Santa Fe for culture trippers

Santa Fe for culture trippers

There’s a kind of hush over Santa Fe, New Mexico, a hush quite remarkable for a UNESCO Creative City and the third-largest art market in the U.S. (after New York and Los Angeles). Located at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 7,000 feet, the color and beauty of New Mexico’s […]

29.06.2012 · Filled under: Architecture, Art, Destination Guides, New Mexico · Tags: ,
Postcards from New Mexico

Postcards from New Mexico

Once upon a time I spun a globe and declared to my sisters that I would go wherever my finger landed. It landed on Albuquerque which, at the age of ten, I couldn’t even pronounce. Though I did pass through New Mexico on a solo trip around the U.S. in my early twenties, I wasn’t […]

Summoning the so-called dead in Lily Dale, New York

Summoning the so-called dead in Lily Dale, New York

A black cat disappears into a bank of tiger lilies, prayer ribbons stir on a puff of air.  On Cassadaga Lake, afternoon sun glints off the water in darts of light that drift ashore like summoned souls. Spirit summoning has been going on for over 150 years at Lily Dale, home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community and over 40 registered […]

05.09.2011 · Filled under: Architecture, New York, Spirituality · Tags: , ,
Lake Effect Diner, Buffalo, New York

Lake Effect Diner, Buffalo, New York

Pat and I are always on the lookout for a non-chain place to eat with great local food and plenty of atmosphere.  The Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY, was a real find. It’s easy to love these old diners with their resemblance to old Airstream trailers.  Their exuberant lines just seem to shout holiday […]

12.08.2011 · Filled under: Architecture, Food, New York · Tags: , ,
Buffalo’s electric cultural scene

Buffalo’s electric cultural scene

There’s something Gotham-esque about Buffalo, New York, at night. The moon rises through cold crisp darkness over monuments to its past wealth and importance: the ghost-white Electric Tower, the floodlit ladies atop the Liberty Building, the magnificent Art Deco pile of its City Hall. In dark streets below, the city’s legendary nightlife carries on until a […]

26.11.2010 · Filled under: Architecture, Art, Destination Guides · Tags: , , ,
Beautiful downtown Pittsburgh

Beautiful downtown Pittsburgh

When Visit Pittsburgh invited me to come and see the city’s private and public art collections, I jumped at the chance. My expectations were high but were exceeded many times over. Yes, the Warhol.  Seven storeys of work by one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, including something you’re not going to see anywhere […]

31.07.2010 · Filled under: Architecture, Art, Destination Guides · Tags: , ,
Palmy afternoon in Buffalo, New York

Palmy afternoon in Buffalo, New York

Gee, a GPS makes road trips a lot more fun. You can fit in more of what you want to see when you’re not constantly getting lost.  This time, in Buffalo for the day, we finally made it to the legendary Anchor Bar where buffalo wings were invented. I still prefer Coles overall for location, atmosphere, variety and […]

14.06.2010 · Filled under: Architecture, New York · Tags: , ,
Oh, Ottawa!

Oh, Ottawa!

Four days in Ottawa last week – which I almost backed out of for fear I’d be bored – wasn’t enough as I ran out of days before I ran out of things to do. Toronto Mayor Miller recently asked: who would want to live in Ottawa? Well, I wouldn’t mind. Perhaps it takes a Torontonian […]

Tut Tut

Tut Tut

A double Tut treat Saturday: first a private walkthrough of the Tut show at the AGO courtesy of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, then a trek through the dusk to hear rockstar Egyptologist and Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass speak at the U of T on the Mysteries of Tutankhamun […]

08.03.2010 · Filled under: Architecture · Tags: ,
Creepshow

Creepshow

Rain, fog and creepy tales. What a night to go see Stephen King in conversation with David Cronenberg at the Canon Theatre! Last night’s packed house quieted down long enough for the King of creepy fiction to read a selection from his new book Under the Dome. He uses something he calls “mutual observables” and […]

21.11.2009 · Filled under: Architecture, Canada · Tags: , ,
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