Travelogues & History
I’m fairly jaded when it comes to observing watershapes: I’ve seen a lot of them, know how they work and tend to focus on weird details that go beyond what’s perceived by the typical observer. There is, however, a fountain that makes me feel giddy and even
The last time I visited Dallas on business, I kept a crucial side trip in mind: I just had to see the Fort Worth Water Gardens with my own eyes. Designed by New York architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee and completed in 1974, the space has been iconic since day one. The way the space lures you in, drawing you past
What type of swimming pool do you put in the backyard of a Craftsman-style home? This question, presented during a course on 20th-century architecture I taught at the pool show in Las Vegas last November, is easy to ask but difficult to answer. In fact, this is
This is a rather unusual Travelogue: I’d sat down to write a blog about the influence of hotel and resort pools on the way homeowners develop expectations of what can be done in their own backyards, and I recognized almost immediately that
The Getty Center is a true multimedia experience: imposing architecture, lots of people, incredible materials of construction, amazing views, diverse spaces, and rich and varied sounds. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the 750-acre campus is dominated by
When I first began organizing these “Travelogues” several months ago, my sincere intention was to focus on watershapes found within the United States. Partly it was a gesture to the restricted travel budgets of modern times, but I also wanted to highlight the fact that
When I travel from Los Angeles to visit my mother, who lives across the sound from Seattle on Washington’s beautiful Bainbridge Island, I always do my best to stop by the Bloedel Reserve while I’m there. The Reserve is an internationally renowned public garden that puts its emphasis on
Maria de Medici moved from Florence to Paris in 1600 as the wife of Henri IV, King of France. Homesick for her native city and caught in an unsuccessful marriage, she pestered her husband to build her a mansion and grounds that would remind her of the
Through the years, I've spent lots of time in Philadelphia, both on business and visiting with family and friends scattered throughout the area. I've been there so many times, in fact, that I started hunting a bit farther afield for
Aided by the fact that my sister lives within easy driving distance of Mill Run, Pa., I've visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater several times through the years and have had the good fortune to see it in spring, summer and fall. It's an amazing place and has been documented with
