1. Go to The Whitney and dine at Santina.
This is my number one suggestion and it would even work if you were kid-free for say, four hours. I am somewhat embarrassed that while I have admired the architecture of the new Whitney building, I have not yet been inside. I grew up right near the original building and I feel a little betrayed that it moved to a cooler neighborhood, especially when I haven’t. If I don’t get to the Whitney without my kids soon, then I’ll just have to bring them.

2. Read a book at Jacob Riis beach.

Last Friday, I went to Jacob Riis beach in Rockaway Park, Queens, with my kids for the first time and I was quite impressed. The sand is a little gritty, though much nicer right by the shoreline. And the ocean water was both clearer and warmer than I thought it would be. Perhaps the best surprise was the food, which includes high-end concessions like Bolivian Llama Party and Wild Feast. I went with my kids, but I think it would be nice to go without kids and sit peacefully while reading a book or magazine. In fact, it would be a completely different experience.

3. Find serenity at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City. If you like the cliche “hidden gem,” then here you go with this small, serene museum featuring the sculptures of Japanese artist Isamu Noguchi. There is a small but lovely garden there too. Afterward, check out the art and the Manhattan skyline views at nearby Socrates Park.

4. Shop, shop, shop:

I have no qualms about taking my toddler shopping (for me). The stores are air-conditioned and it’s kind of educational. The problem is that she only lets me try on like two things and then I basically have to make a snap decision about whether or not I want to buy it and I’m not good with snap decisions. So a kid-free staycation in NYC should include going shopping, whenever and wherever. I’d also hit up the sample sales, because they’re often crowded, cramped, and inconvenient places (so not the kind of places where I’d ever take a kid).

5. See a show.

A week with no kids is the perfect time to go to the theater! I’m obsessed with the app TodayTix because I love how I can see which discount tickets are available for which shows that day or night and then up to seven days out. You can’t choose your seats, but I actually like this because I’m the kind of person who will spend ridiculous amounts of time choosing between two sets of fairly similar seats. Use my code WIQAQ for $10 off.

So these are my thoughts for a cultural staycation in the city without kids. If you want some wilder alternatives, check out this article from the New York Post about parents who party hard while the kids are at sleepaway camp.

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Coast Guard Beach is in Eastham, and it’s a little harder to get to because you have to take a shuttle to the parking lot. (The daily parking fee is $20 but you can purchase an annual pass for $60.) As we were heading down to the beach, I was worried that the seals wouldn’t be there because I don’t always have the best luck with wildlife.

Our timing (approx 11:30 am) was perfect because the seals were just arriving, and a crowd was gathering on the beach to watch them. There were easily 40 seals, and I was mesmerized by watching them bob up and down in the water. Sometimes they would swim through the waves. It was really incredible for a seal lover. My 4-year-old son was impressed too, to a point. My 18-month-old daughter was non-plussed.

It’s not a good idea to swim when seals are in the water because seals attract sharks. And sure enough, there was a shark sighting so everyone was ordered out of the water. Then fishing boats appeared to try to catch the shark, but the shark swam off so they left too. All summer long, I had seen viral videos of seals and sharks having dramatic fights, but nothing of the sort happened. The seals kept doing their thing, and if we waited long enough to low tide, supposedly they would come hang out at the sandbar. But lunch (lobster rolls, fried clams, hot dogs and grilled cheese) and mini-golf at Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar was calling  us, which happens to be not only the closest eatery but one of the best on the Cape. I wanted to return after lunch to see if the seals would be on the sandbar, but alas the kids were too tired so we drove down to Provincetown so they could nap in the car.

