our favorite things (besides cryptos)

[LLapp]

Fudi, thanks for the nice question. This should be really interesting.

The first answer that comes to mind for me is my favorite house -- the gorgeous, playful, inspiring, and relatively unknown Wharton Esherick Museum, located at the top of Mount Misery, 5 minutes from Valley Forge National Park.

Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) was an artist trained as a painter, who eventually found his medium in wood sculpture. He expressed his sculptural ideas in his groundbreaking furniture design, which foretold Danish Modern and had a huge impact on American mid-century design. This house was at first his sculpture studio and then his home; he worked on the place through all his artistic periods until he died, and he called it his autobiography. I have volunteered there for two decades as a docent, and I have never seen any visitor go through the place and not come out genuinely amazed. It is an environment that seems to grow organically from the stone and trees around it, but with a playful spirit that connects with the artist inside everyone.

This page shows the dining room, which is my favorite room in the whole world -- it's like the perfect treehouse, with indoor plumbing: http://www.pennsylvaniahomes.com/art...sherick-museum

For anyone passing through the Philadelphia area, I encourage you take a side trip to see this place. Visiting info is here.

[letfreedomring]

I've made some references to books in my comments to quotes, such as to Aloysius Pendergast, (I think the quote was by Diogenes, who was an evil brother of Aloysius), the main character in Pendergast mysteries by Preston and Child, and another to Wooster and Jeeves, (the quote was by Stephen Fry, who was Jeeves or P.G. Wodehouse, the author). Sounds like a fun and worthwhile suggestion, though.

[Fudi]

Wondering if fellow cryptosolvers might like to share some of their favorite books, movies, tv shows, plays, songs, writers, artists, etc ... and reasons why or brief descriptions thereof (particularly if yours are obscure)...

I'll come up with my own list and report back soon. (That's sort of due to slight shyness ... new to this community ... and also strategic ... I need to write many separate posts to get out of my Junior status here.