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Pele's Home, Kilauea, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

In Pele’s Realm: Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

As you explore the Big Island, several names keep coming up. Kamehameha the Great, the king who united the Hawaiian archipelago, and Ka’ahumanu, his formidable queen, are the island’s most dominant mortal protagonists. Among gods, two sisters lead the way: Poli’ahu, the goddess of ice and snow, and her perpetual nemesis, Pele, the goddess of fire, a pretty big deal on terrain … Continue reading →

Renwick exhibit Wonder, Jennifer Angus, In the Midnight Garden

Renwick’s WONDER

The Renwick Gallery is often overlooked in the kaleidoscope of DC’s free museums. The historic building, the first in the United States designed expressly to be an art museum, usually hosts crafts and decorative art collections for the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I must admit that I made it here a grand total of once or twice in … Continue reading →

Niagara Falls, by Land, Air, and Boat

When as a child I imagined America, the mighty Niagara Falls, along with Times Square, the Grand Canyon, and the Golden Gate Bridge, were my frequent backdrops. So when work brought me to Toronto, it was an easy decision to make: A day trip to the Falls, as soon as I could manage it. We … Continue reading →

Bonneville Salt Flats: Walking in the Sky

Utah is full of remarkable places. Bonneville Salt Flats is certainly one of them. Thirty thousand acres (121 sq. km) of hard salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake is a sight to behold — and walk over. Remains of the ancient Lake Bonneville, once 1,000 feet deep, Utah’s salt pan … Continue reading →

Reenactor at St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia

My Richmond Five

I’ve been meaning to visit Richmond for years, and this was finally the year to do it. Here are the five favorites from that sunlit weekend. (1) The Virginia State Capitol. Designed by — who else, with that neoclassical look? — Thomas Jefferson, the Capitol is impressive when it comes into view: an immaculate Roman temple atop a … Continue reading →

An L.A. Sunset: Griffith Observatory

I first saw Griffith Observatory as we pushed our way through the wall of Los Angeles traffic: It looks down on the city from the slopes of Mount Hollywood. Climbing up there was a must. The observatory is a spectacular public space, built expressly to bring the heavens to the unwashed masses. Come here on a clear night and enjoy … Continue reading →

Lava flow of the Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Flying over Lava: Our No-Doors Helicopter Ride over the Big Island

Our vacation on Hawaii’s Big Island was a kaleidoscope of impressions. Where to begin? I think I’ll start with our helicopter ride. We took off in Hilo, a town on the island’s rainy side. The helicopter seemed smaller than average, just big enough for four passengers and the pilot — not a bad seat in sight, … Continue reading →

Dumbarton Oaks: That “Chambered Nautilus of Gardens”

Dumbarton Oaks is one of Georgetown’s crown jewels, a grand home, a museum of Pre-Colombian and Byzantine art, and a symphony of gardens perched atop the old neighborhood’s highest point. This spring, I came to see the wisterias. The gardens are spectacular in any season, but mid-spring, I think, is my favorite. The aromas are tantalizing, but not yet … Continue reading →

Colors of the Owl Canyon, a stunning slot canyon on Navajo lands near Page, Arizona

Owl, Rattlesnake, and Antelope Canyons: Where the Wind Lives

Antelope Canyon on Navajo Lands near Page, Arizona, had been on my must-visit list for years: fleeting light beams, smooth waves of petrified sand, and warm shades of peach and orange–I wanted to see it all with my own eyes. Naturally, this was one of the most-anticipated stops on our October vacation to the American … Continue reading →

Discovering Old San Juan: Two Castles and a Cemetery

I was smitten with San Juan. Traveling there for a conference recently, I was looking for a good place to stay when the conference hotel got full. A friend of a friend recommended we stay in the old town, away from large hotel chains. I am so glad I followed her advice: staying at the … Continue reading →

Filmfest DC Turns 30!

Hello friends, I invite you to join me at Filmfest DC — Washington’s only international film festival — celebrating 30 years! The festival opens Thursday, April 14 and closes Sunday, April 24. This year’s anchor venues are Mazza Gallerie and Landmark E Street Theater, with special screenings at the Embassy of France. Tickets are on … Continue reading →

A Barnful of Books

Tucked away along a sleepy road in the picturesque Brandywine Valley is a personal heaven of mine: Baldwin’s Book Barn, a 19th-century five-story milk barn converted in the 1940s into a book store. Today, over 300,000 rare and used books, maps, prints, manuscripts, paintings, and other collectibles fill rooms upon rooms, shelves upon shelves inside … Continue reading →

Travel Theme: Routine

My January is half melancholy, half relief. I slip back into well-worn patterns, and find comfort in the familiar. There is beauty there, and surprises too. Ailsa’s Travel Theme, Routine, made me think of these — glimpses of other people’s ordinary moments. 1. Early commuters streaming to work in São Paulo. An hour earlier, I ambled through the sleeping city to São … Continue reading →

Travel Theme: Waves

I love this week’s travel challenge by Ailsa: Waves. So many memories come to mind, but here are five favorites. Smooth waves of petrified sand at Antelope Canyon, with its neighbors Owl and Rattlesnake Canyons easily the most breathtaking landscape I’ve explored, ageless and intimate 2. Sinuous streaks of lava on Hawaii’s Big Island — … Continue reading →

Books and Blooms at the Huntington Library

Los Angeles, for me, is a constellation of remarkable places, separated by a spider web of terrible, soul-killing traffic. The Huntington Library is an oasis well worth the drive. Gardens? Check. Art? Check. Books? Check. I loved it. We began with the gardens. There are 12 of them. My favorite (in, admittedly, dull, uneventful March) was the Garden of … Continue reading →

Death Valley’s Wonders

Los Angeles behind us, we headed to Las Vegas and its neon. But, first, a detour: a brief eyeful of Death Valley National Park. One spring, I mean to return and better explore its 3.4 million acres–this is, after all, the largest park in the contiguous United States. On this trip, I fell in love with the … Continue reading →

Holding Hands with Gregory Peck: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Our Los Angeles visit could not end without a nod to the city’s cinematic heart. On this trip, this meant watching a movie at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (now the TCL Chinese Theatre). One of the most opulent “movie palaces” in the country, it has hosted many of the grandest film galas since its debut in 1927. The 1939 premiere … Continue reading →

Hawaii’s Painted Church

As you make your way from Hawaii’s remarkable Place of Refuge, don’t miss this hidden gem just up the hill: St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church, better known as The Painted Church. It is a charming tiny building, embraced by lush foliage. The church dates back to the mid-1800s, when foreign missionaries were allowed to operate … Continue reading →

Hawaii’s Place of Refuge

If you find yourself on the Big Island’s dry Kona side, don’t miss the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, the Place of Refuge, where all sins and crimes were once forgiven. It is a magnetic place. Surrounded by a centuries-old mason wall — porous lava rocks assembled in the 1500s like a puzzle with … Continue reading →

Where Spectaculars Retire: Las Vegas Neon Museum

When you think “Las Vegas,” what comes to mind? I bet neon signs — “spectaculars” as the largest of them are called — will be high on the list. They flourished in this desert town as it grew from a dusty railroad outpost in 1913 to the flashy, decadent oasis it is today. With LED and LCD lighting now leading … Continue reading →

Hiking over Harpers Ferry

This week’s travel theme, “Below,” made me think of the serenity I felt while looking down on Harpers Ferry, where the Potomac and the Shenandoah rivers meet. It was a fine autumn day, and we decided to explore Maryland Heights, the highest of the mountains overlooking the town. Here’s what we saw: Your journey can begin … Continue reading →