Trip Ideas By Activity
There are so many ways to vacation with your children.
City explorations, museum sleepovers, condo-style rentals, road trips, mountain and lake cabins, beaches, cruises, and all-inclusive vacations stretch budgets. Resorts run the gamut from moderate to pricey. Staying midweek or during shoulder season saves money.
Dream trips—African safaris, Galapagos treks, polar bear watches—deliver the thrill of wildlife encounters but at a hefty price. Farmstays, state and national parks, and hikes through Costa Rican rain forests let you enjoy animal encounters at a fraction of the cost.
Time travel fascinates kids. At living history parks, march with the militia and meet pioneers. In Europe, tour centuries-old castles, climb atop medieval walls, and stroll streets laced with 18th-century buildings. Go back millions of years to the dinosaur era. Satisfy your kids’ curiosity by going on a dinosaur dig, walking in dinosaur footprints, and ogling fossils of these fierce critters in museums.
Build sandcastles at the beach, canoe and fish at a lake, get tossed, twirled, and dropped on rollercoasters at an amusement, ski downhill, or snowshoe through snowy woods.
Stay overnight, for a few days, or a week. Plan carefully, allow for spontaneity, know that things will go awry, and maintain your sense of humor. Have fun.
San Juan: Trendy Santurce Near Condado Resorts
BellaOnline.com||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda Destinations, Cruises & Resorts, More LodgingSanturce, an up-and-coming neighborhood in San Juan, draws locals in their twenties and thirties, and increasingly, millennial travelers who like the still-rough-around-the edges vibe as well as the bars, restaurants and burgeoning art scene.
Murals make the most visible artistic statement in Santurce, a neighborhood that’s situated two to three miles, or a 20-minute walk from the popular Condado beach resorts.
Santurce’s outsized tableaus combine graffiti, comic book, caricature, sci-fi and contemporary art elements. Beginning artists such as Jonathan Ortiz, 22, create many of the larger-than-life images that decorate the facades of buildings, but a few of artists have had murals featured at Miami’s Art Basel.
Ortiz, facing his work of Christmas trees and a deer’s head veined with looping blue, gold and red, tells us that the painting is about the Christmas bonus. “In Puerto Rico the Christmas bonus used to be 30%. It went down to 8% and so did the deer.” Ortiz, whose street name is “Soap” because he kept getting his hands dirty learning techniques, left law school to study art in Puerto Rico.
In August 2014, Santurce’s Independent Artists Union hosted their fifth annual Santurce es Ley street festival. “We do this to bring awareness about Santurce and its artists,” says Alexis Bousquet, the festival’s director and curator. “These were abandoned buildings. We took them over, cleaned them up and made them look good with art.”
Several bands play Latin music, people dance and kids get their faces painted. One mural features a red Mercedes perched on a tongue; another showcases a reclining critter wearing a gold rabbit’s ear hat and an orange and purple striped shirt; another’s black and white ink-like swirls snake around the outside wall and doorway of a bar.
Santurce, Bousquet estimates, has more than 100 murals, large and small. Pointing to a corner building, Bousquet says “That building was closed for 30 years. Artists moved in and now the building is a gallery and a restaurant.”
While beauty in Santurce is clearly in the eye of the beholder, and many buildings still remain vacant, no one can deny that the influx of young artists has enlivened the neighborhood. Popular restaurants include Pa’l Cielo.In September a developer announced plans for 252 apartments, a 60,000-square foot retail space and a public park.
Nevertheless, as we leave the Condado Hilton Hotel for the August festival, the concierge warns us not to walk around Santurce at night. Our first taxi driver has no idea where to go, so she drops us off two blocks from the Hilton.
Our second cabbie Oscar, a long-time local who won’t tell us his last name, is unsure of where to drive, but perseveres. When he finds the murals and the crowds, Oscar says “I didn’t know so many people coming down here. It’s like a boom. They draw very nice. It’s beautiful.”
Back at the Condado Hilton, we reflect on San Juan’s newest trend over dinner at one of the city’s flagship restaurants, Pikayo. The exceptional fusion cuisine, a mix of Puerto Rican, European and African dishes, has made Pikayo a must for locals and visiting foodies for more than 22-years.
Tips for Road Trips with Dogs
BellaOnline.com||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Family Travel Tips, Pet Travel, Road Trips, Trip IdeasDogs are great companions. That’s why more than 84% of pet owners travel by car with their pets. Especially around the holidays, dogs, along with presents and luggage, get loaded into cars. Just like road trips with kids, a successful long drive with your four-pawed family member takes careful planning.
Here are some tips on how to have fun and keep your dog safe on a road trip.
Before your travel
If you have not already, make sure your dog feels comfortable in your car. Puppies often suffer from motion sickness. To alleviate this, acclimate your pup to car rides, and not just to the veterinarian, a visit often associated with shots and the anxiety of being left overnight without you.
Good destinations that get tails wagging: your local park for ball playing and walks as well as visits to friends—yours and your dog’s. Also, to minimize the chance of motion sickness, do not feed your dog for two hours before a car trip.
Make sure your dog can handle city noises, especially if you live in a relatively quiet suburban cul-de-sac. Drive your dog downtown for a walk along crowded sidewalks edged with traffic. Your pet needs to become acclimated to rumbling buses, screeching brakes and blasting horns.
In case your dog gets spooked by these unfamiliar sounds and runs from you, protect her from getting permanently separated from you. Your dog should wear r a collar or tag—or both—with your name and cell phone number (not your home phone). That way the good Samaritan who finds your dog, can reach you right away.
