A great way to learn about our presidents and other important political and historical figures and events in the U.S. is to study the places that memorialize them. I’ve been to many of these places and have pictures and brochures, so when we get to one of these events/people in our classroom learning, I make sure to pull out the relevant info so the kids can see what these people have left behind physically, as well as the significance of their actions and lives. I came across this slideshow on Forbes Traveler and figure that the kids should at least be familiar with the most popular memorial sites in the States. So here they are for you to enjoy as well!

1. Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington, Virginia (4,000,000 visitors) – Commemorates the lives of 300,000 veterans from the American Revolution through the current war in Iraq.
2. World War II Memorial – Washington, D.C. (3,547,583 visitors) – Commemorates the sacrifice and celebrates the victory of the WWII generation.
3. Vietnam Veterans Memorial – Washington, D.C. (3,538,479 visitors) – A memorial that honors the lives of Vietnam veterans and those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
4. Korean War Veterans Memorial – Washington, D.C. (3,208,690 visitors) – A memorial to those who fought and died in the Korean War.
5. Gettysburg National Military Park – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (1,702,764 visitors) – Commemorates those who lost their lives during the bloodiest and most important battle of the Civil War.
6. USS Arizona Memorial – Pearl Harbor (Honolulu), Hawaii (1,539,986 visitors) – A memorial to the sailors killed on the USS Arizona ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces.
7. Valley Forge National Historic Park – King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (1,230,618 visitors) – Important military camp during the American Revolutionary War.
8. Minuteman National Historic Park – Concord, Massachusetts (1,093,352 visitors) – The historic site of the shot heard around the world and memorial for those who fought in the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.
9. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park – Georgia/Tennessee (923,061 visitors) – Commemorates the sites of two major Civil War battles.
10. Fort Sumter National Monument – Sullivan’s Island – South Carolina (792,933 visitors) – Commemorates those who lost their lives in the first battle of the Civil War.
11. Vicksburg National Military Park – Vicksburg, Mississippi (787,831 visitors) – Site of the 47 day Battle of Vicksburg in the Civil War.
12. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine – Baltimore, Maryland (610,599 visitors) – The birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner and an important military site during the War of 1812.
13. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park – Virginia (478,109) – Burial ground and memorial for those who lost their lives in the Civil War.
14. Guilford Courthouse, National Military Park – North Carolina (447,469 visitors) –A museum commemorating one of the most hotly contested battles of the Revolutionary War.
15. Shiloh National Military Park – Tennessee (344,438 visitors) – Site of Civil War battle and burial ground.

Test your kids. See if they know why these places are important! (If they’re in my class now, they’ll know by the end of the year…)

• Historical Sites in Washington D.C, Annapolis, Gettysburg, Alexandria, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland
• Presidential Memorials
• Political Orientation Month – Political sites in the U.S.
• Ghost Towns, USA
• Frequent Flyer Guide to US (even for this summer)

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 of the city and how to have packed days without spending a dime.

• Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits – free on the first Tuesday of each month. The Page Museum has the largest collection of Ice Age fossils.
• Getty Museum – parking is $7, but the museum is free…and beautiful.
• Santa Monica Pier – A fun and free place to walk around.
• Venice Boardwalk – Street performers, crazy people, fun for tourists. They leave here thinking everyone is LA is strange.
• California Science Center – Admission is free, parking is about $5 I think.
• Grauman’s Chinese Theater – Tours cost money, but walking around the forecourt is free.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• African American Firefighters Museum
• MOCA at the Pacific Design Center – free on Thursdays 5-8pm.
• Los Angeles County Natural History Museum – free the first Tuesday of the month.

• Los Angeles Time-lapse
• FLW in LA
• The West Coast and the Three Day Work Week
• Family Vacation Ideas for San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Southern California
• Getting Around San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Southern California
• Museums in San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Southern California
• Places to Visit in San Diego, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Southern California
• Top Ten Summer Picnic Spots
• Largest malls in America

Just because it’s cold and nasty out, it doesn’t mean you need to put away your clubs until the sun shines hot again. Sometimes a bit of a challenge—but who says that makes it less fun?—winter golf can still be your #1 form of exercise, entertainment, and social time. People in the Northeast or Midwest tend to forget that the rest of the country just does not get as cold, so we just need to get a little creative about where we play. (i.e. Places like Boston or Minneapolis just may not make the cut.) When in doubt, just go to Hawaii.

