In 1932, sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude was deep in thought as she walked by the Empire State Building during construction. Two steel beams in the fledgling structure appeared to form a holy cross in her mind’s eye. The image so impacted her that she decided...
The first train whistled into Flagstaff, Arizona, on August 1, 1882. Its riders were a rogue mix of scientists, explorers, and tourists, all of them anxious to see for themselves the magnificent landscapes they had only heard about: the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the...
Colorful tissue-paper banners flutter high above El Mercado Market Square, a three-block outdoor plaza in downtown San Antonio, Texas. Mariachi music rings through the air, and tempting aromas from restaurants tease the taste buds. Artisans sell souvenirs from small booths on the sidewalks, and stalls...
Susan Kates, my favorite English professor at the University of Oklahoma, had just moved to the state from the Midwest when I was her student in the 1990s. I admired the way she embraced her new home. Often, she wore cowboy boots to class and...
By morning you are paddling like a maniac, traversing whitewater rapids. At night, you’re clutching binoculars for a close-up view of your favorite thespian. In one day, you can go from an adrenaline junkie to a culture vulture in Southern Oregon, the home of the...
On the days that artist Hugh Jenkins blows glass, visitors pass the wild chickens on the property and enter his studio to see him in action. Dipping the hot metal pipe into the powder that becomes molten glass, he chats about his 50-year career as...
Ahh… Monterey County, home of the Lone Cypress tree, aquamarine surf, and perennially happy sea otters. Visitors relish the sublime essence of this central California region, an agricultural basket that boasts fields and farm stands burgeoning with artichokes, strawberries, and apples. In addition to savoring...
There’s something special about waiting in line for a ferry. The suitcases are packed, and the air is crackling with anticipation. But unlike air travel, the anxiety level is turned way down. Instead of taking shoes off in security lines, ferry passengers relax and roll...
Forget the arch. St. Louis is a city that builds a floodwall along the Mississippi River and invites graffiti artists to leave their mark. The Mural Mile spans 2 miles — the longest mural in the world — and every Labor Day weekend, at an...
When architect Oscar Ruffini stepped out of a stagecoach in the tiny West Texas town of San Angelo, he was very sick. His last hope of getting well in 1884 was the hot, dry air of this rowdy frontier town beside Fort Concho. It worked...