Embassy Row astounds visitors and residents alike when they first see the palatial mansions that line several blocks on Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington DC. It is one of the most exclusive DC neighborhoods. You’ll see both residences where the ambassador lives as well as chanceries (embassy offices). “Massachusetts Avenue is a boulevard of grand mansions, row houses, and embassies, affectionately known as ‘Embassy Row.’ It is among the finest realizations of L’Enfant’s Baroque vision of grand vistas and diagonal…
Discover DC neighborhoods. Roam the streets and alleys of DC’s historic and eclectic neighborhoods. See 300 years of different architectural styles – Federal, Victorian, Queen Anne, Beaux-Arts, Romanesque, Brutalism, and 20th Century Revival architecture. Sample cuisines from around the world. Putter in antique stores, record shops, and local “Made In DC” retail establishments. Take a trip around the world but stay in your city. Be a flaneur. “Flâneur is a French term used by nineteenth-century French poet Charles Baudelaire to…
We all have a “Forest wild”—or should. This is a place in nature where you can go to retreat, reflect . . . and (hopefully) recharge your spirit. Unfortunately far too many people lose their wild places because they don’t prioritize time spent in nature. They live in the city and can’t make time to find a park where they can walk every day. They’re busy raising children, running errands, and commuting to work. But you can find a forest…
If you love street art, then you need to devote a weekend to visiting Richmond, Virginia. While it is famous for its Gothic Revival mansions and craft breweries, Richmond is also an outdoor art museum. Gaze up at sky-high murals painted on brick buildings. “With art that’s as big as the buildings they’re painted on, Richmond is known for its murals.” www.visitrichmondva.com According to the travel bureau, Bella Magazine just named Richmond as the city with the best street art…
Trinity College, located in the heart of Dublin, is Ireland’s oldest university. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The monarch wanted to create an institution in Ireland modeled after Oxford and Cambridge. The iconic university campus appears in movies and novels. Trinity College looms large when I first encountered it during the Christmas season walking down Grafton Street, Dublin’s most prestigious shopping corridor. The university’s tall walls cannot be breached so it feels like a castle more…
Howth sucked the breath out of my mouth when I first climbed over the summit to see the panoramic view of its peninsula. Located less than 30 minutes outside Dublin, it is a haven for nature lovers. (Check out my video of the sweeping coastal walk here.) The placid grey sea stretched for miles below me. The last rays of the fiery setting sun jabbed the sky, a boxer punching its taut surface. The green terrain rolled precipitously down until it…
14 Henrietta Street is a museum that will change how you understand Dublin, its residents, and its path to independence. On a wintery December day, I walked into a Dublin Georgian mansion, crossed the foyer, climbed the staircase, and marveled at elaborate rooms where the The Right Honorable Richard, Lord Viscount Molesworth and his family once entertained at their residence. But when I walked through the parlor door at the 14 Henrietta Street museum, I entered a dreary 19th century…
My Dublin Food by Foot Tour convinced me that I didn’t understand Irish cuisine. Potatoes and Guinness. These were the two items that I thought made up the average Irish diet. After I booked my Dublin Foot by Foot Tour during my recent trip to Ireland, I learned the error of my ways. Organized by Kevin Adams, the Dublin Food by Foot Tour was held on Sunday morning at 10 am. When I looked out my window and saw snowflakes…