Trek the Planet with Kyle

City Park is one of our nations oldest urban parks and it's right in our backyard. At over 150 years old and encompassing 1,300-acres, there is a plethora of space to venture out and explore everything this park has to offer! Whether you want to partake in an athletic activity, play with your dog in the dog park or stroll under ancient oaks there is something for everyone. And best of all, a lot of these activities cost little to no money! Golf - Book your tee time here for the recently opened championship level course Bayou Oaks at City Park South or the more affordable option Bayou Oaks at City Park North ($12-$119) The brand new Bayou Oaks at City Park South course Tennis - Come test your stroke out of one of 26 lighted courts (16 hard; 10 clay) at the City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. Book a private lesson and classes available for all ages. Call the clubhouse more info @ 504-483-9383. ($12-$15/hr to rent a court) Botanical Garden - Opened in 1936, the garden today

There are quite a few day trips you can take if you're based in Rome on vacation. You can head south to Naples, Pompeii (Mt. Vesuvius) or the Amalfi coast. You'll want to spend more than a day around the mountainside/seaside towns along the Amalfi coast though. Save a few days to explore this stunningly beautiful part of Italy. If you head east, you can visit Tivoli where you'll see two famous villas. Villa Adriana is the former emperor Hadrian's huge estate during the 2nd Century and Villa d'este, the Renaissance era estate with lavish gardens. Head north and you can check out the city of Florence or Pisa which also falls into the basket of 'you should stay a few days here.' But a gem halfway to Florence and a perfect day trip in Tuscany lies the quaint town of Orvieto. Orvieto funicular via Orvietoviva.com A popular destination only about 75 miles north of Rome lies this beautiful, serene hilltop town (It actually sits on a large, flat butte of v

It's been a long, long layover since my last post (over three years!), so I figured my trip to Rome was a good place to jump back into travel writing and hopefully post more frequently about some beautiful destinations around the world... There's always a nervousness that comes over me as the plane begins its decent, and I see the land of a new country coming more into focus. I worry about the language barrier, how we are going to get to the hotel or wherever it is we're trying to go or a hundred other minute details while still sitting on the plane looking out onto the land of a foreign nation. But that nervousness quickly turns into excitement at the endless possibilities of what this trip will be and all the wonderful things we'll see, eat and do. Colosseum Recently, a couple of buddies and I made our way to Rome, Italy to explore the sights and to see ancient history intertwined with modern day living. I tried to learn some basic Italian words leading up to