The Chicago Theatre

New York has Time Square and London has Big Ben but Chicago’s iconic landmark is the Chicago Theatre. This historic movie theater with the distinctive “Chicago” Marquee sign sits in the heart of the Loop and is one of the last standing movie palace’s in the country.  If you’ve never entered inside the theater and glided down the vivid red carpet or gazed upon the gold leaf  ceiling fixtures,  the Chicago Theater Marquee Tour should be at the top of your to do list. Read More »

One of the many public murals in Philadelphia

Whenever I visit a city, I pay close attention to the amount of public art I do or don’t see. It seems to be indicative of how cool the entire city will be and often how much there will be to do in the area. It’s no surprise that these three cities then are known for being great places to visit.

3 Cities with Great Public Art

Philadelphia - Tour guides here claim that the city has more public murals than any other city in the country. With over 3,000 murals painted on the sides of buildings all over town, it’s possible. The great thing about Philadelphia is the variety of public art that’s available. You’ll find paintings, sculpture, and even mosaic tile work.

Chicago – Like Philadelphia, Chicago takes support the arts seriously and uses the Percent for Art Ordinance to help fund public art projects whenever a municipal buildings are built or renovated. Today, the city’s most famous public art piece is the massive sculpture informally known as The Bean (actually called Cloud Gate) set at Millenium Park. Another incredible display of public art is found at the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, an exhibit dedicated to photographs of Chicago.

Seattle – It’s a little tragic that there’s so much public art on display outdoors in a city that gets an average of 158 days of rain each year. The good news is the “rain” is usually a drizzle so you can still technically get out there and see all the creativity this unique city has to offer. With literally hundreds of sculptures in Seattle, it’s virtually impossible not to pass by one or two while walking around. The Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park is also a great place to go to see several pieces in one place.

Tropical flowering plants

There’s nothing like a tropical paradise to make you appreciate nature’s beauty but St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands provides a showcase for it’s natural bounty with St. Peter Greathouse and Botanical Gardens.  I reveled in the native flora located on 11 lush acres along volcanic peaks, 1,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the capitol city of Charlotte Amalie. Read More »

Jean Talon Market entrance

Montreal is a walking city and there’s no place to get the feet moving like the sprawling Jean Talon Market. Located directly in the center of Montreal in the  landmark Little Italy neighborhood, this colorful and lively market is the biggest outdoor market in North America and Montreal’s most charming.  Opened in 1933, Jean Talon mixes old world character with contemporary style for a shopping experience like no other. Read More »