Amazing experience watching 50+ #seals swim at Coast Guard Beach in #CapeCod. There was a shark sighting too…

A video posted by Liz Borod Wright (@travelogged) on Aug 30, 2015 at 5:46am PDT

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Thomas the Tank Engine is a more than a celebrity in my house; he’s an integral member. For over two years, my four-and-a-half-year-old son has played with this “cheeky” little blue train almost daily.  He still hasn’t tired of a building a track and pushing across Thomas, Gordon, Spencer, Percy, Victor and Flynn. And of course, his 17-month-old sister plays with them too. So when I found out that the first Thomas Land in the US was opening in mid-August, I knew that we were ready for our first theme park experience as a family of four. (We did go to Tivoli in Copenhagen when my son was 19-months-old).

Thomas Land opened up in Edaville USA, a theme park that’s been around in various incarnations since the 1940s. Located in Carver, Mass., it’s about a four-hour drive from New York City. But only an hour drive from Cape Cod, so we decided to make a Cape Cod—Thomas trip and visit the man, or rather train, himself. And we were so glad we did.

Entering Thomas Land at Edaville USA!

Thomas Land is a section within Edaville — kind of like how in DisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom you have FantasyLand and Adventure land. So when we entered Edaville USA, and we were in the general theme park area. The first thing our son did was to fish in the pond. He didn’t catch anything, but it was something he had always wanted to do and it was a very sweet attraction. Then we heard the announcement that Thomas was boarding! Every hour on the hour, you can take a 20-minute ride on Thomas. Thomas pulls several cars on a pleasant trip around the property, that passes wooden fairy tale-themed scenes and a duck pond. It was a nice ride and my son got a thrill out of riding Thomas.

Thomas Show with Percy, Gordon, James, Emily and Sir Topham Hatt

Thomas’ station is right next to Dinoland, so walking through a Jurassic Park of anamatronic dinosaurs was our next activity. Then we walked past some very tempting traditional rides to get to what we came for: Thomas Land. We walked through the arch, past the old stone mill and right into Knapford Station, aka the gift shop! It was very hot so we were relieved to be inside with air conditioning. The array of Thomas toys was truly impressive, but we went for hats for the kids because of the heat.

Bertie’s Bus Tour, one of the more daring rides at Thomas Land at Edaville USA

I decided that my 17-month-old and I should stay in the air conditioning for a little longer (she liked the train tables), and my husband and son should check out the rides. A few minutes later, we emerged and saw the two of them on Bertie’s Bus Tour, rotating ride where you go 28-feet into the air.  Yikes! That was my son’s first-ever ride, aside from a carousel — and he was loving it. I was terrified watching them, but he wasn’t scared at all.

Our next ride was the tamest ride, Diesel Derby, where you ride around a 400-foot track in a Diesel engine. We all liked that one, including the baby. Inside the track, it looks like the Diesel junkyard, which is a nice touch. Then we went on Harold’s Lift-Off, and the pilot (my son) made the helicopter go up and down. Our last ride, was Firefighting Flynn, where you can ride in a basket and shoot water to put out fires. Flynn is one of my son’s favorite characters, so he was thrilled by this. And we enjoyed being splashed on such a hot day. That was probably our favorite ride.

Harold’s Lift-Off at Thomas Land at Edaville USA — kids make it go up and down

Here’s where being theme park rookies came in… We should have done more rides! And done the rides multiple times because the tickets were unlimited and the lines weren’t long. And we didn’t even end up trying the Sodor Windmill, which was like a little ferris wheel, would have been great for a four-year-old, as would Sodor’s Cranberry Carousel, which wasn’t really a carousel but like a mini roller coaster. Two of the rides were clearly for older kids: Cranky’s Crane Drop (a straight drop), Toby’s Tilting Tracks (like Bertie’s Tour but way scarier) and Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster (a troublesome roller coaster).

We probably didn’t do more rides because we were too busy just taking in the whole Thomas experience and enjoying being on the Isle of Sodor. Just seeing the rides with these familiar characters was enjoyable to the kids. We watched some of the show at Tidmouth Sheds, where Gordon, Percy, Emily, James and Sir Topham Hatt had to make a cranberry pie (Edaville borders cranberry bogs). After the show, they pulled out Percy and let the kids play inside. That was one of the highlights for both kids.

