appreciating an era: wpa architecture
I grew up going to the National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan, both on the Indiana side and the Michigan side. If you’ve never been, go. It can get crowded, especially during summer, but the sight of a sand dune as tall as a 20-story building? Unforgettable, especially in the flat Midwest. While the blue water and the powdery sand still hold my interest, it was the architecture that caught my attention the last two trips.
I think both the main gatehouses and the pavilion are WPA projects. (Sadly, I can’t find a list of WPA buildings by state online and did not walk around the buildings to find a telltale plaque, thinking it would be easy to confirm once home. Wrong.) If not WPA, they certainly date to the 30s and are in keeping with other WPA projects in the state. All totaled, more than 120,000 WPA buildings were constructed nationwide. Many are at National and State Parks, on college campuses or at other public places like zoos. Firehouses, courthouses, schools and post offices built under the WPA are also plentiful. While they’re not the riskiest of designs, they have a solidity combined with little design details that I find endlessly appealing. What’s your favorite WPA building? — Sarah L.
Photo of sand dunes from Yelp.com
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post off: how will you spend your summer vacation?
Seattle is known for quite a few things: rain (of course), salmon, and the Space Needle to name a few — but my favorite trait of the city I call home? Its magnificent summers. For reals. I’m talking long days, perfect warm temps, and plenty of gorgeous outdoor spaces in-city to soak it all in. That’s why this summer, we’re not going anywhere we can’t drive to in a few hours. It’s too good to miss. But not everyone lives in such a moderate climate — some folks may have to skip town to beat the sweltering heat of July and August. What’s your plan? Whirlwind European tour? R.V. adventure in a National park? Or, like us, will you be enjoying the scenery in your own backyard? — Megan B.
photo: from one of last summer’s “staycations”, Point Robinson lighthouse on Vashon Island.
real life test kitchen: nepenthe’s chopped salad with roquefort vinaigrette
It’s not often that I want a recipe for salad dressing after eating out at a restaurant, but after my last trip home to the central coast of California, it happened. I was having lunch at the iconic Big Sur landmark Nepenthe with two of my oldest and dearest friends, enjoying the amazing view and basking in the warm sun (which is reason enough to pay a visit, honestly), and ordered one of their famous Ambrosia burgers with a salad. And for the dressing? Jaime, a seasoned Nepenthe pro, leaned over, and insistently whispered “Get the blue cheese”. This was no normal side salad with bottled fake dressing, no — what I got was the best blue cheese dressing I have ever tasted. The vinaigrette was balanced between tangy and sweet, and FILLED with chunks of greenish-blue veined, sheepy roquefort cheese. Even better, was after seeing the delight I took in said dressing, Jaime leaned over and whispered five of my favorite words: “I’ll send you the recipe”. And she did. And I made it — only thing missing was the view. So, from the pages of the beautiful My Nepenthe cookbook by Chef Romney Steele, I bring you a taste of manna, in salad form! — Megan B.
above: (top) my version of Nepenthe’s Salad, (below) the restaurant version, with burger, beer, and peek-a-boo of the view.
click for the recipe and the rest of the amazing view, after the jump! (more…)
the magic of disney’s gardens
Before we made our first family trip (and my first trip) to Disney World, we got a lot of great advice from friends on what to do (Chef Mickey’s), what to take (strollers!) and what to buy when we got there (autograph books). The one thing no one mentioned, however? The gardens. Maybe it was because we left the brown Midwest to a Disney World in full bloom that the gardens seemed as magical as the rest of the place. Maybe it was just the overall vibe and the welcome warmth. Maybe I’m just a flower freak. But I’m guessing it was mostly because no detail in the Magic Kingdom seems to be overlooked, right down to every last green space.
While there were topiaries everywhere, my favorite was in Fantasyland. On the Alice in Wonderland topiary, variegated ivy formed her pinafore, giving a pop of contrast against the rest of greenery.
Even landscape left to it’s own devices, like Spanish moss-covered trees, was transformed at night by lighting.
While I’m not going to go topiary crazy or create a giant Mickey head in the backyard, our trip has definitely inspired me to think on a different scale.
In my shade gardens, I tend to go for height and layers, building up around trees. Yet one of the features of the beds at Disney that struck me the most was the bare tree bases. Whether it was repeating rows of cyclamens, a mass of violas or groupings of tickseed, the trees became sculptural. Of course it helps that there were thousands of dollars worth of plants and a team of horticulturists to keep them perfect, but the idea is definitely something I can try on a smaller scale. What’s your garden inspiration for the spring? — Sarah L.
help! what should I know about going on a cruise?
Stop the presses: I’m going on vacation. Yes, a real vacation. It has been years since I’ve had a chance to get away but in a few weeks I’ll be setting sail on my very first cruise and I’m excited but also uneducated. When it comes to cruising I know two things: first, that there is never any good press about cruises (thanks, travel writing 101) and second, that there are some people, including a few going on this trip, who are cruising connoisseurs, have gone on many and know everything there is to know about them. I also know that when it comes to giving travel advice, no group beats our readers! So I’m throwing it out to you: What should I pack or not pack? Is there anything I should know about the food, the rooms, and the ship? There are so many theme nights and schedule options that I don’t even know how to begin preparing, so spill your secrets! What should I know about going on a cruise? — Sarah C.
Image courtesy of The National Maritime Museum.
