Latest Stories
By Renee S. Gordon
 Louisiana is internationally famous for its Cajun and
Creole cuisine and generally Chef Paul Prudhomme is
credited for its introduction and popularization into
the American mainstream. You can literally find great
food everywhere in the state but ground zero for fresh,
locally sourced, regional dishes is the Lake Charles
area in Southwest Louisiana (SWLA). Here visitors can
craft a special experience and soak up the history that
led to this unique culture as well as dive into the
adventure, music, art, festival, beverage and dining
scenes. Read more
by Tom Straka Photographs by Pat Straka
 Back in the Fall 2014 we
visited
Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, on the edge of the Ohio River where
a free ferry crosses over to Kentucky. It is a
favorite route of ours and an especially fun
alternative that avoids the interstate,
facilitating a cross-state route (the long way)
on mainly U.S. highways. We've covered the
history and geology of the location in the past
issue, but missed a key aspect that makes the
stop even more attractive. So
attractive, we've revisited it. Read
more
by Kathleen Walls
 It's
so nice when a historic building gets refurbished
for a new use. Such is the case in Pittsburgh. The
Drury Plaza Hotel was once the Federal Reserve Bank
of Pittsburgh. The Georgia marble faced Art Deco
building began life in 1931 and was bought by the
hotel in 2013 and began renovations in 2014. The
Drury has kept many of the historic features.
Read more
Story by Tom Straka
Photos by Pat
Straka
 My
spell checker tells me I have two suspicious words
in the title. It has not heard of turpentining or a
catface. Many of the readers can probably figure out
what the former means, but I bet they don't know
what the latter is. There are lots of festivals
across the country which provide a travel adventure
immersed in local history and folk culture. The
CatfaceTurpentine Festival held annually in early
October in Portal, Georgia is one of those.
Read
more
by Renee S. Gordon
 Musical
symphonies are composed of individual movements,
distinct sections, written to be played by a large
orchestra. Haydn and Mozart are credited with
creating the classical symphonic arrangement and
later composers have layered the form with
creativity and innovations. Royal Caribbean's
newest cruise ship, the aptly named Symphony of the
Seas, has deftly blended all aspects of the perfect
cruise into one awesome experience much like an
orchestral arrangement.
Read more
Chuckwagon Roundup
by Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 Food is an intricate part of
Cajun culture.
Café Vermillionville, (circa 1835) was built as an
inn for salesmen in Lafayette then named
Vermillionville. During a Union occupation during the
Civil war supposedly a Cajun shot a Union soldier for
making advances at the man's wife. Rumors claim the old
building is still haunted by the soldier as well a young
female ghost. Read more
War
Roads
Fort
Ligonier
by Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 Long before United States was
born, there was a world war. It started in the American
colonies and spread across Europe. There it was called
the Seven Years' War.Read
more
Renee's
Road
California Coast Town and Gown
College Tour
by Renee S. Gordon
11-29-2018
 While
academic programming may be considered the most
important factor in selecting a college, also
essential to success are both the campus and local
culture. College tours are an excellent way to
experience a slice...Read
more
Saxonburg:
Best
Pennsylvania Town You Never Heard of
by Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 Saxonburg, Pennsylvania
is a beautiful example of what one immigrant can do
for this country. John Roebling and his brother,
Carl, came here in 1832 to escape totalitarian
conditions in Germany.
.read
more
Civil
Rights Trail
From Slavery to Freedom:
Pittsburgh's Contribution
by Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 Pittsburgh
has so much history related to the
Underground Railroad. Senator John Heinz
History Center has an exhibit, From
Slavery to Freedom, that tells the story...read
more
Fork in the Road
by Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 Say “sandwich” in Pittsburgh and
it conjures up a different image than anywhere else in
the world. In Pittsburgh, a sandwich is often a Primanti
created by Joe Primanti during the depression. ...
read more
Renee's Road
By
Renee S. Gordon
11-29-2018
 At the end
of August in 1619 the White Lion landed at Old
Point Comfort, in what is now Hampton, Virginia,
and exchanged “20 and odd negroes” for food and
supplies. These Angolan ...
Read more
Innroads
By Kathleen Walls
11-29-2018
 First
Colony Inn is the perfect place to immerse
yourself in Outer Banks history while enjoying
all the modern conveniences. Lost Colony Inn is
not luxurious but it is comfortable and so
welcoming. ...
Read more
Renee's Road
By
Renee S. Gordon
11-29-2018
 The
Buffalo-Niagara Corridor in Western New York has
the distinction of having always been both a
permanent sanctuary and a reliable embarkation
point. Geography, accessibility to the Falls
and ...
Read more
Happy Trails
By Thomas Straka
9-1-2018
 One of the best attractions along Interstate
81 is the Natural Bridge of Virginia. Early
in the nation's history, Hudson River School
artists painted the landscapes of America's
most iconic natural scenes. These are the
large landscapes that hang in the U.S. and
state capitols. The Natural Bridge, Virginia,
painted by Frederic Edwin Church, is one of
them. That landscape is little-changed from
1852 when he painted it...
