Travels in the 2nd half

  The  College Hill neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, gets its name from the educational institutions that have their campuses there. At the top of the hill is Brown University, one of the Ivy League schools. At its foot is the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the country’s top art and design institutions. Chase Center Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) was founded in 1877 by Helen Adelle Rowe Metcalf, the wife of a textile manufacturer. Her goal was to increase access to training in the arts, especially for women. As an art college, RISD created a museum of art early in its life. The RISD Museum opened in 1893, and its collection has grown ever since. RISD Museum holds about 100,000 objects in its permanent collection. These include pieces from all corners of the earth, and from times dating back to ancient Egypt. The works are spread through galleries in four buildings. On North Main Street is the Chace Center, which houses the RISD student gallery and space ...

View from the ridge at Muhlenberg's Brigade   Visiting the sites of historic battles or encampments can sometimes be confusing. They tend to cover large areas, and it can be difficult to visualize the way they looked in the past. The National Park Service in the United States does an excellent job with these parts of our history and a visit to Valley Forge National Historic Park , just outside of Philadelphia, is a great way to spend a day. In the winter of 1777 the Continental Army was in trouble. The British had control of Philadelphia and New York City. American troops were run down and disorganized. General Washington realized that he needed to do something to get his forces back together, so he called for a winter encampment along the Schuylkill River, in a place that was protected, and where they could defend the Continental Congress, which had relocated to the city of York, PA. Washington and his staff chose an area with a river to its north and with ridges on three sides. ...