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Palm Beach County, Florida
Blog: An American in London - 11 January 2010
Happy (belated) New Year! Unbelievably, I’m on week 3 of 4 in the U.S. I feel I’ve taken every plane, train and automobile on the East Coast by now, and I’ll be spending this week in Boston before returning to London, where I hear there’s lots of snow. Because there’s definitely no shortage of [...]
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Our Family Travel in 2009
Blog: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog - 1 January 2010
As we say good bye to 2009 and give a warm welcome to 2010, I can’t help but look back at our family adventures that we have done through out the year.
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Scouting Disney World
Blog: Scouting NY - 23 December 2009
This photo is driving me bonkers – what intersection is this? I’ve lived near madison square park for 4 years and i have never seen this view. Where is this? If this was the intersection of 23rd and b’way where is the plethora of cars? Well, most people realized pretty quickly that my last post was [...]
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Peacocks Take Center Stage in Coconut Grove, Miami
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 23 December 2009
It all began with “CowParade,” a public art display of giant fiberglass cows hosted by the City of Zurich, Switzerland in 1998. Decorated by local artists and then displayed all over the city, the sculptures were ultimately auctioned off to benefit charity. The event was so successful and well-received that it became the impetus for [...]
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Playing On Florida’s Gulf Coast With Babies & Young Children: Clearwater Beach
Blog: Have Baby Will Travel - 22 December 2009
He was out jumping waves about 20 feet from shore when I saw the grey fin pop up from the water. The fin popped up and I froze for what felt like an eternity but in reality was probably only half a second. I tried to scream but only a squeak came out. I was [...]
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Eye Candy Aside, Miami Beach Bears Little Resemblance to CSI Miami
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 10 December 2009
Most of the time I arrive at a destination without preconceived notions, but Miami Beach was steeped in expectation. Thanks to the popular TV show, CSI Miami, I imagined exquisitely preserved art deco architecture, tropical weather, oiled body-builders with rippling muscles, exuberant Latin culture, and colors vivid enough to make your eyeballs hurt. It was [...]
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Can You Enjoy Walt Disney World When You Hate Theme Parks?
Blog: Have Baby Will Travel - 8 December 2009
Ummmm – the answer is yes. It’s been over a year since our visit there, but I was inspired to write this because a friend and fellow Disney-skeptic is anticipating her first visit to Walt Disney World with her two young children. I usually can’t stand places that are geared specifically toward “family fun”. I [...]
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Playing On Florida’s Gulf Coast With Babies & Young Children: Madeira Beach
Blog: Have Baby Will Travel - 7 December 2009
As a kid, I went to Florida quite a few times with my parents, and then again once they split with both my mom and my dad. We always stayed in little beach motels or in rented condos on the Gulf Coast. I have such fond memories of the beach and the sun – those [...]
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The House That Bowling Balls Built
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 22 November 2009
Everywhere I went in the small village of Safety Harbor, Florida, people told me the same thing: “You have to see the bowling ball house.” It was easy to find, but even without directions it would have been hard to miss the pyramid of 200 bowling balls stacked on the front lawn. Fascinated, I walked [...]
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Punta Gorda – Florida’s Gulf Coast Painted Lady
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 14 November 2009
When Dr. Robert Andrews first proposed that a series of historically accurate, educational murals be painted on downtown buildings in Punta Gorda, Florida, some residents opposed the idea, insisting the murals would be nothing more than “graffiti.” Business leaders, on the other hand, loved the idea. They formed the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society (PGHMS) [...]
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Lady in Miami
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
For as much of the world as I've seen in my life, I'm embarrassed to admit that there are some major American cities that I've never been to. From Nashville to New Orleans, Austin to Anchorage, my experience with U.S. cities is wholly inferior to that of my experience with European ones.
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Seeing Double at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 7 November 2009
Although I don’t pretend to understand the surreal images of distorted females and melting clocks that pervade the art of Salvador Dali, his work had always intrigued me. I simply assumed the symbolism was an unknowable product of a demented mind. So I was surprised when the docent at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. [...]
