An American Moon Landing

I had climbed the unnamed peak to get a sense of this alien landscape. From high up on my vantage point – a skinny crag jutting out into oblivion – a dreary moonscape tumbled in every direction.

Jagged crests and plunging valleys, stratified by varying shades of reddish-beige, crisscrossed and zigzagged in every direction. It was a haunting and barren panorama, but the otherworldly simplicity made it undeniably beautiful.

The enormous, deep blue sky around me dropped precariously into shadowed gorges, punctured by odd rock formations and irregular peaks. There was no noise, no breeze, no movement of any kind save my own shuffling in the celestial dust.

In the silence and the beating sun, I was exhilarated. My heart was still racing from the rugged, arduous climb that winded my lungs and pained my hands, but also from the extraordinary extraterrestrial terrain my eyes now feasted upon.

With all of the beauty and tranquility, I had to prevent my mind from wandering, lest I sway and stumble from this precarious outcrop. I peered over the edge and the sudden lurch in my stomach reminded me I was not on an alien planet, I was still very much on earth. Gravity still worked here in the Badlands.

The 244,000 acres of Badlands National Park is the stuff of fantasy. The park is possessed with an ethereal mystique, but all the while offering visitors of all ages, all interests and all abilities a chance to experience natural splendor and more than a few thrills.

Located in the southwest corner of South Dakota, The Badlands boast some of America’s most stunning and unique topography, inside and out. Underneath, these hills of geological deposits encase one of the richest fossil beds in the world. Where prairie dogs and bison now roam, used to be the home of saber-tooth tigers.

Hop off Route 90 and head down to the Park’s main road that runs straight through the length of the prairies, plateaus and high, dry hills. Plenty of overlooks afford the roadtripper ample opportunities to stop and stroll out over the rocky terrain, or perhaps encounter roaming wildlife like bighorn sheep and bison. The visitor’s center is a good jumping-off point, where you’ll find tours, exhibits and information about the vast frontier you’re about to explore.

Venture further into the rugged terrain of The Badlands and you’ll begin to wonder how any living creature could survive here. But many spots will remind you that this is very much a wild National Park. I passed a sign that read “Beware of Rattlesnakes,” which only added to the excitement and sense of pioneer adventure. The warning also kept me on my toes, which helped as I traversed The Badlands’ rugged, serrated surface, one of the strangest and most exhilarating hiking destinations in the country.

Near the eastern entrance to the park not far in from the Cedar Pass Lodge, the park’s only on-site lodging option, is the trailhead for the Saddle Pass Trail. Only a quarter mile long, Saddle Pass is no walk in the National Park. The steep climb will take around thirty minutes to reach the top, where you can continue on further into the Badlands at the Castle Trail junction or skirt the plateau and scramble up to the tallest peak for the unmatched panoramic view.

Although Badlands National Park is a destination in itself, its neighbors are just as astonishing. This cozy corner of South Dakota is also home to two other American treasures: The Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, making it an area worth trekking to.

The Black Hills live up to their name and offer hiking vastly different than what you find in the dusty crags and grass prairies of the Badlands. Deep forests cover the Black Hills and the inclined trails bring you up to the top of big sky country. The trees expand in all directions like a dark emerald ocean.

While you’re gazing out over the majestic Black Hills from atop one of the scenic vistas, don’t be surprised if you see someone staring back at you. Nestled in amongst the undulating, tree-lined mountains are South Dakota’s four most famous residents: Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.

Less than two hours from Badlands National Park towers the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. No matter how many photos or snow globes or cartoon iterations of it you have seen, this awesome feat of artistry and engineering will assuredly drop your jaw.

Seeing the four presidential busts head-on is enough to satisfy any visit, but follow the horseshoe trail that leads from the surrounding exhibits up to the base of the mountain and back again. What looks like a rockslide around the base of the mountain is actually the chipped of pieces of stone, loosed by daredevil artisans to form the mammoth likenesses under which you now stand. It’s hard to imagine that looking up someone’s nose could be so remarkable, but it is.

