The Utica Public Library, Utica, NY

We love the Utica Public Library. I don’t go as often as I’d like (I just hate city traffic), so when we do visit, it’s a real treat. The Utica Public Library just oozes history and gorgeous architecture. HOW on earth did they make such beautiful, enormous buildings 100+ years ago?! And why did they [...]

Little Trip to Utica, NY

Snowstorm or no, we decided to brave the elements and drive to the small city of Utica today. It’s unbelievable that just two days ago temperatures were near 60 degrees F, with all our snow gone. And then today, 5 inches of wintry, cold snow and inclement weather. Driving into the city was sloppy and [...]

A Terrific Travel Accessory

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred, the popular speech-recognition software, is on sale right now. I have seen from the first video above, showing how Dragon Naturally Speaking can transcribe your recordings from a portable voice recorder. This is amazing! In the past, I have always taken notes when we traveled (and I sometimes couldn’t read my [...]

The I Love NY Film Winners

The official tourism website of New York State, I Love NY, has announced the winners of the Short Film Contest. Here’s the video that won first place for the Western Region, by Ben Porcari of Buffalo, NY. He did a fabulous job highlighting the variety of things to do in New York State. (And thank [...]

Activated Charcoal for Traveler’s Bug?

I’d read in a recent news story about activated charcoal helping to cure the stomach bug. A person commented that he never travels without the charcoal tablets, as they act as a remedy for the “traveler’s bug” (also known as “Montezuma’s Revenge” and the “Guat Squats” for people traveling in South and Central America). Has [...]

It Was Only 53 Years Ago!

I saw this somewhere and just have to pass it along, for posterity’s sake! ‘I never thought I’d see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.’ ‘It’s too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to [...]

Great Places: Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY

In 2004, before I started my travel blogging, we visited the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY. The Schuyler Mansion is a historic house, right in the heart of Albany, NY, and was once the home of General Philip Schuyler. You don’t hear too much about Philip Schuyler in American history, but he was a very [...]