Category: USA

Les Belles Heures of the Duke of Berry at the Getty.

Jean de France - the Duke of Berry - was an avid patron of the arts. He collected tapestries, metal- and enamel-work, jewelry, and paintings. But he is best known as a bibliophile who commissioned more than 300 manuscripts.

Thanks to his love of books, two of the world's most exquisite illuminated manuscripts - Les Belles Heures and Les Tres Riches Heures - were created. Begun by the Limbourg Brothers around 1405, Les Belles Heures, was a daily devotional designed for the Duke's personal use.


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Posted by Virginia Saunders on 12/04/2008 at 2:08 AM | Categories: USA - Event - Attractions -

Where to dine surfside in Malibu.

To those outside Southern California, Malibu is a fabled fantasyland of Ferraris and surfers, not to mention celebrity central. But in the flesh, it can be a little underwhelming. Granted, the 29 miles of California coastline are spectacular, and the beaches are terrific. But glamorous, it's not. And there are surprisingly few places to have a meal overlooking the surf.

The Pier, which was built in 1905, has the requisite L.A. resume. It had bit parts in Gidget, Beach Blanket Bingo, and the Rockford files. But nearly a century of pounding took its toll, and in 1995, the pier was closed for safety reasons.


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Posted by Virginia Saunders on 11/26/2008 at 6:36 PM | Categories: USA - North America - Dining -

In Seattle? Don't miss Teatro ZinZanni.

In 1992, Norman Langill discovered a turn-of-the-century Belgian spiegeltent in Barcelona. With its hand-carved wooded booths, mirrored walls and stained glass, the tent hosted cabarets, circuses, and celebrations across Europe.

Six years later, the charming spiegeltent moved to Seattle and became home to Teatro ZinZanni, an innovative melange of vaudeville, cirque, music, and comedy that played to sold-out crowds for the next 14 months.

 


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Posted by Virginia Saunders on 11/11/2008 at 3:52 AM | Categories: USA - North America - Event - Attractions -

America's best small museums -- Part 2.

With the National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the 19 museums of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC has so many must-sees that many visitors miss what in any other city would be a big draw - The Phillips Collection.

Housed in an 1897 Georgian Revival home in Dupont Circle, the museum was opened in 1921 to showcase the collection of art critic Duncan Phillips and his wife, artist Marjorie Acker.


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Posted by Virginia Saunders on 11/02/2008 at 11:46 PM | Categories: USA - Attractions -

Thanksgiving in New Orleans -- without leaving home.

We like traveling at Thanksgiving. And as much as we love turkey dinner like mom used to make, we've had some nontraditional dinners that made us rethink the whole thing.

Last year, we went to Seaside, Florida, which is close enough to New Orleans to have fantastic Cajun food. This year, we don't want to get on a plane, but we still want a New Orleans food fix.

Enter cajunturkeyco.com, who sells a 10 -12 pound Cajun turkey for $52.50, plus shipping.


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Posted by Virginia Saunders on 10/29/2008 at 3:21 AM | Categories: Food and Wine - USA -