While in Nashville interviewing a family for an upcoming
Cookie story, I had a few hours left over to scope out the city. The couple told me to forget the Grand Ole Opry—hit
Hatch Show Print instead. One of the oldest letterpress printmakers in the country (it was founded in the late 1800s), Hatch has created beautiful and quirky concert posters over the years. The current shop, which looks like it's been around since the 1800s (it hasn't), is filled to the rafters with inky letters and posters. When business is quiet, the staff will give kids a tour of the operation—and the prints, many of which are less than $20, make great souvenirs.
If you can't make it to Nashville, Hatch sells
prints online, too.
10:00 AM,
July 31, 2009
Maybe it's nostalgia for family vacations past or maybe it's the upcoming
Ken Burns documentary (
The National Parks: America's Best Idea), but it seems we've all had national-park fever lately. Check out this stunning collection of
national park photos at sfgirlbybay, and the
New York Times article on parks your family might actually be able to snag a campsite at before the summer's over.
4:06 PM,
July 30, 2009
I was visiting family in Chicago recently, and we all went to a friend's apartment in
Marina City to watch fireworks. I've always loved those corncob buildings, ever since I saw them on the opening sequence of the
Bob Newhart Show. So I was thrilled at the chance to go inside.
The view was dazzling. However, watching my 4-year old daughter run to the edge of the balcony on the 44th floor was a bit nerve-racking. I was so nervous, I couldn't even take her picture. But I did get a shot of State Street as it crosses the Chicago River.
We also managed to visit the new Renzo Piano-designed
Modern Wing of the Art Institute, which I highly recommend. Although Vivi wasn't interested in looking at any Cy Twombly paintings, she did love the kids' room.
1:59 PM,
July 29, 2009
Personal tracking devices that record your every move can feel a little Big Brother, but the Super Trackstick has a clever travel function, too. Link the device's software to Google Earth and your digital camera, carry it with you on vacation, and when you return, you can retrace your steps and know exactly where you took each photo. Which is especially useful if it takes you a year to even download your family-vacation pictures, much less create a whole album.
10:00 AM,
July 28, 2009
Disclaimer: While I happily dine at any number of restaurants (Cittanuova, Sam’s Pizza, Rowdy Hall) in East Hampton, New York, during the off-season, our rule of thumb during the summer is to avoid town as much as humanly possible--lest you get honked at by the owner of a yellow hummer with skin like beef jerky. To this end, our haunts consist of all markets, restaurants, and farm stands that lie on the outskirts of town. Find out where after the jump.
Continue reading Summer in East Hampton »
9:45 AM,
July 27, 2009
I don't have children, but I am, basically, 5 years old when it comes to animals. Which is why I can't believe that despite having grown up in Sonoma County, I had never heard of
Safari West, a 400-acre reserve in Santa Rosa that's been home to zebras, giraffes, antelope, and so-nasty-they're-cute warthogs since the late 1980s.
Most of the animals roam freely
through the plains and hills--and aside from the vineyards in the
distance, the three-hour jeep tour ($68 for adults, $30 for kids) I recently took felt pretty close to the real African deal.
The screeching kindergartners in the group and I agreed that the highlight was the
giraffe that peeked into our jeep.
Even more exotic (but a little pricey, which maybe explains why my parents kept the place a secret from us all these years) are the overnight stays. Tent cabins on the property let you go to sleep and wake up to a chorus of mysterious moos and howls. The cabins start at $170 a night, but you get to wake up to this
view:
10:00 AM,
July 24, 2009
We love these paper-cut Paris and London maps seen on
Oh Joy. So great for a kid's room, whether your family's taken a trip over the pond or are just fantasizing about it.
6:25 PM,
July 22, 2009