From Mt. Rushmore to the Badlands, South Dakota’s southwest corner is unlike anywhere else in America. Whether you gawk at gigantic heads or traverse the lunar landscape, a visit here is certainly out of this world.

Creating your own magic at Disney World’s new art festival

My daughter was posing in front of the Mona Lisa. She had seen so much fascinating art throughout the day, and made it a point to imitate the subject of each piece. Now, she had Mona Lisa’s famous smirk down pat, with one side of her mouth curled up and an eyebrow cocked just so. But her sparkly princess dress made it difficult to fully replicate the purple dragon’s posture.

We clearly weren’t at the Louvre in Paris, even though the Eiffel Tower was just a short walk away. And although we were admiring an original Mona Lisa, it was not a DaVinci – it was a Disney.

That purple posing dragon, that was Figment, Walt Disney World’s cartoon embodiment of the imagination. And his likeness was not just instilled into the Mona Lisa. He was also bellowing on a bridge in Munch’s The Scream and crossing the Delaware with George Washington in Emanuel Leutze’s masterpiece.

Figment has been a fixture around Walt Disney World’s Epcot for years, starring in rides and encouraging kids to create. But this winter, Figment took center stage as Walt Disney World introduced its inaugural International Festival of the Arts, hosted at Epcot from January 13 through February 20, 2017.

The International Festival of the Arts was the newest addition to Epcot’s growing slate of seasonal happenings, and it filled the mid-winter gap in the same way the International Food and Wine Festival highlights the fall and the International Flower and Garden Festival brightens up the spring. With new lands, rides and offerings under construction at other Walt Disney World properties, these types of special events give Epcot an enticing freshness.

The arts festival, though, was unique in that it endeavored to enable as well as entertain, infusing every detail with an inspired dose of the imagination.

By opening day, vibrantly colored signs, vendor stalls and performing areas had popped up. Each character meet and greet photo spot was now adorned with a specialized painting of the spot’s character. A Figment topiary greeted guests near Spaceship Earth. And scattered around the park were enlarged, life-sized renditions of some of history’s greatest paintings – with a twist. They were layered and open-backed so that guests could enter the frames, pose for a photo and become a part of the art.

The festival brought together an array of creative mediums – from painting and drawing to music and singing to performance and culinary art – to celebrate all art forms and the power of the imagination.

Sidewalk chalk artists – a la Bert from Mary Poppins – scribbled their way around the pavilions’ pavement. Moving statues ringed the Fountain View stage. Booths highlighting artwork from Disney artists encircled the central World Showcase lagoon. A flash painter, with rapid and precise brush strokes, created a Donald Duck portrait within moments in front of a cheering crowd. Acrobats flipped and tumbled in China while School groups sang in the Odyssey pavilion.

Food vendor stalls were transformed to serve innovative dishes and flamboyant fare. There was a slice of color-blocked almond cake and a deconstructed Reuben sandwich arranged in a ring of puff pastry. Of course, inventive alcoholic beverages abounded as well, from coffees to margaritas.

In the America pavilion’s theater some of Disney’s own Broadway stars held a series of medley shows. We enjoyed Ashley Brown, who played Belle in Disney’s 2005 production of Beauty and the Beast and then the original Mary Poppins in 2006; and Josh Strickland, who starred in the title role of Disney’s Broadway rendition of Tarzan. They performed songs from Frozen, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid and others.

Walt Disney World’s daily park shows already employ some extremely talented performers. But to hear professional Broadway stars was an elevated plane of excellence: a rare and mesmerizing treat that captured almost every patron who strolled past the outdoor stage.

Yes, art was everywhere – but not merely finished products. The theme of the festival revolved more around engaging in the process rather than the framed result. The festival featured an extensive schedule of demonstrations, classes and workshops, as well as interactive experiences for younger guests.

