Hudson NY: An Eye For Design

WHY GO: If the website Etsy was an actual place, it would be Hudson NY, an artsy town on the Hudson River that has managed to out-Brooklyn Brooklyn in cutesie-pie-ity. Etsy in fact, did open a brick and mortar office here in 2013, following an area resurgence that began over twenty …

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Mispillion River, Milford DE

Milford and Dover, Delaware: History and Art Abound

WHY GO: Milford and Dover, Delaware represent the yin and yang of quirky travel. Milford is a picturesque artsy town on the rise. Dover, the Delaware State Capital, seat of Kent County, and site of Dover Air Force Base, provides a historic and military perspective. Twenty miles from each other, …

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Carroll Creek Park in bloom, Frederick MD

Frederick MD: A Mini-Philly With A Charm All Its Own

WHY GO: Maryland’s second largest city (after Baltimore), Frederick MD, is on the move. Distilleries have popped up like stills in the hills, And a stunning downtown canal-walk swarms with locals on balmy days and nights. With its brick row homes, adorable boutiques, and growing culinary scene, Frederick feels like …

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Rockland Maine: Art Lives Here

WHY GO: With the Farnsworth Art Museum, the new Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and 24 independent art galleries, Rockland Maine is a bona fide East Coast art haven, and a draw for explorers looking for something new to put on their walls. Walking down Main St., you’ll almost forget …

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Mountain Dale NY: Built Anew in Sullivan County

WHY GO: Back in the 1930’s and ‘40’s, my Mother spent her summers in Glen Wild NY. Mountain Dale, just 4 miles away, wasn’t even on her radar. Coming from the hot and sweaty Bronx to the Utopia of the Catskills as a toddler, she remembers running free in the …

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Harbor front Portland MD weekend getaway

Portland, ME: For Poets, Foodies, and Culture Vultures

WHY GO: When I first wrote about Portland ME ten years ago, this working port on Casco Bay was a laid-back town with a “mellow vibe.” But now it’s crazy busy. Especially in Old Port by the waterfront, where uneven cobblestone streets make ambling a pleasurable challenge. There are a …

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Ridgefield CT: Art in the Connecticut Woods

WHY GO: Ridgefield CT is a feast for all five bodily senses – sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste. And one more: the sense of humanity. This town of 25,000 is home to Connecticut’s only National Park, which also happens to be the only National Park in the country dedicated to …

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Bethlehem PA: Steel, Song, Study, and Skill in PA’s Moravian Town

WHY: The Lehigh River cuts the town of Bethlehem PA in two. The hulking bones of Bethlehem Steel and Lehigh University dominate the South Side. The stone Germanic Colonial buildings of Historic Moravian Bethlehem stand on North side. Bethlehem Steel, which you may recall from Billy Joel’s song, Allentown (“Out …

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Partition Street in Saugerties NY

Saugerties NY: Up-cycled For your Visiting Pleasure

WHY GO: Budget Travel Magazine once deemed Saugerties NY one of the Ten Coolest Towns in America. However,  I’ll also add that it’s one of the most down-to-earth, friendly, and community-minded, with not just one, but two independent bookstores. (As well as an indie movie theater and a slew of owner-run …

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House of the Seven Gables | Salem, MA

Wicked Fun Things To Do In Salem MA Without Witches

WHY GO: Did you think that all the best things to do in Salem MA were about witches? Make a beeline to the electrifying Peabody Essex Museum to discover that’s just not so.  Here are all the fun things to do in Salem MA; with no witches in sight. Though …

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