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I've had travel on my mind lately due to my guest blogging over at PVE on the art of travel. I keep thinking of all the places I have yet to visit that are must -sees! Probably #1 on my list is Venice.
I've heard people says it is touristy, over-rated or smelly, but nothing beats the romance and beauty of that crumbly, mouldy city in all its excess. I think my love affair with the city began when I first saw 'A room with a view' at a very young age. Many of my favorite artists over time have also been obsessed with this fair city. 
I've heard it compared to Stockholm, which I know very well, but the images from Venice are just so much more appealing (even though Stockholm is amazing!). 
What exactly is the draw of this fair city? Please leave stories, must-sees and your own impressions of Venice in comments! Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to experience it for myself!
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Guest blogging,
travel
One place I have always loved is Chatam Village. Designed as 'model' housing for blue collar workers and funded by the Buhl foundation, this development is currently a haven for white collar workers who appreciate its urban planning. Designed in 1932 in the 'Garden-city movement' as a city within a neighborhood (mt. washington, where my dad grew up!), the developement was laid from the inside out. 
In this mode, people come first, cars second. The front doors face a common green space with strict rules to keep its park-like setting intact while the backs of the homes face the road / alley. Each house has a 1 car garage (and little box for the milkman to leave milk and yogurt!). 
The concept of the garden city movement basically was that everything was within a certain radius and could be reached with minimal contact to cars by walking through the park to school, work or the store. This neighborhood is very close to public transportation to downtown Pittsburgh (a few blocks from the 'inclines' or funicular as they're known). Cars were safely delegated to alleys.
All the red brick and slate roofed townhouses must conform to a strict set of rules to keep the peaceful uniformity. Kelly green trim (this was from the 30's after all) and white blinds are a must. Because the houses are kept efficiently small, a large old mansion on the grounds is used as a community house and you can host large parties there. Back when I was still living in Pittsburgh my company had their holiday party there which I will never forget!
This neighborhood exudes a quiet, peaceful air and I would LOVE to live here (even though pets are not allowed!). Read more about the neighborhood on 
By now you know I'm somewhat of a collector -always have been. There are 2 camps -those who believe that collections are windows to the soul (like Charlotte Moss for example) or those who abhor clutter and posessions and are staunch minimalists for their own mental stability. Why do some people crave possessions while others eschew them?
Ralph Lauren collects WASP acoutrement 
'the venetian'
or to Versailles!
or settle into a coastal village
hmmm -maybe Vegas isn't so bad after all.......
Housed in a beautiful Beaux Arts building from the heyday of the small mill towns in the teens or 20s surrounding Pittsburgh built by the industrial robber barons, the rooms are large and airy. The windows are beautifully large bronze windows and the ceilings are coffered and intricate and also in bronze; the walls are covered in beautiful marbles which keep it cool year round without air-conditioning. 
The main spaces inside the door are seperated by large ornate bronze screens or fences copied from one in a European cathedral (so the story goes). The original childen's library was off of these large grand spaces and was a small cozy wood paneled room with a big fireplace and stained glass windows - one of the granddaughters of the original BJ Jones had a children's hour and would read books here (cute little old lady). I would always imagine this is my house, which rooms would serve which purposes (and had it figured out pretty well!)
Years later I would meet her in college when I was an usher for our theater department and she had season tickets. This heiress's life mission was this library and children's education in a small town outside of Pittsburgh. The entire basement of this large magnificent building was devoted to childen's books - it was entirely marble clad as well and had a fountain (to a small boy you can imagine how cool that was). This was my favorite place to visit as a child and was among the first stirrings in me from a tender age to love beauty of spaces and in particular this type of Beaux Arts architecture which is still so important to me.
So years later while also in college, I had a favorite house that was seemingly abandoned for years. I would drive BLOCKS out of my way to pass it and make sure no one had vandalized it or hadn't torn it down and one day -slowly - someone started to restore it.
B.F. Jones 1st house before he built the huge mansion next to it (that you can see in red stone behind it) which is now part of the Local community college campus.
The funny thing was it included some of my favorite comedic actors from TV (which was a bit confusing really; the piemaker from 'pushing up daisies' as the main character!). 
The movie is breathtakingly beautiful and receives 5 stars for that - captures the exoticness of India, the sahara, china, europe and our imaginations but also the seediness of Los Angeles in the 20s!
I don't want to spoil the plot (which is auxilary to the scenery and costumes anyway) but you can read more about it at their official website 
LOOK AT THE VIEW.........omg - that terrace!!!
Oh -and did I mention the living room is 53' x 19' ? Thats bigger than the footprint of a lot of townhouses.......
The kitchen makes me very very happy indeed -all that beautiful dark wood and that chandelier! The chandelier takes it from boring and minimalist to a jewel box of a kitchen. I also like that the kitchen is seperated from the living room -it would be too cavernous of a space otherwise. I enjoy a seperate kitchen space.......
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