When I was a young girl, my mother had framed reproductions of Norman Rockwell paintings all throughout the house.  She had the old issues of the Saturday Evening Post, just the ones in which he had painted the covers, covered in plastic.  We could only look through them if our hands were clean.  He has been named one of the most popular illustrators and American artists of the Twentieth Century and his work will be on display in an exhibit at the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale for just a few more weeks, closing on February 7th.

There are many fun things to do in Fort Lauderdale, most of the activities taking place on and around the beaches.  However, this is one show that you may want to brush the sand from your feet and head indoors to see before it is gone.  The show is titled, “American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell”, as Rockwell himself seemed to chronicle the lives, the hopes and the inspirations of an entire country.  As all great illustrators, Rockwell was a tremendous story teller in a medium which uses images and not language or printed text.

During the seventy years Rockwell painted, he found the nuances and small details of people of everyday and ordinary life, making them personal yet widely noticed, in that everyone picking up the Saturday Evening Post could see a bit of themselves in his work.  During Rockwell’s lifetime, the United States was going through many transformations, and one of those was the movement from a time that was a simple time, to the more modern and complex society.  Rockwell captured the innocent times, the psyche of a nation and the internal feelings of the people.  Many of his paintings have become cultural icons, as recognizable as the Coca Cola trademark.

The show includes an in depth commentary on his life and his work, and is set up chronologically.  Many artists and illustrators will be traveling to Fort Lauderdale in the next couple of weeks.  One of my friends told me he found a great rate on a wonderful hotel at http://www.luxuryhotelsfortlauderdale.com and he now plans to stay for an entire week to attend the show and study the works of this American master of the human spirit, Norman Rockwell.

Jenny was just another theatre major in just another California State University. She was a junior and still hadn’t even drawn the attention of many of her instructors. She was reserved by nature and was one of the few students that was interested in design. Most of the students in her program were actors and a few of them wanted to be directors, but Jenny was one of only two students who actually wanted to pursue a career in lighting design. All of these factors combined left her feeling someone isolated in her own department. She wasn’t left out or ostracized, it just that there was nothing that forced connections between other students and she never quite felt like part of the department.

The summer before her senior year Jenny and her parents spent a week in New York. They were there to spend some time with Jenny’s aunt, uncle and a couple of her cousins who would be in town. They also hoped to attend a show and visit a couple of museums. On their first afternoon in the city Jenny overheard two guests talking to the concierge in the New York boutique resort about a Broadway production they had just seen. What caught Jenny’s attention was the fact that they were talking about the incredible set design. Well, Jenny knew that set and lighting went hand in hand listened in to the conversation.

The production turned out to be a rival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Jenny talked her parents into going to it with her. Her parents enjoyed the performances and thought it was a quality production, but that’s the most she ever got out of them after a show. Meanwhile Jenny thought the lights, designed by Brian MacDevitt, was incredible. In fact, she was so inspired by it she decided to borrow some of his ideas and incorporated it into her school’s fall production of Our Town. This ended up being Jenny’s moment of glory and her instructors and classmates finally recognized her for her work. It felt good and for once she actually felt like she belonged in the program. She also looked forward to her graduate work, which would be entirely focused on design and she would have more opportunity to work on productions.

We start at the New York Center for the Strange, the group of psychics whose annual predictions are collected and distributer for the benefit of the public.  It’s an easy enough organization to remember, but extremely hard to find.  I knocked on every door that had any trace of strange connected to it, and did not meet the psychics, but did meet some very interesting people.  My partner decided to stay in the hotel we booked, the link’s right here, and enjoy all the amenities, because she had a headache and was tired.  I envied her, but she did not meet the people I did.

When I got back to the hotel after my tour of the strange, she asked me some questions about the leather contraptions that I was wearing, there were gifts from my new friends, and then we decided to stay in for the rest of the evening.  I love New York.  Even when the original plan doesn’t work out, you can always find something even better, or sometimes you just find a distraction that keeps you busy until you realize that it’s either just as good, or that the original search no longer matters.  It was important to us, though, to keep trying, so we planned to get in touch with the local Voodoo Master.

