Category: News

  • Harvard-Westlake’s Chase Aldridge is Breaking Obstacles in Baseball

    Harvard-Westlake’s Chase Aldridge is Breaking Obstacles in Baseball

    So started his journey straddling two conditions being an Black teen.

    “Within this chronological age of transfers, it’s not hard to visit another school,” he stated. “I am happy and playing also it was well worth the time. This is an important lesson to understand. You cannot always leave when not going the good for you. Waiting your time and effort and adhering by using it with the finish will probably be useful.”

    “I recall on the very first day of faculty, I had been alone around the area throughout lunch whenever a couple of eighth-graders requested me basically understood how you can perform the new dance craze. Although I understood the moves, I shyly stated ‘no.’ Later, I’d the eerie sense which i was just requested this due to my race.

    Within an application essay to Harvard, he authored: “My father will come each year and train concerning the Negro Leagues. Pursuits like this offered both the objective of telling others from the good reputation for many different people, in addition to a manifestation of the way i easily fit in the college community.

    “My encounters at these schools have brought me to become citizen in an enormous amount of growing inclusivity and variety, Inch Aldridge authored. “My encounters have provided me the arrogance will be able to and can succeed anywhere due to my knowledge of an array of people and situations. With this particular, I understand will be able to help bridge the space between two cultures, relevant to a number of people.”

    Aldridge calls themselves “an average inside a polarized world.” He listens, he discovers and that he makes choice using his understanding, experience and encounters.

    For coping with race in society, Aldridge stated, “Sports can help you break lower a number of individuals obstacles that include race and socioeconomic class.”

    “As my years in the school continued, I began to feel more self-conscious. I started progressively to note variations between my class mates and me. I understood E-40, they understood the Beatles I performed in the Boys & Women Club, they performed at country clubs I loved yams cake, they loved pumpkin cake.”

    “My obvious feeling of belonging urged me to consider a leadership role among my peers both in the class as well as on the baseball area where I performed with lots of exactly the same kids from soccer practice. After moving to a different campus, I rapidly lost that obvious feeling of belonging. I had been all of a sudden moved from an enormous amount of Civics and Corollas to Panamera’s and Maserati’s.

    This year is his first like a full-time starter at second base, and just what a season he’s getting. He leads they in batting having a .489 average, has walked 20 occasions and it has only one error. The lesson he learned over 4 years of senior high school was persistence.

    Chase Aldridge, the key hitter for Harvard-Westlake’s baseball team, is headed to Harvard College. He was raised in Ladera Levels, visited an open elementary school, then enrolled in a private junior high school in Palisades.

    Aldridge modified and flourished. He was resolute to benefit from his academic prowess and employ his passion of baseball to widen his possibilities. He performed baseball at Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, then enrolled at Harvard-Westlake and submerged themself in academics and sports.

    “It is important that children in less advantage areas can play,” he stated. Being an Black hitting, he knows he’s within the minority. On opening day rosters within the major leagues, there have been 68 African People in America from 868 gamers, based on a USA Today survey.

  • Oberhauser and Stampfl meeting at 2: victory

    Oberhauser and Stampfl meeting at 2: victory

    Will Mannschaftsverwalter for the Team!

    Jetzendorfs Coach Harald Maier was after the overall game only pleased with the end result: “Our performance today wasn’t the very best. However it includes just the three points. Against Karlshuld, we’ve our energy back but increase to be able to win.“

    TSV Jetzendorf – With a 2: victory within the SC Inhauser moss has got the TSV Jetzendorf the standings within the district League North cut back.

    Total saw about 100 visitors however a weak district League game. Many simple Ballverluste centered the overall game on sides. The very first two chances in the overall game resulted by headers, but both Tobias Hellfritzsch (5.) on one side, in addition to Tobias Seethaler (13.) however, skipped the gate. The guidance resulted from the lengthy shot. Following a short opposed the disposable-kick summarized Simon Oberhauser a heart, and came from 18 yards. The Ball hit half means by the left corner. In direct exchange might have Lukas Wank the total amount could make, Yes. He unsuccessful completely detached before TSV-Keeper Christoph Morber.

