Laurie's light travel travel tips

Jersey City may not sound like a romantic getaway or even a fun jaunt with your bestie, but I've included it for a reason: it's New York without the high price tag. Just jump on a PATH train ($2.75), and you're in JC. Farmers' markets, Starbucks, a mall, and handsome young commuters - what's not to like? If you want to visit Manhattan or even Brooklyn, hotels and motels can eat up your entire travel budget. But in Jersey City, you can stay at a couple of reasonably priced places, grab a bagel and cappuccino at a number of friendly (much more down-to-earth than TriBeca or the Village) cafes, and watch the world go by. Here is my list of five to-do's in Jersey City: 1. Liberty Park : it's the only place in New Jersey where one can catch a ferry to either Liberty Island (where the Statue of Liberty is) or Ellis Island (where your ancestral records may lie). With the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop, Liberty State Park is one of the prettiest in the Garden S

Milford, Connecticut has been home for most of the past decade and change, minus a short stint in nearby New Haven and four years in neighboring West Haven. Like Playdough, Shawn Cassidy and crunching leaves under my sneakers, it makes me smile. I've been away for a few weeks, and this makes me miss Milford all the more. Just an hour and a half by train or a little over an hour by car from New York, it's amazing how quiet and serene the town is. Believe it or not, some people I've met in Milford haven't even been to New York City in years. But others of us go all the time, some people even commuting into Manhattan for jobs. Though it's more popular for people in Milford to work locally or no farther than New Haven to the north or Stamford to the south. In 2014 Milford celebrated a pretty big birthday: its 375th . Yes, that may sound old to you, but I assure you Milford still has quite the body (of water) and keeps up on all the latest trends (Archie Moore'

By June of 2001, I'd lost my telecommuting reporting job because the company filed for bankruptcy. However, prior to then, I'd been groomed to advance with them and interview for a regular job. This was a New York-based "dot com" as they were called, and I was living in Ventura. After news of the bankruptcy late that March, I had the opportunity to change my plans and not visit New York. After all, there was no job to interview for, and I'd be better off staying put in my one bedroom just a mile from the beach. What wasn't to like? Tanned, relaxed, meeting deadlines remotely. Life was sweet. But I wanted more. "You should stay in California ," my producer Matt said. "It's a much easier lifestyle." Turns out, Matt was right. But I wouldn't change what happened in my life for anything in the world. And what happened was I left Ventura June 3, 2001, my cat Wendell and a Nissan Sentra's worth of possessions in tow. I honked and

Stonington, Connecticut, in New London County just ten minutes north of the more touristed Mystic , is a kind of proverbial Throwback Thursday if one is "throwing back" all the way to pre-Colonial days. Whether you're looking at the Native Americans who settled the area or the English founders who battled to build here, it's ripe with history. Several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places dot the landscape, including the Stanton Davis House , the oldest house in town. It was built by Thomas Stanton, one of Stonington's founders, beginning in 1670 (see below). Overall, the town's architecture is so historic and charming you'll feel as if Sandra Bullock as an 18th century maiden will come skipping out from behind an old fashioned diner or soda shoppe. Other things in town include: 1) Watching the sun set from the Point at the end of Water Street. 2) Heading out to DuBois Beach at the end of the Peninsula. Don't be deterred by a wint

When I was 27 I shared a house in a town called Fairfax, California, tucked so far into the woods in Marin County that I never really even knew where it was till I went to look at it. I'd grown up in the Bay Area , but Fairfax had never been on my radar. Near this quaint, Goldilocksesque town is the bike-friendly San Anselmo. I'd ride my bike there at least each weekend to go have a latte and peruse adorable stores. Tucked in the heart of Marin, you're apt to find a celeb or two around here -- purportedly, the late Robin Williams would frequent a bike store in town -- as well as super toned and environmentally friendly upscale locals. Warning: this town is really white. The latest census shows that more than 90 percent of the town is Caucasian, but as long as you can hang with that, know that Californians are some of the most open-minded people in the U.S. Whether you're gay, Latino, bi, Thai, pierced, handicapped, or just socially awkward, never fear: roll on into Sa

Cheyenne, Wyoming is right off Interstate 80 on one's way to New York from California. I say this because that was my perspective, that it was merely a pit stop for me and my then cat, Wendell, to enjoy a bit of viddles and much-needed respite. What I found over 24 hours, though, was a peaceful, expansive, grand vista where few people meet great treasures: an old train depot, rugged red granite mountains, friendly police officers (someone may or may not have been driving too fast but didn't get a ticket), dog-gone good bar-be-que, and a day-long trip to Yellowstone. If you like cowboys more than you like Wall Street stockbrokers, and a restful night's sleep more than nightclubs and amusement parks, Wyoming is for you. It is the least populated per square mile state in the Union. I know because the state proudly displays signs in town that attest to it. Here are some Cheyenne activities: 1. Frontier Days : without a doubt, a Cheyenne signature attraction. This July come

I spent my 46th birthday in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a place I'd been longing to visit ever since discovering my first American ancestor had arrived there in the early 1600's. And while there, I was treated to several reminders my family had settled there including a Norman Street (my ancestor was Captain Richard Norman). But just as Oakland or Berkeley, California will forever lie in the shadow of San Francisco , Salem grabs the lion's share of attention from Marblehead. After all, they have the witch trials legacy and all those haunted houses and pointy-hatted candies at Halloween. Marblehead is worth a visit, though. Just twenty minutes north of Boston, this quiet, quaint, seaside town is brimming with history. Walk the cobblestoned streets and shop or roam an ancient graveyard and find headstones from the 1600's. Here are my Top Five things to do in Marblehead on your girls' or couples getaway, or even alone as I did: 1. Herreshoff Castle . Though buil

Anyone can visit Paris, LA, New York or San Francisco. But it takes some pluck and imagination to plan a vacation in a place that might not have had a million movies shot there, or where Zagat or Fodor's frequent. In that vein, I am introducing you to ten towns less traveled and hope you'll see what I see in them. First: I've been coming to South Texas and specifically, the seaside city of Corpus Christi, since I was a baby. My grandmother lived in a house in a small town just west of here, and taught me to roam the beaches at "Padre" to cull shells. We'd Elmer Glue them to cigar boxes (not sure where those boxes came from because my Southern Baptist grandma certainly didn't condone smoking!) and create cherished mementos. It's been nearly 30 years since she passed, but when my bare feet hit the sand of these Gulf of Mexico beaches I can still recall that joy. You should visit Corpus if you're looking for a slower pace than Austin or Houston,

One of the things that amuses me about tourists -- and of course, I am one as well -- is that they land at airports, pick up a guide, then follow the points of interest like sheep. Not just sheep, but sleepy, overeating, overdrinking, unimaginative sheep. This is why San Franciscans, Parisians and New Yorkers instinctively bristle at the notion that yet another tourist season is upon them. It shouldn't be like that. You can blend into the scene in these cities, act like a local, dress as if you just stepped out of a class at NYU instead of off the double-decker bus inching through Times Square. It starts with your attitude, and leaving fear back home in Indiana or Peru or wherever you came from. 1. 72nd and Broadway, Upper West Side This reporter lived on 73rd and Broadway from 2004 to 2006 and had a ball. Take the 1, 2 or 3 train from Times Square and get off at 72nd. Head out of the station and grab a hot dog from Gray's Papaya , right there on the corner, if you are