Playing inside Percy at Thomas Land at Edaville USA

We hope to return one day! There was a lot of work-in-progress at Edaville, especially by the entrance. Almost all of Thomas Land is complete, except for Winston’s Skyline Express, which is a monorail-inspired ride that takes you around in Sir Topham Hatt’s fancy convertible Winston. And what Thomas fan among us has not coveted Sir Hatt’s ride? That’s right, we’ll be back.

Comped but Never Compromised: My family received free tickets for review purposes. The price for a ticket at Edaville USA is $29 per person; under the age of 2 is free. 

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Love #Miami, love the #beach and loving @sensebeachhouse, a boutique hotel in the SoFi district! #instaTBN

A photo posted by Liz Borod Wright (@travelogged) on Mar 23, 2015 at 8:05pm PDT

We were graciously hosted by Sense Beach House, which is a boutique hotel in SoFi. SoFi stands for South of Fifth, and it’s the neighborhood where I’d want to live in my I-live-in-Miami fantasy. It’s a high-end residential neighborhood at the tip of the island, but not too far from the heart of South Beach. And while SoFi is known for its modernistic condo towers, authentic Art Deco architecture still abounds. The vibe is chic and lively, without the tourist traffic and Spring Breakers of South Beach (which was a concern because we visited at the end of March).

@sensebeachhouse has got style… in stripes! #beachchic #Miami #instaTBN A photo posted by Liz Borod Wright (@travelogged) on Mar 24, 2015 at 9:52am PDT

After a three-plus hour drive from my parents’ house in Sarasota, all four of us were thrilled to get out of the car at Sense Beach Hotel and give the keys to valet parking. As I checked in, I was impressed right away by the airy, beach-chic decor. I was a little worried that everything was a little too chic, given that we were there with a four-year-old and a one-year-old. But everyone was very friendly, and we felt at home right away. And it turned out to be a great hotel for families because the rooms are very quiet. If you stay at a party hotel, the noise can keep you up all night, which would be a total nightmare with kids.

We loved our stripe-y room and our little balcony with ocean view, but we weren’t in there for long. Having stayed in several hotels in Miami, I’d say that this spacious, modern room was a good value in a city known for smaller, expensive rooms. There was a beach tote waiting for us with three towels so we grabbed it and headed across the street to the beach. We are major beach people and nothing was keeping us from Miami’s calm, turquoise waters. The 18-room hotel has a rooftop plunge pool that my son wanted to swim in, but he was vetoed by his beach-crazed parents.

We hit the tide just right and our four-year-old got a kick out of how far he could go without it getting too deep thanks to the sandbar. We met up with friends from Los Angeles who also happened to be in Miami. (They were our friends from New York, so they were participating in the New York-Florida pilgrimage, despite being LA-based.) It was a perfect afternoon spent at the beach with good friends. Watching the cruise ships leave the harbor from our spot on the beach made it even better, as did a stop at the gelato shop one block away from the hotel.

We all went to dinner at Fratelli La Bufala, a European pizza chain that was just a few blocks away. Miami has incredible restaurants, but the kids were too tired for anything that wasn’t walking distance and pizza is always safe bet if we want our son to actually eat something. We sat outside and the pizza was excellent. After dinner, we wished that we had gotten a babysitter so we could go enjoy the nightlife. We were completely exhausted, so that softened our pain of not being able to go out. But next time, we’re getting a babysitter.

The next morning, we enjoyed an outstanding breakfast at The Local House, the restaurant at the hotel. We had our usual breakfast of fruit and pancakes (and cappuccino for me). I love the contrast of peaceful Miami in the morning, before most people have even thought about getting out of bed after a fun night out. The night before, The Local had been hopping but at 8am, it was only us and one other table. Since the beach is right across the street, it was easy to sneak in another beach visit before it was time to check out. Checking out is never fun, especially when the hotel has really earned its stripes. Sense Beach House, you made perfect sense to us!