We searched for Figment Mona Lisa and the other Figment-ized paintings as part of Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt, which encouraged kids to explore each Epcot country and engage with artists who showed off the methods and styles of their homelands. For a nominal fee, we purchased a map and stickers to guide us around the World Showcase and once we found all of Figment’s paintings, we received a souvenir magnet.

The art installations in progress were also fascinating features.

For example, lining one of the walkways was a long, blank canvas about six feet high that curved with the path itself. On opening day, light pencil sketches swooped over the white surface. Later in the day, two artists were furthering the outlines and filling in with bright blue and green paint. I stopped to chat with the painters and learned that they were locals hired to work outside for the duration of the arts festival, painting each day on this expansive backdrop. They showed me a template of what the final, massive painting would be – a beautiful, bright abstract painting of peaks, valleys and wave-like designs, very much in theme with Epcot and its focus on nature and technology.

In museums, we always see the final product behind a frame. But to witness artists at work, and watch the painstaking process of planning, sketching and precision evoked a deeper appreciation. What was to become of the gigantic piece of art? According to the painter, at festival’s end it would be sliced up, mounted and put up for sale.

That wasn’t the only enormous, blank canvas on site, though. Another canvas ran along the main walkway, and it had a different purpose. This second one was a paint-by-number landscape for guests to fill in. 

Cast members handed guests small foam brushes and specific cups of paint. Each paint color corresponded to numbers on the canvas. By the end of the day, the mural was still unrecognizable, even though color splotches scattered across the elongated canvas. But a couple days later, the scene had taken form – an abstract, vibrant landscape of Epcot itself, complete with the golf ball Spaceship Earth, a swooping monorail and other noticeable landmarks.

Most every guest takes something home from Walt Disney World, but this was the first time my family and I got to leave something behind (other than the contents of my wallet). It was my family’s favorite festival offering.

With the International Festival of the Arts, Walt Disney World, with some help from its guests, chiseled out a masterpiece – a memorable way to be part of the magic.

 

 

 

 

Into the wild in Washington, D.C.

While the nation focused this fall on who will occupy the White House, Washington, D.C.’s wilder residents were roaring for attention.

Elephants and donkeys are all over this city, but they are also literally walking around our nation’s capital for anyone to see – right there near the panda bears.

When it comes to visiting Washington, D.C., the monuments and museums take center stage, and rightfully so. Especially for first-timers, that initial glimpse of the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial or any of the National Mall’s landmarks, is a much-anticipated moment; and exploring the halls of the Smithsonian museums to see iconic American symbols, from airplanes to ruby slippers, is unforgettable. And as someone who worked in the city for years, I know that the excitement rarely wanes with multiple visits. For me, every glimpse of the Capitol’s magnificent dome still elicits a proud, patriotic spine tingle. 

But despite all of Washington’s tourist must-dos, one spot rates at the top of my list: the Smithsonian National Zoo. Sprawling but with an intimate, compact feel, the National Zoo has undergone considerable work over recent years, adding new animals and updated environments. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable zoological experience for all ages. The array of wildlife is diverse and the commitment to conservation is apparent everywhere from the elephant house to the panda pen. And like many of the city’s top attractions, it is free of charge.

I first fell in love with the Smithsonian National Zoo when I was a graduate student finishing up my degree in Washington, D.C. The housing offered by my program was located on Connecticut Avenue, a fair distance from any of the city’s main downtown monuments and museums, but just a few blocks away from D.C.’s best attraction.

I relished early morning, or early evening walks or jogs through the zoo. I would take any opportunity to get in before the gates closed and make my way around the park, down the main thoroughfare past cheetahs, zebras, elephants and various apes. Circling down around the lions and tigers, donkeys and meerkats, I would then loop down to the American animal pavilion to my favorite stop: the otters.

There really is nothing like having a zoo to yourself; especially during cooler dusk hours when the D.C. humidity subsides (sometimes) and prompts the animals to come out and about.

