Travels in the 2nd half

    Long before the era of the mega-amusement park with its large crowds and high prices, there were smaller, local parks.If you lived in Brooklyn, Coney Island was where you would go. In Queens, it was Rockaway Playland. But if you grew up in the northern part of New York City, or in Westchester County, Rye Playland still is the place to find the thrills a bumper car or a roller coaster can provide.   Opened in 1928 by the Westchester County Parks Department, its buildings were designed in the Art Deco style of that time. The park covers 280 acres, including a beach and pool for swimming on hot summer days, an 80 acre lake for boating, a large parking lot, and of course an amusement park for children of all ages. The park’s distinct style should be recognizable to anyone who saw the roller coaster scene in Fatal Attraction, or cried as Tom Hanks looked for the Zoltan game, and a return back to childhood, in Big.   Playland is a relatively small amusement park, with ...

  Saint Jerome Monastery No visit to Lisbon would be complete without seeing two of the oldest buildings still standing in the city. While they have served very different purposes, they both have interesting histories.   Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Along the shore of the Tagus River, in the Belém neighborhood, is the former  Mosteiro dos Jerónimos  (Saint Jerome Monastery). The monastery sits on the site of a church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém, where monks were available aid and minister to ships as they departed from or arrived to Lisbon. The monastery was built in the early 1500’s, along with a new church for Santa Maria, near the point of embarkation for Vaasco de Gama’s journey in 1498.   Praça do Imperio Praça do Imperio Monument to the Discoveries The monastery was built in a style called Manuelin e, known for complex sculptural themes. It was designed by Diogo de Boiteca (1460-1527), under order of King Manuel I. Its inner courtyard is lined on both the...