Monday, May 20, 2019

Great hiking spots in the United States that are also family-friendly

If there’s one thing Joseph Cianciotto is extremely proud of, it’s that his wife and daughters love to go on adventures with him. Over the years, the Cianciottos have toured around the country and have explored many enchanting natural reserves that far too many Americans have never seen in their lives. But even with all their past trips, the Cianciottos have more places of their list of future travels.

Image source: wahmresourcesite.com

Here are three of these places.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Down south, in Kentucky, there’s a national park known as the Mammoth Cave. The actual cave is as fun and magical as the name suggests. There’s just so much in this place that captures the imagination, from Crystal Lake to Rainbow Dome, which makes it a place for people of all ages.

Mount Rainier National Park

While they might need to fly out to get to Washington, Joseph Cianciotto believes it’s worth it just to experience the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park. This has to be late summer to early autumn trip though because that’s when the best parts of the park bloom.

Image source: jagdhof.co.at

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Another great place that Joseph Cianciotto doesn’t mind buying a few plane tickets to visit, the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado has been on the top of the Cianciottos’ list for years. While the place is often unforgivingly hot, there’s a lot to be enjoyed such as sand sledding and hiking.

Joseph Cianciotto is a Long Island, NY resident and a digital media native whose creative chops are complemented by a strong business acumen. Read more about him here.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

What to expect from Netflix’ take on The Watchmen

By now, fans of comic book adaptations and superheroes would be aware of the upcoming Netflix reimagining of Alan Moore’s The Watchmen. But what’s interesting is that its creator has gone on record to insist that, unlike the movie some years back, the series is not an outright adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel, explains comic book buff Joseph Cianciotto.

Image source: netflix.com
The hype is certainly present, as this new Watchmen iteration is being developed by Damon Lindelof, the man behind successful TV sagas Lost and The Leftovers. Lindelof explains that the series will take place in the same universe of the graphic novel, but it will present new heroes and storylines and not simply reprise the plot of the original. Nonetheless, Jeremy Irons is starring and playing Adrian Veidt, so we can still connect the series with the novel.

Image source: denofgeek.com
Lindelof has likewise been somewhat ambiguous in his posts about the TV series, saying that he has no desire to “retread nor recreate nor reboot” the twelve issues of Moore and Dave Gibbon’s comic books. In the same breath, he cautions that his series is also not to be interpreted as a sequel. Instead, Lindelof insists that the source material is sacred ground, and while the new story will be set in that world, his version will be more contemporary: it “will resonate with the frequency of Trump and May and Putin."

For now, what’s sure is that the new HBO show is generating both excitement and anticipation, especially with the cable channel’s hugely popular Game of Thrones now in its final season, Joseph Cianciotto adds. In any case, we should expect to see (and judge for ourselves) this intriguing new Watchmen take late this May.

Digital media native Joseph Cianciotto obtained his degree in Visual Communications from Carnegie Mellon. He resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Jen and daughters Hannah and Sophie. Visit this blog for similar posts.

Essential equipment for camp

Joseph Cianciotto has spent quite a number of springs getting his kids ready for summer camp. He still remembers the first time sending them off and getting a call a few days later about how much stuff the kids still needed that weren’t in their bags.

image source: skydivenorthwest.co.uk

Because of this, Joseph Cianciotto has decided to share with new parents the essential equipment for camp. Now, take note, this just doesn’t apply to summer camp. If your kids are scouts, they’re most likely going to have to camp a few times within the school year.

First things first—is the camp going to provide lodging? If not, tents and sleeping bags are a must.

Next up—clothing. This can be confusing for parents who are packing for their kids for the first time. The rule of thumb, though, is to always pack light so it doesn’t take a lot of space in the bag and the kids won’t have a problem carrying the bag.

image source: erasmustravel.org

Then, parents can include basic items with their clothing, such as shorts, flip-flops, underwear (this should be a third more than needed), socks, swim clothes (rash guards and trunks), sleeping clothes (pajamas), and a rain coat or jacket.

Once all the clothing has been included, it’s time to put hats, sunglasses, sunblock, insect repellant spray, disinfectant alcohol, jug with a washable cup, towel (more than one), toothbrush, toothpaste, tissue paper, soap, shampoo, a comb or hairbrush, laundry bag, first-aid kit, and emergency cash. If there’s still space, you can add an umbrella.

Are there things that we missed? Feel free to comment in the comments section below.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native and family man from Long Island, New York. For more articles like this, visit this blog.