Add the explosion of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898 to the list of historical events I don’t know enough about. I would “remember the Maine” if only I could. I know the incident triggered the Spanish-American War.…
Paris becomes Paris right away. I don’t have to go looking for it; wonder where the images I’ve seen in other pictures are. Right away I know my place, Paris, and that it’s the right one. —Lori Tripoli Headed to…
My riffs on street art and graffiti in Germany, Italy, New York City, Mexico, Ecuador, and Russia are not meant to be exhaustive catalogs of either street art or graffiti in any of these places. Instead, they are meant as…
Russia is another society I am intimidated by—its wars, its strength, its vastness, its vodka. As I do in Germany, I expect its street art and graffiti to be fierce, aggressive, bold. As in Germany, I find some of what…
I see Germany as strong and fearless; it has that strong economy, those fast highways, that World War II history, a reputation for orderliness. I am not surprised to see a monstrously large statue of Germany’s first chancellor, Otto von…
Some political interests are universal as demonstrated by “Legalise Cannabis” messages viewed in a number of areas in Italy on a trip there in 1989. —Lori Tripoli
I do not speak Spanish and do not really know the message of the brightly colored graffiti I see on a wall while speeding through Isla Mujeres, Mexico on a golf cart. While I ponder the artwork, I gain a…
As much as I enjoy some visually gratifying graffiti in urban areas, seeing it in the Galapagos islands is a little jarring. I understand there’s tension here that tourists do not necessarily see—pressure to fish, to provide jobs, to keep…
I’ll confess to having a stack of Parisian histories (and a number on my Kindle as well) that have been leafed through but not exactly read. I mean to, I want to, I just haven’t. I am not sure where…
Why I just love the Talbott Hotel in Chicago: It mixes business and romance successfully. There are old-fashioned telephones in the lobby and in the corridors. There are doorbells in the room. Double sinks in the bathroom are always appreciated.…