Free things to do in LA

I’ve got some college buddies staying with me for the week. Two are unemployed, one is engaged, and the other is just a cheapskate, and they’ve never been to Los Angeles before. So they want a complete tour of LA…for free. Fortunately, they’ve got me as their guide and I know the ins and outs [...]

Happy Thanksgiving Month!

In my classroom, November is Turkey Month. Why celebrate a fun and meaningful holiday for only one day when you can celebrate all month long? Besides spending a lot of time focusing on what we are thankful for, collecting charity for those less fortunate than we are, and learning about (and cooking) traditional American and [...]

New York City Field Trips

The school year has finally begun and with it, curriculum finalizations and field trip bookings. Teaching in New York City should be every teacher’s dream—while one does need to be careful about crowds, the field trip possibilities are truly endless and the entire city becomes an extended classroom.
So for all you teachers out there (or [...]

A Kid’s Guide to L.A.

It’s been a while since I’ve put in my two cents on the California scene, and when my sister and her two little kids came for a visit, it inspired me to do a little research. So here’s a list of fun activities for kids in the Los Angeles area. Some are more obvious and [...]

The Parsons are in Minneapolis!

And we are having a blast! We only got here yesterday and have already explored the area around our hotel (we walked all over Downtown Minneapolis), went to the Walker Art Center, and out for a nice family dinner. Today Rick started his slew of business meetings and the girls and I spent the entire [...]

Daytime visits to Washington, D.C.

Homeschooling the kids for the year was a success, though I do have to admit, having them in day camp for the summer is making me reconsider. For one, I have the whole day to myself, free to run errands and work on some freelance editing work that I’m very behind on. Also, the girls [...]

Boston for the Boys: Good father-son museums

Just to continue the Boston conversation that Sharon has started…
I think of these things as “guy things” but that could just be because I’ve been to Boston a number of times to visit my father who always insists on taking me to one of these museums (among many others):

MIT Museum
Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Peabody Museum of [...]

Summer Fun with your Pup

After I posted about skiing with your dog, I realized that I should’ve written something perhaps a bit more practical. So here’s another quick list of amusement parks, parks, malls, and other attractions in California that are pet-friendly—either they have kennel facilities or let you roam around with your dog. (I’m not much of a [...]

Summer exhibits at New York City museums

The best part about being a teacher is the vacation time. And since my wife and I both teach, summer vacation is the time to really relax, spend quality time together, travel, and do all the things in New York City that we’re always meaning to do during the year but don’t get around to…mainly, [...]

Atlanta is fun!

Just a quick update on our going abouts in our new hometown. We’re really starting to love Atlanta. The Hammond family has been busy and the kids have each found new activities, new friends, and new places in Atlanta that they love. (Do I smell success??)
Our most recent trip was to Coca Cola World and [...]