Going in, I had a vague notion that Mont Saint-Michel was unique. Still, I didn’t expect it to be as fabulous as it was, so rich and dense with architectural interest and layers of history. About an hour into our exploration I believe I spontaneously blathered to Melody something like “This is the coolest place on earth. Ever!” And my twelve year old son, when later asked if he liked it, said simply “What’s not to like?” So there you have it; all age groups give the place thumbs up. Mont Saint-Michel (pronounced “mohn sahn mee shell”) is a thousand [...]

The family and I took a four day trip to New York City recently. I've made several visits there in my life and have always really dug the energy level. I was overdue, and it also felt like it was time to introduce my kids to this uniquely American city. As cities go, New York is indeed the alpha - a city thoroughly energized in so many of the ways a city can be a city, so big and strong, a sort of masculine counterpart to the curves and delicacies of San Francisco. Melody shopped online for a basic yet [...]