My past trips to Miami and have been of the in and out type.  I’m here, spend an afternoon, sleep, and I’m gone again.  Now I find myself here for an extend period of time, and get to take a little sample of everything that the city has to offer.
There’s sun!  And coming from Seattle, there’s a lot to like about the sun!
I spent much of today out on the water of Key Biscayne, enjoying a little sun and getting into a little different state of mind.
I spent time aboard one of the boats from Island Queen Cruises, enjoying a …read more

If you’ve got substantial connection time at Salt Lake City International, you can spend time just hanging out, or take advantage of your ground time and get in a little sightseeing and cultural expedition.

Between the hours of 9 am – 6:30 pm, a complimentary van service makes scheduled trips between the airport and Temple Square.  The service delivers you to one of the two visitor centers where complimentary tours are offered.  You can take a quick guided tour of this 10 acre area at the center of the city, then return to the airport for your outbound flight.
Regardless of religious …read more

Some of my favorites artists have works hanging at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and visiting the museum is a great way to spend an afternoon out of the Texas heat and humidity.
The Modern, as it is generally called, specializes in post-World War II art, housed in five long pavilions set into a reflecting pond.  Located in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, about two miles west of downtown.  The impressive building is as much a work of art and what’s contained within.
The permanent collection includes pieces by some of the great modernists, including Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Andy …read more

I love offbeat and quirky kinds of places – for just the reasons that they are offbeat and quirky.  I’ve even been known to drive out of my way to see the “biggest,” “smallest,” “world’s only,” “oldest” thing or whatever.
Lucy the Elephant, a couple miles south of Atlantic City in Margate, New Jersey, is one of those quirky attractions that I’ve heard a lot about, but haven’t managed to see yet.
Lucy is a six story, 90 ton elephant made of wood and tin sheeting, and was erected in 1881 to attract tourism and development to the south Atlantic City …read more

The imposing cylindrical Castel Sant’Angelo, situated along the Tiber River in Rome, was built between 123 and 129 AD.  It was first known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, serving as the resting grounds for the ashes of the Roman emperor.  Ashes of Hadrian’s family, as well as subsequent emperors, joined him there.
The tomb was ransacked during one of Rome’s less civilized periods, and the Castel Sant’angelo was later used as a fortress (Popes hid out here), castle (connected to St. Peter’s Basilica by a covered corridor), and prison (executions were held in the interior square). 
Today it is the …read more

Trevi Fountain, or more properly Fontana di Trevi, is Rome’s most spectacular and popular fountain.  And in a city with so many impressive fountains, that’s very high praise!
The Baroque-style fountain, designed by architect Nicola Salvi, is located in a busy section of the city, not far from the popular Via del Corso.
To get to the fountain you walk down narrow streets, some of which seem more like alleys than streets, to the historic center of Rome.  You can hear the noise of the fountain as your approach the piazza, and it gets louder as you approach. …read more

I’m still traveling, and wanted to share another photo from the road.  This one is of the ruins at Pompeii.  It was a warm day, and I spent hours wandering the ruins and marveling at this ancient civilization.  There’ll be more about this fascinating place in a later post.
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I spent a day in Florence getting just a taste of the Renaissance Art of the region.  This photo is of the Duomo, one of many must-see attractions in the city.  (I’ll have lots more details about various parts of my trip to Italy over the next several months, so be sure to keep reading!)
Photo credit:  personal collection
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Seen from a distance the Cathedral of St. Helena is impressive, but when you get inside, impressive doesn’t begin to convey the beauty of the neo-Gothic Cathedral.
Located in Helena, Montana (530 North Ewing Street), the Cathedral is modeled after the Votive Church of the Sacred Heart in Vienna, Austria.  It was opened in 1914 (when the first service were held), but wasn’t finished, however, until 1924.   Although the Cathedral was seriously damaged in an earthquake in 1935, it was reconstructed preserving both the impressive architecture and adding earthquake-proofing construction.  It still maintains an impressive and imposing presence in Helena.
As …read more

March 31st is the 118th anniversary of the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower, and boy do I wish I was there to celebrate!
Located beside the River Seine in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in the city.  Following its completion in 1889, it was the tallest structure in the world, and remained so until the Chrysler Building in New York City displaced it from that top spot. 
The Eiffel Tower was originally built as the entrance arch for the Paris World’s Fair.  That  also marked the 100-year commemoration of the French Revolution.
It is now one of the most …read more