Surprises at the Salem, Mass. Building that Hawthorne Made Famous It has been a long time since I have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, but I am still excited to learn that he based his book on…
Deciding on Places to Visit in the Coming Year ’Tis the season for reflection. Here are some destinations worth considering in the coming year—along with some different ways to contemplate them. United States: Where We Should All Be on July…
What readers liked to visit over the last year Should it be any surprise that the bashful adventurers visiting these pages have eclectic taste? Their reading habits show their interest—in learning, in history, in practical matters. The most popular posts…
Discovering Contemporary Art in a City of Masterpieces Taking the scenic route from the Ponte Vecchio back to the Soggiorno Battistero in Florence, the Brawny Sherpa and I become a little lost. Wandering a bit aimlessly, we try to work…
Leave Your Boots and Mittens at Home This Holiday Season Dreaming of a bright Christmas? Consider a trip to Key West to get a warm holiday fix. Love the Florida Keys? You might like these posts: Biscayne, Largo, West Key…
Seeking the Rosens in a Villa in Katonah Going on a house tour is a bit of an odd pastime, being as a certain amount of snooping into other people’s personal lives is encouraged, yet go too far, and a…
Don’t let Reid Castle be wasted on co-eds Try to find a reason to visit the campus of Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. just to visit what’s called ‘The Castle,’ and it indeed looks like one. Formally called Reid…
Of Pilgrims, Progress, Power I begin reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower with the hope that the ending is going to be a slightly different one. I resist picking up this work for a long time because I know it isn’t going…