One of the highlights of last summer for me was finally attending the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, an event that had eluded and intrigued me for years. As my 2014 summer started to shape up, there was one thing I knew for sure: I’d be in Brooklyn on June 21st. After my hastily thrown together costume…

Our Father’s Day reunion weekend in Philly ended with a trip to a classic family activity — a trip to the zoo. And this zoo in particular is a historic destination as well. The Philadelphia Zoo is America’s first, having received a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1859 and opening its gates fifteen years…

Growing up, The Olympics referred not to an international gathering of athletes from around the world, but a gathering of Baackeses from around the East Coast. Once a year, we gathered for the Father’s Day Olympics, an elaborate weekend event involving custom t-shirts, scoreboards and prizes, and games like a egg-in-spoon relays and marshmallow eating contests…

If I was missing the island life after leaving Maui, the sensation didn’t last long. A week after landing back on the East Coast, I was on my way to the new family retreat on Martha’s Vineyard. This was a super exciting weekend for me — I was hosting my two childhood besties Michelle and Kristin…

It doesn’t take long to realize there is something special about Hawaii. I was trying to explain it to a friend recently, to put in to words why my love for these islands runs so deep. Yes, Hawaii has beautiful beaches and lush mountains and fabulous opportunities for adventure, but it has something more. The people…

I heard a light hum and squinted at what appeared to be a large white whale surfacing in the distance. My eyes widened. This was no sea mammal — it was a submarine, and I was about to board. I’m always surprised when non-divers tell me, “I could never do it, I’m too claustrophobic!” To be…