Olympia, Greece: It’s hard to describe the feeling as you stand at the original starting line of the stadium where the Olympics began in 776 BC. Greek myth credits the hero Hercules with creating the running races at Olympia...
Chicago Cultural Center: Visit the”Palace of the People”…FREE!
It’s scary to think that the Chicago Cultural Center was almost demolished so that a dull mid-century office tower could have a spot on Michigan Avenue. What–or rather, who–saved it? The petite wife of Mayor Richard J. Daley, the...
Petroglyph National Monument: Messages From the Past
Petroglyph National Monument protects more than 24,000 petroglyphs carved into the volcanic rock in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The drawings and symbols were created 400 to 700 years ago, mostly by ancestors of today’s Pueblo people, with some later additional...
Jack London: He Wrote So He Could Be a Farmer
“I write a book for no other reason than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me…” What happens when you learn Jack London wrote his astounding novels to support sustainable agriculture on his farm? Well, you...
Harry Potter in London: Warner Brothers Studio Tour
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....