A Balanced Rock by Any Other Name An old postcard from 1906 refers to North Salem, N.Y.’s Balanced Rock, a geological anomaly of sorts as it is a boulder balancing on a few smaller rocks, as ‘Large Boulder.’ It is interesting that postcards of North Salem were available more than a century ago, and one…
Category: United States
An Armchair Adventurer Goes to Concord, Mass.
Via Sarah Payne Stuart’s Perfectly Miserable If much of the joy of traveling is the anticipation simply about going somewhere, so, too, is reading up on the place to which you are about to go, not just to figure out which sites to visit but to understand what it would actually be like to live…
The Unexpected at the New York Historical Society
From Toy Trains to Le Tricorne to the Batmobile I have officially lived long enough to become a museum piece. Artifacts from my childhood are now showing up on display. A recent visit to the New York Historical Society brings back Space Invader, Batman, typewriters, and more. Laugh now, millennials, but your iPhones will be…
The Working Hilton
Knowing how sizeable the Washington Hilton is, how it is a lure both for tourists and business folk, I am reticent to stay there. Yes, it is ideally situated just north of Dupont Circle on Connecticut Avenue, perfect for getting a cab, walking to the Metro, or just hanging around the neighborhood at places like…
It’s Just a Sweet Art Installation
Beyond the Luncheon of the Boating Party at the Phillips Collection We can pretend all we want that our visit to the Phillips Collection is to appreciate the Rothko paintings, but we know as we climb the stairs, shuffle through the galleries, wonder if we really like the more contemporary additions to this museum that…
Disco D.C.
That Vegas Feeling in Washington’s Grand Dames Has anyone ever gone to the nation’s capital to experience the glitz? D.C. tends to be a staid and educational or work-related travel destination, one where a little history, a brush with power, and, increasingly, some good food, can be had. A quick visit to some monuments, a…
What to Order at Russia House
On a quick trip to the District of Columbia with the Brawny Sherpa and the most senior of our youthful adventurers, we opt for dinner at the Russia House both for its convenience — located in close proximity to the Washington Hilton, where we are staying for the weekend — and in the hope that we will…
Gawking at Ford’s Theatre
That Creepiness at the Crossroads of Tourism and Assassination Despite living in the District of Columbia for more than a decade, I always dodged visits to Ford’s Theatre, the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination by actor John Wilkes Booth. “Too many fourth-graders on a field trip,” I’d mutter, dismissing the long lines snaking outside the…
Peaceful Places to Visit: St. Patrick’s Cathedral
You Don’t Have to Be Catholic to Go In At a moment when the universe seems especially volatile, what with climate fluctuations, terrorist strikes, and police v. civilian discord, even adventuresome travelers can be tempted to stay indoors for a season or two. Certainly, sitting by the fireplace and reading a book has its appeal,…
Grand Central Eagle
Toodling around Manhattan’s 42nd Street before a meeting in midtown, I cross to the Pershing Square Café side of the street and head toward Bryant Park. I don’t know what makes me look toward the taxi stand at Grand Central Station, but when I do, I notice an eagle sculpture that I have never noticed…