Ten years later, I make it a point to visit the zoo whenever I’m in the District. On a recent trip, I had the luxury of getting in before closing. I started in the newer Asia Trail section and was disappointed that many of the animals had seemingly tucked away already for the evening. Even my otter friends – both in the Asia section and further down in the America section – were nowhere to be found. The panda house was closed and only one elephant lumbered about the open-air enclosure.

Frustrated, I walked over to the big cat ring, where the lions and tigers make their home on hilly tableaus. Not much to see in the first two, but as I came around the circle to one of the lion sections, I bumped into a large crowd.

Several lions were standing at the edge of the water down below in the enclosure. They were staring, hungrily up at the crowd. A woman, with a dog on a leash, was laughing. The lions were making jerky motions and noises, clearly agitated and appearing almost as if they were ready to pounce. They were watching the dog. For the most part, the dog ignored them but when he finally caught wind of the predators below, his anxiety exploded.

The scene was surreal. A nervous dog, obviously in no danger perched high above a pride of lions, obviously in no position to attack. But the dog didn’t know this and yipped and bounced. And the lions didn’t know this, and proceeded to formulate a strategy for hunting and consuming the canine. It was a strange morphing of nature and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse (and some video).

The experience wasn’t one that could be replicated ever again, which is why I enjoy the National Zoo above D.C.’s other attractions. Whereas most of the monuments are satisfying in their steadfast symbolism, at the zoo you rarely see the same thing twice and you’re guaranteed a wild time.

History woven into your Massachusetts vacation

History is woven throughout Massachusetts, and to this day remains one of the state’s top tourism selling points. From Revolutionary War battlefields to tea parties to a legendary baseball stadium, some of America’s most well-known and celebrated milestones took place in the Bay State.

But while many visitors to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts stick to the greater Boston area or Cape Cod, there is another destination about 40 minutes north that has long been an important part of the region’s very fabric – literally.

The City of Lowell has produced its fair share of historical milestones, as well as game-changing figures of import from artists, writers and actresses to politicians and athletes. But Lowell was and remains a mill town, embracing its role in American progress by way of the Industrial Revolution.

The city was a pioneer of the textile industry during the 1800s, producing and developing technology that brought about major changes in American manufacturing. Along with that innovation also came key advances in the labor, immigrant and women’s rights movements.

In the ensuing century, the health of the once thriving mills ebbed and flowed much like the canals flowing nearby. Today, much of the city’s industrial history enjoys attention of developers, residents and visitors alike. Mills are being repurposed or refurbished and historically significant sites dot the downtown.

The centerpiece is the Lowell National Historical Park, located downtown amidst the old mill buildings and canal system.

Guided tours inside and outside give an in-depth and surprisingly interesting look at how enterprising individuals harnessed nature to turn cotton into textile and drive American industry. History, engineering and the environment all come together in an intriguing narrative, complemented by exhibits, canal boat tours and a working era trolley, and hands-on activities, crafts and events for children and families.

Perhaps the most memorable stop, other than the bright yellow trolley ride along the canals, is the working mill floor inside the park’s Boott Cotton Mills museum. Looms clack and clang all around visitors, with gears and machinery spinning from floor to ceiling. Check out the old timecard punch machine and then imagine the workers slipping and dodging in between the looms. The noise captures the attention as much as the final product. The restored machinery is in working order and produces thread, which can be shown to you by one of the staff dressed in era-garb. In fact, the gift shop sells towels made by the onsite restored looms.

Outside, the park weaves itself through the downtown, with canal walks and pathways marked by signage describing significant historical information. A walk along the canals, or behind the museum along the Merrimack River, provides a modern look at just how interwoven mill life was with nature and the rest of the city. Trolley tracks cross main streets and machinery and water control stations still stand as landmarks.

A Lowell day trip is easy during any stay in the Commonwealth, and the city has lodging, food and entertainment options, many of which continue the mill city theme.

Take the city’s minor league baseball team, the aptly named Lowell Spinners. This Boston Red Sox affiliate is a good, affordable take, especially for families, with almost nightly game promotions and activities at the riverside stadium, Lelacheur Park.

