Category Archives: places that inspire

Places That Inspire. “1968” at The Oakland Museum of CA.

“The 1968 Exhibit” is a blend of light pop culture—Mad Men style—that includes Jane Fonda’s Barbarella, the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, TV’s Bewitched, Family Affair and Star Trek, Op art, macramé, trippy music, and Kodak Flashcube cameras, contrasted with the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King … Continue reading

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Places that Inspire. Dirty Frank’s.

Dirty Frank’s Bar is a great place to stumble into. You’ll find it on Pine and 13th, near Broad Street in Philadelphia. It’s one of those friendly and unpretentious places, like your favorite neighborhood bar right next door. Dirty Frank’s Bar, 347 Pine Street, … Continue reading

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Places that Inspire. Clifton’s Cafeteria.

On Broadway between West 6th and 7th Streets is a 1935 Downtown L.A. landmark, Clifton’s Cafeteria, where “none were ever turned away, [and] during one 90-day period, 10,000 ate free”. Clifford Clinton created his forest oasis during the Great Depression … Continue reading

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Places that inspire. The WWI Museum.

Nine Thousand Poppies. Housed in the 1929 Liberty Memorial in Kansas City is the new National WWI Museum. Enter the museum and cross a glass bridge above a field of 9,000 red poppies, each one representing 1,000 WWI combatant deaths, … Continue reading

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Places that inspire. Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace.

They’re gonna put me in the movies. They’re gonna make a big star out of me. We’ll make a film about a man that’s sad and lonely. And all I got to do is act naturally. Buck Owens, Act Naturally, … Continue reading

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Places that inspire. Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.

The old South Street neighborhood was pretty desolate when I lived there. I rented a cheap room on nearby Kater Street alley and that 1890s working class rowhouse made no promise of being brought back to near-habitable decency any time … Continue reading

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Places that inspire. Trapper’s Lodge and it’s stony inhabitants.

Beginning in 1951, John Ehn created haunting pioneer portraits for his Old Trapper’s Lodge that once stood near the old Burbank airport. John Ehn’s cement and paint pioneers are politically incorrect, sometimes violent, always full of wit and more than a little … Continue reading

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Places that inspire: Exploring Frank Lloyd Wright in Marin, Part 2

As promised, here’s Part 2—a sampling of my photo exploration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last commission and his only civic building—the Marin County Civic Center. Check out Part 1 if you missed it—complete with photos of the Wright models on … Continue reading

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Places that inspire: Exploring Frank Lloyd Wright in Marin, Part 1

If you’ve ever crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on your way north, chances are you’ve passed by. On a good traffic day it’s less than half an hour away on Highway 101. It’s the Marin County Civic Center, a sprawling, … Continue reading

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Places that inspire. A Constitutional in Philadelphia

A project recently brought me close enough to my alma mater in Philadelphia to make a side trip.  The trip was extended by several winter storms of historical magnitude, allowing a lengthened odyssey of DADA art, medical monstrosities, colossal columns, mirrored cities, an … Continue reading

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