Laurie's light travel travel tips

The summer's nearly over so I must scurry to get these last two posts to you. No, I haven't been back to Arlington Cemetery yet, and yes, I know I promised that visit a few blogs ago. I promise it will be the final blog Sept. 20! See, it's easy to get sidetracked in DC, to find new places to fall in love with you never expected would hit you so profoundly. That first happened at Lincoln Memorial, then the Air and Space Museum. Frankly, whenever I've seen the Potomac I've waxed poetic: it's stunning, and reminds me of the history I'm walking on every day, every hour. I urge visitors to Washington to make a bee-line for the National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum (a name that confused me, because the museums are conjoined like an Oreo cookie.) Reasons are myriad, but if you hurry you'll catch the delicious John F. Kennedy exhibit of photos surrounding both his presidency and the campaign. I particularly delighted in the photos of Nixo...

The sixth carnation of Beirut Design Week will delight the senses this month, from the 19th to the 26th, as it presents a series of talks and events on the theme “Is Design a Need?” According to organizers, as many as 25,000 visitors are expected to flock to some 150 events peppered across the Lebanese capital. The MENA Design Research Center, organizers of the fair, are asking participating designers to develop fresh concepts, whether on abstract or current events, through talks and workshops. Designers of all stripes will punctuate their works through curated exhibitions in various districts of Beirut over five days. Architects, product designers, graphic designers and fashion designers all define ‘design’ in a different way, say the organizers. "The mission of this year’s fair is to encourage all designers to question and debate their craft beyond commercialization and the marketing of luxury goods, to explore new options and look for new collaborations, and to dare exp...