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.

and Sculptures in Giverny France

There was enough sand in the artist's backyard to think there must have been a beach around. A little red sign reading "Sculptures de Sable" lead to a small yard where the artist proudly showed off his massive sand creations.

Monet Gardens in Giverny France

On the way back to Paris from our loop around the west of France, our last stop was in Giverny. Since it is only about an hour away from Paris, we had plenty of time to explore the home, studio and gardens of one of the most famous artists in the world.

Gone With The Rain in NYC

I can’t believe it, I stepped right on the artist’s work! I’ve heard about Hani Shihada, New York’s only remaining sidewalk artist, but never walked over one of his works until now! Walking out of Central Park on 76th Street, I spotted a Shihada just laying on the street.

Art and a Croissant in NYC's Central Park

The autumn day in Central Park was too nice to just see the Balto statue and Darcy insisted that I take him to stomp around in the fallen leaves on his new leash so, who can say no to that cute puppy face?

So we explored NYC Central Park in the colorful autumn...

Darcy Has a Crush- Balto in Central Park NYC

I caught the last nice weekend in NYC before the cold wind reminding that winter is near started to pick up. Darcy has been begging to see the Balto statue and now that he is walking on a leash I wanted to take him to the only nature NYC knows, Central Park. I hiked him through the paths and fallen leaves crossing over to the east side of the park where the Alaskan Malamute sled dog has been immortalized in bronze.

Cycladic Art and the Greek Islands

By the end of the three weeks I spent finding love in Israel and trekking in Delphi over the summer, I was in need of a vacation from my vacation. That may sound ridiculous but let me explain- since most of my itinerary involved trekking in 100+ degree heat and I tend to do more traveling then actual vacationing by the end of two weeks I was in need of a vacation. So knowing this about myself, I scheduled the last part of our trip to be relaxing in the Greek Islands- first Santorini then taking the ferry to Mykonos.

Valdes in the City

One sunny afternoon I was taking my cousin to experience the best burger in NYC and right across from PJ Clark’s, shining in the sun, was this Manolo Valdes sculpture. I recognized it right away after my roadtrip through the Loire Valley and to the Château de Chambord in France.

Puppies Can Appreciate Art at Lincoln Center

One place with great energy is Lincoln Center. Living very close to it, I walk by a few times a week. One night I thought it would be more fun to walk through the Josie Robertson Plaza and gaze into the large windows of Avery Fisher Hall instead of walking around. I was in awe of how magical the building's aura was at night. It made me want to find out more about the architecture of Lincoln Center and the art inside...

Could You Wait 1000 Years...

...what I discovered there is this sleek, stainless steel sculpture. No, it's not a spaceship, it's a time capsule- the New York Times Capsule. It was designed by...

Meeting a Charioteer at the Delphi Archaeological Museum

The Delphi Archaeological Museum is right next to the Delphi ruins and...it has air conditioning. I hung out here extra long because it was the afternoon, super hot and the ruins offered no shade. So, although I was excited to explore the ruins, I was in no rush to leave the museum too soon. Not to mention that it is clean, modern and informative about the ancient artifacts from the area of Delphi that archeologists have uncovered and used to learn about what happened on this land over 2000 years ago.

My Oracle Prediction- You Will Love Delphi Greece

To beat the congestion from the steamy city heat in Athens, Mr. MuseumChick and I decided to take the bus up to the holiest site in ancient Greece- Delphi. I was looking to explore a little bit of the Greek countryside and to have my future predicted by the Delphic Oracle in the Temple of Zeus and Mr. M was looking for tasty, authentic moussaka.

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens

So here's the scoop on the brand spanking new Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece; it's well designed, kept beautifully clean, and makes the relatively small collection of ancient Greek artifacts that the Greeks possess (given that most of the best ancient Greek artifacts have been scattered around the world at this point) look bigger and more extensive than it actually is but there are no pictures allowed in the museum (a rule I hate). So, I'll show you as much as I could get on my recent visit this August, while still respecting the museum's policies.

Visit the New Acropolis Museum with me!

Street Art in the Palestinian Territory

I snapped frenetically without much hesitation on a quick day trip to Bethlehem in the Palestinian Territories. Knowing I likely would not be back and one day was just too short to get a sense of the cultural art, I caught what I could of the lively street art to share with you. Being on a bus most of the day did not give me many opportunities to get the pictures I would have liked but I was able to experience and get closer to the colorful and mostly political street art that lined the walls of the border crossing.