Susan Stafford

I'm an anthropologist and freelance writer from Alexandria, Virginia. Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland are my local beats with international destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain, Botswana, and Peru far-off favorites. I caught the travel bug from my maternal grandmother who loved to take off in her car for an adventure with her friend, Pound. See my Web site at www.susanstafford.net for a more.

< 1 of 6 >

Submissions Featured by the Editors (21)

El Peix d'Or/The Golden Fish Barcelona, CT, Spain
In George Washington’s day, the trek from Washington, D.C. to his home at Mount Vernon, 18 miles south, took several days of hard riding. Today, you can make that journey in several hours with a more leisurely hike, run, or bicycle ride along the Mount Vernon Trail, which starts at Roosevelt Island and meanders along the Potomac River, providing a peaceful break from the hubbub of the capital. Many spots along the trail will seduce you into taking a break before you ever reach Mount Vernon. Take a rest in Old Town Alexandria at the amphitheater at Canal Place where a smaller version of the Washington Monument stands at the water's edge. Stroll the boardwalk through the silence of Dyke’s Marsh or explore the history of Fort Hunt, once a top secret interrogation center for German prisoners during World War II. Save some energy if you plan to make it all the way to Washington's home, as the last two miles are mostly uphill.
Mount Vernon Trail Alexandria, VA
Fallingwater Mill Run, PA
When you’re tired of the crowds at Fallingwater, head to another Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, the less well-known Kentuck Knob, only seven miles away. It’s hard to believe that Wright designed and built this impressive home with only a single visit to the site during its construction. The red cypress and fieldstone house is perfectly tucked into the side of a 2,050-foot mountain peak that offers sweeping views of the Youghiogheny River gorge and surrounding hills. Kentuck Knob is all about the angles. Wright used an unusual hexagonal grid to anchor the house with dramatic 10-foot stone-faced ramparts extending beyond the hillside into which it is set. Hexagonal skylights cut into the porch roof, a wood screen ventilated with geometric cutouts atop the walls, and expansive windows let the sun dance in playful patterns across the stone floors. Leave time to wander outside to study the exterior as you meander through the grounds’ sculpture meadow of contemporary art.
Kentuck Knob Dunbar, PA

All Submissions (2)

Saved (2)

Been There (1)

Newseum Today's Front Page Gallery Washington, DC

Recent Activity

Susan Stafford commented "Thank you!" on Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA.
6 months ago

Marrying Nature and Architecture

You’ve read about it. You’ve seen photos of it. But when you see it in person, you still find it hard to believe: A massive concrete and wood house that seems to float above a roaring waterfall that cascades into the river below. Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous design, makes living over a waterfall seem natural. The cantilevered, multi-layered Fallingwater looks so much a part of the scenery that you feel as though you have to scale it to get to the source of the falls. No other home brings the outdoors inside in such dramatic ways: seamless corner windows, a huge boulder incorporated into a room, interior steps leading down to the rushing water below. At Fallingwater, architecture and nature meet in perfect harmony.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford commented "Gorgeous and evocative!" on Plaza Hotel in New York, NY.
11 months ago

The classic statue in the fountain.

Crossing Fifth Avenue, I saw the classic statue in the fountain in front of The Plaza Hotel next to Central Park. The air was still wet from the rain that had stopped a moment before. I couldn't get the Moody Blues lyric "giving freely, and completely, to my lady" out of my head as I watched the statue make a soft bow to the Plaza Hotel.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford loved Plaza Hotel in New York, NY.
11 months ago

The classic statue in the fountain.