Going hand-in-hand with the immigrant workers who have helped fuel the city’s industry, Lowell enjoys a brilliant tapestry of diverse cultures and artists. Famous Lowellian, writer Jack Kerouac, has a park in his honor. The city is also home to the Whistler House Museum of Art, the birthplace of American artist James McNeill Whistler. Summer concerts echo from Boarding House Park, and the Lowell Folk Festival (July 29 – 31) is internationally known for its performers, food, activities and music.

Summer of 2016 gives vacationers plenty of added reason to visit not just Lowell National Historical Park, but any of America’s National Parks. On Aug. 25, the National Park Service turns 100 years old. From Yosemite to Yellowstone to Acadia to Lowell, the National Park Service touches every state and preserves natural and historical treasures that appeal to all interests and ages. The NPS’s Find Your Park initiative, running since last year, incorporates online and social media to bring stories and images of the diverse array of experiences to be had at America’s national parks.

It can be cost effective, too. Many parks are free, but for those that aren’t, from Aug. 25 through Aug. 28, all national parks will not charge admission in recognition of the centennial. Or, if you have a fourth-grade child, admission to any national park is free all year thanks to the Every Kid in a Park Program (more info at www.nps.gov).

Lowell is a gritty town, which drives home the scrappy, industrial beginnings woven through its eclectic offerings.

This article appeared in the Wicked Local weekly papers Wherever It Takes column for July, 2016 - and also in Destinations Travel Magazine, July, 2016 edition 

2013 Photos of the Year

Americana filled my lens in 2013, from a Presidential inauguration to the historical sites from which the roots of democracy sprung. I was lucky enough to capture some stunning moments and surreal scenes that, besides having weighty significance, looked good too.

Along the same lines, but on a different continent, my trip to Italy provided a far more ancient historical perspective, but one nonetheless beautiful. 

Here are my favorite photos from the year 2013.

Drummers - Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

You lookin' at me? - Rome, Italy

Gravesites watched over by Capt. John Smith - Jamestown, Virginia

Muffins - Maine Diner, Wells, ME

Sunset atop the Duomo - Florence, Italy

Watching history - Inauguration of President Obama, Washington, D.C.

Sunset & a bottle of wine - Wades Point Inn, St. Michaels, MD

Snowy day in Parma - Parma, Italy

View from a gondola - Venice, Italy

Wall of proscuitto - Parma, Italy

Night moves: Travel photos after dark

My five favorite structures to photograph at night. 

Just because the sun goes down, doesn't mean your camera has to go away. Night time brings out colors, light, shadows and movements impossible to capture during the day. And with modern cameras, anyone can snap clear photos after dark. 

But given the propensity for action shots to blur in low light, I find static objects to be excellent evening subjects. Not to mention, some of the most beautiful things in the world are man-made structures. And as tourist attractions go, the most popular ones around the world more than likely have already perfected the art of nighttime mood lighting. 

The Vienna Opera House was one of the most extravagant buildings I had ever seen, naturally. In a city where music and architecture move together like two ballroom dancers, there are bound to be stunning sights around every corner. When the sunlight dims and the street lights buzz on, the whole city comes erupts into new life. The Opera House is just one of the more beautiful uplit structures, almost surreal in its effervescent glow.

Vienna is not alone in its knack for nighttime sights. Visit the Harp bridge in Dublin in between pubs or grab a gellato in front of Rome's Pantheon - two well-known tourist stops that take on a whole new light after dark. Two of the most well-known buildings in the world - the Eiffel Tower and the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. - are prime examples of the transformative power of nighttime.

So I say get out there at night and try out some of those strange settings on your point-and-shoot or your iPhone. The night belongs to the adventurous.

Below are five of my favorite spots to snap nighttime pictures.

Statsopera, Vienna, Austria

Harp Bridge, Dublin, Ireland

U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC

The Pantheon, Rome, Italy

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France