Comped but Never Compromised: I received a complimentary stay for review purposes but I’m free to write whatever I want.

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One night after dinner at The Oceanfront Grille last August, the sun hadn’t completely set so we decided to go for a walk on the beach. As it got darker, the Ghost Crabs started to emerge and then vanish. My son, then three-and-a-half, really enjoyed chasing them around. But we were all laughing as we would try to show each other crabs, only for the crab to disappear. Finally, there was a slow one who was willing to be photographed as evidence.

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The Outer Banks is shellfish heaven! I don’t think that I’ve ever eaten more shrimp and crabs over the course of a week than when I was there in August. It was kind of like how when you go to Maine, you have to eat lobster at every meal. We didn’t go to The Outer Banks for the food, but we ended up having a great culinary experience. And that’s when you appreciate good food the most.

We were expecting to mostly cook the basics at our rental at Corolla Light Resort, just steps from the beach. The first thing we did when we got onto the island at 10pm at night was to stop at a massive 24-hour Harris Teeter and stock up on exciting items like American cheese, strawberries and bread. With a five-month-old baby and three-and-a-half-year-old, we were thankful to have a kitchen that could save us from unnecessary meals out. I find meals to be the hardest part of traveling with kids. When you have very young children, the whole “where should we go for lunch or dinner” question is usually met with dread rather than eager anticipation.

But being New Yorkers we couldn’t go too long without wanting to eat out. There are tons of nice restaurants in Corolla and Duck — and we didn’t go to any of them. They all looked great though. So here’s a rundown of the casual eateries where we found delicious food. And the service was so friendly — gotta love the South!

Shrimp Wellington, Crab Cake and Mashed Potatoes at The Oceanfront Grille in Corolla, NC

Steamers is an easy place to take young kids because it’s essentially a  gourmet takeout place with picnic tables in the charming Timbuck II shopping center. While we waited for our fried shrimp, friend soft shell crabs (local from Kitty Hawk), chicken fingers (for my son) and Caesar salad (to counteract all of that friend food), we fed Saltines to the turtles in the pond. The food was delicious — not overfried so the fresh flavor still came through. Not surprised that it’s one of the most popular places in the area!

The Corolla Cantina was under totally new management when we were there, and we liked this California-style Mexican for fast takeout, not-too-heavy food and fresh ingredients. We loved the shrimp tacos and shrimp quesadillas — notice a trend here? It’s located in the Corolla Light Town Center, a little strip mall on the edge of Corolla Light Resort and across from Currituck Heritage Park.

Uncle Ike’s Sanbar and Grill is also in the Corolla Light Town Center. It’s basically a bar, and it should not be kid-friendly. But this is the South, and everyone is friendly. We went really early and it was all families. It’s hard to believe that this dive bar has good food but it does. We enjoyed the Firecracker Shrimp (lightly fried shrimp in a not-that-spicy mayo) and the fish tacos.

The Oceanfront Grille in Corolla Light Resort is the only oceanfront restaurant in the Currituck Outer Banks. It’s located in the pool area of the resort. Its slogan is “Crab Cake Heaven.” We got takeout here several times for lunch, but only managed to have dinner there once. It’s small so be sure to make reservations! It’s known for its crab cakes because they have almost no filler. If you are a crab fan, you want your cake to be all crab. Everything was delicious though — for my entree, I tried the Shrimp Wellington, which was a creative take on grilled shrimp (making it fried). Yum!

A fun evening at The Oceanfront Grille at Corolla Light Resort in Corolla, NC

Comped but never compromised: We received a free meal from Steamers but I am free to write whatever I want.