Read
more
Historical Trails
By
Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 American's oldest mystery has never been
solved.The
story began with the settlement of Roanoke
in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The
prelude was the earlier all-male
expeditions. The first led by Arthur Barlowe
and Philip Amadas, in 1584 was more of an
exploratory one. One thing they did had a
profound on the final settlement; they
brought two young natives, Manteo and
Wanchese, back to England. Read
more
Off the Beaten Path
By Renee S. Gordon and Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 Cattaraugus
County New York is known as the Enchanted
Mountains for good reason. It may be a
lesser known destination but there is so
much to see and do among those picturesque
mountains you will be enchanted.Read
More
By Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 It's
always exciting to watch a new state park
develop. North Carolina's newest is Carvers
Creek State Park. It was authorized in 2005
and opened the first stage in September
2013. Park Superintend Jane Connolly, told
us about the park's background. In the mid
1700s Scottish immigrants began moving into
the area. Read
more
by Renee S. Gordon
9-1-2018
 No
experience has so impacted the United States
as profoundly and lastingly as the years of
black enslavement from 1619 to the end of
the Civil War. “The peculiar institution”
remains a defining characteristic of who we
were, are and will become as a nation. How
do we align the events of the past with the
view of ourselves that we are a country
founded on the principles of liberty for all
and malice toward none?
Read
more
by Renee S. Gordon
9-1-2018
 Delaware
really is the most amazing state. It was the
first of the original colonies to join the
Union and is the second smallest state, a
tiny jewel filled with history, mystery,
quirky sites and a plethora of outdoor
activities. The state consists of three
counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex, and
is so close to Philadelphia that your entire
vacation can require a single tank of gas.
Read more
Auburn: A Sanctuary City
by Renee
S. Gordon
9-1-2018
In 1793 when Revolutionary War veteran
Colonel John Hardenbergh, the first
documented white settler in the Finger Lakes
area, arrived in the Auburn, NY region it
was home of the Haudenosaunee and was called “Ahskuby.”
Read more
by Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 There is nothing more beautiful than Mother
Nature's most powerful places. Niagara Falls
is one of those special places. I just
returned from a visit there and was
literally blown away. At the top of Cave of
the Winds as I stood on Hurricane Deck I
felt as if I was experiencing the most
powerful storm ever.Read
more
Wildwood Sanitarium:
Do You Want to Spend
The Night?
By Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 Today the stately stone building in Salamanca, New
York looks deserted and run down but just
looking you feel that there is a strange
history. You would be right. First it was a
family home. Then Dr. John Henderson opened
it as the Sunnyside Sanitarium in 1906. He
was assisted by Dr. Perry and the nurses
were Bertha, Agnes and Sue. They operated it
as the only holistic healing center in New
York State at the time. Read
more
by Christine Tibbets
9-1-2018
 Barrier
islands distinguish Georgia's coast.Their
geography's interesting to know, and to see up
close. What's happening on the one named St.
Simons Island is robust, ever changing while
holding on to historic charms. The tides here
are distinctive; consider them metaphor for
beachfront lodging, expansive culinary, bustling
downtown and personal ways to delve into the
history.
Read more
Fayetteville Can Bragg
by Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
When it comes to the telling American war
history, Fayetterville, North Carolina has
bragging rights. Fort Bragg's 82d Airborne
Division War Memorial Museum commemorates
the sacrifices made by the 82 nd Airborne
and Special Operation Troops in wars from
WWII and ongoing today. There are even more
veterans honored in the NC
Veterans Park. Read
more
Art Trails
by Anne Jenkins
9-1-2018
 Stories
from the Oregon Trail enthrall, terrify or impress with
their perserverance and strong sense of hope. People
from all walks of life packed up their belongings,
loaded wagons and walked
Read more
Music Row
Detroit's Musical Heritage
By Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 Say
'Detroit' and any music lover will think
'Motown.' Yes, Motown is a big part of Detroit's
musical history but it's not the whole story.
Not by a long shot. Blues
and Jazz were part of Detroit. Rock
and Roll is mixed in and even a touch of
Country. I visited recently and explored
Detroit's culturally diverse musical
background. Read
more
Photos from the Roadside
by Jim DeLillo
9-1-2018
 The
prickly trees reach toward the sky like praying
hands into the heavens. The Mormons saw these
trees, and it reminded them of Joshua. The
branches of the trees point their way westward
like Joshua in an appeal for a safe journey to
the promised land. Yucca brevifolia has a small
range limited to the boundaries of the Mojave
Desert. The magnificent examples of hardiness
can live for hundreds of years; some manage the
extremes of the arid landscape for a thousand
years.Read
more
Museum Row
Detroit
Institute of Arts
By Kathleen Walls
9-1-2018
 Detroit
Institute of Arts is filled with more than 65,000 pieces
of art from the earliest civilizations to the present
day housed in over 100 galleries. A visitor from outer
space could spend a day, or more, at the museum and come
away with a pretty complete understanding of world
history.
Read more
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