In Search of Spring

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.  ~Robert Orben

Let’s be honest, New York City in mid-March is just plain ugly.  The snow has melted, it’s still cold, and the parks are filled with sticky mud and dead grass. The only highlight might be St. Paddy’s Day, when our city streets are brightened by Emerald Isle green, celebratory shenanigans, and bagpipe music.  But even with this green blip on the radar, it often feels like winter is just dragging on.

But I always love mid-March because it’s one of the few times of year when my husband’s (two) school schedules, and my teaching schedule align into one matched week of vacation, so we try to head off to a mitten-free destination. This year’s Google search went something like this: “cheap Caribbean getaways”, “family friendly resorts, direct flight from New York”, “toddler friendly resorts”, and finally, obsessive Trip Advisor searches including “how big are the closets at  ______ resort?” (we often put my toddler’s crib in the closet at hotels to avoid getting a suite…before you judge, consider how luxuriously dark it is in there!)   But it was a New York Times travel article from 2010 that sealed the deal as we settled on a lesser known area of the Dominican Republic, the Samaná Peninisula, which was also featured in The 45 Places to Go in 2012. Direct flight from JFK, nice beach, small waves, condo style accomodations (no closet sleeping)…Boom.

Can’t wait to hit the sand, snap some pics for fun, and take a timeout from my computer screen.  And when we return, I hope to be greeted by blooming forsythia, early daffodils, and the promise of spring–my favorite season in NYC.  Have a great week everyone!

Above: Surfer Heading In, Santa Theresa, Costa Rica, 2009