Lincoln's Birthday at Forbes House Museum

This February 12 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and there are a number of celebrations planned in the Boston area. The Forbes House Museum has a Lincoln Day celebration this Sunday that includes Civil War reenactors from the Massachusetts 22nd and 54th Regiments, a living history team portraying President and Mrs. Lincoln, and period music from a naval band. Guests will also get to peak inside a replica of Lincoln's log cabin birthplace that was built at the behest of Mary Bowditch Forbes, who used to live in the mansion that now houses the museum. Guests can also see her extensive collection of Lincoln artifacts. You can read more about the Lincoln collection and the museum in an article I wrote for last Sunday's travel section of The Boston Globe.

Another commemoration will be held at the Second Church in Dorchester, at the corner of Washington Street and Talbot Avenue. In conjunction with Gordon College, the church will host a Lincoln birthday party on February 112 from 7 to 9 PM. In addition to cake, the church will have a special display of archive material telling the story of the church's role in Lincoln's Dorchester presidential campaigns and its contributions to the Civil War. The exhibit is also open February 6 (6-8 PM), February 7 (10 AM-2PM), and February 10 (2-5 PM).

Top Ten Road Trips for Boston Sports Fans in 2009

Looking for some creative travel ideas in 2009? Want to hit the road with the home teams to root them on in enemy territory? Check out my article in last Sunday's Boston Globe on the top 10 road trips for Boston sports fans in 2009. You can stay close to home in New York City and Cooperstown, travel across the country to Los Angeles, or head over the pond to London. I'll have a few other ones listed in The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston when that is published later this year.

Gillette Stadium Pilgrimage Article on ESPN.com

I'm excited to have my first feature article for ESPN.com go live. It's on Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place for the Travel section of ESPN.com. Right now it's the lead story on that section of the web site. Click here to read the article.

Google Earth article

I'm kind of a Google Earth junkie. I think it's fascinating to zoom in on remote cities around the world (not to mention my own backyard; gee my forsythias look healthy). But Google Earth isn't just for armchair travelers; you can use Google Earth as a trip-planning tool. Check out the article I wrote on the subject, which appeared in the travel section of yesterday's edition of The Boston Globe.

Witchcraft Sites in Danvers

Halloween's right around the corner, and while Salem gets all the headlines--and the tourists--because of it's association with the witch trials of 1692, the whole hysteria actually began in Salem Village (which today is Danvers). So if you want to escape the crowds, and find some authentic witchcraft-era historical sites, head to Danvers. Check out the article I wrote for yesterday's travel section of The Boston Globe for more information.

On another note related to the Globe, I'm going to be a regular contributor to the Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting. Most of my posts are going to be on sports travel, and my first post is about the tours of Yankee Stadium that are still being offered even though the pinstripers' season has been done for quite some time. 

The Hall at Patriot Place Article in The Boston Globe

Yesterday's travel section of The Boston Globe included an article I wrote about the Patriot Place retail and entertainment complex that has sprung up around Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The article focuses on The Hall at Patriot Place, the new museum dedicated to the New England Patriots and the development of football in New England. Even if you're a fan of another NFL team, the museum and exhibits are fantastic. Click here to read the article. 

Croke Park Article in The Boston Globe

Today's travel section of The Boston Globe has an article I wrote about Croke Park in Dublin. Croke Park is Ireland's premier sporting stadium and the site for the country's All-Ireland finals in hurling and Gaelic football. This year, the hurling final is September 7 and the football final is September 21. Still looking to find the name of a good pub in Boston that will be filled with Irish supporters watching the game. Click here for the article. 

NFL Superfan Profiles on ESPN.com

The NFL season just about ready to kick-off (hooray!), and football's biggest fans are probably the most excited. I wrote profiles of three of the NFL's most colorful fans for espn.com, and you can check out the profiles of these Vikings, Chiefs, and Broncos fans on the ESPN web site. They definitely prove their fandom by their game-day personas and their journeys of hundreds of miles to and from the stadium. 

Flushing Meadows Article in The Boston Globe

Today's travel section of The Boston Globe includes an article I wrote on Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in New York City. As I wrote in the article, Central Park is the city's most famous park, but Flushing Meadows offers a more authentic slice of the Big Apple. It's not the backyard for the city's ultra-rich and famous but the working-class immigrants who have made the city such a great melting pot. Click here to read the article. 

Spectacle Island Article in Boston Globe

Today's travel section of The Boston Globe (June 22) has an article I wrote on Spectacle Island, the reborn jewel in Boston Harbor's "Sapphire Necklace" of islands. There are also some color photographs I took of Spectacle Island as well. Here's a link to the Spectacle Island article.

If anyone is interested in visiting Spectacle Islanda and learning more about the Boston Harbor Islands, I'll be giving presentations at 1 PM and 3 PM on July 20 at the Spectacle Island visitor center about some of the stories we tell in Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands. Books will be on sale at the event.

