The Chartres Cathedral, France

After wandering through the narrow streets of Chartres, France in our rented Smart Car and taking pictures of the quaint houses that seemed to be out of a fairy tale, the Chartres Cathedral gradually exposed itself through the trees as we wound closer. I was enjoying sight seeing with my head and camera out the window but I really came to Chartres to see the Chartres Cathedral.

The Ambience of Chartres France

...Driving through the quaint French town of Chartres and trying to find the Cathedral was part of the fun. Though its tall steeples can be seen from most points in town, the winding roads lead us up and down the narrow streets in a round-about way before making it to the entrance of the door....more

American Portraits Book Giveaway

To win a beautiful, brand new copy of American Portraits:

Go to my blog, MuseumChick.com

In the comments section, answer the question, “What country/countries are your ancestors from?” I am many generations American and blended with Native American ancestry and ancestors from Ireland and Puerto Rico.

I’ll pick one winner, at random and announce them on New Year’s Day. Good luck! But if you don’t win, don’t fret, you can always get the book here.

If you have a Twitter account, would you please re-tweet this post to give others a chance to enter. Thanks!

I Love This Site for Smart Holiday Gifts

Every holiday I find the most unique and fun gifts. While purchasing a few educational finger puppets online I stumbled upon a fantastic website for unique holiday gifts for all those smart and interesting people in my life. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this website sooner and I had to share it with you.

The website is dun dun dun…

Shakespeare’s Den and their motto is, “Smart gifts for intelligent people”. I love that!

I already found my family gifts from here.

in Machu Picchu

This man still gives me nightmares.

Two years ago I was hiking in the Andes for the holidays. On the train to Machu Picchu, this festive sock headed man was on the train from Cusco to Agua Calientes. In New York City if a man is on a train wearing a sock mask you should run but here, in Peru, this man was entertainment. Walking up and down the train wearing some traditional Peruvian clothing, he randomly scared some and bewildered most passengers. more...

Beacon, New York Yard Art

On my hunt for unique furniture and while discovering street art in Beacon I came across something I never saw before...

...yard art.

Street Art in Beacon New York

Beacon is an awesome day trip for those New Yorkers looking to escape the city crunch and concrete. Main St. in Beacon is home to many coffee shops, antique furniture stores and my favorite place to eat there, the organic restaurant/cafe, Homespun Foods.