I've mentioned Magic Forest previously on my blog, but after just spending another afternoon there, I decided it deserves its own entry.
Full of scary fiberglass sculptures, petting zoos, rides, a diving horse, and a crooked house – it is magical indeed! One of my most favorite places to go. Make sure to take the stinky safari ride with some of the wildest scenery and crazy sculptures you have ever seen. An absolute must must must!
One of the most lovely and huge (nearly 1000 acres) parks I have had the pleasure of wandering. The totems are a major awesome spot. There are also dozens of gardens and blossoming trees. Perfect for photo ops.
In Junior High, “Southwest Trip” was about the coolest thing to ever happen and Santa Fe was the hottest destination on the itinerary. Santa Fe is pleasant and a great stop on any road trip.
I recommend the Coyote Cafe's La Cantina for food and of course anything turquoise as a souvenir.
A brief drive from the city. Fresh air, long peaceful walks up winding paths with brightly colored trees, exquisite headstones, this is one beautiful cemetery. See the grave of Washington Irving, the Van Tassels, and the Rockefellers. The headless horseman's bridge is across the street.
While Wildwoods has become a bit trashier that it was in it's 1950's heyday, Jim and I enjoyed our second anniversary at the Holly Beach B&B which boasts one of the biggest jacuzzi tubs I have ever seen let alone been in.
We enjoyed local seafood and hoagies, long walks along the soft sandy beaches and a quick drive down to the quaint gingerbread house lined streets of Wildwoods “got her life together and thinks she so great' older sister city Cape May.
I have visited Chicago three times, and each hold magical memories for me. As a child my family and I stayed in a loft apartment while my sister was getting a modeling portfolio together and we experienced the awesome and amazing “Taste of Chicago” – an event I am determined to go to again. The other times were in my late teens. I rekindled friendships, fell in young love twice, got drunk for my first time in a jazz bar downtown, watched the sunrise, and generally felt that the world was open to me and that I was older and more alive than I had ever been. Sigh.
I visited The Silky Oaks Lodge with my family when I was in eighth grade and have never been somewhere quite as magical since. Kangaroos come up to your windows, walks in the rainforest are filled with exotic birds and huge snakes, and the accommodations are sumptuous in their austerity.
A quick drive from the city in Tarrytown along the Hudson River, Lyndhurst is an exquisite Gothic Revival style mansion built by former New York City mayor William Paulding. Daily tours by Lydia are quite pleasant. Expansive grounds are nice for strolling. Lyndhurst also served as the location for Dark Shadows.
The northwest is a picturesque and creepy place. I don't know if it's the swaying trees, or the darkness, or the way everyone there seems like they will be ghosts when they die (that one is hard to explain but true), but it makes sense David Lynch and serial killers found the area so inspiring. Doug and I managed to get our company to pay for a trip there a few years ago, so of course we stayed at the Edgewater, a cozy, first-class lodge situated on the piers. Seattle's seafood is excellent and it's a fun city to walk; from hip Fremont to the markets of downtown. And, as I have mentioned in a previous Brix Picks – don't forget a trip to the Glass Museum.
So it is a bit late this year to head down – but you can still make the end of Mardi Gras (Feb. 28). Or you can go for the Tennessee Williams Festival (Mar 30 – Apr 2). I have mixed emotions about New Orleans , there are parts I loved; the architecture, the cemeteries, some of the music, the history, and the beignets – and there are parts I didn't so much love about my visit there last year; the frat boys, the vomit smell, some of the music, and the poverty.
It didn't help that we stayed in a bad hotel in a bad part of town. I would like to go back sometime. There is truly nowhere else quite like it – and besides the city needs you.
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