If anyone deserves some R&R, it's our very own Amy Eldridge, the Readers' Choice winner of the 2009 Smart Cookie Awards. When she's not taking care of her own seven children (ages 4 to 22), Eldridge runs Love Without Boundaries, the nonprofit she founded six years ago, which funds lifesaving surgeries as well as nutritional and educational programs for orphans in China. Eldridge averages about three hours of sleep a night, and her travels are generally restricted to Costco, the athletic fields (for her kids' practices and games), and China.
In the premiere episode of Surprise Vacations with Karen Duffy,
which airs Sunday, July 12, at 8 p.m. ET on FLN, an unsuspecting Eldridge will open her door to find a camera crew accompanied by her family, friends, and
coworkers (who are all in on the surprise). She'll learn that she and some close friends (and no kids!) are about to go to an unknown destination where even more surprises await. With the help of her loved ones, viewers will learn
why Eldridge deserves this trip. But we at Cookie already know why....
I've wanted to visit Savannah since I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. Even though Berendt's novel is about a local murder and the trial that follows, no character is more alluring than the city itself. I finally went and was thrilled to discover a metropolis with amazingly authentic culture that's also easy to get to and doesn't cost a bundle once you arrive. Only a two-hour flight from New York, Savannah offers an enchanting mix
of southern traditions, historic homes, and gracious residents. (It is
known as the Hostess City, after all!)
Continue reading Just Back From: Savannah »
Sarah Engler, Associate Editor I recently went on a behind-the-scenes tour with the creative director of Disney Cruise Lines and a handful of other journalists to see what's in store for families next summer. One new port city will be St. Petersburg, and along with the glitzy onion-domed palaces and ballet, we had lots of Russian cuisine on our agenda.
My favorite dish was this Herring Under Fur Coat (yes, the name alone scored points) that we had at Sadko during our last lunch.Made up of layers of beets, potatoes, herring, egg, and onions, it's like the slightly healthier transatlantic cousin of 7-layer dip.And I have to say, it was surprisingly delicious.Find out how to make it here, and be sure to keep an eye out for more about Disney Cruise's new ports in our December/January 2010 issue.
We just heard about a fantastic way to get a free trip this summer. If you upload a video explaining why you love Charleston by July 9, you could win one of five family vacation packages. To find out why we love the city, check out our guide.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I booked a two-week trip to Italy (Rome and Tuscany) several months ahead of time, so that by the time we actually traveled, our baby five months old. How daring and naive that we weren't even parents yet and there we were planning our first "family" vacation. Who knew what it would be like to travel with an infant? Not us, that's for sure.
The weeks prior to the trip--long after the baby had arrived--we had an inkling as to the chaos we were in for, and we were filled with apprehension. You can imagine our delight, then, when we discovered that a carrying around a cute little baby in Italy is like having a special hall pass; you can tour the country as no regular tourist can.
Okay, so this post may have NOTHING to do with family travel, but this post from David Byrne's blog is so completely transporting, that I think you moms out there might like it.
Jeff (my husband) and I just got back from celebrating our anniversary in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. Wanting to flee the city clamor and immerse ourselves in nature and adventure, we chose to stay at the 1280-acre historical estate called the Lodge at Glendorn. This luxury adventure resort proved to be a perfect hideaway.
Glendorn's forest grounds are exquisite. The wild landscape is wild enough to feel like you're truly in nature, but tame enough to navigate the trails, streams and lakes (that are chock-full of rainbow and brown trout). On our many meandering walks throughout the vast resort, we felt like we were the only ones on the grounds. And there was an enchanting sense, in large part due to the retro decor of cabins, that we were in another time entirely.
During the day, we kept busy, hiking, fly
fishing, mountain biking, canoeing, and lying like cats by the lake. We didn't sit long enough to get a massage or facial or hit the
game room with its billiards and board games. but we did eagerly await the
freshly baked cookies that were replenished every night in the jar by our bed. Those and the monogrammed
sheets were incredibly soothing at the end of our adventurous days.
One of our contributing editors, Ian Kerner, is going to Prague with his family for a couple of weeks, for a job. He asked me for some ideas of what to do with kids there, and a simple search showed up a lot. So much so, that I think there is totally a Cookie story there! A marionette theater, castle, a toy museum, trams, boat rides...
We have a place in a teeny tiny hamlet (by definition that means it's a village that is so small it doesn't even have a church) in Sullivan County, and just over in the next 'town', Fremont Center, they have possibly the cutest Memorial Day Parade ever. It was actually its 125th anniversary this year! All the locals and weekenders come out for it, lining up their chairs along the route, which ends at the ball field. Of course there is a local band, lots of hot dogs, and super friendly people...and the parade? Its just so sweet. There are military, firemen, school bands, hot rods, you name it, they all come out. It's so worth a weekend up there, and if you do go, I like to recommend staying at the The Golden Guernsey to people.
Abby Fetter, Contributor Even though the adventure-filled city is geographically spread out, it’s easy to navigate and get around. The cabs are clean, fairly inexpensive and lined up at stations around the city. Also low-cost is the Bus Tursitic. It’s veeeeery slow, which could be good (if you want to people watch and take in the candid action on the street) or not-so-good (if you have to be somewhere). We hopped on and off a few times to give our wobbly legs a break and catch some sights from the top deck. Here are three must-dos with children in the thriving Catalonian city...
Tibadabo: The quaint funfair on the Tibadabo mountaintop (featured in Vicky Christina Barcelona) offers a host of kiddie rides (a kitschy wild-wild-west mini-train, spinning pots of slime, a Ferris wheel, and, the crowd-favorite, a carrousel). There are also stunning view of the city below, which Mom and Dad ate up. Perched on the edge, the merry-go-round gave the effect that your horse could fly out over the city if it magically came to life.
There are two ways to get to Tibadabo - by cab (our choice) or by a combination of funicular blue trams that’ve been operating since the 19th century. We took the funicular down and then walked down the steep incline along the tram tracks. (Note: We went on a weekday that was early in the season, so there were no crowds.)
If anyone deserves some R&R, it's our very own Amy Eldridge, the Readers' Choice winner of the 2009 Smart Cookie Awards. When she's not taking care of her own seven children (ages 4 to 22), Eldridge runs Love Without Boundaries, the nonprofit she founded six years ago, which funds lifesaving surgeries as well as nutritional and educational programs for orphans in China. Eldridge averages about three hours of sleep a night, and her travels are generally restricted to Costco, the athletic fields (for her kids' practices and games), and China.
