Travels in the 2nd half

  Located about 20 miles inland from Monterey Bay is the city of Salinas, California. Salinas is the county seat of Monterey county. It was founded in the 18th century by a land grant, first from the Spanish government, and then from the Mexican government. The city became the center of the agricultural industry for Monterey County, a roll it still enjoys today. Ghost Signs John Steinbeck House and Cafe Salinas is the birthplace of American writer John Steinbeck (1902-1968). Steinbeck mostly wrote novels and novels. From 1929 through 1961 his fiction described the lives of working people in this area. He is best known for The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden, all of which explore the experiences of farm workers on California’s farms. Steinbeck was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. In the center of town is the National Steinbeck Center. This wonderful museum offers interactive exhibits that go beyond Steinbeck’s books, highlighting their cultural effects...

    Almost every city or town has a historical museum of some kind. New York City just has to be different. It has not, not two, not three, but SIX such museums. Each o the five boroughs has an official historical society, and then there is the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY).  Entrance to the Central Park Conservatory Garden The museum was founded in 1923 as a somewhat more populist historical resource than the NY Historical Society was at the time. The MCNY was originally housed in Gracie Mansion, the city owned home of New York’s mayors. Its mission was and is to provide a look at both the historic and current lives of residents of the city. In 1926 New York started planning a permanent home, and donated land along the east side of Central Park, between 103rd and 104th street. In 1932 MCNY opened in its Georgian styled building, and over the past 100 years its collection has grown to over 750,000 objects. The MCNY has several ongoing exhibitions that explore asp...