Architecture & art
A visit to the Getty Center in Los Angeles makes a lovely day trip for Southern Californians. The Getty is quickly becoming the cultural heart of L.A.; for many out-of-town and international visitors, it’s now …
I arrived in Florence early morning on the train after leisurely working my way up via Rome, Capri, Pompeii, Siena, Assisi, Umbria and Tuscany. On my first visit to Europe, I’d now traveled through several …
When Henry Luce launched LIFE magazine in 1936, he was on a storytelling mission. He said he wanted to edit photographs “into a coherent story and harness the main stream of optical consciousness.” He wanted …
In 1937 Frank Capra used a long shot of Ojai Valley to represent the mythical paradise of Shangri-La in the classic film Lost Horizon. Ojai (pronounced O-hi) is a small, artsy community nestled serenely near …
Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t frequent adult entertainment establishments. Not anymore. But whenever I drive from the airport to Balboa Park, while going up Laurel I sometimes give a friendly nod to Pure …
Bits of blue, red and yellow colored glass cuts into odd shapes and formations, as creatively painted murals liven up murky walls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The usually boring, nondescript walls lining Philly’s alleyways reflect years …
Not being a musician or performer, I have no idea what it’s like to be in a life that lurches from on-the-road lulls between gigs to the raw, over-the-top energy of performance. Like most of …
“We looked at properties in North County San Diego, but we just couldn’t find anything so we decided to move to San Miguel de Allende.” As the couple from California told me their story, my …
We usually think of the Greek gods as figures, as human embodiments, but to the Greek mind the gods were also, above all, states or conditions of being. Poseidon is god of the sea, yes, …
Santa Fe is a haven for artists, foodies and wilderness lovers – so it's pretty much a place for everyone. The art on Canyon Road extends up a mile-long road with gallery after gallery filling …
“New Orleans is my spot,” declares Pershall the cabbie en route to my second day at Jazz Fest. Ten minutes away from the famed French Quarter at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the 41st annual …
I headed down an isolated desert dirt road in Arizona to the experimental community of Arcosanti, not knowing quite what to expect. Arcosanti is a creative laboratory for innovative design strategies to combat urban sprawl. …
Photography is a great dumping ground of sentimental clichés. Lovebirds, autumn leaves, maternity-ward prune-faces, sublime mountain streams, birthday antics... Fill in the list. Grand illusion-maker that it is, and connoisseur of the uncanny, photography is …
It’s easier for Americans to get to Cuba then you might think. There are several points of departure – one of the best is Cancun, Mexico, offering daily flights to Havana. With an abundance of …
By the 1880s, Renoir was well established and well to do. He’d already fought what he called les combats de l’impressionisme and triumphed as the impressionist with the most glamorous palette, the sunniest disposition, and …