An Insider’s Guide to Rock Creek Park: The Largest and Oldest Urban Park in America

First Published on RootsRated.com You don’t need to venture far from DC proper to escape the urban environs and instantly become absorbed with nature. If you want to stay within the city limits, you can hit up Rock Creek Park, a 32-mile trail system weaving its way through the woods of Washington and on to Montgomery County, […]

Pablo Neruda’s House in Santiago, Chile

On the way to Easter Island I stopped off in Santiago, Chile, and happily found my way to the eccentric house of artful poet great, Pablo Neruda. He has three homes in and near the Chilean capital. I got lost inside his home, now a museum, in Santiago. It is a series of houses actually–each dedicated to […]

‘Die Slowly’ by Pablo Neruda

I just don’t want to lose the enchanted as it finds its way to me so I am going to start archiving beautiful writing on this site…    Die Slowly   He who becomes the slave of habit, who follows the same routes every day, who never changes pace, who does not risk and change the […]

‘A Clear Midnight’ by Walt Whitman

A Clear Midnight by Walt Whitman THIS is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless, Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done, Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the themes thou lovest best. Night, sleep, death and the stars.

National Geographic Photographer, Jeff Mauritzen, Divulges Best Spots for Photos in DC

First Published on RootsRated.com Walking around Washington at any time of year, you will find no lack of cameras, tripods, and smartphones all vying to capture the experience of the nation’s capitol through a lens. Whether you’re a professional photographer or social shutterbug, everyone is looking for that one great picture, the perfect light in the perfect […]

DC’s Best Day Hike: Billy Goat Trail

Published First on RootsRated.com The Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls is easily one of the best nature hikes near DC. It’s especially worthwhile if you’re looking to get a half-day dose of the outdoors and some exercise without the commitment of driving too far outside of DC, northern Virginia, or southern Maryland. There are three main trails—A, […]

8 Awesome Green Spaces Within DC City Limits

First Published on RootsRated.com Living the city life doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to forgo outdoor green space—it may even make you crave it more. But, when you live in the city, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of everyday life, skyscrapers, and pavement, pavement, and more pavement, it can sometimes be easy to let slip from […]

Beach Camping on Maryland’s Assateague Island

First Published on RootsRated.com It almost sounds mythical—wild horses, campsites just steps from the shore, permission to build fires inside the perimeters of a U.S. National Park—but on Maryland’s Assateague Island, this is just what you’ll find. It’s easy to fall in love with this island. Who wouldn’t bask in the joy of building a post-dinner bonfire […]

Where to Stand Up Paddle in the District

First Published on RootRated.com Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is one of the newest water sports to gain favor in the United States. In a relatively short amount of time, it has joined the ranks of kayaking in terms of popularity for inland and coastal water sport. You can’t look at a body of water in the […]