Results tagged “Massachusetts” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Reading Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women was one of Harriet Reisen's seminal experiences growing up, as it is for many girls the world over (the book has been translated into over 50 languages and has never been out of print). But Reisen, a documentary screenwriter, took her enthusiasm a step (or two) further by doggedly pursuing her goal of bringing Alcott's rags-to-riches life story to the screen. The resulting biopic, Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, debuts on American Masters on PBS on December 28, but a companion biography written by Reisen is due out in bookstores today.

I chatted with Harriet Reisen about Louisa May Alcott sites to visit, Louisa's own travel experiences, and how travel and literature intersect.

Readers have flocked to visit Orchard House, the Alcott home for 20 years in Concord, Massachusetts, ever since Little Women became nearly an overnight bestseller in 1868. Any tips on what to look out for on a visit there?

When Louisa describes the March home in Little Women, she is describing Orchard House. Visiting it brings the March and the Alcott family alive. The Alcotts feel very present, as if they've just stepped out for a moment. Everything's there: the elder sister's wedding gown, Louisa's mood pillow. Louisa was very moody and she had a pillow that she put up to signal you could approach her, but when she put it sideways, beware.

Don't miss the costumes that the Alcott children wore in their homemade theatricals, including the russet boots Louisa loved. She said she only wrote parts for herself in plays where she could wear the russet boots.

In between the windows of her very small room is a little wooden desk, a semi-circular surface probably 14 inches in diameter, if that. It has just enough room for an inkwell and a piece of paper. And on this desk, she wrote Little Women in just ten weeks.

In conjunction with his upcoming book, Here Is Where: In Search of America's Great Forgotten History, we're following historian and Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll as he drives, flies, walks, boats, buses, bikes, and hikes to seek out little-known historic sites in all 50 states. Bookmark all of his posts here.

Several weeks ago I mentioned my aversion to staying in "historic" hotels--until I spent a great night in Denver's Brown Palace, a building rich in regional and national history. Now I seek these hotels out whenever possible.

Last week I had a phenomenal stay at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston, at the corner of Tremont and School streets. Founded in 1855, the Parker House boasts being "America's longest continuously operating hotel" and has hosted countless prominent individuals: Alexander Graham Bell, both Edwin and John Wilkes Booth, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ulysses S. Grant, Martin Luther King Jr., Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and, of course, Boston's own Ben Affleck.

What most interested me about the hotel, however, was not its illustrious guests, but the individuals who have served there on staff.

About twenty-five years ago a budding opera singer who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music worked the night shift as a telephone operator. Her name is Denyce Graves, now one of the world's most famous mezzo-sopranos.

Traveler Contributing Editor James Conaway is inspired by the New England's fall foliage, and goes looking for other inspirational art at two local museums.

The foliage factor's just beginning to radically alter the New England landscape. I wanted something thoughtful to add to the palette of fiery reds and yellows of just-turning maples as I was driving through Massachusetts, and so headed for the northwest corner, where I found what are probably the two antithetical, if captivating, art venues in the state: "The Clark," in Williamstown, and MASS MoCA in nearby North Adams.

The undeclared war between traditional, painterly views of nature, and those portraying the physical world as an unrelenting grapple with the forces of destruction and anomie, rages. You'd never know it from the air of decorum reigning at both institutions. Yet the vast arc of western artistic interpretation links them and provides the traveler with a riveting contrast, the Clark being the essence of tradition, and MASS MoCA a descent into the post-apocalyptic present. Both are provocative and, yes, fun.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute sits at the foot of the gentle Taconic Mountains and includes in its stunning collection some iconic New England paintings, among them Winslow Homer's Undertow, which shows ocean survivors once described as the wettest-looking people in American art. There are scads of Impressionists, among them many Renoirs, Pissarros, and Monets, some too pretty for real nature to ever equal. The collection is deep and varied, however, and can easily take up a day, particularly with the addition of Through the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature, at the new Stone Hill Center, with Edo screens on loan from the Metropolitan Museum in New York and stunning examples of contemporary Japanese ceramics.

We've often delved into the nostalgia of children's literature as inspiration for this blog, so children's book illustration fits right into that vein of thinking. Or at least that was my original rationale when I ducked in to see "From Bugs to Beasts: Storytelling Through Collage by Eric Carle" at the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery in D.C.'s Woodley Park neighborhood, where a collection of lithographs and torn paper works by the artist are on display. But it turns out that the exhibit, which runs through September 1 and features huge versions of Carle's classic tissue-paper illustrations of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and other works, only scratched the surface. Carle, a commercial artist who ventured into children's books -- illustrating over 70 -- and never went back, dreamed of a place where the art featured in classic storybooks could be appreciated beyond the page. So in 2001, he opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in his hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts.

The museum now hosts a series of rotating and permanent exhibits; the two currently on display feature the works of E. H. Shepard, the illustrator of the classic Winnie-the-Pooh books, and a retrospective of writer and illustrator Tomie dePaola, who celebrates his 75th birthday this year. And The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is perhaps Carle's most famous book, is observing a birthday of its own, with 40th anniversary parties being held across the country (check out these listings for events near you). Carle himself turned 80 this year, but is still busy blogging, and will be making his annual visit to the Picture Book Museum for a book signing this August 23.

