Downtown Overland Park, KS - Farmer's Market

Hey! This is always good for a couple of hours of fun. Toe-tapping music at the Clock Tower, children dancing, grandma smiling with that oh-I-remember-dancing-to-that-one look in her eyes. Then, a walk through the crowd for some of the best veggies of the season.

Located in the heart of historic downtown Overland Park which began as a bustling center on the Santa Fe Trail, this has been a thriving center of commerce and entertainment for over a hundred years. Many of the original buildings from the early 1900s are still in use and have kept their turn-of-the-century architecture and flair. http://www.downtownop.org/
http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M2193

The Ambassador East Hotel - Chicago, IL

The Grande Dame of Chicago
Well, that's how it's billed on their website. In reality, it's more like ol' Delta Dawn's flower... a faded rose from days gone by. But, there's no denying the history, and it was like staying on an old movie set complete with doormen, crystal chandeliers, and the PumpRoom. I dined in the PumpRoom twice and never saw more than three occupied tables. However, you could spend an hour or two just looking at the photos of famous people from the 1940s 50s and 60s sitting in the famous Booth One. A big white 1930s vintage telephone sits on the Booth One table waiting for Frank Sinatra or Ava Gardner to take a call.

But.. I wasn't staying in the 1,400 sq ft Celebrity Suite!
http://www.theambassadoreasthotel.com/index.php?/pumproom

Old Town, Chicago, IL - July 22, 2009

An after dinner stroll turned into a nearly two-hour walking adventure that started in Old Town a few blocks from the hotel.
Old Town was founded in the mid-1850s by German immigrants, was hit hard by the Chicago Fire in the early 1900's, was a major mid-west mecca for the 1960s counter culture, and now is in that mix of rejuvinated buildings, trendy shops, bordered by impoverished and crumbling neighborhoods.

West Town, Chicago, IL - July 23, 2009

According to Wikipedia, West Town, located northwest of the Loop, is one of 77 official designated Chicago Community areas. These photos were taken on West Chicago Avenue about 12 or 13 blocks west of Ukranian Village. I was on a quick lunch break and snapped photos as I headed to the pizza & salad shop on Ogden.
The Chicago Acadamy for the Arts
http://www.chicagoacademyforthearts.org/
This from their website:

... the only independent art school in the state of Illinois and only 1 of 5 independent schools in the country that provides professional arts training and a comprehensive academic education. ... was named a National School of Distinction by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.



Building Art

The Unsinkable Molly Brown - March 2009

Molly Brown House

also known as House of Lions

1340 Pennsylvania St.Denver, Colorado

Margaret Brown became known as the Unsinkable Molly Brown because she survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. She was not called Molly during her life - her friends called her Maggie. She was born in Hannibal, Missouri, and at age 18, moved to Leadville, Colorado where she worked in a department store.

She met her husband in Leadville, and although she had intentions of marrying a rich man, she married JJ, a poor man, for love. Later, JJ was paid 12,500 shares of stock and a seat on the board for his engineering design at a mining company. This made them a rich couple. They separated after 23 years of marriage, but remained connected the rest of their lives.

Molly was a women's rights activist and a philanthropist and one of the first students to enroll at the Carnegie Institute in New York.

The Brown's 1889 home was built by the architect, Willam Lang. We were there on Sunday, and the house wasn't open, but we looked at the outside and then walked around the neighborhood of the historic Hilltop neighborhood.

Old Colorado City, CO - February 2009

Old Colorado City (Old Town, locally)

In its earliest days of 1859–1860, Colorado City was a major hub for sending mining supplies to South Park, where a major strike in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was found. After the Cripple Creek gold discovery in 1891, ore mills in Colorado City processed much of the gold ore at the Golden Cycle Mill using Palmer's railroads. (Wikipedia) It was a rough and tumble sort of town during the gold rush days, and the affluent people built away from the city in what is now Colorado Springs.

Today, Colorado Avenue is lined with shops and a few restaurants. I was surprised there weren't more places to dine. However, there was plenty of local artisans' wares to enjoy, and UPS will be delivering some nice pieces of pottery to our home in Overland Park soon!

Building Art

Colorado Springs, CO - February 2009

The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor began in 1891 as a small hotel and casino, but the current resort was built in 1918 by Spencer Penrose, a fellow from Philadelphia who got rich mining gold at Cripple Creek. I arrived thirty minutes before the restaurant opened, so took a little walk around the grounds. It's a 5 star / 5 diamond resort and darn-right impressive.

http://www.broadmoor.com/five-star-hotel.php

Boston, MA - January 2009

The Paul Revere House

Visit the website http://www.paulreverehouse.org/about/paulreverehouse.shtml There's a much better photo on the website!

Ok. So these aren't the greatest photos, but, hey! I was there! It was cold. There was no place to park, so I double-parked, hopped out of my car, slipped and slid across the icy street, and snapped a couple of quick photos. The street photo is taken from in front of the house.

Here's an excerpt from the web page:

On the night of April 18, 1775, silversmith Paul Revere left his small wooden home in Boston's North End and set out on a journey that would make him into a legend. Today that home is still standing at 19 North Square and has become a national historic landmark. It is downtown Boston's oldest building and one of the few remaining from an early era in the history of colonial America.