Block Island is flanked by two lovely lighthouses, one to the North and another to the South. The Northern Lighthouse is in Sandy Point and accessible by road, but is a far way to walk from the main port (cars and bikes are easily available to rent).

There is a museum, which was not opened when we went, but the main building is not open to the public, You can get pretty close though along a beautiful New England stretch of beach. Once summer is in full swing, a hot dog stand is parked in the lot.

The Lighthouse to the South is much more dramatic, set above the stunning Mohegan Bluffs. Several points along the cliffs offer amazing photo opportunities of the red brick structure. The building itself is being restored but the grounds and a museum are open for exploring.

See more: Places to Visit Beaches Rhode Island

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 31, 2009

Written by friend, Mike:

Perhaps its from my recent trip to Venice and my obsession with one craftsman's marionettes there (Roberto Comin), but right now, I'd really like to be in the “house of toone” in Belgium, drinking a beer and taking in a puppet show. The place is this really old puppet theater/bar (a concept I think is ingenious) in a small alleyway in the heart of Brussels. like many European bars, they also have an awesome cat that just walks around, and an amazing selection of beer. I was gonna paste a wikipedia link to it, but I just noticed the only one anyone has written is in french (fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toone) so i might have to go make the English entry myself.

I should note I took this above photo from a flickr stream of a user's 2008 trip to Belgium. Sadly I only took 3 photos in the place myself when I was there, so I must give credit where credit is due.

See more: Places to Visit Belgium Europe Theater

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 17, 2009

I've recommended several Lake George area attractions, but the region is not terribly well known for excellent cuisine, so I thought I'd help out visitors with a food choice eating selections.

Breakfast is pretty standard fair, but we most enjoy the log cabin and taxidermy setting of the Tamarack Inn. The service is always super friendly and the fried eggs and ham are less greasy than other local spots. Plus I love that you can order some silver dollar pancakes if you really want to fill up on breakfast.

A new local delicacy that was brought to my attention on my latest trip is the dirty john dog. Well, I should say that this pint sized, dry chili encrusted goodness is only new to me. It's been a favorite in the area for over fifty years. You'll find the taste sensation at the New Way Lunch diner in Queensbury (there's also an original location in a seedy part of Glens Falls). where the only tune on the juke box is Kim Carnes' Betty Davis Eyes and the staff is made up of very polite teenagers.

On the way to dirty johns, you'll pass through the outlets, which I would like to note houses an Oshkosh B'gosh. Stop in, my fall stuff is just hitting the stores and it's downright adorable. And while we're on the subject of shopping, I'd also like to recommend Fawn Ridge Pottery. I've never been to the actual show room, but I have a hand thrown wedding gift pitcher that I adore.

On the opposite spectrum from the ultra cheap ($1) hot dogs, lies the hoighty toighty Friends Lake Inn. Reservations here can be made online at opentable, but are not necessary if you eat like an old person at 6 or so like we do. The meal was pricey and very good, but their foie gras and pineapple flan appetizer and creamy coconut and pineapple sorbet were particularly memorable.

If you want to grill your own food, and of course, it's a must if you're with friends in the outdoors, there's no better spot to get the fixings than Ham's Bacon – or as it is properly and more boringly called Oscar's Smokehouse. Their hot dogs are phenomenal, but they really blew my mind with their smoked trout and salmon, both of which i have been indulging in for dinner for the past week.

See more: Places to Visit Upstate New York

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 3, 2009

After days of heavy shopping for work, we just managed to sneak in a blissful couple of hours at the Annenberg Community Beach House, a public pool that puts most maddening public urban pools to shame. Recommended by nearly every shop owner that wondered why we weren't at the beach on such a lovely sunny day, the spot offers access to both beach and pool and, until 4, snacks (we just missed them).

Originally the home of Marion Davies and William Randolf Hearst (the ditz and the magnate that inspired Citizen Kane), the house is huge, modern and the pool runs the length of it, giving plenty of room for lappers, children, and doddlers like me.

The changing rooms are clean and private and the entire space gleams in that kind of cleanliness that comes from a responsibility and pride that Californians give to their public spaces, a quality I really wish New Yorkers could pick up on.

The long pool is warm, the lounge chairs are comfy and, for a little while, I felt uncharacteristically relaxed, calm, and worry free. Every benefit a nice day outside in a pool has to offer was available ten fold at such a nice facility (well worth the ten dollar admission). Plus: Grace and I got hit on by a couple of teenagers, which was hilarious.

See more: Places to Visit Beaches California Outdoor Activities

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on July 20, 2009

If you take the ferry from Port Judith, you will arrive on the quaint vacation Block Island in Old Harbor, the island's town center where most dining and lodging can be found. We stayed at the Inn at Block Island, a nice Victorian style bed and breakfast, that while completely pleasant was pretty hands off as far as services and breakfast (we had to help an arriving lady in with her luggage and opted to eat out after eating in once.) Still, it was in a nice location and priced fine and?we don't really need a lot of frills, so we were content.

As for eating, there's a lot to choose from in Old Harbor but I'll try to walk you through the highs and lows as I saw them.

On the better side of things you'll find The National Hotel, a classic family ridden hotel bar and restaurant that surprised us with their excellent garlicky clams and tasty pesto salmon sandwich. Clams were also the name of the game at Finn's, a seafood joint close to the dock with unusual weekday hours and a boisterous wood paneled atmosphere. I tried whole fried clams, a rich and decadent dish, there for the first time. For a fancier meal in a doily tea room ambiance, I was impressed with our meal at the Hotel Manisses. Managing to even make lobster bisque?(an often too thick concotion) light and delicious, the focus is on vegetables and herbs from their own garden. Our final A plus meal was the outdoor Old Harbor View Takeout, one of the first places you'll see on embarking. As a major vacation style indulgence, I had a big frozen lemonade and a foot long grilled hot dog for breakfast.

In the middle of the scale sits Ballard's Inn, a very popular seafood spot that offers great seating pretty much right on the beach (pictured). This was an ideal setting to enjoy the few moments of sun we had our first day, along with the Del's vodka drink I mentioned last week. Their oysters were pretty good, lobster roll was average, but the price, like many places on the island was higher than expected or deserved. Three Sisters, only open a few hours a day, was a tiny spot with decent meatloaf sandwiches and cookies that are a nice break from overpriced sit down meals.

Now for the bad… The biggest disappointment was Eli's, a restaurant I had read rave reviews of. While parts of the meal were great: the huge dirty martini and the hard to eat tuna carpaccio nachos, my main dish consisted of undercooked rice, undercooked and nearly cold grilled shrimp and canned black olives. Jim faired only slightly better with a mellow but bland fish of the day. We also had the worst coffee I've ever tasted in my life from Juice N Java. We had to throw our lattes out after only a few sips. A day later, with no other options open to us, we gave them another chance with Chai but had to toss those even earlier. You've been warned.

See more: Places to Visit Rhode Island

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on July 6, 2009