Harry Potter in London seems natural…at least to fans like me. Where else would smart and sophisticated wizards and witches be found? And, after 12 rejections, it was a London publisher who finally agreed to take a chance on...
Loretto Chapel: The Miraculous & Mysterious Staircase
Loretto Chapel will make you believe in miracles…or at least consider them. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Loretto Chapel itself is an interesting story. Back in 1850, long before the area would become a state in 1909, things...
San Jose-Costa Rica: Worth Your Time!
I’ll be honest: San Jose-Costa Rica, is not a breathtaking city. It doesn’t feature an enticing waterfront, dazzling architecture, or a restaurant row. Travelers to San Jose-Costa Rica, tend to blow through the city on their way to rainforests...
Magnificent Mosaics of Sicily’s Villa Romana del Casale
Once upon a time in Sicily, about 1700 years ago, a very rich Roman–maybe Emperor Maximian–built a very large home. He brought very skilled artists from Africa to cover all the floors in very colorful mosaics…nearly 38,000 square feet...
FREE Museum Day–Sept 22, 2018
Free Museum Day is a fabulous gift from Smithsonian magazine to everyone! It’s an annual one-day event, Saturday, September 22, 2018, that encourages us to visit a museum to learn and appreciate our history, culture, art, and community. This...
Getty Villa: Ancient Archeology in Modern Malibu
Getty Villa astounds. Nestled in a canyon, right off California’s busy Pacific Coast Highway, in Malibu, and a stone’s throw from the surfers at the famous beach, it’s J. Paul Getty’s gift to anyone who appreciates architecture, art, or history....
Milwaukee Art Museum: Beautiful Inside & Out
Milwaukee Art Museum is a surprise for visitors who consider the city to be an unrefined place known for beer, brats, and baseball. Repurposed lakefront: What a success! Built on lakefront that was repurposed after an unsuccessful attempt to...
Montreal Expo ’67: Fashion Flashback
Montreal Expo ’67: Canada threw a “We’re 100!” birthday party and the world came, very well-dressed. McCord Museum, the small social history museum in Montreal, has a wonderful exhibit about fashion during the time of the Expo. I spent...
Visit a National Cemetery…Pay Your Respects
National Cemetery: Most people think of Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington D.C. A trip to the nation’s capital should, indeed, include the magnificent grounds of what was once Martha Washington’s grandson’s estate. More than 400,000 people are buried or...
PEEPS Show: Racine Art Museum
PEEPS Show? Maybe you’re thinking of the naughty kind, but me? I’m thinking of an art competition featuring those colorful sugar-coated marshmallow chicks and bunnies. The Racine Art Museum (RAM) has taken PEEPS to a new level with its Annual...