Category: United States

The Bright Side of Death

I’ve never really understood the American method of mourning, kicking off with a somber viewing followed by an even more somber funeral. Let’s all wear our sad faces along with the black. This approach seems so incongruous to me given…

Ghostly Fiction in Sleepy Hollow

Nothing becomes October better than the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. Even if you can’t make a performance of story teller Jonathan Kruk as he brings Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow alive, a walk through the graveyard…

Graveyards in October: Forgotten in Pleasantville?

The overgrowth of this graveyard in Pleasantville, N.Y. contrasts with its proximity to a well-traveled road. What was probably a peaceful resting place stands still as progress comes to it on a road named Broadway. Should we pretend not to…

History in the West Point Graveyard

We go to West Point to watch the football games, but we take a quick walk through the cemetery there on the way back to our car. Here are reminders of the real purpose of this place, and the outcomes…

Skeletons + Clear Skies = Strange Adventure

There is nothing like a wholesome day at an amusement park all decked out for Halloween to make one wonder about the future of civilization. A beautiful, sunny fall day combined with a theme park dressed for frightening makes for…

ISO Lemon Drop

Some days just call for steakhouses and martinis, especially if the nights are growing longer and the world is growing darker. Why not celebrate the night? My new favorite place for a walk back to the ’70s—when the grownups dressed…