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Lesley Peterson is a Toronto-based blogger tripping on travel, art, culture, museums, cities and legendary landscapes. Catch her on Twitter as @culturetripper or contact her at lesley@culturetripper.com. All content by Lesley Peterson copyright © 2009 - Until the Present. All photos by Lesley Peterson except where other credit noted.
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On Hurricane Irma, and art of the Florida Highwaymen
Glued to CNN this weekend, following the progress of Hurricane Irma through the Caribbean and Florida, I was startled to realize that images on the news were mirrored by certain images in the book I’m reading: The Journey of the Highwaymen, by Catherine M. Enns. The Florida Highwaymen were a legendary group of mid-century African-American artists who […]
Georgia O’Keeffe at the AGO
“I found I could say things with color and shape that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe Lucky Toronto! The city is the only North American stop for the blockbuster exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe, on now at the Art Gallery of Ontario until July 30, 2017. The retrospective covers […]
03.06.2017 · Filled under: Art, Legendary Landscapes, New Mexico, Review · Tags: Artists, museums, TORONTO
The fourth best beach in the world
Six of us got off the plane at the tiny airport in Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba. It had taken two days to get there. Cubana Airlines scheduling problems delayed us overnight in Cayo Coco—hauling luggage and fighting for a place in the buffet line at a massive busy resort. Thirty minutes in the air […]
15.05.2017 · Filled under: Cuba, Destination Guides, Legendary Landscapes · Tags: Beaches, Cuba, FUN, water
Island-hopping in the Atlantic with Azores Airlines
Black volcanic cliffs shrouded in mist, fantastical ferns and flowers that look like props from an episode of Star Trek. I’ve just returned from a big adventure, island-hopping in the Atlantic Ocean with Azores Airlines (SATA). The two-island 12-day package took us on a voyage of discovery to a part of the planet we’d never […]
28.12.2015 · Filled under: Destination Guides, Europe, Legendary Landscapes · Tags: Beaches, Gardens, water
Gone swimming! Best places in the world to swim
Swimmingly \ adv (1622): very well; SPLENDIDLY Several recent Guardian articles on wild swimming (Kenwood Ladies Pond, Hampstead Heath, and Wild Swimming in Italy) have me dreaming of water again. One thing my husband Pat and I can agree on when planning a trip to take together is the opportunity to swim in natural water. We’ll never […]
20.08.2015 · Filled under: Italy, Legendary Landscapes, Mexico, Myths & Legends, United States · Tags: FUN, water
Circumnavigating Manhattan by boat, rare vistas of NYC
Have you seen northern Manhattan from the Harlem River yet? One of the best things I’ve done in New York City is to circumnavigate Manhattan by boat. It’s relaxing to escape traffic and see sides (literally) of Manhattan you’ve never seen before. Manhattan is completely surrounded by water, and there are many ways to get […]
26.03.2015 · Filled under: Architecture, Legendary Landscapes, New York, United States · Tags: FUN, water
Travel Cuba: exploring Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream
You never know what you’ll get when you call for a cab in Cuba. The 1958 Oldsmobile that lurched up to our hotel in Cayo Coco was an icon of mid-century design. Its rocket hood ornament, flight-ready fins, chrome starburst accents and windows rounded like stratospheric clouds hinted at jet-age dreams of exploration. Wafting Cuban […]
08.02.2015 · Filled under: Cuba, Destination Guides, Legendary Landscapes · Tags: Beaches, Books, Cuba, hemingway
1920s Atlantic City: the real ‘Boardwalk Empire’
If you’re a fan of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, you’ll know that the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, is loosely based on real-life Atlantic City kingpin Enoch ‘Nucky’ Johnson. Treasurer of Atlantic County during Prohibition era, the real Nucky’s empire flourished in the racy, roaring 1920s. On my last visit to Atlantic […]
27.08.2014 · Filled under: Destination Guides, Food, Legendary Landscapes, United States · Tags: Beaches, film, HISTORY
A pilgrimage to Georgia O’Keeffe Country, New Mexico
My pilgrimage to Georgia O’Keeffe Country and the artist’s home and studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico, was exquisite and profoundly felt. Here’s the story, first published on TravelandEscape.ca.*** We cross the Rio Grande west of Taos, New Mexico, and drive south, heading for the legendary landscape that inspired artist Georgia O’Keeffe. An hour of sagebrush […]
Grenada’s spice necklace
I was lying on a beach in Grenada when I suddenly smelled Christmas. I opened my eyes to see a young man with dreadlocks and an armload of spice necklaces. “Welcome to Grenada,” he grinned. “My name is Terry.” Grenada’s beach vendors are the most polite in the world as well as determined business […]