Crossing Fifth Avenue, I saw the classic statue in the fountain in front of The Plaza Hotel next to Central Park. The air was still wet from the rain that had stopped a moment before. I couldn't get the Moody Blues lyric "giving freely, and completely, to my lady" out of my head as I watched the statue make a soft bow to the Plaza Hotel.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford commented "Thanks so much!" on El Peix d'Or/The Golden Fish in Barcelona, CT, Spain.
about 1 year ago

The Coppery Glow of El Peix d'Or

If fishing had been an Olympic sport, architect Frank Gehry would have won the gold medal for his enormous El Peix d’Or (Golden Fish), designed for Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic village and port. With the twin towers of the Hotel Arts Barcelona and the Torre Mapfre, this glittering mesh sculpture anchors a sweeping expanse of beach that stretches up to the fanciful sail shape of the trendy W Hotel in one direction and down to the yacht-festooned Port Olímpio in the other. As it faces the Mediterranean Sea, the open-mouthed Peix d’Or looks ready to wriggle off its stand and leap back into its briny home. Stop off at one of the many fine open-air seafood restaurants along the boardwalk for a taste of zarzuela (seafood stew) or fideus, a paella-type dish made with noodles instead of rice.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford commented "Thank you!" on El Peix d'Or/The Golden Fish in Barcelona, CT, Spain.
about 1 year ago

The Coppery Glow of El Peix d'Or

If fishing had been an Olympic sport, architect Frank Gehry would have won the gold medal for his enormous El Peix d’Or (Golden Fish), designed for Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic village and port. With the twin towers of the Hotel Arts Barcelona and the Torre Mapfre, this glittering mesh sculpture anchors a sweeping expanse of beach that stretches up to the fanciful sail shape of the trendy W Hotel in one direction and down to the yacht-festooned Port Olímpio in the other. As it faces the Mediterranean Sea, the open-mouthed Peix d’Or looks ready to wriggle off its stand and leap back into its briny home. Stop off at one of the many fine open-air seafood restaurants along the boardwalk for a taste of zarzuela (seafood stew) or fideus, a paella-type dish made with noodles instead of rice.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford submitted on El Peix d'Or/The Golden Fish in Barcelona, CT, Spain.
about 1 year ago

The Coppery Glow of El Peix d'Or

If fishing had been an Olympic sport, architect Frank Gehry would have won the gold medal for his enormous El Peix d’Or (Golden Fish), designed for Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic village and port. With the twin towers of the Hotel Arts Barcelona and the Torre Mapfre, this glittering mesh sculpture anchors a sweeping expanse of beach that stretches up to the fanciful sail shape of the trendy W Hotel in one direction and down to the yacht-festooned Port Olímpio in the other. As it faces the Mediterranean Sea, the open-mouthed Peix d’Or looks ready to wriggle off its stand and leap back into its briny home. Stop off at one of the many fine open-air seafood restaurants along the boardwalk for a taste of zarzuela (seafood stew) or fideus, a paella-type dish made with noodles instead of rice.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford commented "Thank you, Megan!" on Park Güell in 08024 Barcelona, Spain, Spain.
about 1 year ago

If you could take just one photo: Be greeted by a colorful mosaic dragon

Breathe in the vistas of Barcelona and the sea from on high in this fanciful park studded with mosaic walls, serpentine benches, and organic forms that mimic nature. For his palette, the renowned Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí plucked out the colors of the sea, land, and sky for the vibrant mosaics that enhance the park’s flowing architecture. Its layer-cake terraces offer visitors a leisurely climb along pathways that seem to spiral straight upward into the heavens. Parc Güell is such a peaceful urban retreat for residents and sightseers that one can only be glad that its original purpose, a housing development, was never fully realized.
Like Add a Comment
Susan Stafford submitted on Park Güell in 08024 Barcelona, Spain, Spain.
over 1 year ago

If you could take just one photo: Be greeted by a colorful mosaic dragon

Breathe in the vistas of Barcelona and the sea from on high in this fanciful park studded with mosaic walls, serpentine benches, and organic forms that mimic nature. For his palette, the renowned Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí plucked out the colors of the sea, land, and sky for the vibrant mosaics that enhance the park’s flowing architecture. Its layer-cake terraces offer visitors a leisurely climb along pathways that seem to spiral straight upward into the heavens. Parc Güell is such a peaceful urban retreat for residents and sightseers that one can only be glad that its original purpose, a housing development, was never fully realized.
Like Add a Comment