Again, his presence was more apparent online that in person, and we thought about enrolling in the course that would teach us secrets that had not been revealed for a couple thousand years.  She felt a little funny about it, so she called her Madrina, a daughter of Oshun, to ask for advice.  Her Madrina knew she would be calling, so had an answer before they even finished with the small talk.  She felt that it was her duty to remind her that we only live for a short time in this world, and to find sweetness where you are.  Obba missed so many blessings when she was pining for Shango, she reminded us.  I don’t remember what we were looking for originally, and it really doesn’t matter right now, at least from where I stand.

Jo Jo only promised to go with her good friend Tina to Dallas, Texas for two reasons. Okay, make that three reasons. One, she had never been to the city before. Two, Tina as going to Dallas for a job interview that she was extremely excited about and Jo Jo wanted to supporter her. And the third reason was that she had a personal ambition to experience the nightclub scene of every major city in the United States and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. So, she promised she would go with and support Tina if Tina would in turn go with her to the nightclubs. This of course was an easy decision for Tina who was more than happy to have the company on her trip.

On the afternoon of Tina’s interview she returned to the friends’ room at the hotel Dallas where they were staying and she found Jo Jo there getting ready for a night on the town. She noticed the glamorous dress, the make and the elaborate jewelry and realized that her friend’s idea of enjoying an evening in a club was a little extravagant than the quiet and relaxing evening Tina felt like having. However, she was more than willing to keep up her end of the deal and Jo Jo emphasized that they would be celebrating Tina’s new job, which she was sure her friend had landed.

They began their evening at a club called Purgatory, which Tina felt was somehow appropriate. She really had no idea which direction that night or her life was going to take from that point on. They both had a great time there and decided that they would return the next night and spend more time there. That night, however, they were going to experience as many of the clubs as they could. That night they spent time in the Lizard Lounge, which was just a little to crazy and crowd for them, though they would love to return some evening to dance the night away. They also went to Gilley’s Dallas and The Candle Room before they finally returned to their room for a much needed date with sleep. Ultimately, they had time to return to all of the clubs and even more as Tina did get a job offer and Jo Jo visited her often.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was established in 1876 and today it exists as one of the largest art museums in the country. It was established along with the Centennial Exposition, which occurred the same year and is known locally simply as the art museum. It is one of the city’s major landmarks and is extremely popular not only with residents but tourists who are staying in a hotel Philadelphia. The museum is located in Fairmount Park toward the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The prestigious Greek revival building is difficult or impossible to miss for eager tourists wishing to visit this major landmark and city icon. With this acknowledged it can be understood why the building is commonly referred to as the Parthenon of the Parkway. The museum itself was originally established in 1876 though its current colossal building was constructed in 1919. Thomas B. Smith, the mayor at the time laid the first cornerstone of the building during a Masonic ceremony and the first section was completed almost ten years later in 1928. The Greek themed design includes statues of gods and goddesses as well as a collection of griffins, which became a symbol for the museum in the 1970s.

As one of the largest museums in the country, it supports the title with a collection that includes over 225,000 items. The various galleries of the museum include objects from periods and locations spanning 2,000 years. There are over 200 galleries though interestingly there are no exhibits devoted to Roman, Egyptian or Pre-Columbian art. This is due to a partnership that had been established early in the museum’s existence with the University of Pennsylvania. These collections went to the university, which in turn loaned the museum a collection of Chinese Porcelain. The Rodin Museum and other historic sites are included in the possession of this world class institution.

Back in my luxurious hotel room, which I booked on-line from this great site: http://www.newyorkluxuryhotels.com, I was doing my best to conceal all the red, sun-burnt parts of my body before I headed out to dinner. The outfit I all ready picked for tonight was all white! I’m going to stick out no matter what I do. Plus, my sister was asking me if I had other moisturiser, one that didn’t smell like coconut. I had to remind her that my moisturiser was very pricey and very difficult to acquire in the UK and advised her that it also contains melons! (Later on, she pointed out to me how inexpensive my moisturize is here in the US, only $8.00).

We headed out of our hotel to catch up with our friend from home at a fondue restaurant. He used to stay with us back in the UK, but now he’s staying with relatives in the US. I remember being fond of Fondue, but I really haven’t had any since I was a child. We both hoped it would be as good as we remembered. Our waiter talked us into ordering a traditional Fondue and a Fondue with herbs, or it’s better known as Fondue Provinciale. Happy to report that both Fondues were delicious. For our dessert Fondue, we had the melted Toblerone with fruit and marshmallows, I don’t remember it’s proper name.