MSNBC ran an article last year about America’s 10 best winter golf resorts, and I think you’ll find the info to still be quite up-to-date and helpful. Here are the ten they recommend:

• Pinehurst Golf Resort – Pinehurst, North Carolina
• Grand Cypress – Orlando, Florida
• Lake Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada
• La Quinta Resort & Club – La Quinta, California
• Bay Hill Club & Lodge – Orlando, Florida
• Inn at Palmetto Bluff – Bluffton, South Carolina
• Kapalua Golf Club – Lahaina, Hawaii
• Kiawah Island Resort – Kiawah Island, South Carolina
• Sea Island – St. Simon Island, Georgia
• The Boulders Resort – Carefree, Arizona

• 10 Great Places to go for the Green (Golfing)
• Some more places to go Golfing
• Golf Courses around Palm Springs, California
• Golf Courses in Orlando and Tampa, Florida
• Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia
• Golf Courses in Las Vegas, Lake Mead and the Nevada desert
• Golf Courses in Phoenix, Tucson and Scottsdale, Arizona
• Top Destination Spas in the U.S.
• Meditative ski slopes
• The West Coast and the Three Day Work Week

Long time no speak! I’ve had a crazy few months – girls in school, girls home schooled, one girl in, one girl out. I think the public school system wants to kill me. For now, both girls are in school and both are happy, so I’m happy. PHEW. The only thing now, is that I really miss them! I miss planning field trips and hanging out with other homeschool moms (and a few dads) and their kids who we’ve become so close with. So I’ve made a point of staying involved in the homeschool community and of still taking the girls on mini fieldtrips on Sundays and after school.

Last year we were all into zoos, and this year it seems like aquariums have stepped up to bat.

• Monterey Bay Aquarium – Monterey, California
• John G. Shedd Aquarium – Chicago, Illinois
• National Aquarium – Baltimore, Maryland
• Sea World – Orlando, Florida
• Sea World – San Diego, California
• Sea World – San Antonio, Texas
• Oregon Coast Aquarium – Newport, Oregon
• The Florida Aquarium – Tampa Bay, Florida
• Aquarium of the Pacific – Long Beach, California
• Dallas World Aquarium – Dallas, Texas
• New York Aquarium – Brooklyn, New York
• New England Aquarium – Boston, Massachusetts
• Georgia Aquarium – Atlanta, Georgia
• Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies – Gatlinburg, Tennessee

(Thank you Forbestraveler.com for the list!)

Enjoy these and have a whale of a time! (Katie just saw that and rolled her eyes.)

• Family Fun Ideas
• Affordable Theme Parks
• Museums in San Francisco
• Zoo and Nature

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all! On Sunday night (the first night of Hanukkah) I went to the public lighting of the world’s largest menorah. It was a 32 foot, 4000 pound steel candelabra with gas lamps in a windproof casing. It was designed by Israeli artist Yaakov Agam, inspired by the original menorah that was in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. Mayor Bloomberg lit the wicks, symbolizing the first of eight nights of the Jewish festival of lights. There was quite a crowd there on the corner of 59th St. and 5th Ave., right near Central Park. This menorah, and about 700 more located all over the world are organized by the Chabad organization and this year have the added significance of standing strong in honor of those who were killed in the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Another popular New York City public lighting took place on Sunday night at Washington Square Park.

The other “world’s largest menorah” is lighting up Washington, D.C. It’s located on the Ellipse, just across from the White House.

Other large scale lightings are taking place all week long in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Chicago, as well as in 732 more cities in 47 countries worldwide.

Check out this youtube video

from the Chabad of Malibu about their candle lighting initiative. And if you’re curious as to HOW to attend a public lighting, ehow’s got you covered.

Happy holidays!

• Weekend roadtrip out of New York City
• Romantic New York City
• Holiday Shopping – online vs. the mall?
• Romantic Getaways in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

I just read an article in the New York Times travel section (albeit a year old) about Buckhead, which is just north of Atlanta’s central downtown area—or we say “uptown” since it tends to be classier, more upscale, and a lot more expensive. According to the NYTimes article, it’s “one the of the nation’s wealthiest communities…the Beverly Hills of the South.” Now I don’t know if I’d go THAT far, but it certainly is a very nice area, with beautiful malls, great restaurants and bars (yes, I’ve created for myself a bit of a social life), museums, and stunning houses and hotels.

Here are some places in the Buckhead area that are worth checking out:

• Atlanta History Center – has the world’s largest Civil War collection
• Lenox Square Mall
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Atlanta High Museum
• Photography Center of Atlanta
• Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
• Cathedral of St. Phillip
• Swan House

• Adventure Travel around Atlanta, Georgia
• Arts and Entertainment around Atlanta, Georgia
• Cool and Fun Things to Do in Atlanta, Georgia
• Family Vacation Ideas for Atlanta, Georgia
• Getting Around Atlanta, Georgia
• Historical Sites in Atlanta area
  
• Off the Beaten Path in Atlanta area
• Literary Travels with Lacee Low… The Literary South
• Best City Skylines and Architectural Museums

I’m not going to lie: I like wearing name brands. I work in an office where what you wear somewhat defines who you are, and pathetic as that sounds, if you don’t play the game, you won’t get the gain. When you’re wearing something nice, you act differently, more professional and more secure—and those things often lead to success. That’s not to say that I go to Rodeo Drive to get my suits; on the contrary, part of being a good dresser means being a good shopper, and I definitely know where to find the deals. And California, I think more than most states, is filled with fantastic outlet malls. Here’s a list, organized from North to South:

