Erica Jackson Curran

Garden cemeteries were among the first public parks in the United States. Long before today’s sprawling, grid-like “memorial parks” were the norm, burial grounds were carefully designed green spaces as welcoming to the living as they were to the dead. Consistent with their purpose of encouraging meditative moments, these parks are defined by manicured landscapes, elaborate sculptures, and winding walkways.
This scenic style emerged in the early 19th century, when overcrowding in small urban b...

Virginia’s cape may not have the widespread name recognition of Cod, May or Hatteras, but the tide is turning for Cape Charles. The Eastern Shore town, situated about 10 miles north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, spent a few decades in quiet decline after the bridge made the town’s ferry service obsolete and stole most of its traffic in the 1960s. Today, however, that same bridge is bringing visitors from across the bay as well as from up north. (It’s just under a four-hour dr...

The United States may lay claim to the world’s first national park, but it’s far from the only country whose most prized lands are officially protected by the government.
After the establishment of Yellowstone in 1872, the national park concept took hold across America and beyond.

When it comes to selling a house, first impressions are crucial — and staging your home is one of the best ways to make it stand out from other active listings from the first moment potential buyers lay eyes on it. Whether starting from scratch with a vacant house or refining what you already have, staging can help buyers visualize themselves in a home. More importantly, we’ve found that staged homes sell more quickly and for more money than unstaged homes. In short, we believe that home stag...

Healthy Paws is a highly rated pet insurance company that’s known for its comprehensive, affordably priced plans for dogs and cats. Their claim process is designed to be quick and painless for customers — simply visit any licensed vet or emergency clinic in the U.S., submit a photo of your bill using their app, and expect for the claim to be processed within two days.

For traveling families with a full itinerary, a stop at the playground can feel like more work than fun. Sometimes the swing sets and twisty slides begin to blend together whether they’re in Buffalo or Budapest. Unless you’ve happened to stumble upon one of the world’s greatest playgrounds.

Ten percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage. So why does the subject still feel so taboo? For women dealing with the complicated grief of miscarriage, it’s not the stat that’s comforting—it’s the knowledge that they’re not alone, that there is a space to share their story. To help end the culture of silence that surrounds pregnancy and infant loss, Glamour presents The 10 Percent, a place to dismantle the stereotypes and share real, raw, stigma-free stories.
After suffering three ...

With schools closing, mandatory quarantines and grocery stores running out of staples across the country, it’s a scary time to be a parent. We’ve got serious things to worry about: keeping our kids safe and secure, keeping our jobs and keeping our bathrooms stocked with toilet paper. We may not have even taken a moment to consider what will happen if we ourselves are infected with COVID-19.
As the spread of the virus escalates across the U.S., it seems increasingly likely that many of us will...

This travel piece is a weekend guide to Virginia Beach, Virginia. The photos are also mine.

You already know that credit cards can help you make purchases when you’re low on cash. You may even be savvy enough to take advantage of perks like rewards and cash-back offers. But did you know that many credit cards offer bonuses ranging from travel insurance to VIP access to clubs and events? Often tucked away in the fine print of your card issuer’s disclosure statement, these little-known credit card benefits can help you save big whether you’re shopping, traveling, or just grabbing a bi...

You’re finally ready to upgrade your master bathroom, rehab your kitchen, or replace your leaking roof. The problem is, you don’t have enough cash to cover your home renovation project. No worries — you can borrow the money you need to pay for the improvements now, then pay it back later. You just have to decide which borrowing option is right for you.
Depending on your project, you can choose between a credit card or a loan. You should carefully consider the scope of your project before borr...

For parents who aren’t accustomed to working from home, balancing work with child care can be a major challenge — whether you just have one baby with a runny nose or a houseful of kids buzzing with the excitement of time off from school. And yet it’s a challenge that some parents find themselves navigating every single day.
Samantha Radford, parenthood coach and public health expert, is one of those parents who knows the work-from-home (WFH) hustle well. The full-time work-at-home mom of four...

From bill collectors to farmers market vendors, it seems like just about everyone accepts credit cards today. That’s why cold, hard cash can feel almost foreign. But occasionally you may need (or just want) a stack of bills in your wallet, and if you don’t have the money in your bank account at the moment, a credit card cash advance may seem like the perfect solution. After all, you’re borrowing the money one way or another — why not spend it in cash form?
The truth is, there’s a big differen...

Taking trips with kids can be stressful, but these family travel experts know how to make those vacations equally enjoyable for parents and children alike.
Compared to the freedom and relaxation of pre-kid travels, family vacations may seem far from fun for parents. There's no sugar-coating it: Traveling with kids is stressful, unpredictable, and occasionally frustrating. Yet despite the extra effort involved, family trips really can be just as enjoyable for parents as they are for kids.
To p...