New York Archives - Planet Whitley

Why leaf-peeping is not just for old people

Driving through New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, the joy of autumn colours reveals itself. What is leaf-peeping? Up until I actually tried it, I’d treated the concept of “leaf-peeping” with utter contempt. For the uninitiated, the general concept works as follows: You drive…

Boston, driving, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, USA

Selecting a bat at the Wood Bat Factory batting cages in Cooperstown, New York.

How much does a baseball hurt when it hits you?

In Cooperstown, New York, a quest to get into baseball ends up being beaten up in the Wood Bat Factory’s batting cage. Getting hit by a baseball Yeeeeeouch. It seems that baseball isn’t quite for complete wusses after all. The fastball crunches into my finger…

baseball, New York, sport, USA

The invention of baseball – and the Abner Doubleday myth

Desperately trying to get some kind of understanding of baseball, David Whitley heads to Boston’s Fenway Park and Cooperstown, where the game was supposedly invented. Hunched over the bar, faintly jet-lagged, the statistics blizzard fired past. I had, I quickly realised, no idea what any…

baseball, Boston, Massachusetts, museums, New York, sport, USA

Why Ellis Island Deserves More Time Than the Statue of Liberty

Most visitors allocate more time to the Statue of Liberty than Ellis Island. And they shouldn’t. Statue of Liberty boat trips The Statue of Liberty is justifiably one of the great international symbols of New York City – and, indeed, the United States of America.…

New York, New York City, USA