Venice, Italy – If I were independently wealthy, I would buy a palazzo on the Grand Canal and use it to house my fabulous collection of modern art and to entertain my artist friends. There is so much to love…
Venice Museum of Natural History
Venice, Italy – The Venice Museum of Natural History is creepy. So of course my kids loved it. This place is filled with specimens that explorers brought back from around the world — featuring everything from stuffed animals to mummies…
Ötzi the Iceman
Bolzano, South Tyrol – It’s a cloudy day in the Dolomites, so we decided to spend the morning with Ötzi the Iceman. Hikers in the nearby mountains found this 5000-year-old mummy frozen in the ice. He now resides at the…
Edward M Kennedy Institute for the US Senate
Boston, Mass – The legacy of the Kennedys continues to influence the political and cultural landscape in Boston. The Edward M Kennedy Institute for the US Senate is a cool new addition to the city’s educational circuit. It’s an interactive…
Have sketchbook, will travel
Boston, Mass – We used to be regulars at the Museum of Fine Arts. You know, back when the twins didn’t go to school and I was always looking for things to do with them. (Read about some of our…
Takashi Murakami at the MFA
Boston, Mass – We don’t get to the Museum of Fine Arts as much as we used to. But as soon as I learned we could see the whimsical flowers created by Takashi Murakami at the MFA, I knew I…
Last Hurrah
St Clair Shores, Michigan – Our annual trip to Michigan is always the last hurrah of summer. For two weeks, we escape from the city and bask in the attentions of the grandparents. There’s always a trip to the Henry…
Heidelberg Project
Detroit, Michigan – Sometimes, out of poverty and desperation comes creativity and inspiration. This idea is at the foundation of the revitalization of Detroit. And no place embodies it more than Heidelberg, a devastated street on the city’s east side.…
Bonk Museum
Uusikaupunki, Finland – Bonk Museum is clever, but definitely one of the oddest museums I have been to. It details the history of the fictitious Finnish company, Bonk Inc, from its early days producing the hallucinogen Garum from anchovy relish,…
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova
Turku, Finland – Old artefacts & new art at the exceptional Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum in Turku. Aboa Vetus (Old Turku) draws you underground to Turku’s medieval streets, showcasing some of the 37,000 artefacts unearthed from the site.…