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If you want to see the creativity of New Yorkers, head to the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival. At this informal procession (more like a meander) down Fifth Avenue, you’ll see a remarkable array of hand-crafted hats. It’s almost like Halloween, but it’s mainly limited to headwear. Although a few people do come in full costume, most are wearing either casual clothing, their Easter Best or something stylish in between. It’s actually much better than your typical Halloween, which is mostly store-bought costumes these days. It seems like the opportunity to focus on only one piece of attire, as opposed to a full outfit, yields better results.

This isn’t the kind of parade where you sit on the sidelines and watch or cheer. The bare-headed walk down the middle of the street, complimenting at gawking at the hats and asking to take photos. There are also entertainers and buskers; my son sat down and watched a surreal version of a one-man/puppet Humpty Dumpty show. Unfortunately, there were treet-dancer groups taking over entire blocks, which seemed contrary to the mood of the parade. I don’t remember this from the last time I was there (last blogged about it in 2009 but have been back since). My bet is that these groups were told to move along by New York’s Finest as the day wore on.

The parade takes place on Easter Sunday, from 10 AM-4 PM. Fifth Avenue is closed off from 49th—57th Streets. The tradition dates back to the 1870s, when women were showing off their Easter Bonnets after attending mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Check out these head-turning hats from the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in 2015 — you will feel inspired and more than a few will make you smile. Now start working on your own headgear for Easter 2016!

When we asked this boy if his hat was working, he seemed totally oblivious to the double entendre and replied: the magnet is pretty good but a few chicks have fallen off. He said that his mom made him his Easter hat.

We were loving everything about this incredibly dapper trio. Or should I say quartet? Check out that the little dog having a conversation with that boy. This group was made for the Easter Parade.

Love this Dracula hat! Maybe she can take it from Easter to Halloween?

The perfect post-modern floral Easter Bonnet! Fits the mood of the Easter Parade in NYC perfectly.

So stylish! The Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival founders would be proud. Very Fifth Avenue.

This group was having a blast at the Easter Parade 2015. I think their faces were getting a little tired of smiling.

The ultimate Frozen fan! Gotta love the Frozen-themed Easter bonnet…

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New York City has the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world, even bigger than Dublin. Our parade is also the oldest in the world, as the first proud group marched in 1762, 14 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was easy for me to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day this year because I just hosted a video for BBC Travel about the secret the world of Irish dance in New York City. I met two Irish dance groups that put a distinctly modern spin on traditional Irish step dancing. One group melds traditional Irish step dancing with modern dance, the other with street-inspired breakdancing and Hip Hop. The cultural diversity of NYC never ceases to amaze me.

So as I’ve been thinking a lot about the vibrant Irish culture in New York, and I decided to take my four-year-old son to the parade this afternoon. The last the I watched the St.Patrick’s Day Parade in person was 2009. He really enjoyed the bagpipes and the drums. The child next to us was decked out in a full traditional costume including a sporran for his kilt (rented for this occasion), but my son spread his own Irish cheer in his bright green down jacket. We enjoyed watching the different groups march down Fifth Avenue. At the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City is that other cultures march in their own traditional costumes, like Japan, Spain and Brittany, France, reflecting the melting pot that is New York. But what really got me was the Emerald Society of the FDNY. A lot of New York’s Bravest are of Irish descent and they’re very proud about it! Here’s a video of them marching:

Shortly after the Emerald Society came the US Veterans. Watching the flags wave on this very windy day was quite moving. Perhaps it’s not what first comes to mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day, but it was one of my favorite moments of today’s parade.

Have you ever been to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC? Or any other city?

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23 Fun Things to Do WIth Kids During Spring Break in NYC

You won’t run out of things to do in New York City with kids during Spring Break! Whether it’s your big vacation getaway if you’re traveling from afar or it’s your reluctant staycation if you live here, there’s a plenty to see, do and eat. Here are 23 activities that will appeal to locals and visitors alike who need to entertain their children.