    SCI-player-coach Stefan Drengler who had been unsatisfied using the result: “I was not inferior to Jetzendorf. We’ve attempted to experience football and also have managed to get easy once more skipped our possibilities. I am still happy with my team, because they regardless of us makes the having descent.“

    The other half looked like the very first. The choice made, Daniel Stampfl, the SCI-Keeper Florian Lutz having a shot from 30 meters. The Inhauser had, consequently, only soon after the two: the truly amazing Opportunity to connect deepawali, however, Thomas Ackermann was targeted from ten or twenty yards past the gate. Within the final stage, both teams once more, harmful before goal, more hit wanted, however, not fall.

  • New Interviews, Subpoena in Christie Bridge Analysis Project

    New Interviews, Subpoena in Christie Bridge Analysis Project

    The researchers spoken to people from the Borough Council in Fort Lee, the city where traffic was gridlocked, and released the subpoena towards the Port Authority of recent You are able to and Nj, which works the region’s bridges and tunnels, in recent days.

    The council interviews, which ended a week ago, centered on conditions in Fort Lee throughout a few days of Sept. 9, 2013, when local access lanes towards the George Washington Bridge were rerouted, according an individual acquainted with the conferences. The individual didn’t wish to hinder the analysis and spoke on the health of anonymity.

    The Main Harbour Authority had formerly been subpoenaed within the situation. The continuing analysis has continued to be an item of frustration for a lot of supporters of Christie, that has called the lane closings “inexplicably stupid.” Lawyers hired through the governor along with a legislative committee looking into the conditions from the lane closures have discovered no evidence to contradict his denials associated with a advance understanding of these.

    Federal prosecutors also released the brand new subpoena towards the Port Authority now, seeking evidence associated with claims that people from the Christie administration might have involved in retaliatory action against Jersey City’s Democratic mayor after also, he rejected to endorse Christie for re-election, according to someone who had been acquainted with the subpoena but wasn’t approved to go over it and spoke on the health of anonymity. The request incorporated records from former Port Authority authorities who have been hired by or were allies of Christie.

    Christie, who seems to become continuing to move forward having a likely presidential bid, has refused any prior understanding from the traffic plan.

    News from the subpoena was initially as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    The lane closings in the bridge, which links Fort Lee and New You are able to City, triggered massive traffic trouble for days and have been retribution against Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor for neglecting to endorse Christie’s re-election bid.

    The city attorney known inquiries to Donohue, who had been hired to represent the borough within the analysis but rejected to comment.

    In Fort Lee, the majority of the six borough council people were questioned around three days ago on borough property as the last was questioned a week ago at attorney Timothy Donohue’s office, the individual acquainted with the conferences stated. Council Leader Harvey Sohmer rejected to comment, and Borough Administrator Alfred Restaino known inquiries to an urban area attorney.

    Council member Ila Kasofsky confirmed the conferences inside a telephone interview but rapidly stuck. Other people rejected to comment or didn’t react to messages.

    The U.S. attorney’s office stated it doesn’t discuss its research.

    NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Federal prosecutors looking into apparently politically motivated traffic lane closures crafted by aides to Republican Gov. Chris Christie near among the nation’s most popular bridges happen to be meeting with people of the town council and also have released a brand new subpoena.

  • Obstacle Within the Rangers’ Road to Best Record, Important For You to Know

    Obstacle Within the Rangers’ Road to Best Record, Important For You to Know

    Individuals goals — winning the Metropolitan Division, securing up home ice through the first three models, and perhaps winning the Presidents’ Trophy — only include more goals.

    No doubt which was a good-checking game, research from both teams in ways to get into passing lanes and participate in the defensive zone. It was the sixth game previously seven where the Rangers haven’t obtained greater than two goals. They’ve 11 goals total throughout that stretch — actually, they’ve handled an eye on 5-1-1, but still hold an appropriate five-point lead within the Islanders atop the division whilst holding three games in hands.

    Carrying out a time off on Thursday, the Rangers will practice the very first time with Lundqvist on Friday before flying to Raleigh, N.C., where they’ll face the Severe weather on Saturday evening. They’ll return for Sunday’s home match from the Ducks, then prepare for hosting the protecting Stanley Cup champion Nobleman in the Garden on Tuesday.

    Additionally, it hasn’t assisted the energy play is -for-16 in the last six games, regardless of the number of forwards are available.

    Beginning goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist will return soon, and incredibly well may need a few begins to obtain themself into form matching those of his understudy, Cam Talbot, who ongoing his terrific run having a solid 30-save performance from the Blackhawks.

    You will find still goals for that Rangers, plus they exceed coach Alain Vigneault’s incessant phrase of “getting a checkmark” by their title like a postseason contestant.

    “I’m confident our whole group will try to place the pucks within the internet in the proper time,Inches Vigneault stated, “so we continue winning.”

    “This is exactly what you’re likely to see within the 2010 nfl playoffs,” Stepan stated, mentioning to how little space there is around the ice and just how well Darling performed.

    “Maybe we must shoot a bit more,Inches Hayes stated Wednesday following the three of these combined for 3 from the Rangers’ 25 shots on goal.

    However with the Blueshirts’ second-leading scorer, Martin St. Louis, prone to miss a minimum of the following three games together with his assumed right-knee injuries, the job of having their offense back in line will probably be harder. Despite the fact that St. Louis had just two goals in the past 10 games, his immense skill and pure goal-scoring ability always continued to be a risk.

    “Every game differs, Inches Vigneault stated after his team’s newest meager offensive output, single- loss towards the Blackhawks in the Garden on Wednesday evening.

    Stephan presently has 11 straight games with no point, and 13 with no goal. Kreider hasn’t obtained in seven games, as well as Nash has needed to watch Alex Ovechkin distance themselves using the lead for that Rocket Richard Trophy, standing pat at 39 goals within the last four games while Ovechkin what food was in 45 before his team’s game at Minnesota on Thursday evening.

    When and when Sundqvist is going to be ready is still the primary focus because the postseason gets near. But regardless of how good he’s, they continues to be going to need to score.

    The trickle-lower aftereffect of St. Louis’ absence around the 5-on-5 models is the fact that Kevin Hayes has become in Nash’s just right a line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello, three gamers who all enjoy being playmakers instead of photographers.

    Since St. Louis went lower in the finish of Sunday’s 2-1 sneak-by conquer the Panthers, Vigneault has moved Ron Nash to right wing with Derek Stephan and Chris Kreider, a line which had lots of chances against Chicago — really, Nash had lots of chances — but nonetheless couldn’t beat 26-year-old rookie netminder, Scott Darling.

  • One of the Best Places to Watch the Solar Eclipse in France

    One of the Best Places to Watch the Solar Eclipse in France

    You need to watch the eclipse through special eclipse glasses, never look into the sun. Alternatively, get more information at an opportune guide regarding how to create a pinhole viewer, a different way to securely watch the eclipse.
    How must i see it?

    You best get shopping now, they are selling out. Within the Astroscopic store, an employee member told the twenty minutes newspaper that nobody had anticipated this type of interest in the glasses.
    When the morning of March 20th works out to be really sunny — prior to the eclipse hides the sun’s rays — the sudden drop-off being produced could achieve 34,000 Megawatts, the same as 80 medium-sized conventional energy plants, noted the AFP news agency.

    Still confused?

    A young child in Marseille likes an eclipse in the year 2006.

    “We’re able to not have expected this type of hype, especially thinking about it is simply an incomplete eclipse,” he stated, observing the next total eclipse will not be until 2081.

    The Ecu Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity has noted that there’s a “risk” of the incident thinking about that there’s 100 occasions more energy originating from photo voltaic forces today than throughout the final eclipse in 1999.

    On Friday France will witness probably the most spectacular photo voltaic eclipse in 10 years. The Neighborhood fills you in on all you need to determine if you are intending to see it and why everybody should mind towards the western town of Brest.

    What’s happening? Around the morning of Friday, March 20th, Europe is going to be stepped into almost darkness throughout probably the most complete photo voltaic eclipse in 10 years, once the moon passes while watching sun. France last observed a photo voltaic eclipse in 2005. In 1999 Europe observed the final total eclipse from the previous millennium. Just when was it happening? The eclipse could be observed in Paris between 9.23am and 11.41am on Friday March 20th. The sun’s rays would be the most covered at 10.30am, as observed in the graph below. (Graphics from Timeanddate.com) Elsewhere, the timing will be different ever-so slightly, as proven within the graph below. (Maximum it’s time once the eclipse reaches its maximum, obs shows the proportion from the sun that’ll be covered, h may be the height from the sun, and début and fin would be the start and finish occasions.) Does it be also that impressive? It’s not an overall total eclipse, therefore the effect is going to be a lot more gradual than an finish-of-the-world plunge into darkness. But nonetheless, individuals in northern France will have the ability to enjoy an eclipse well over 80 %, meaning under a fifth from the sun is going to be visible. When the weather conditions are good, the town of Brest around the north-west coast continues to be expected like a prime contender for the best place to determine the spectacle unfold. Anywhere across the north coast has additionally been recommended nearly as good support options. Here’s what amount of the sun is going to be covered as seen from a few of the greatest metropolitan areas around France.

    Paris: 77.8 percent

    Marseille: 64.3 %

    Bordeaux: 72.9 %

    Lille: 83.4 %

    Lyon: 69.8 percent Maximum p Eclipse solaria p vended component villa en France .

    France using its 5,700 MW also offers a substantial photo voltaic energy industry, but operators happen to be improving their teams within the anticipation associated with a problems. They’ll boost reserves in the usual 1,000 MW to at least one,700 MW to help keep safe and sound.

    If there’s an issue, however, it will in all probability maintain Germany where there’s a photo voltaic energy capacity of 40,000 MW where 18 percent of electricity consumption this past year originated from photo voltaic energy.

    For individuals individuals who would like a far more graphic illustration of Friday’s eclipse, your search is over…

  • Toronto: The Bata Shoe Museum Offers Just the Right Fit

    Toronto: The Bata Shoe Museum Offers Just the Right Fit

    Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum offers just the right fit for anyone who thinks of Manolo Blahnik as a modern master or always wondered about the origins of go-go boots.

    As a Toronto native, I had always passed by the museum with a considerable degree of curiosity, but had never visited the striking contemporary building by Raymond Moriyama.

    Recently, I stepped inside to educate myself further about my all-time, favorite accessory.

    A glass “wedge” of sorts frames the entrance through which you can see the small gift shop and ticket desk. For anyone with a thing for shoes, there’s an open area with all sorts of footwear, a mirror and a sign, reading: “Try them on…you know you want to!” Of course, I did.

    Moving on to the semi-permanent exhibit “All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages,” I perused through some 4,500 years of shoe history. On display are everything from chestnut crushing clogs, sabatons and button boots, to astronaut shoes, glass slippers and haute couture pumps.

    Upstairs is the museum’s “Star Turns” exhibit, where I got to ogle autographed shoes from the likes of actor Pierce Brosna and tennis great Roger Federer, along with a shoe belonging to Canadian cancer activist and amputee Terry Fox; a pair of boots worn by movie and music icon Judy Garland; and even socks favored by Napoleon Bonaparte.

    I also checked out the semi-permanent, “Beauty, Identity, Pride: Native North American Footwear,” featuring “discovery drawers” with samples of different types of fur used to make moccasins and information on the use of pigments in the American Southwest.

    My visit happened to coincide with the final day of the museum’s temporary exhibition, “Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection,” showcasing stunning pumps and high-heeled boots by the designer who started his career in the 1950’s with Christian Dior.

    tct-bata-bootThe exhibition is now closed, making room for “Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture,” which runs from April 25, 2013, through March 30, 2014, but the Vivier materials are still accessible via podcasts on the museum’s website. “Out of the Box” promises to be the the first exhibition in North America to examine the history of sneaker culture.

    Although I left my little children at home, the Bata offers regular weekend events that will surely keep your kids more entertained than a typical trip to the shoe store.

    Every Saturday and Sunday, there are crafts and activities for children ages five to 12. April’s craft of the month is shoe magnets; each child receives a bag of supplies on admission. The museum’s four, relatively compact floors of exhibits are also quite reasonable for a little one’s short attention span.

  • Best Hotels For Foodie Travellers at Boston

    Best Hotels For Foodie Travellers at Boston

    Two Boston properties –– the Boston Harbor Hotel and the Revere –– are bringing the hotel dining experience to a whole new level. Here what to expect when you check in:

    The Buzz This classic property encompasses all the elements that go along with a luxe hotel stay, from its sophisticated lobby through its well-appointed rooms through its responsive customer service.

    The Location Situated majestically on the famed Boston Harbor, this refurbished grand dame is well-situated for strolling along the water and admiring the views, as well as walking to Chinatown and Little Italy’s must-visit pastry shops.

    The Meal Chef Daniel Bruce –– creator of the nearly quarter-century-old Boston Wine Festival –– presides over his signature restaurant, Meritage. The seasonal menu spotlights locally-sourced products and emphasizes wine pairings: The menu is divided into such categories as Sparklers, Light Whites and Fruity Reds, to help guide you to the right wine choice. We received additional help with our pairings from sommelier Nick Dodona

    If the culinary experience weren’t enough, the elegant dining room’s huge windows provide gorgeous harbor views.

    Bells & Whistles The Boston Harbor is home to a full-service gym and spa featuring a pool, Jacuzzi and welcome amenities (Icy cold towel and fresh lemon-water anyone?).

    The Buzz Across town (and worlds apart), the boutique-style Revere hotel sets an immediate contemporary tone with its striking lobby, replete with modern art, copper-toned metallic wall and a circular ramp to the front desk.

    The Location Located just a few blocks from the Boston Common and the tony Beacon Hill neighborhood, the Revere is an excellent spot to explore the city on foot.

    The Meal The Revere’s restaurant, The Rustic Kitchen, is a stylish Italian trattoria with a robust Mediterranean menu of homemade pastas and brick oven pizzas, as well as inventive salads and zesty sandwiches. With an open pasta-making station and wood-burning oven, the bistro nicely mixes modern with the traditional.

    As the the home of the locally produced The Cooking Show, the Revere attracts a crowd every Friday night for the taping of the series in a special soundstage. The restaurant also sports a spacious bar, with a seasonal selection of cocktails made with housemate infused vodkas. We enjoyed the pear, blueberry and apple cinnamon creations –– beware the friendly bartenders encouraging you to try them all.

    Speaking of cocktails, the hotel is also home to The Emerald Lounge, a massive 6,000 square-foot hotspot that is jumping on the weekends with club-goers. Revere hotel guests get the VIP treatment, and can skip to the front of the line. Don’t forget to check out the “secret” Ruby lounge behind the main bar.

    Bells & Whistles The guest rooms reflect the modernist vibe, with spacious desks, flat screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and plenty of electrical outlets.

  • Baltimore Art Museum: A Great Place of Adventure

    Baltimore Art Museum: A Great Place of Adventure

    At the Baltimore Museum of Art, a pair of small dozing lions guard a side entrance. The Roman-temple-style building, designed by architect John Russell Pope – he of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery — looms behind a grand entrance flanked by two, more superior, lions. My daughter works as an art conservator here, so a recent visit focused on this museum, which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.

    Founded in 1914, with only one painting, the Museum now contains more than 90,000 works, from 1400-year-old mosaics to Rodin bronzes, from a towering Tiffany window, African art, and European paintings to Early American furniture. Its chief glory, however, is the Cone Collection, donated by two sisters.

    Starting in 1906. the sisters Etta and Claribel Cone, early patrons and friends of Matisse, made annual trips to Europe to buy the latest paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints. “The pictures covered every available inch of wall space,” wrote an impressed young nephew, “even in the bathrooms. They bought only what they really wanted and they loved all that they owned.” Thanks to their passion, the BMA now is said to own the largest collection of Matisse’s in the world.

    A cabinet in the replica of their apartment contains drawers with postcards, linens, towels, jewelry, keys and boxes. We paused to rest on one of the two green velvet couches, before venturing out, refreshed, to rooms filled with Impressionist masterpieces.

    Elsewhere in the museum, we were also encouraged to rest on Violetta and Swimmer, two large mauve and pink Franz West sculptures on display in the newly-renovated Contemporary Art Gallery.

    In the two sculpture gardens, we reveled in twentieth-century works by Calder, Moore, Nevelson, and Miro, lurking among the fountains and azaleas. Lucky visitors may even see a small rabbit or two scudding by — they like to frolic under Barry Flanagan’s Boxing Hare on an Anvil. Or, have your picture taken reclining on Scott Burton’s Rock Chair.

    After a feast of art for the soul, we adjourned to the outdoor terrace of Gertrude’s, for the Crab Cake du Jour. This suave restaurant, named after the owner’s grandmother, overlooks the gardens and specializes in Chesapeake cooking.

    Chef John Shields, ‘the Culinary Ambassador of the Ba,y’ has hosted PBS shows and written a cookbook filled with “crabformation,” local history, tall tales, anecdotes, jokes – it’s a literary as well as culinary treat, with recipes from all the people who have settled this fertile land: from Native American, Polish, Italian and Virginian African Americans.

    Lucky Baltimoreans also enjoy the Walters Art Museum near Mount Vernon Square, which Henry James called the most perfect square in North America. Upon his death in 1931, Henry Walters bequeathed the vast collection he and his father had built, and the palazzo-styled building that housed it, to the mayor and city council of Baltimore “for the benefit of the public.” The Museum opened its doors for the first time in 1934, with works of art spanning 5,000 years and five continents, including the entire contents of a Roman palace! Collections of Egyptian art, Ethiopian icons, medieval armor, illuminated manuscripts, and Faberge Easter eggs all lie in wait for the dedicated explorer.

    An extra treat for Chinese blue-and-white junkies is the Asian collection in the adjacent Hackermann House. This period -furnished townhouse of an 1850s merchant contains the oldest surviving wooden Buddha in the world (7th c.) There are objects from Chinese graves, intricate snuff bottles, and sinister samurai armors. After savoring the glories of the Orient, you risk a stiff neck admiring the carved ceilings and swirling staircase.

    From high art to jaw-dropping hijinks: the American Visionary Art Museum offers folksy and offbeat works that have flowed from the souls and imaginations of self-taught and outsider artists. A 55-foot whirligig in the main outdoor plaza offers a quick hint of what’s to come inside, while a meticulous model of the Lusitania, built from thousands of toothpicks, continues the adventure.

    And if that isn’t quirky enough, intrepid museumgoers can also sass out the Museum of Dentistry — hmmm, more toothpicks? — as well as a Tattoo Museum, where you can get a custom-designed tattoo on site.

  • Tours to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Madison

    Tours to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Madison

    The 2008 best-selling novel, Loving Frank, told the tragic back story behind Taliesin, master architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic winter home near Madison, Wis. Like many fans of the book, I hoped to someday see Taliesin, which in Welsh means “shining brow.” Someday came this summer.

    Located on 600 acres in the still-wide-open spaces of Spring Green, Wis., Taliesin is a remarkable series of buildings, known for their forward-thinking design, sweeping vistas and tumultuous history. The World Monuments Fund describes Taliesin “as an autobiography, experimental sketchbook, and manifesto in one. It is regarded as one of Wright’s most significant and personally meaningful expressions of organic architecture evolving from the Prairie style.”

    Wright began building Taliesin in 1911 for his companion, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, with whom he formed a union considered especially scandalous at the turn of the 20th century. Wright left his wife, Kitty, and six children for Cheney, who was married to one of his clients and had two children of her own. However, their time together at Taliesin proved short-lived.

    Three years after its construction, Taliesin became the site of Wisconsin’s worst mass murder. In August, 1914, a crazed servant –– for reasons still shrouded in mystery –– bolted shut the doors, doused the floors with gasoline and set Taliesin on fire. A few Wright workmen managed to escape, but most of its occupants were murdered with an axe as they attempted to flee the flames. Cheney, her two young children, who were visiting for the summer, and four others died in the melee.

    Wright, who was away on business, vowed to rebuild the structure, and did so, using some pieces of the original home in the 1914 version. Wright continued to revamp Taliesin’s interior and exterior spaces until he died in 1959.

    Today, Taliesin visitors can choose from an array of tours, ranging from a two-hour “Highlights,” which includes both private and public spaces, to an even more comprehensive four-hour “Estate” experience. There’s even a “Loving Frank” tour, based on the novel, that runs one Friday a month from May to October.

    Taliesin is one of 10 major Frank Lloyd Wright sites in his home state of Wisconsin, with several others located near Madison. I also visited his Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center. Wright signed off on the building’s final plans only seven weeks before his death, but his “dream civic center” didn’t get built until 1997. Music fans will want to check out the center’s roof plaza, where a plaque honors soul singer Otis Redding, who died in a 1967 plane crash on Lake Monona, where the building now stands.

    The Unitarian Meeting House –– Wright’s own church –– is another of his Wisconsin-based National Historic Landmarks and one of his few “red tile” projects, meaning he designed both the interior and exterior.

    But for me the highlight of my personal Wright tour was Taliesin, still a thing of beauty, despite the tragedy that unfolded there.

  • A Guide to Visit Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville

    A Guide to Visit Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville

    In the weeks leading up to a recent Nashville music pilgrimage, I would excitedly announce to anyone within earshot that I would have the chance to visit the new Johnny Cash Museum. To which I invariably would receive the bewildered response: “There wasn’t a Johnny Cash museum before?”

    The city had its longtime landmark Country Music Hall of Fame (established in 1961) and iconic venues, such as Ryman Auditorium, with a rich dose of history courtesy of the Man in Black, but the long-awaited Cash museum didn’t open until last spring.

    The new facility, situated in the heart of Nashville in a compact storefront, offers a beautiful tribute to the legend, his life, his love for his wife, June Carter, and of course his music.

    I spent a good 90 minutes exploring the exhibits, first reacquainting myself with Cash’s music via a series of decade-specific iPad stations. Whether it’s a little “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line” or “Rusty Cage,” a few minutes spent here will ensure good head space for what’s to come.

    The exhibits themselves offer a trove of photos, personal letters, striking outfits (there really is something to be said for seeing those size 13 boots up close and personal) and items belonging to his band mates, including guitarist Luther Perkins’ amp, which was used to record “Hey Porter,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and other signature hits.

    There’s even the dress that former First Lady Pat Nixon wore when Cash performed at the White House in 1971.

    The museum commemorates their home with a wall excavated from the ruins and reconstructed stone by stone. In front of the wall are the Cashes’ antique sideboard and a dining room chair, with a heart shaped box Johnny gave to June one Valentine’s Day and a handwritten message conveying his love. If that weren’t enough to inspire a Johnny Cash song, there’s another tidbit of information that gives the exhibit an added emotional punch: The excavated stones are from the room where the music video for his latter day classic, “Hurt,” was filmed. However, the emotional highlight for me was a section dedicated to Johnny and June’s lake house, where they spent several decades together until their passing in 2003. Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees purchased the property in Hendersonville, Tenn., several years later, and began remodeling it. But tragically, the house caught fire amid the construction and burned down in 2007.