I’ll be teaching a couple of classes this spring focusing on offbeat small towns that have some of the best the US has to offer – and almost no one knows about them. They’ve got fabulous art, architecture, music, history, scenery, food and more. In some places, there are unique American subcultures. Other towns are just plain quirky. There’s a … Read More
More Small Quirky American Towns
By the time I was nearing age fifty I’d traveled extensively around the globe—visiting every continent except Antarctica and all fifty states. However, I’d mostly been to large U.S. cities and a few national parks. It was time to see more of my own country. So, in 2001, to celebrate my 50th birthday, I took an epic ten-month road trip … Read More
Even more quirky American towns
The abundance of off the beaten path but fascinating American towns is nearly endless. The more I explore, the greater my admiration for people who have transformed their hometowns into fun, beautiful places. What sets a town apart from the ordinary? Sometimes they have unique traditions, eccentric festivals, one-of-a-kind landmarks, or being home to museums dedicated to niche subjects. Local … Read More
More Quirky American Towns (and more to come)
Columbus, Indiana is actually a city of 47,000. Not a town, but considering its small size, a mecca for world-renowned architecture. The American Institute of Architects ranked it sixth in the nation for architectural innovation and design – right behind Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. There are more than ninety buildings and pieces of public art … Read More
Quirky American Towns
I love the southwest for the scenery; the desert, cacti, vast expanses and endless sky are magnificent. But between the open spaces are slews of interesting towns. Here are just a few of my favorite towns in the southwest. Jerome, Arizona is just a few miles away from the far better-known Sedona. At one point it was a thriving copper … Read More
Quirky American Towns — West Coast
Cannon Beach in Oregon has a population of about 1,500. You don’t go there for the town, but for the beach, which is among the most beautiful on the west coast. When I first went there it was so foggy I couldn’t even see the famous Haystack Rock. Then it cleared and was spectacular. Nearby there are other equally gorgeous … Read More