Washington DC Sunset
Sunset on the Washington Mall near World War II Memorial and Lincoln Memorial on a beautiful fall evening. Coming soon: DesignDestination posts on Annapolis and Georgetown.
Americas
Art Prize 2013 First Impressions
I attended an ArtPrize event last week where a friend said, “I am looking for your recommendations for what to see.” Hmmm. Not a problem. Right off the bat, I’d say, “Go see the G-Rap Map” at 33 Sheldon. Yep. Shameless promotion. It’s our son–Justin Smith’s entry. It is...
Caohagan Quilts Draw Attention
About a month a go I had a chance to zip in and talk a quick look around the big Quilt show in Grand Rapids. This event draws people from all over the Mid-West. While a lot of the quilts are too folksy for my taste, some strike me as fabulous, interesting and creative. […]
Muir Woods National Monument
by Kate Dernocoeur, guest blogger If you’re smart, you arrive when the park opens at 8 a.m., before the tour buses. You make your way under the welcome arch by the Visitor Center and into the Muir Woods while you can still feel the hush. This small redwood forest lies in a narrow valley...
Josh Groban Entertains at Interlochen Arts Camp
During the four hours that we visited Interlochen Arts Camp to picnic and to hear pop singer and California native, Josh Groban sing, the weather went from sunny with light breeze to big black thunder clouds and rain to gorgeous golden sunset. It was PURE MICHIGAN. For the...
Crisscrossing the 45th Parallel
by Guest Blogger, Mark Bain The 45th Parallel is midway between the balmy equator and the icy cold of the North Pole. And for a large chunk of the year, those frigid conditions are the norm in northern Michigan. But during an August road trip up north, my wife and I crisscrossed this latitude...
Thinking about Paris in Chicago
Today my body is in Grand Rapids but in my head I’m in Paris. Why? I’m reading an interesting book by an Australian Journalist who moves to Paris to follow a boyfriend and last week I toured a blockbuster exhibit in Chicago called “Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity.” Guess what? It’s...
Guest Blog: Painting DesignDestination Grand Bahama
Guest Blogger: Linda Laughter For a relaxing, sun filled vacation filled with lots of rich colors and experiences try Freeport, Grand Bahama. We were fortunate to share with friends one of the many private villas that can be rented. Instead of taking photos, I chose a different way to...
San Francisco Here We Come
San Francisco is such a great city. The water, the history, the hills, the charm. I love going there and am very excited that many trips to this complex city are in our future since our son and daughter-in-law live there now. We recently had a long weekend in S.F. to celebrate a special...
Seaside, Florida: Poster Child of the New Urbanism
I’ve always wanted to visit Seaside, Florida to see what New Urbanism movement is all about. Somewhat randomly the opportunity presented itself recently. Lucky me. As the Home and Garden writer for the Grand Rapids Press, I occasionally wrote about local projects designed in the...