The Carle seems like a perfect gateway museum for parents who are looking to move their kids beyond the children's museum circuit and have them begin to appreciate fine art. Not only will they recognize many of the illustrations from their own book collections, but they'll have the chance to make their own in the massive artist's studio on site. They can also take in a story hour in the museum's library, or watch some of the stories come to life in the theater. And then of course there's another charming touch for the Very Hungry museumgoer- the signature snack in the museum cafeteria is the caterpillar cookie... with a hole in the center. 

["From Bugs to Beasts: Storytelling Through Collage by Eric Carle"]
[The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art]
[The Official Eric Carle Web Site]

Peanut Butter Fudge. Dark Chocolate Fudge. S'mores Fudge. Mint Chocolate Fudge. Inside Out Reese's Fudge.  Decisions, decisions, decisions. A trip to Chatham, Massachusetts' Candy Manor was one of the highlights of my recent weekend trip to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. For this indecisive chocoholic, I have to admit, it also was a bit overwhelming. 

My friend Lizzie told me about the place when she was prepping me for our trip. Growing up, she spent most of her summers on the Cape and was a frequent visitor to the Candy Manor on Main Street. She tried to prepare me, but how could she? To the right of the entrance, a long glass counter filled with dozens of varieties of their famous handmade fudge greeted me. Farther back, there were more display cases, filled with truffles, chocolate covered nuts and pretzels, cream- and caramel-filled treats, and so much more.

(FYI: Candy Manor also accommodates those of you not as interested in chocolate, and has a whole wall with bins of jelly beans, Jordan almonds, saltwater taffy, licorice, and other treats.)

Q: I am a faithful subscriber to Traveler and need some direction. We will be attending some performances in Tanglewood in July 2009. We're looking for accommodation "with heart" at $200-300 per night, near sights and restaurants. Sincere thanks. -- Joy

A: Thanks for your support. Hoping that Traveler has steered you to some world-class experiences. Lucky you: The Berkshires is one of my favorite places on Earth! Gorgeous scenery, great folks, intriguing shops and cafés, plus seriously memorable culture. If you are a fan of the dance, look into the offerings at Jacob's Pillow.

I am going to recommend two widely different places to stay--both on Traveler's 2008 STAY LIST of hotels. I suggest that you depend on their tremendous hotel staffs to steer you to see/do/eat options.

For a trendy mix of old and new try The Porches Inn in North Adams, MA (www.porches.com). Or for pure New England quaint opt for the Red Lion Inn, in Stockbridge, MA (www.redlioninn.com).

Wishing you happy trails,

Sheila Buckmaster
Senior Editor, National Geographic Traveler

Have a question for Traveler? Feel free to Ask IT. 

Photo: The Tavern at the Red Lion Inn, by Kristian Septimius Krogh

Boston Marathon 2009 at the halfway point coming up to the intersection of Route 16 and 128, by Paul Keleher

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it: Today is the best day of the year to be in Boston. Patriots' Day, aka Marathon Monday, is an official state holiday, a day when citizens crowd along the streets to watch some of the most elite runners in the world sprint by (and some of the no-so-elite as well - I ran the race myself back in 2001). This year was the 113th running of the race, and it was won by Ethiopia's Deriba Merga, and Kenya's Salina Kosegi. But it's by no means over for the thousands of people still running as I type.

One thing that may keep them going this year is the knowledge that among the many, many footprints that will cross the finish line - many of them will be accounted for, carbon-wise, by the race organizers, who have purchased offsets for the many buses used to transport runners to the starting line. They've also swapped out the motorcycles used to follow the elite runners with new electric scooters, and have installed a "green team" to ensure that all discarded cups, bottles, and blankets make their way into the barrels posted along the route. It's the first step, so-to-speak, that the race has taken to become more sustainable.

We'd like to welcome Traveler Intern Giovanna Palatucci, who is getting her sea legs on the blog with this, her first post. 

Picture this: cows grazing on Beacon Hill, burlesque theaters in Government Center, and waves crashing at the Old State House doorstep. Certainly this is not what Boston looks like today. As modern architecture and planning quickly propel the design of our cities into the future, one group pauses to map out Boston's beginnings and transformation into a major urban center.

The Walk to the Sea, entering its first spring and summer seasons, is the latest walking tour to hit Boston. The route highlights the evolution of the city over four centuries, focusing on Boston's ties to the sea and covering ground that was once part of an active harbor.

The trail follows a one-mile route, descending 100 feet from Beacon Hill to the Long Wharf, passing historic landmarks and modern skyscrapers. Ten glass and stainless steel informational panels mark the path and explain Boston and American history through images and maps. Beginning in May, visitors can log on to the website to download an audio tour for the walk right to their iPods. And we like this eco-friendly feature: a small wind turbine on the top of the last panel keeps the signs illuminated for nighttime tours.

Walk to the Sea intersects two of Boston's famous walking trails: The Freedom Trail and the Black Heritage Trail. For those who can't get enough of walking tours through historic Boston, check out the Fairmont Copley Plaza's Freedom Trail Discovery Package, available this year from April 1 through December 31 for $349. The package includes a one-night stay in one of the Fairmont's elegant guestrooms, two tickets to the Walk Into History tour with 18th-century costumed guides, two tickets to the three Freedom Trail historic museums, and a copy of The Freedom Trail: An Artist's View.