1. Go to to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Why lead with the obvious? Because you could probably spend the whole two weeks at The Met and not run out of things to see. Even the youngest children will enjoy throwing pennies into the fountain at the Temple of Dendur. For older children, the sky’s the limit. You should be able to complement anything that they’ve been learning at school with a corresponding exhibit.

2. Try to find the best pizza. NYC is the pizza capital of the world, so enjoy indulging in the kids’ favorite foods. Have fun trying out different pizza places. Bonus points if it take you to a new neighborhood to explore.

3. Try to find the best cupcake. What are you going to have for dessert after pizza? It’s probably going to be too cold for ice cream.

4. Or even better, have a macaron from Laduree. They’re flown in directly from Paris!

5. See a marionette show at The Swedish Cottage in Central Park. This is probably best for ages 2-8. The adorable cottage is hidden away in Central Park. Right now, “Jack and the Beanstalk” is showing.

6. Visit “the ball” (you know, the one that drops at midnight on New Year’s Eve) at Times Square. Then maybe that way, your kids will never attempt to do New Year’s Eve at Times Square.

7. Take a Circle Line Cruise around the city. Being on a boat is so much fun for kids. And lest you think that it’s something that a local wouldn’t do, my mother (lifelong New Yorker) requested to do this for her 60th birthday.

8. If you’re here on March 17th, watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It’s the largest in the world. Warning: the streets and bars close to the parade route can get a little, shall we say, rowdy.

9. Go to the Natural History Museum and marvel at the massive dinosaurs. Jaded older kids will love Dark Universe at the Hayden Planetarium. It’s suitable for children over four.

10. Or venture further afield to the New York Hall of Science in Queens. There a lot of great hands-on exhibits that explain scientific and mathematic principles. And it’s fun to walk around the rockets out in front of the museum.

11. If the weather is nice, try to find the Bubble Man in Central Park. He lives up to his moniker by making giant bubbles, and it’s mesmerizing for kids (and adults) of all ages.

12. Check out the new grizzly bears at the Central Park Zoo. The Polar Bear’s lair was empty for over a year after his death. The Central Park Zoo is relatively small (about 90 minutes max) so for a longer, more intense zoo experience head to the Bronx Zoo.

13. Visit Eloise at The Plaza Hotel. At the very least, take a look at her oil portrait hanging by the Palm Court. The Eloise shop is fun, but it could be an expensive visit. Stop and have lunch or a snack at the Plaza food court — one of my favorite market’s in New York. If you really want to splurge, book a night at The Eloise Suite designed by Betsey Johnson.

14. Play around at the fancy new Lego flagship store in the Flatiron district. Bonus points if you eat at Eataly or Shake Shack in Madison Square Park.

15. Walk along The Highline, a public park on a former elevated freight train tracks. It runs from Gansevoort to 34th Street on the West Side. It won’t be in bloom yet but it should still be enjoyable.

16. If your Spring Break falls over Easter, then you can enjoy the wacky hats at the Easter Day parade. New Yorkers’ creative talent is on display as the fearless and the fashionable flaunt their hats down Fifth Avenue.

17. The New York Transit Museum feels geared toward kids, but any adult that likes nostalgia will enjoy wandering in and out of vintage subways cars from decades ago. I love seeing the city buses that I used to ride in the 1980s. It’s located in a defunct subway station in Brooklyn.

18. After a three-year renovation, The Cooper Hewitt reopened in December and Carnegie’s mansion has never looked better.  The design museum has a “Process Lab” for kids and an “Immersion Room” where they can create digital wallpaper.

19. Tugboats used to rule the East River and the Hudson. Now only a handful of these workhorse boats remain, but it’s fun to spot them on the East River from the promenade in Carl Schurz Park. The mayor’s mansion is at the north end of the park.

20. For an unusual view of Manhattan, take the Roosevelt Tram over the East River to Roosevelt Island. There’s not much to do on Roosevelt Island, so it’s all about the journey for this cost-effective activity.

