Springfield, MA

I was immensely impressed by Springfield during my short visit there. The Springfield Museums system punches well above its weight with a balanced portfolio of five museums in arts, history, and science. Famous children’s book author Dr. Seuss was also from Springfield, this city’s main peacetime claim to fame. During Read more…

Springfield Armory

Ever seen one of those old-timey civil war rifles with “SPRINGFIELD, MASS” engraved on the metal slide? This is where it was made. George Washington himself authorized the construction of an armoury for the US Army in Springfield and it operated until 1968 hiring up to 14,000, or almost the Read more…

Empire State Plaza

Anyone who has spent at least 50 hours studying 20th century architecture would recognize Albany’s Empire State Plaza as Le Corbusier’s brainchild, a one-block model of his Radiant City, except it’s not. It was a poorly-executed urban renewal project under governor Nelson Rockefeller supported by Albany mayor Erastus Corning II, Read more…

Albany, NY

First things first – the Empire State Plaza is an exceedingly uncomfortable place to be. Aside from that, it has enough history and culture to keep a family interested for an afternoon. The New York State Museum with free admission is the only museum in town worth a visit, but Read more…