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Peace River Wildlife Center – Rescuing Animals and Educating Humans
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 3 November 2009
When John Audubon first visited the Punta Gorda area on Florida's Gulf coast in the early 19th century, he wrote that wading birds were so numerous that thousands flying overhead transformed daylight into darkness. Yet less than 100 years later the profligate population had been decimated. In small part, the ...
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Orlando With Kids: Disney’s Animal Kingdom – The Condense Version
Blog: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog - 30 October 2009
This past Summer, we took our quick vacation to one of our family favorite spots – Walt Disney World. We have been there countless times and yet still enjoy it every time we visit. We have been there since before we have kids. I know.. It must be something they put in the water or [...]Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment!
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Florida’s Babcock Wilderness Proves Man and Nature Can Live in Harmony
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 17 October 2009
Trinkets and souvenirs rarely interest me when I travel, but I find it almost impossible to pass by a farm stand selling local honey. Each of the half dozen varieties lining my kitchen shelves has a particular use: a thick, full-bodied Blackberry honey from the Virginia hills is best drizzled ...
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Beauty, Beasts, and Bells in Central Florida
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 13 October 2009
I was so mesmerized by the carillon bells that I did not notice the snake. In suffocating heat, I stood motionless at the edge of a long pond that reflected a mirror image of Bok Tower, thrilled by the ethereal music. Fading as quickly as the concert's final note, I ...
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Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, Florida Takes The Adage “One Man’s Junk Is Another Man’s Treasure” To A New Level
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 6 October 2009
Just six of the 720 parking spaces were occupied when I pulled into the lot of Muscle Car City. I surveyed the squat building before me. Despite a fancy black and white checkerboard paint job, it still looked every inch a converted Wal-Mart. Inside the only sound was a hushed ...
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Living Beneath the Herbert Hoover Dike at Lake Okeechobee
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 26 September 2009
With growing anticipation I approached the town of Moore Haven in central Florida, where I expected to catch my first glimpse of Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake lying completely within the United States. I negotiated a long curve into town, watching for the lake to emerge on my ...
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Sarasota’s Lovely Bayfront Park
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 15 September 2009
I've lived in downtown Sarasota for nearly three years and thought I'd seen everything the city center had to offer until the other day, when I took a walk along Sarasota Bay. Just two blocks from the heart of downtown I discovered an arched entryway leading to Bayfront Park, a ...
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Orlando With Kids: Just Imagine if We Are in Legoland
Blog: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog - 21 August 2009
This Summer we went to Orlando for a quick getaway and met up with great friends. One of our visit was our favorite store in Downtown Disney – The Lego Store. Mr. Z has become such a big fan of Lego ever since he learned to master the Wii controller and play Lego Star Wars. We spent [...]Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment!
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Weekend Escape from Atlanta – Destin, FL
Blog: Atlanta With Kid - 31 July 2009
Destin might not be close enough for a weekend trip but it’s definitely within a driving distance for a long weekend. We had such a great time when we went there, it became one of our most memorable vacation for our family. City: Destin, FL Distance: 333 miles Est. Driving Time: 6 hours To-Do: - Enjoy lazy day on the [...]Thanks for reading my feed.
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USS Vandenburg Sunk Off Key West For Artificial Reef
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 21 July 2009
In early May I wrote about plans to scuttle the USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a WWII troop carrier and Cold War era spy ship, seven miles off the coast of Key West in order to create the world's second largest artificial reef for divers. The sinking occurred on May ...
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Sarasota’s Mable and John Ringling Museum – An Unlikely Melding of Fine Art and Circus Memorabilia
Blog: Hole In The Donut - 19 July 2009
In the world of museums it would seem unlikely if not downright preposterous to find circus artifacts mingled with fine art, yet that is precisely what visitors find at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. With a name like Ringling, the circus connection is not ...
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Five Family Favorites at Downtown Disney Market
Blog: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog - 6 July 2009
When you tell anyone you are going to Orlando, they automatically assume that you will spend your entire vacation in the Theme Parks. Who can blame them when there are more theme parks than you can visit in one week in Orlando. However, we have been to Orlando countless times and I start to feel [...]Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment!