In the Car
Let your dog ride in the backseat to avoid air bag injuries. Place small dogs in a dog carrier or crate. For larger dogs, use a pet safety harness (these often attach to seat belts) so that she’s not thrown forward if you stop quickly.
Carry water and a bowl. Dogs get thirsty too. Don’t let your furry friend stick her head out the car window. Yes, it looks like fun, but no, this isn’t safe. Dirt, pebbles and other debris can lodge in your pet’s eyes, not to mention what damage close encounters with nearby vehicles could do.
Bring along a dog emergency medical kit. You can purchase these or save money by creating your own. The items included are basically the same as in any medical kit—bandages, thermometer, antiseptic ointment, etc.– except the dog versions include an extra water bowl and a reflective leash, handy to have at night or if your lead snaps.
Never leave your pooch alone in the car. It creates too much anxiety. In cold weather, the car temperature can drop to uncomfortable levels and in warm weather, temperatures can rise to dangerous levels even with the windows cracked.
On the Road
Stop every two or three hours so you and your dog can stretch your legs. Your pet likely needs to use the outdoor “facilities” too. Some rest stops and highway gas stations feature dog-walking areas.
Be patient. Dogs accustomed to their neighborhood routes with their favorite grassy patches may require longer than typical walks along city sidewalks before feeling relaxed enough to do what they need to.
What do you do if traveling alone with your dog and you need to find a facility? Plan ahead. Avoid locking your pet in the car while you use the interstate’s rest room. Again, your pet can suffer from cold or hot temperatures, anxiety or even be stolen. Instead, follow the signs to a nearby gas station that has a bathroom accessed from the outside and take your dog with you. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but best for both of you.
Historic Homes and Art in Winston-Salem, NC
BellaOnline.com||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: City and Cultural Vacations, Historic, Southern United States Destinations, Trip Ideas, United States DestinationsThe Winston-Salem, North Carolina, art trail weaves together a tale of tobacco, textiles and three historic houses: Reynolda, the former manor of R. J. Reynolds; the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), once the residence of textile industrialist James Hanes, and Graylyn, the estate built by tobacco executive Bowman Gray.
At Reynolda and SECCA, you get up-close to art, enjoying the pieces without having to elbow through big city crowds. At Graylyn, a hotel, you can live like Gray and his wife Nathalie, butlers included.
A visit to all three properties comes with acres of pastoral grounds to stroll.
Reynolda House, Winston Salem, N.C.
The magic of Reynolda, a house museum set on 19-acres, comes from the juxtaposition of the stylish, but understated family furniture purchased from Philadelphia’s Wanamaker’s department store, with the world-class art acquired by a foundation established by Barbara Babcock Millhouse, the Reynolds’ granddaughter. By 1967, the mansion morphed into Reynolda House, Museum of American Art, formally affiliating with Wake Forest University in 2002.
At any one time, about 50 works from the 300+ collection are displayed, always as part of the home. It is remarkable to walk through the tasteful, but unpretentious dining room and see portraits by John Singer Sargent and Gilbert Stuart on the walls; to stroll a hallway alive with a dramatic landscape by Albert Bierstadt; and to pass an Alexander Calder mobile in an enclosed sleeping porch.
Hanes House (SECCA), Winston-Salem, NC
Reynolda’s gallery hosts special exhibitions. A clever show about chairs, “Art of Seating, 200 years of American Design,” closes December 31. “George Catlin’s American Buffalo,” on view from February 13 through May 3, 2015, features 40 works by the master artist.The nearby Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) is a surprise. The 1929 English style stone manor showcases contemporary art amid a lush 32-acre setting. The Steinway piano and Swarovski crystal chandelier in the parlor where Dwight D. Eisenhower was entertained, and the ballroom and bedroom-sized wine cellar in the basement attest to the gracious life of the Hanes family.
The art is often edgier. According to SECCA’s mission statement, the facility “bridges art, technology and engagement to enhance perspectives…”. With no permanent collection, the museum’s two galleries open exhibits every few months. Emil Salto’s “Light Forms,” (ending Jan. 3, 2015), employs light and shadow to create art. With no explanations, it’s easy to miss Salto’s shadow wall, a fun component. That’s why you should go on a guided tour.
The Overlook, a new hands-on space, features computers, an interactive drawing wall, and, soon, a printer that turns two-dimensional work into three-dimensional objects. “Nicola L: Exquisite Corpus,” Dec. 16 through March 10, 2015, focuses on her performance art, including her “Blue Cape,” a costume for 12 people.
Part of Wake Forest University, but open to the public, Graylyn, anchored by 55-acres, offers accommodations in the Manor House, with its period furnishings and antiques, the Mews with its contemporary décor, a favorite lodging of Oprah’s, as well as in three cottages.
Graylan Sitting Room
The art at Graylyn is in how the Gray’s lived. On travels Nathalie collected items that pleased her, transporting them across continents and oceans for her home. You can enjoy dinner in the Persian card room whose hand carved, gessoed and gilded wood paneling came from a mosque in Constantinople (now Istanbul), admire the 17th century English long table in the Great Hall, and view the real porthole windows taken from a ship to decorate the indoor pool area.
Estate lodging plus historic houses that showcase memorable works in relatively intimate settings make Winston-Salem a great art-lover’s getaway. And we haven’t even touched on the city’s tasty food.
Related links
www.visitWinstonSalem.com
www.Reynoldahouse.org