leeward was usually better than all other places on the island, so that was another […]
Koko Crater Botanical Gardens (Educational, Windward) This was the first botanical garden we went to on the island. We hiked Koko Head earlier in the morning, then checked out some oddball spots such as: the spitting cave, the arch, and the hanola blowhole, and then had a huge Japanese lunch […]
Top Picks: Moanalua Gardens (Koi Pond, Wildlife Sightings, Honolulu) This park is on the smaller side but it happened to be one of our favorites! It is right off the highway, I mean right off…make sure you take the exit slow or you’ll miss it (2850 Moanalua Road, Honolulu, HI […]
Top Picks: Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden (Educational, Koi Pond, Wildlife Sightings, Windward) Just try to keep your jaw from dropping as you drive into this utterly amazing and free green space (45-680 Luluku Road, Kaneohe, HI 96744). Great parking lot and visitors center here, pick up a map and start going. […]
Diamond Head (Lighthouse, Military Remnants, Tunnels, Waikiki) This is the quintessential Oahu hike located right in Waikiki, everyone does it and the trail is packed accordingly. There are many things that make this hike very interesting and unique, but it is really hard to look past the throngs of people […]
I spent Thanksgiving at home with my family in Westchester, and before we had our feast I got to take a beautiful snowy hike with my Mom. Rockefeller State Park in Pleasantville was the destination, and it was so beautiful and memorable. This is a very extensive park with a […]
Back home around lower-Westchester, NY I have lots of natural gems that I grew up observing and walking about. These are places I would walk around to get in some fresh air, exercise, maybe see some interesting birds in a beautiful setting. One of them is Glenwood Lake. I can walk right […]
I spent so many hours of my youth hiking at Twin Lakes in Eastchester and when I am visiting my family in Westchester I still often return to these trails. The short drive from my childhood home was beautiful down tree lined and hilly California Road. At the base of […]
I had a hard time finding Ballston Creek Preserve in Ballston, but I am so glad I did. Probably because I didn’t pay attention to detail and drove up and down the road looking for a grand entrance and parking lot that did not exist. You must park at Shenantaha […]