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Spend a Night at the New Yorker Hotel for $129

If you take a look at our December newsletter, you’ll quickly realize that we love Manhattan this time of year. Well, now we have an even better reason. Through Thursday on Groupon, the art deco New Yorker Hotel is offering a chance to spend the night in Manhattan at $129 a night. Travel dates are good through March. Across from Madison Square Garden, this is a good place to spend the night if you want to head to town to see the red hot New York Knicks. It’s also within easy walking distance to the Broadway theaters. 
 

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Top 5 Travels of 2010, Biking to Giverny, France

I can think of no better way to start 2011 than to look back at my year of travels in 2010 and see which experiences surpassed all expectations. Last July, I took the family to Paris. We climbed up the Eiffel Tower, viewed the monumental works of art at the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Pompidou museums, shopped in the Marais, celebrated my brother’s birthday with a lavish spread at a friend’s home in the 16th arrondissement, and toured an overlooked museum devoted to French innovation, Musee des Arts et Metiers. The highlight for me, however, was our one day away from Paris on a bike tour to Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. Run by Fat Tire Bike Tours, we took a short train ride to the village of Vernon. As soon as we arrived, we were handed our bikes and visited an outdoor market to stock up on creamy Reblochon cheese, tasty Rosette de Lyon sausage, and hot-out-of-the-oven baguettes from the nearby boulangerie. We had our picnic lunch in a park overlooking swans swimming in the Seine, and then headed out on a bike trail that connects Vernon with Giverny. We entered the picturesque hamlet and were soon walking over that Japanese bridge seen in many of Monet’s works. The whole trip took about 8 hours and cost 65 Euros per biker, a perfect day trip for our family of four.
 

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Modernism Comes to the Portland Museum of Art This Summer

William S. Paley (1901–1990), the media titan who built the CBS broadcasting empire, amassed an extraordinary collection of modern art. He also became the catalytic force behind The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which opened in 1929. When he died, he donated his entire collection to MoMA. Now MoMA is sharing 62 of those treasures with other art museums. The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, will be on view May 2 through September 8, 2013, at the Portland Museum of Art. Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti, and Francis Bacon, are among the 24 artists whose paintings, sculpture, and works on paper will grace the walls. The Portland Museum of Art is the only New England venue for this blockbuster show, which will then move on to Quebec City. 

 
Talking about Quebec City, I’ll be reporting live from the biggest Winter Carnival in the world next week, before traveling to Baie-Saint-Paul and Le Massif ski resort. So please return often! 
 

A Millennium-Old Castle Now a Resort in Umbria, Italy

Millennium-Old Resort in Umbria, ItalyWhen a castle dating from 1050 transforms into a magical 36-room hotel in the Umbrian hillside, it gets our stamp of approval. The ancient farmhouses that dot the 3,700 acres of pastoral countryside at Reschio have already been transformed into luxurious private homes by three generations of the Bolza family. But by the end of April 2021, the property’s crown jewel, Castello di Reschio, will finally debut. Glass-enclosed lounges and hidden libraries are all part of the upscale mystique of this estate. An added plus is the onsite Equestrian Center. Interested in traveling to Italy in 2021? Let ActiveTravels design an exciting route using our fantastic contacts in the country.

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Walking the Mariposa Grove Trail, Yosemite National Park

Many of our clients are planning trips to America’s national parks this spring, summer, and fall. So I thought it would be a good time to discuss my 5 favorite hikes in America’s national parks this week. First up, Yosemite. To truly feel small in the natural world, all you have to do is take the 2-mile trek to Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove and stand next to the 200-foot high sequoias. These immense trees and their shaggy orange bark are only a part of Yosemite’s striking and varied landscape. All of Yosemite is a marvel to look at, from the sheer granite cliffs and domes, including the legendary El Cap, to the colorful wildflowers that fill Tuolumne Meadows. No wonder the great photographer, Ansel Adams, made Yosemite his most famous subject. After the walk to Mariposa Grove, stroll onward to Wawona and its many swimming holes, perfect for a dip in summer.
 

The Wilburton Now Offering Exclusive Vacation Home Buyouts

The Wilburton in Manchester, VermontLast time I stayed at the Wilburton Inn, I tried belly dancing, sang children’s songs in a big singalong, and learned about the history of conflict resolution from ancient Greek times to the present. No, Manchester, Vermont’s Wilburton Inn is not your typical New England inn. Come here for a stay and you leave as part of the multi-talented Levis family, who have now been running this mansion in the mountains a mind-boggling 33 years!

The bucolic 30-acre destination resort recently rebranded as The Wilburton and is now featuring eight vacation homes to accommodate groups of 6-100 for buyouts, weddings and reunions. The Battenkill Valley Mansion, located on its own private five-acre estate just half a mile from The Wilburton, is a sprawling 15-bedroom mansion ideal for groups of up to 34 guests. It was built as a wedding present for the daughter of the Chicago railroad tycoon who built The Wilburton. Additional vacation homes on the property include the eight-bedroom Reunion House, three six-bedroom homes (Equinox Views Villa, Strawberry Hill Villa and Green Mountain House) and the two-bedroom Innkeepers Cottage. All vacation homes feature fully appointed kitchens, dining rooms, fire pits and washer-dryers, making them ideal for summer and foliage Vermont getaways.

Additionally, now that Vermont is welcoming vaccinated travelers, the resort is offering a special Vaxication Special. Now through June, if you show your vaccination card, the third night is on the house. Lastly, be on the lookout for a special Bridgerton-themed event July 16-19. There will be a formal lawn party with Regency dances, a breakfast hosted by Lady Wilburton (the American cousin of the mysterious Lady Whistledown) a garden tour and promenade, and costume contest. Ooh la la!

Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll check availability and happily introduce you to the welcoming Levis family and their adorable canine concierge, Jetson.

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Biking the Emerald Necklace to View the Fog Sculptures

I’ve always visited one Emerald Necklace park at a time, say a stroll around Jamaica Pond or through the century-old maples and gardens at Arnold Arboretum. And that’s pretty much how the great landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, intended-to treat each one of his verdant urban oases as a jewel. But when the Emerald Necklace Conservatory decided to display five works of Japanese fog artist Fujiko Nakaya across all their green spaces, I decided it was time to connect the dots and bike most of the seven-mile long stretch from Olmsted Park to Franklin Park. On display until October 31st in Boston, "Fog x FLO" is a unique treat, where fog is spewed out of nozzles at specific times to create a hazy display through the woods or on the water. 

 
We parked at Willow Pond at Olmsted Park and biked along a trail to Leverett Pond, just in time to see the fog rolling out on the water, reflecting the clouds above. That whet our appetite for the rest. We retraced our steps past Willow Pond and up to Jamaica Pond to eye the next fog display on the beach. Stick to the sidewalks and bike lanes to reach Arnold Arboretum, the only real tricky part of the bike ride. It’s worth the effort to view "Fog on the Hill," an 8-minute spray of immense fog that goes off on the hour. We watched as the fog rolled down the hillside, splintered with sunshine. Then we were off to our final stop, Franklin Park, on newly paved bike trails and a bike lane the entire way. Here the fog spews out into the ruins of a building Olmsted originally designed the structure as a field house to use as a changing room or view the sports on the adjacent fields. A mile later, I was downing a Santa Fe Salad at The Dogwood, across from the massive Forest Hills T Station. My reward for all the biking. A wonderful outing, especially on a Sunday! 
 

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