• Shasta Factory Outlets – Anderson, California
• St. Helena Premier Outlets – St. Helena, California
• Factory Stores at the Y – South Lake Tahoe, California
• Napa Premium Outlets – Napa, California
• Petaluma Village Premium Outlets – Petaluma, California
• Gilroy Premium Outlets – Gilroy, California
• American Tin Cannery Premium Outlets – Pacific Grove, California
• Mascadero Factory Outlets – Atascadero, California
• Prime Outlets – Pismo Beach, California
• Tanger Outlet Center – Barstow, California
• Barstow Outlets – Barstow, California
• Desert Hills Premium Outlets – Cabazon, California
• Cabazon Outlet Mall – Cabazon, California
• Camarillo Premium Outlets – Camarillo, California
• Citadel Outlet Mall – Commerce, California
• Ontario Mills Outlet Mall – Ontario, California
• Lake Elsinore Outlets Mall – Lake Elsinore, California
• Carlsbad Premium Outlets – Carlsbad, California

• Literary Travels with Lacee Low… California
• Museums in San Francisco
• Largest malls in America
• Thanksgiving shopping in North and South Carolina
• Top Destination Spas in the U.S.

I’m a teacher and a dad-to-be (!) so I’ve pretty much always got kids on the mind. I just put together a list of activities in Brooklyn that kids will enjoy for part of my “Explore New York” initiative.

• New York Aquarium
• Brooklyn Children’s Museum
• Prospect Park Zoo
• The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• Coney Island Boardwalk
• Brighton Beach
• Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
• Jewish Children’s Museum
• Astroland Amusement Park at Coney Island

These are great spots for field trips, family outings, and birthday parties. Let me know how it goes!

• Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn, the Bronx and New York City
• Family Vacation Ideas for Manhattan and New York City
• Theme Parks in Coney Island and near Manhattan and New York City
• Zoos and Aquariums in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island and New York City
• Affordable Theme Parks
• Weekend roadtrip out of New York City
• Romantic Getaways in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

The other great colonial communities (other than the one in Plymouth, that is), was in Virginia. Jamestown and Yorktown were two of the first settlements in the New Country, established as early as 1607. For an authentic Thanksgiving experience, head out to these famous landmarks in Virginia. (Quiz your kids—they should definitely be able to talk about these!)

• Jamestown National Historic Site – Yorktown, Virginia
• Colonial National Historical Park – Yorktown, Virginia
• First Landing State Park – Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Yorktown Battlefield – Virginia (The Yorktown Battlefield is a Revolutionary War site, but once you’re in the area, you should definitely visit, even though it’s really post-Colonial times.)
• Yorktown National Cemetery – Yorktown, Virginia
• Colonial Williamsburg – Virginia

• Cool and Fun Things to Do in Richmond and Virginia Beach
  
• History of Richmond, Jamestown and Virginia Beach
  
• Places to Visit in Richmond and Virginia Beach
  
• Top 10 Places for Fireworks in Washington, D.C.
• Thanksgiving shopping in North and South Carolina
• Literary Travels with Lacee Low… The Literary South

Now there’s a concept. I only recently became introduced to the concept of the “wine spa” recently when I treated my girlfriend (who is now an ex-girlfriend, but I promise it was not spa related) to a weekend up in Wine Country that included some spa going. We discovered that it’s quite a trend to include wine and grapes in spa treatments. Apparently it’s a tradition from Bordeaux, France that made its way over to the U.S., and particularly to Northern California. Most of these spas (following) are located in vineyards or are at least nearby. I’ll list the spa and then one or two treatments offered on their spa menu that includes grapes or wine.

• The Spa at the Carneros Inn – Napa, California – Chardonnay Anti-Oxidant Wine Therapy Facial
• Bernardus Lodge & Spa – Carmel Valley, California – Lavender Grape Seed Bath
• Silverado Resort and Spa – Napa, California – Chardonnay Sugar Scrub
• The Raindance Spa at the Lodge of Sonoma – Sonoma, California Grape Seed Antioxidant Facial
• Meadowood Resort – Napa Valley, California – Cabernet Crush Body Polish
• Spa Vigne at the Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn – Los Olivos, California – Grape Seed Body Butter Massage, Wine Infusion Wrap
• Auberge du Soileil Resort & Spa – Rutherford (Napa Valley), California – Rosehip and Grape Seed Body Masque, Warm Grape Seed Oil Massage
• Mount View Hotel & Spa – Calistoga, California – Rosemary Grape Seed Scrub
• Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa – San Louis Obispo, California – Chardonnay Anti-Aging Wrap, Chardonnay Antioxidant Sugar Scrub
• Waterstone Spa at the Lithia Springs Resort & Gardens – Ashland, Oregon – Champagne and Rose Body Scrub
• Chateau E’lan Winery & Spa Resort – Braselton, Georgia – Chateau Winery Harvest Crush, Antioxidant Winery Bath

• Romantic Getaways in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
• Top Luxury Resort Spas in the U.S.
• Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US
• Top Destination Spas in the U.S.