Afterward, we went to our friends favourite club. He referred to it as a ‘Goth’ club upstairs and an 80′s club downstairs. I’m really regretting my choice of white attire. I’m not too familiar with ‘Goth’ or even what it represents, but in the back of my mind I had a feeling it has something to do with Vampires. The club was very poorly lit, which helped me try to look inconspicuous and watch for anyone trying to lurk behind some pillar. Our charming friend didn’t help me feel much better, as he kept referring to me as the Pink Pig! I didn’t need the reminder of my scorching skin.

I actually found all the Goths very pleasant and charming, but the venue looked almost what I thought Hell would look like. The music was horrific, and there was too much robotic dancing being done by mostly people dressed in black.  Downstairs, in the 80′s venue, things were more upbeat, but still very poorly lit. Our friend, apparently lost all his inhibitions and proceeded to dance on the dance-floor in what I can only describe as enthusiastic.

My sister and I quietly exited the club and went directly back to our hotel. My skin was absolutely throbbing as I gingerly removed my white outfit, and the oh-so expensive moisturizer was a welcomed balm upon my pain.

Last year Hank O’Neal published a book titled “The Ghosts of Harlem”.  O’Neal has led quite an interesting life, from a career as an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency, to a photographer, music producer and now, a well known author.  This variety of endeavours has provided him with a plethora of life experiences to draw upon.  Some may claim that it is O’Neal’s capabilities as a special agent that allowed him the ability to walk into the night clubs of Harlem and pull stories from the musicians and the patrons.

But those who know him, know of his love of jazz music, and his easy going temperament.  This alone is what prompted the musicians of the hot spots, those in playing the lounges of the best hotels Manhattan has to offer, and those in the blues and jazz clubs throughout the city, to open up to O’Neal.  The personal stories and accounts of forty-two musicians, willing to tell these tales to O’Neal, make up the body of his book and compose an incredible history of the music that not only inspired a neighborhood, but a city, a country, and the rest of the world.

O’Neal took many photographs of the musicians, along with the recording of their stories.  He spoke with them about music, about the racial tension of the times, and the sadness when the music scene of Harlem began to fade away.  The book comes with a CD of the archived recordings of the Chiaroscuro Record company, and the music of seventeen influential musicians is on that CD of “ghosts”.  Milt Hinton, Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway and Illinois Jacquet, are just a few of the artists that are captured forever, even though they are now long gone.

These are “ghost stories” of Manhattan, not in usually sense of the words, but in that the book contains the memories of those who are now, long gone.  A group of stories of some of the most influential musicians of all time, that not only continue to influence the young musicians of today, but tell the tale of an entire city, within a city…that of the Jazz Age of Harlem in the city of New York.

The city of Boston, Massachusetts is, like many of the US cities on the east coast, steeped in history.  One of the points of historical interest lies within the grounds of the Public Garden, the Swan Boats.  The Public Garden itself was designed and developed in 1837.  The Garden was designed not only to be filled with flowers and visual, natural wonders, but with a practical purpose in mind as well.  The walkways and the paths that run through the Garden were built for the express purpose of getting across town, as well as taking long meandering walks through the well manicured gardens.  Not only was this the first park in the United States, but the first botanical garden in the country.

When staying in a Boston hotel, you will be advised to take a walk through the gardens, and most definitely to take a ride through the park on the legendary Swan Boats.  The boats have been gracing the already amazing atmosphere, for more than one hundred and thirty years.  To leave Boston without at least taking a look at them, although a ride is highly advised, would be to leave without experiencing this romantic, historical aspect of the city.  When spring sets in each year, the Swans come out in the lakes of the Public Garden.  These boats are not just the only boats of their kind in the United States, but in the world!

They have been maintained throughout the years by the Paget Family of Boston, and have provided memories for generations.  In the late 1800′s, Robert Paget received a permit from the city council to have boats for rent and for hire.  Many people enjoyed rowing boats through the park on warm summer nights.  It was Robert Paget who created the boat with pedals, much like the design of a bicycle.  Next came the design, and Paget decided on the swans, being inspired by the opera, Lohengrin.  The legacy of his creativity is alive and well today, and is one of the most spectacular and simple experiences to have while visiting, or living in the city.  When the swans come out, you know that winter is over, and the time for relaxing in the garden has come.