The Red River Gorge in Kentucky (map link) was a surprise to me.  I was expecting something like Watkins Glen, Gorge, in New York State.  But this gorge was more like a meandering valley.  Once again, I arrived for the sunset, but by then the visitor’s center was closed. I did find my way through Nada…

in Louisville, Kentucky, I visited the Humana Tower (map link) was another famous post-modern building from my college days, designed by Michael Graves.  I also stopped by Churchill Downs racetrack (map link) .  

Another famous building from my college days is the Atheneum in New Harmony, Indiana, by Richard Meier (map link) Sorry about so many pictures, but the Atheneum has so many different looks in changing light.  The building is basically just a visitor’s center.  Why it has so many stairs and ramps is a mystery to me.  The…

Next, I drove over to the St. Louis Zoo and Art Museum (map link), which is on the old Worlds Fairgrounds (made famous by the Judy Garland Movie), The grounds are beautiful, as is the museum, and zoo.  However, I was at the zoo during the off-season, and a lot of exhibits were closed.  They had…

On my way from Chicago to St. Louis, I took a brief detour so I could say that I drove on the Historic Route 66.  I drove most of the way to St. Louis before camping out at a Walmart parking lot.  Walmart actually encourages this, and you can usually find some RVs or truckers…

From Oak Park, I took the train (the “El”) to downtown Chicago, IL (map link), where my firs stop was the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, the tallest building in America.  They have  several glass boxes that protrude from the side of the building called Sky Decks.  I did go out in one,…

Unity Temple, was the second major, non-residential building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but the first (the Larkin Building), is no longer standing (map link) I visited this building twice.  Once in the morning, and once at sunset after visiting Chicago.  It’s conveniently located near a train station, so getting in and out f the city…

One of the must-see towns for any American Architect is Oak Park, Illinois, just outside of Chicago.  It’s where Frank Lloyd Wright lived, and started his career.  His second employer was Louis Sullivan of Adler and Sullivan.  This is significant because he designed one of my favorite buildings in Chicago (more about that later). I…

I didn’t intend to make this a “Frank Lloyd Wright tour,” but on my way to Chicago, it turned out that I would hit Grand Rapids at about sunset.  So I looked for points of interest there, and found the Meyer May House, by Frank Lloyd Wright (map link).  By the time I got there, though, the…

The next stop after Toledo, was the Henry Ford Museum near Detroit, Michigan.  This museum is worth the time and effort.  It’s not just about cars, but also about advancements in technology, and especially regarding manufacturing technology.  Which is appropriate since Ford was a pioneer in assembly line manufacturing. For an extra fee, the admission…