· Amtrak launched a new website with packages dedicated to train travel to various national parks around the country. [AmtraktoParks]
· Earth Hour is at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday, but if you’re feeling extra green, make it Earth Hours; get candles. [EarthHour]
· The first 100 people to show up at the spring opening of the Coney Island Cyclone on Sunday will get in free. [UrbanEye]
· Hard Rock International announced plans to build a casino-hotel on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. [AP]
· When in Brooklyn on Saturday, swing by Linger Café at 2:00 p.m. for sustainable eats—leave room for a chocolate sweet & salty cupcake—and Jazz Strings, great live entertainment by “Trio Tritticali.” [LingerCafé]
· Herbie the 18-pound Flemish bunny will be available for petting at Prospect Park Zoo this weekend. [CityRoom]
· From the folks who brought you the Five Boro Bike Tour, Bike New York will open registration in April for a new summer ride, Discover Hudson Valley. [BikeNY]
· A new greenmarket could open as early as May at Pier 40 in Chelsea. [dnainfo]
· The lineup for the Newport Jazz Festival sounds good. [NewportJazzFest]
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
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Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram