Stephen Travels

Category Archives: Art & Architecture


by Leave a comment

Lovely Louisville

Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky, was proving to be a delightful city. The friendliness of the people was quite shocking (where else would a gift shop tell you to take a tee shirt for free because they didn’t have the correct change for your cash purchase?), and I was loving the fried green tomatoes at nearly an addictive level. One of my biggest surprises was the astounding architecture, especially in downtown and in Old Louisville, one of the most beautiful historic districts in the United States. Read about the top five buildings in Louisville, Kentucky >


by Leave a comment

Richmond’s Religious Riches

All Saints Reformed Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia, is one of the most historic cities in the United States I’ve ever visited. The past is ever-present, no matter where I looked. A large part of that is the city’s religious institutions. With 1,414 religious organizations and churches in the greater Richmond metropolitan area, there’s one group for every 163 persons in the city. And that means there’s tremendous diversity when you’re visiting and want to see a great range. Read about the top five churches in Richmond >


by Leave a comment

A Fantastical Palace for a Portuguese Artist-King

National Palace of Pena, Sintra, PortugalDue to massive crowds, said every source I checked, avoid the city of Sintra, Portugal, on the weekends. Avoid the city on Mondays, they advised, when, again, it’s swamped with tourists, now because the museums in nearby Lisbon are closed. So, I went on a Thursday. Result? It didn’t matter. The National Palace of Pena—former summer home of Portuguese royalty, starting with King Ferdinand II—was jam-packed with people. But who can blame them? It’s the number-one tourist sight in Portugal, and deservedly so. Read about it >


by Leave a comment

Arkansas at Its Best

Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock, ArkansasI was spending an autumn vacation in Arkansas, tucked into a hotel in the heart of the historic center Hot Springs, which borders and runs through Hot Springs National Park. My focus was on outdoor activities, to take advantage of cool weather and fine fall foliage, but I wisely included urban attractions, too, in a quest to experience the state’s best. Read about the top five things to see and do in Arkansas >


by Leave a comment

Bank on It

Skanenbanken, Stockholm, SwedenOn a daily basis, there’s little need to go into a bank anymore. You can do practically everything online, and, when you need cash, you just stop at an ATM. There’s even less of a need when you’re on vacation. However, some of the most beautiful buildings I’ve been to are banks, and they deserve some special attention. If you want to be impressed by architectural beauty, visiting them is simply money in the bank. Read about the top five bank buildings >


by Leave a comment

Montreal’s Manmade Marvels

Erskine and American United Church, Montreal, CanadaFounded as a Roman Catholic colony by France in 1642, Montreal has been growing fairly steadily for nearly four centuries. The largest city in Quebec, Montreal has expanded to all points of the large island it occupies in the St. Lawrence River. Nicknamed “la ville aux cent clochers” (the city of a hundred bell towers), Montreal teems with beautiful houses of worship of various denominations, but there are plenty of other types of buildings that caught my eye while exploring the second-largest city in Canada. Read about the top five buildings in Montreal >


by Leave a comment

Art Deco Gems of Albert Anis

Avalon Hotel, Miami Beach, FloridaNestled comfortably between New York and Tulsa as one of the best Art Deco cities in the United States, Miami Beach also has one of the country’s best historic districts. The short-lived Art Deco movement in the United States lasted only about 15 years, until World War II virtually killed it. But before this terrific style was beginning to fade, Miami Beach, rebounding from the devastating Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, capitalized on this architectural trend. Many of its now iconic buildings, especially the low-rise hotels, owe their very existence to one man, architect Albert Anis. Read about his top five works >


by Leave a comment

Visiting Vincennes

Knox County Courthouse, Vincennes, IndianaI love small-town America. It’s such a different experience from my hometown of New York, and Vincennes, Indiana, is a perfect example. Founded in 1732 by French fur traders, Vincennes is one of the oldest settlements west of the Appalachians and the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the state. With a population of under 17,000, the city is small enough to walk to all its sights, and when most of those people were seemingly asleep all day when I was there, I felt like I owned the entire city, able to appreciate its riverside setting and attractive architecture at a very leisurely pace. Read about the top five buildings in Vincennes >


by Leave a comment

Louisiana’s Best Buildings

Old Post Office, Baton RougeWhen I was in Louisiana, twice, I knew I was in the deep Deep South: the jazz, the Creole culture, the Spanish moss on the live oak trees, the accents, the alligator nuggets for lunch. And, of course, the wonderful architecture that makes the Pelican State so memorable. Read about the top five buildings in Louisiana >


by Leave a comment

Unmistakable Urban Profiles

Calgary, AlbertaSometimes, in order to get the best view of a city’s skyline, you have to be outside the city. But not always—sometimes the best view comes from the top of a tall building right in the heart of it. Either way, many cities around the world boast beguiling skylines that cannot be mistaken for any other and simply cannot be missed, whether it’s the high-rise profile of Hong Kong or the low-rise beauty of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Read about the top five skylines >