Margaret L

Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles has a loop that is about 1 mile around. It’s a pretty busy park, that has ducks and geese everywhere. Beautiful lotus blossoms and iris flowers in the lake. Generally flat and one tiny incline that can easily be avoided. You can also rent swan paddleboats that light up at night. There is the chain link fence that now encloses the park, surrounding the lake, which s...

One of the hidden gems of the neighborhood, a beloved local named Esther Aagaard Tapebland walked these steps everyday, for 50 years in Silver Lake. Fountain Ave becomes Landa St. Park on Griffith Park Ave and hike your way up the steep driveway. Amazing views of Hollywood, the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory from here. The steps are shady, so it will be a welcome when the days are hot.

Tivoli Garden's park opened on 15 August, 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world,

Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas, California provides high quality, freshly picked organic produce with a pay-what-you-can pricing model. If you can afford to, pay their asking price, especially when you consider in return they allow people in need to buy for less than normal market prices. Best place for organic, regenerative, vegetables. What an mazing foundation and awesome farm, that serves ...

If you're looking to hang out in downtown Dartmouth in green space with a view and no hills, Ferry Terminal Park is the spot! The locals say the best view of Halifax can be seen from there. A great farmers market in the terminal and a nice playground park for kids to explore and play. Great spot for a family walk with amazing views of Halifax. The playground is small but the ground is nice and...

The Salt Marsh Trail is absolutely one of our favourites in the Cole Harbour/Lawrencetown region of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. The trail is a former railway line, now converted to a level, fine gravel trail which is part of the rails to trails system. We biked the trail in the Fall and the leaves were bursting with color! It’s a wonderful trail that starts off in the forest and then opens up...

Table Mountain Campground is a hilly campground that offers ADA-accessible sites, pit toilets, fire rings, picnic tables, BB! grill, water, and parking spaces for a two-car limit. Rules are strictly enforced, which is great, so we can enjoy nature and not someone’s party/music. Book your campground reservations here. 

What was once a vacant and deteriorated site, Franklin-Ivar Park was rehabilitated and turned into a small neighborhood park in a densely-populated area in Hollywood. More like a parklette, Franklin-Ivar Park returns some of the native habitats that once thrived in this area on the slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park features a variety of California native plants, a small outdoor am...

A quiet little beach front, with a raised boardwalk and beautiful views all around. A great place to walk the dog or take small children. Amazing sunsets and A+ for bird watching. Excellent spot to launch a kayak, canoe, or SUP. But watch the tides before you do. The water is usually glassy when it's not windy. Ample parking off of 1st Street. Cute local restaurants to dine at nearby to boot.

A historic farmstead, The McPolin Farmstead is north of Park City, Utah. A fun place to visit with the family. It has buildings constructed c.1921 and later, including a large dairy barn. The lovely trail, named after the farm is nearby to walk along.

Fort Needham by far my favorite park in Halifax. We stumbled upon it completely by accident and was pleasantly surprised to find that the entire park was a memorial and is beautifully done. The landscaping has been designed to tell the story of the Halifax explosion. A must for history buffs. Incredible green space in the city overlooking the harbor where 2 ships collided on December 6, 1917. D...

In 2009, the people that lived in the neighborhood, close to the stairs, wanted to find a way to fight the graffiti that was being put on the structures and stairs themselves. Artist Ricardo Mendoza was commissioned to paint a giant mural that would cover most of the concrete walls that surround and are along the steps. The mural is titled "Fluid City Rising" and is still beautiful. Of course, ...

Halifax Public Gardens was first established by the Nova Scotia Horticultural Society in 1836, and grew to its present size and layout in 1875. It was recognized as a National Historic Site in 1984. The gardens are a perfect display of a Victorian garden, carefully laid out and well-tended for public enjoyment. A must see if you're visiting Halifax! Admission and tours are free, and volunteers...

The waterfront structure, Kalvebod Bølge, is an amazing promenade that was designed to be explored. It rises to different levels and stretches out over the water providing a space for a range of activities in and out of the water. Before the Kalvebod Bølge was opened in 2013, this area along Copenhagen's waterfront, used to be predominantly made up of office buildings and businesses. The Kalve...

The stairs are about 147 steps. Located at Fair Oak View Terrace and Edendale Place in the Silver Lake, a district of Los Angeles. They are famous for where the Three Stooges short "An Ache In Every Stake" was filmed in 1941. It is a classic scene of where they have to deliver a block of ice all the way to the top of the stairs and with the stairs being so long, the block melts into a cube.

A kid’s park of all parks! Talk about a poster child of parks! The US could take a lesson! A special beautiful spot, with plenty to do for kids small and big kids like us. Plenty of grassy and shaded spaces, far away from roads, and wonderful gardens to explore in.  This is definitely one of the very few parks where you see the parents and children can play together on the different kinds of s...

Elephant Seal Vista Point is a favorite place to see the elephant seals. If you’re in the area and have the opportunity, it's a must see. During the Spring, the adult elephant seals and the baby seals are out. Nearby are easy, clearly marked, walking paths, along the cliffs edge. Dogs are not allowed on the paths.

One of my favorite parks in Toronto, Berczy Park boasts the most amazing water fountain you’ll ever see in your life. It is purely dedicated to the love of dogs with a token and symbolic gesture, to our other beloved family pet, the cat. Let’s see if you can find them! Berczy Park is named after William Berczy, a German-born architect, surveyor, and writer often considered a co-founder of mode...

Beautiful set of cabins, designed and built by the owner, Ton. Originally from the Netherlands, super nice and happy to share local hikes and adventures. Cabins are affordable and come with your own “comfort station”: a separate building, with your own toilet, sink, and shower. Book your cabin here! 

Nibley Park is a small and secluded park with lots of trees and green area. There are a number of picnic tables and a restroom, that is ADA compliant. The playground is small but two separate play areas that are marked for their specific ages for young kids to have fun. There is also a half court basketball area and two tennis courts. I went on a weekday and there were a number of people enjoyi...

Great find! Close to Buttermilks and town. Clean vault toilets but bring your own water. The time we went there the pumps were not working. Each site has fire rings, picnic tables and latern hooks. It can get pretty windy and exposed, so bring the appropriate gear. The campground has 49 tent/RV campsites with 4 pull-through parking spaces. There are no hookups, but there are potable water pump...

The steps are a series of stairways you will find throughout Silver Lake and neighboring areas. They facilitated people from the neighborhood in getting to the “red” streetcars, that used to run throughout the city. Cool relics of a mostly-forgotten past. These particular steps take you down from Descanso Street.

The “Piano Stairs” is a stair mural in Silver Lake neighborhood section of LA. Not to be confused with the “Music Box” staircase that is close by. These 90 steps were painted to look like the piano keyboard by the artist Carrey. Great for a cardio workout and not as creepy as some of the stairs have become. Close to local eats so a good excuse to get a short workout in before.

Climb a historical landmark in LA. This is where the famous, Academy Award winning short, Laurel and Hardy made called "The Music Box”. Filmed back in the 1930's the story is about two movers trying to deliver a piano, up these steps. There is a plaque is dedicated at the bottom to this film. It’s faded but you can still see images of their faces. If you happen to get stuck on the upper level,...