I visited New York City a few months ago and afterwards wrote about my perfect weekend. And it was perfect, filled with long aimless walks through the Village and meals shared with old friends, many of whom I hadn’t seen since before moving to Shanghai. I was able to reconnect with the city I used […]
Museums
The Royal Palace of Godollo, Hungary
Although Hungary is now a democratic republic, that hasn’t always been the case. The Austrian Hapsburg Monarchy controlled parts of Hungary from the 16th century until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I. During the 18th century, Count Antal Grassalkovich, an influential Hungarian nobleman and confidant of Empress Maria Theresa, […]
A Guided Tour of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Home
George Washington is a beloved figure in U.S. history. As general of the Continental army, he led the American colonies to success in the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. This win was followed with his election as the first president of the newly formed United States of America in 1789. When not busy helping to […]
Pearl Tower and the Shanghai History Museum
Shanghai’s skyline may not be as famous as that of Hong Kong, but I think it’s almost as striking. The tallest, at least for the moment, is the Shanghai World Financial Center, but the most easily identifiable building is Oriental Pearl Tower, the city’s 468 meter TV tower. It’s punctuated with purple globes of varying […]
A Glimpse of the Future: Shanghai Urban Planning Museum
When designing Shanghai’s subway system, Chinese engineers were sent to study transportation systems in cities around the world to discover what worked and what didn’t. The best design elements and functional features were cherry picked to create what is now the Shanghai metro, one well oiled machine with increasingly impressive reach. In 2003, Shanghai’s train […]