Boston Light Article in AAA Horizons

Boston Light on Little Brewster Island is the oldest light station in the United States. When its beams first shone across Boston Harbor in 1716, Boston Light became the first lighthouse in America. The original beacon was destroyed by departing British troops in the American Revolution, so the lighthouse in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is now considered the country's oldest. Beginning June 26, tours of Boston Light for the summer season will begin. After being off-limits last year following the refurbishment of Boston Light's giant lens, visitors will once again be able to scale the tower for a great view of the Boston Harbor Islands and the city skyline. For more on Boston Light, check out the article I wrote for the Boston edition of this month's issue of AAA Horizons. For more ono Boston Light, check out the 224-page guidebook Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands.

National Geographic Traveler article on Belfast

Check out the May/June issue of National Geographic Traveler, currently on newsstands, for an article I wrote on Belfast. Few people may know that the Titanic was built in Belfast, although recent news reports have publicized that fact, probably not in the way the Harland and Wolff shipyard would have preferred. Belfast has a number of interesting sights related to the Titanic and has numerous events planned in the run-up to the centennial of the ship's launch and demise in 2012. That's one of the angles in the article. The article is on page 84 of the magazine. Click here to read the article.

Grape Island Alarm Article in Patriot Ledger

An article I wrote on the Grape Island Alarm appears in this weekend's edition of The Patriot Ledger. The Grape Island Alarm was a relatively unknown skirmish between the British and patriots during the Revolutionary War that took place on one of the Boston Harbor Islands. Click here to read the article. More of the letters of Abigail and John Adams referenced in the article appear in Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands.

Mount Auburn Cemetery Article in AAA Horizons

Mount Auburn Cemetery is one of my favorite places to visit around Boston. The Garden of Graves is filled with such history and beauty. And just a few weeks ago a new Visitors Center opened in the cemetery's Story Chapel, just inside the main gate. The Visitors Center includes interpretive displays on the creation, history, and operation of the cemetery and an introductory video. An article I wrote on Mount Auburn Cemetery appears in the May 2008 issue of AAA Horizons, the monthly periodical sent to members of AAA Southern New England. Here is a link to the article.

New England Travel Article on Minor League Baseball

Check out the current issue of New England Travel magazine for an article I wrote on a minor league baseball road trip across New England. With tickets to Red Sox games at such a premium--both in terms of supply and price--the only affordable way to catch a game is head down to the farm. Luckily, there are three affiliates of the Red Sox within easy driving distance of Boston. The article maps out a good old-fashioned road trip to see the Pawtucket Red Sox, Lowell Spinners, and Portland Sea Dogs.

The current issue of New England Travel was piggybacked along with the May issue of Boston magazine to home subscribers and can also be found on newsstands. There's a picture of me on the field in Lowell that runs with the article. It's on the web site and also fills about three-quarters of a page in the magazine.

Kangaroo Island Article in Boston Globe

Yesterday's travel section of The Boston Globe had an article I wrote on Kangaroo Island, Australia. It's a fantastic place to visit. Too bad it's on the other side of the world. A couple pictures of mine also appear in the travel section along with the article. If you didn't have a chance to read it, it appears on The Boston Globe web site.

AmericanHeritage.com article

I had a post last week on sites related to John Adams around Boston. The second president is a hot topic with the premiere of the HBO miniseries. As I mentioned in last week's post, the best place to learn more about John and Abigail is the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts, right outside of Boston. I have an article on the Adams National Historical Park now posted on AmericanHeritage.com. You can check it out here. At the moment it's also on the front page of the web site.

The Adams National Historical Park includes the birthplace of John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams. It also includes the family estate, which John Adams christened "Peacefield." Most Americans are very familiar with the presidential estates of Mount Vernon and Monticello, but few know much about Peacefield. Visitors flock to the treasured presidential mansions of Washington and Jefferson and snap up items from their licensed product lines such as the Mount Vernon furniture collection or the Monticello wine collection. In contrast, there are no fancy Peacefield gift catalogs, and the only alcoholic beverage you'll find bearing the name of an Adams is the beer named after John's second cousin, Samuel Adams.

Peacefield served as a summer retreat for John Adams while he was president. If you think current presidents spend too much time away from the White House in summer months, consider that John Adams in 1799 spent nearly seven months away from the capital of Philadelphia at Peacefield from late March to September.

Boston Globe Article

An article I wrote on the political murals of Belfast ran on the front page of last Sunday's (March 16, 2008) travel section in The Boston Globe. If you didn't get a chance to see it, here is a link to the article.

National Geographic Traveler blurb

A small blurb I wrote about the opening of the Australian Rules Football season and the opening of the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground appears in the March issue of National Geographic Traveler, which should be on the magazine racks now. I don't have a byline, but it appears in the City Shorts section on page 67.

Bunker HIll Article

Check out the travel section of the American Heritage web site for an article I wrote on the restoration of the Bunker Hill Monument and the opening of the new museum across the street from the obelisk. If you remember the old dioramas depicting battle scenes, you'll want to check out the new audio-visual presentation that goes with it. Plus, the new museum now provides space to display many interesting artifacts you haven't seen before.