In addition to being home to some of the world’s most thrilling amusement parks, Florida has a captivating blend of experiences that fuse a rich history, diverse cities and natural encounters into an enticing escape.
30.08.2023 - 09:41 / cntraveler.com / Hudson River
When I close my eyes and think of my favorite place in the world, I am on my porch in the mid–Hudson Valley, watching a fat groundhog peering out of his hole, wondering if he can nip on the roots of my Christmas trees before I chase him away. Or I am dipping my bread into the thick, soupy kale sauce of the gnudi di cavolo nero at GioBatta Alimentari, my favorite local restaurant, in nearby Tivoli. Or I am in my car high above the Hudson River, purple mountains ahead, curving riverbanks behind me.
I spent the happiest days of my childhood at a Russian bungalow colony near the town of Ellenville in the Catskills. Surrounded by kids who spoke my language, I found I felt more at home in the country than in the city. I learned to love nature and farm-fresh eggs (which my father would drink raw), and to recognize the mad glint in a hungry groundhog's eye. A dozen years ago I bought my house, not far from where I spent those summers growing up, and since then I have split my time equally between this rural part of the state and New York City. While the deep winters can be gray and a walk to the nearest dry cleaner is impossible, living upstate brings me more joy than the city has in decades. With each year, the amenities, especially the burgeoning selection of food and drink, continue to grow, especially since COVID-19 brought legions of fleeing city dwellers north (along with property prices I can only describe as satirical).
A Victorian house in the village of Rhinebeck, where the dining-and-imbibing scene has been heating up.
Unlike the eastern tip of Long Island and the tiny sliver of Manhattan, this vast scenic playground still has enough room for artists and writers to form strange colonies of the like-minded, which is how I found myself drawn to the place I now consider home. (My last novel, Our Country Friends, was essentially set at my house. A groundhog and a Russian bungalow colony make cameos.) To my friends, I am now Mr. Upstate. Not a week passes without someone demanding a quick cheat sheet on Hudson or Kingston or Rhinebeck, with allowances for children, dogs, or vegans. And so I write this article partly to move on with my life, and also because as much as I love having friends stay in my guest cabin, a renaissance of new hotels has sprouted on both sides of the Hudson to satisfy the upstate-curious. The best incorporate creativity in both their lodgings and their kitchens. Why pay incredible rents to feed and entertain the Brooklyn cognoscenti in Brooklyn when you can go up the river to cram them full of gnudi and art on the weekends? I have used these hotels as springboards for diving deeper into my favorite parts of the region—though some, like the museum of aesthetics that is
In addition to being home to some of the world’s most thrilling amusement parks, Florida has a captivating blend of experiences that fuse a rich history, diverse cities and natural encounters into an enticing escape.
Benin is a fun-filled country that has a lot to offer traveling families: stunning beaches, fascinating history, incredible national parks, and more. If you have children and are considering of an affordable, family friendly African country to visit that's off the beaten track, Benin is the best bet for you.
Sometimes called "the Paris of North America," Montréal is a captivating city that straddles two worlds: there’s a hint of old Europe, with French accents, Québécois cuisine and cobblestone-lined neighborhoods, but plenty of familiar North American food and shops as well. Montréalers tend to have a soft spot for kids, and families are generally given the royal treatment.
Morocco is a family-centric, peaceful country with genuine warmth and love for children of all ages. It's home to cultures where large families are standard – a family of five to six children, and multi-generational homes are considered the norm. It's not unusual for people you've just met to offer kisses, hugs, and cadeaus (gifts) for your kids. Traveling with kids to Morocco can open doors to unique experiences, connecting you deeper to its people and your own family.
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The capital of Japan is famously crowded, colorful and charismatic. Toyko is also great fun for families, with a host of attractions that offer maximum amusement for tiny travelers, from giant video game arcades to the anime-focused Ghibli Museum.
Toyko is the megacity that other world capitals look up to. Nowhere else has quite the same mix of timeless history and space-age tech, of strict tradition and up-to-the-second fashions, of bewildering crowds and moments of utter serenity. It's the past and future wrapped up together into one thrilling package – and understandably, it's one of the top tourist destinations on the planet.
A land that mesmerizes with its natural beauty as much as it enchants with its traditional culture, Mongolia is an adventure like no other.
Benin is the birthplace of voodoo – a religion that worships natural spirits and reveres ancestors. It was also a significant source for transatlantic slave traders. A history you’ll learn more about at its museums.