Another Greenwich Village fixture, this NYU-centric used bookstore has a great stock of photography and art books, literature and vinyl. Remember vinyl? This is a deliciously old-fashioned bookstore with cramped shelves and stacks of overflowing inventory. It’s impossible not to lose yourself in here for a few hours. 206 Mercer St., New York, NY
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Three Lives & Company, New York City
One of the last remaining independent bookstores and a Greenwich Village fixture, Three Lives is a living room/gathering spot/haven staffed with knowledgeable bookworms. Although the store has been enchanting the city since 1968, it has operated for 10 years under the helm of veteran bookseller and publishing house marketer Toby Cox, who bought the bookstore […]
PJ20, Day 2
Or, Greatest Hits Night. Pearl Jam continued strong through Day 2 of its 20th Anniversary Festival at Alpine Valley Music Theatre and played many of its early hits. They played for three hours and brought out muscle such as Chris Cornell (who performed some Temple of the Dog songs), Julian Casablancas, John Doe, Liam Finn, […]
PJ20, Day 1
Pearl Jam’s 20th Anniversary Festival at Alpine Valley Music Theatre was without a doubt the best show I’ve ever seen. That’s saying a lot since I’m ho-hum on Pearl Jam, have seen them before (completely underwhelming at Madison Square Garden) and have seen some pretty high-energy, big-budget shows by bands I worship like the Rolling […]
The Highlands, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, WI
Is it weird that I keep expecting to see Baby and Johnny when I turn the corner? There are two championship golf courses here: The Brute, a 7,000-yard par-72 killer course and the Highlands, a 6,200-yard Scottish-style par-71 course. Guess which one we played? Actually, we played the front nine twice since massive thunderstorms interrupted […]
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, WI
Or, Hugh Hefner and me. That’s right. This resort opened in 1968 as The Lake Geneva Playboy Club Hotel, built to attract big spenders in the Midwest. The 357-room resort was constructed in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style and amenities included stables, an airport, two championship golf courses, a 15-acre lake and wildlife refuge, skeet […]
Domkirche zu St. Jakob (Cathedral of St. James), Innsbruck, Austria
This 18th century baroque cathedral has name-dropping pedigree, as it was designed by starchitect Johann Jakob Herkommer and Munich’s Asam brothers. The current structure with two bell towers was built between 1717-24 on the site of a prior Gothic church. Look up at the fresco showing the life of Jakob, the holy patron of the […]
Imperial Court, Innsbruck, Austria
Really, Imperial Palace 2.0. In 1460, Archduke Siegmund the Rich constructed a grand Gothic-style palace that was subsequently enlarged to an even grander status by Maximilian I. When Empress Maria Theresa came along, though, all she saw was a tear-down. From 1754-73, the palace was rebuilt in Maria Theresa’s preferred Baroque style to include four […]
Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum (Museum of Tyrolean Folk Art), Innsbruck, Austria
For a crash course on Tyrol life, visit the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum. Part of it is like a life-sized dollhouse where visitors can pop into typical sparse but functional farmhouse kitchen/dining/living areas, view an array of furniture and tools and stand next to figures wearing traditional celebratory costumes. There is also an entire gallery of intricate […]
Goldenes Dachl, Innsbruck, Austria
The Golden Roof is actually copper, and was built in the 1490’s to shade the imperial court’s balcony, which has a full view of the square below. The balcony is adorned with replicas of Moorish dancers performing for (of course) Maximilian I, who apparently got into a hot tub time machine to include both […]
