This is Sue, on display at the Field Museum in Chicago.

My husband and I visited the Field Museum in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and WHAT a time we had. It was a frigid, rainy, blustery day, and we suspected that the joint would be packed just like the experience we had at the Shedd Aquarium the day before. Rainy day + want to play tourist = indoor museum, right?

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As far as I could tell, the instruments were for decoration.

Walking into the Crescent San Francisco Hotel is like walking into the den of hipster vampires. In a good way. They call it “a new interpretation of an original Victorian era.” I call it bold and haunting.

The lobby is bright and open and the staff is friendly and accommodating (although they were unable to provide me with a reputable tattoo parlor in the area after I stumbled in from the nearby Irish Bank Bar — actually, that’s probably a good thing).  Upon first impression of the hotel I was pleased and comfortable. Then things got different.

There is one small, quaint, and very old-school elevator that actually requires the rider to manually open the door — something that made me, and I hope assume other guests, stand there like an idiot for a moment too long. This isn’t a complaint mind you, just a PSA to any potential visitors. Learn from me, people.

And then there was the hallway. It was dark in the daytime and glowed with hues of red. Strolling the corridor alone I couldn’t help but feel that I was checking into my own private screening of The Shining. When I passed the very cool, very hip bar called The Burritt Room (named after the murder scene in The Maltese Falcon) I glanced at the bartenders and gathering patrons — none of them seemed to be ghosts, so I bellied up and had a pint(s). Read More »

Books and art, what's not to love?

They say you learn something every single day. I generally take a few off here and there, but I get the point. We don’t know everything (especially those that think they do).

Today I learned that there is an Eric Carle Museum (hence the title of this post), and this excites me to no end. You may recall my brief encounter with Eric Carle in Los Angeles.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is in Amherst, MA, and it looks fantastic. The museum, as you probably guessed, features art from Carle and other popular (and not so popular) picture books. It’s a book lover’s dream. Also, art lovers.

The museum has a number of events and rotating exhibits. Please check their website for more information, including hours and directions.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

Photo by pink.polka via Flickr

Lockheed SR-71

People might tell you there’s nothing to do in Atwater, CA, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere southeast of San Francisco.  But those people are wrong, especially if you are a person who loves airplanes.  Vintage airplanes, to be more specific.

Castle Air Museum was created after Castle Air Force Base was closed in 1994.  Local enthusiasts formed an organization with the help of the Air Force’s Heritage Program to save the old airplanes at the base, and opened the site up for the public to be able to see and learn from them.  The Museum’s collection includes over 50 restored aircraft which represent the years from World War II to present day, from a B-25 bomber to an SR-71.  If you know what those things are, this is the museum for you. Read More »