Nowadays the cost of traveling to ‘Far Away’ can be prohibitive for many of us.  We regularly focus on distance when planning our next trip and feel the need to leave home in order to rejuvenate our lives and ourselves.  When we are not ‘on vacation’, we pass through our own city on automatic pilot, ceasing to pay attention to worlds of adventure that are right here at our very fingertips.

I have undertaken an exploration of my adopted city, block-by-block and town-by-town.    Keeping my eyes open as I walk, I have created a series of short voyages, each one organized according to a particular theme or connection that the experience has inspired in me.  Each self-guided trip is organized in three parts:

suggested activities to engage in prior to the trip which will enhance the  experience

the trip itself

post trip associations and ideas for future learning

I am excited to share my experiences with you and hope that these tours inspire you to revisit the world around you with renewed appreciation and enthusiasm. Welcome to your own Backyard!

My name is Alicé and although I am not a native New Yorker, my family moved to Brooklyn Heights when I was a year old.  Childhood memories of the Esplanade and its sweeping view over the city harbor have stayed with me as my family moved on to other homes in other cities and countries.  I moved back to Manhattan in 1985 and over the intervening years have lived in different neighborhoods including Midtown, the Upper West Side, Chelsea, and Astoria.  I finally settled in Rockland County in the Hudson River town of Nyack, sixteen years ago.

I’d love to hear about your own experiences and personal odysseys in and around our city.  Comment on any post, or email me with observations and suggestions.

alice@abackyardodyssey.com