From the Road Scholar Program Introduction:
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered by some to be the greatest American architect. Explore the many facets of his contributions to modern architecture in discussions with experts representing four Wright-designed houses in the Pittsburgh, PA, area. Step inside these exquisite homes to compare and contrast them while you consider the 75-year career of the architect, a working life that spanned two world wars.
This is a Road Scholar Retreat program. Our Retreat programs offer a tranquil respite from daily life in locales that lend themselves to outdoor exploration, reflection, or study. The accommodations may be basic in nature, but the facilities offer communal spaces to gather and to relax. During the week, opportunities usually exist for some combination of light exercise, a locally sourced meal, or evening entertainment.
I have been fascinated by Frank Lloyd Wright's (FLLW) work for many years -- at least since visiting the Guggenheim Museum in the mid-1970s. I don't remember any of the exhibits there, but I was captivated by the building. Since then I've had visiting any and all Wright buildings, especially Fallingwater, on my wish list. Starting in 2023, we finally got around to it: first seeing the campus of Florida Southern College when visiting Florida in November, and signing up for this Road Scholar program.
The 2024 solar eclipse was right around the time of one of the Road Scholar FLLW programs. We thought it would be fun to combine the two, but there was a week between that had to be filled. Our original plan included Erie, PA, for the eclipse and an exploration of the Erie Canal, followed by the Wright program. Alas, many attractions on the Erie Canal are still closed for the season in April.
Plan B was to see the eclipse at Erie and then spend several days exploring Pittsburgh. While I was fleshing out the details, I discovered that another wish-list item might be attained. Agnes DeMille's original choreography of the ballet Rodeo is seldom produced, but the Martha Graham Dance Company would be staging it the weekend after the Wright program in New York City. Tickets were available! Forget the eclipse! We saw one of those in Oregon in 2017 anyway. Forget Pittsburgh. It won't go anywhere. Plan C for us.
The scheduling left us with a couple of days between the end of the FLLW program and the ballet, so we filled in the time by reserving tickets to the Hard Hat tour of the abandoned Ellis Island hospitals.
There are a couple of ways to follow us on our trip. I've tried to make the narrative a complete summary, but I've used many links to other web sites to provide additional details and sometimes pictures. You can either stick with the basic narrative or explore the various links. At the time this album was created the links were all valid, but the WWW is in constant flux and that can change. If you encounter broken links, please send us some email.
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