About

Obviously, I love to travel. I will go just about anywhere if there is something interesting to see or do. I have noticed in my travels that modern cities are increasingly losing their sense of place, so I frequently seek out smaller towns that retain unique characteristics and interesting architecture. I explore back roads, and make frequent stops. In my opinion, blue shielded roads should be avoided, unless you actually have to get someplace, or land a plane. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, there’s nothing to see on the Interstate, but Interstate.

I also am a strong supporter of historical preservation. It is true, they just don’t build them like they used to. It is often not possible to build today with the artistry of the past; even if it wasn’t prohibitively expensive, the craftsmen for a large part no longer exist. If they do, they certainly aren’t being employed by your average developer. Repurposing of historical buildings has really taken off in recent years, and is an excellent way to preserve the past in a way that makes practical sense. Not all old buildings can be museums, but many can find new life as a hotel, restaurant, loft or store.  And I think we all benefit from one less strip mall in the world.

Finally, I love historic hotels. Just about all of them. There are of course some that are just old and neglected, but even those have potential.  To walk through the door of a historic hotel is to be transported to the past. You immediately have both a sense of time and place. If a hotel has survived 100 years or more, there is probably a reason why. Historic travel also allows you to experience an area as it was before chains became ubiquitous, and hotels were the destination. An authentic self of sorts- and to borrow from PT&A yet again, that’s a damn rare thing these days.

May all your roads be long and scenic.