Have you been in a Holiday Inn lately? I had not, but find myself staying in Holiday Inn Express Rome–San Giovanni (not far outside the walls of the old city) as part of a package that mostly involves incredibly low airfare. I figure I’ll suffer the hotel in the name of an unplanned trip to…
An Italian Itinerary
Any vacation in Italy is only hampered by time and by goals: how much and how many you have. A few Italian itineraries to meet varying needs.
Street Art, Rome
In case a traveler needs to see just a little bit more art on any given trip to Italy: enjoy the fizzy pink lady in Rome. You can find her on Via Assisi not far up from Via Tuscolana before the Holiday Inn Express Rome – San Giovanni. —Lori Tripoli ~Advertisement~ ~Advertisement~ Like street art?…
Free Radical: The Lesson of Louise Bryant
A Russian Revolution Chronicler’s Extraordinary Life I am late to the life of Louise Bryant. I become interested in her long after watching Reds, and reading her husband’s book, Ten Days That Shook the World, and going to Russia, where she reported on its revolution, and going to Paris, where she died at the relatively…
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…
Remembering the Romanovs in Russia
A Reading of Helen Rappaport’s Romanov Sisters The story of some sisters burdened with a bit of a wackadoodle mother and an autocratic father appeals to many of us, even if we do know the ending, as in the case of the daughters of the last Russian czar (Nicholas): Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia. Intrigued,…