21. Go to a Broadway matinee, as long as your child is over four (and some require over age five but you most likely won’t carded). Don’t wait on the TKTS line at Times Square with complaining kids, buy online at a variety of discount websites instead.

22. The Statue of Liberty is a trek and most locals leave this one to be ticked off as a school trip. If you’re having a staycation, then you’ll feel like you actually went somewhere if you venture to Ellis Island. If you’re just visiting, well, you don’t want to miss Lady Liberty.

23. The Children’s Museum of Art is a hands-on art experience that’s best for ages 2-8. This Tribeca newcomer is pretty cool, and it’s a great staycation activity for uptowners like me. It’s a brave new world in Lower Manhattan!

Think you’d rather leave New York City for Spring Break? Check out my ideas for 18 Easy NYC Getaways With and Without a Car.

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Attending the New York Times Travel Show has become an annual tradition for me to learn about some of the latest trends in travel plus travel tidbits about destinations I’d love to visit. Last year, I learned five things at the New York Times Travel Show and I was a family travel expert. The year before, I was a panelist on the Travel Bloggers Panel – Connect with Influential Media and I also reported on scenes from the New York Times Travel Show 2013. This year, I buckled down, worked the booths and learned a lot about travel trends. Here are six things that I learned at the New York Times Travel Show.

1. A Hello Kitty plane will fly from Houston to Taipei starting June 20, 2015.
This Hello Kitty plane from Eva Air, which was supposed to make it’s US debut from LAX, raises so many important questions. Who WOULDN’T want to fly on a Hello Kitty-themed 777? Why aren’t there MORE character-themed planes? Can I go PLEASE?

You could get your name written in Arabic at the Abu Dhabi exhibit, so of course I asked for Travelogged in Arabic!

2. How to write Travelogged in Arabic
At the Abu Dhabi exhibit, where you could lounge around in the new Etihad seats,  there was a woman who would write your name in Arabic. As Travelogged is a made-up word, this is just a transliteration of the letters in Arabic. Except that Arabic has no “g.” At least, I hope this says “Travelogged”! Any Arabic speakers wanna help a blogger out?

3. The water on the south shore of Prince Edward Island can get up to 80F! 

Prince Edward Island is really high on my list of places to visit, so I wanted to grill the tourism rep about whether the island’s reputation for warm waters in summer is true. He says that it is, but really I need to test this out for myself because it’s so far north. It’s some kind of a special current, apparently.  I also learned that PEI supplies 80% of the mussels in the US, but to be honest I’m not a mussels fan. I do love lobsters and crabs though.

4. The North Pole is just as cool as the South Pole.
I always thought that Antarctica was the place to visit for Pole-seekers. After all, that’s where March of the Penguins was filmed, and it’s a real land mass with research stations and not just a big hunk of floating ice. But then I chatted with the folks at Quark Expeditions, and a trip to the North Pole is for real explorers. OK, I’m joking a little. But imagine being on a boat that’s 75,000 Horsepower that’s cutting through nine feet of ice at 15 knots. Um yeah, and it’s powered by twin Russian Nuclear Power Reactors.

5. Tenerife has the second largest Carnivale in the world.
Second only to Rio, Tenerife has the largest Carnival in the world. Approximately 4 million people visit this Canary Island, and 500,000 of them do so to witness Carnivale. Tenerife is working hard to introduce this  gorgeous destination to the US, and it just might be the next big thing!

6. Virtual Reality is here: just put on the goggles

Remember when Google Earth started taking pictures of every inch of the planet and people thought we’d no longer have to travel to see the world? Well Virtual Reality is here for travel world,  and fellow travel blogger Michael Hodson let me try on his virtual reality goggles so I could see the amazing 3D/360 videos he shot for his new company Vrcinematic.com of Las Vegas, Seattle and Iceland. As I moved my head, I could see the different angles of the scenes. The future is here, and it’s surreal and slightly dizzying.

I promise to learn 7 things from the New York Times Travel Show in 2016…

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