Before I (happily) returned to D.C. last August, I lived in Manhattan for about a year and a half. Among my fondest memories there are the hours and days I spent in one of New York City’s great treasures, Central Park. To wit, a picture I took there after the record-setting snowfall of Feb. 12, 2006:
Today’s “TIH” celebrates the April 26, 1822, birth of “Frederick Law Olmsted, nineteenth-century America’s foremost landscape architect,” who had a big hand in the creation of Central Park.
You can also learn about William Shakespeare’s close tie to Capitol Hill in the form of the Folger Shakespeare Library. (The baby Bard was christened on this day in 1564.)
And if Shakespeare is your thing, check out our online “Shakespeare in America,” the physical manifestation of which is displayed in the Library’s “American Treasures” gallery until Aug. 18, 2007.
It’s all part of the Library’s celebration of the larger “Shakespeare in Washington” festivities. Library of Congress activities also include a film series and walking tours.
April 26, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Speaking of Shakespeare, the mummies of Antony and Cleopatra have apparently been recently unearthed by the Egyptian Antiquities Department! Makes me wonder what treasures still lay undiscovered…
April 30, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Most of what I know about Olmstead I learned from Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City” (an excellent read). I didn’t realize that he shared my birthday!
May 2, 2007 at 11:27 am
Olmstead also designed the park system in Louisville, KY, my fair city.
May 22, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Wow, wonderful picture.
February 15, 2008 at 3:31 pm
You know what, it looks like this bridge belongs near a ski slope or something. I wish I could frame of it, its really a nicely done shot.
September 13, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Indeed, the Olmstead Park system is one of the unique selling points of Louisville, Kentucky. The mayor has been working on increasing the parks in our city and linking them together with bike and walking trails.