In this push before the semester comes to the close, I'm doing my best to keep myself sane and balanced. So I picked up my copy of The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz, that I only put down earlier this fall because there was not a single free minute in my life. Oddly enough, I'm glad I'm just getting to some of the chapters now, because I can appreciate the Parisian life that much better. The best part is whether I'm reading on the metro or in the privacy of my bed, Lebovitz has this wonderful sense of humor and writing style that literally makes me laugh out loud every few pages. He does an amazing job of trying to explain the often inexplicable and elusive Parisian in a way that is like stating the obvious, but it's so true. In fact, he makes mention of a set of publicite [advertising] for the newspaper, Le Parisien that makes fun of these various idiosyncracies. My French friend, Nico, had told me about these ads earlier this fall, so I thought it was high time that I checked them out myself. Pretty fantastic.
* The tagline, Le Parisien: Il vaux mieux d'avoir en journal translates to Le Parisien: it's better to read one than meet one.
P.S. There's a nice little compilation of the ads here.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Le Parisien
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A Day in the Life
For years people haven't understood what I do for a living, now people don't understand what I'm studying, and throughout it all, most people don't understand that I truly believe in carpe diem. So inspired by the "Dailies" column that Erin used to run on Design for Mankind, I thought it would be fun to share a day in my life in Paris. Admittedly, it was an extra full day, but at the same time very much in the spirit of my everyday. So enjoy my Wednesday from last week (Nov 25), as I repeat a new variation of the same today.
7:07 AM - Alarm goes off. It's always the goal to get up without snoozing. I do an amazing job this morning convincing myself more sleep is ok. Not only was I up til 2am working on a project last night, but there's no need for yoga today because I'll be getting my exercise later ce soir.
8:30 AM - Out of bed. Put hot water boiler on. Literally step 2 feet and hop in the shower.
{Ok, so this image wasn't actually shot last Wednesday, but the weather all fall has been incredible and sunny like this. The weather is also highly subject to change, and feeling like 4 different days in one.}8:45 AM - Open computer, steep pot of tea (addicted to Kumsi), turn on Voltage.fr and mix my bowl of plain yogurt and museli (my morning staple).
8:50 AM - Open all 3 email accounts, flickr, twitter and facebook (yes, I am connected!) and spend the next hour responding to "sneak peek" and freelance/blog related emails. Since I didn't get it finished the night before, this is when I finish up my own blog post of the day. Today it's all about the cross-cultural design firm, Nomad Ink.9:47 AM - Impromptu dance party to Cascada's "Escape the Dance Floor" (it seems to have replaced "I Gotta Feeling" as Voltage's [French radio] favorite song]
9:52 AM - Finished getting dressed, dry hair and get ready for the day. [Note: I must say that bringing my wardrobe of only black, blue, brown and grey clothes has worked wonders for my life and makes getting dressed so easy since everything matches!]
10:00 AM - Call my friend Elizabeth who just arrived in town with her husband the night before to make plans for meeting up. "Anne, it sounds like your day is really full - maybe we should find another day during our visit." I can only laugh - my every day is scheduled for maximum impact (and fun too). We make a plan for drinks later :)
10:10 AM - Time for school work, so I start with the fun part, which means finishing up the visual portion of my Amelie Project. I went to Montmartre last night so I wanted to add in those images and finesse the final design. I definitely make myself laugh when I decide to put the gnome images on the final slide.
11:10 AM - I have to be smart and strategic every time I leave the apartment. Walking down 6 flights of stairs only to discover you've forgotten something is detrimental to the mental health. On really busy days - like today - I'll only come and go once, it means packing for study/school + clothes for dance. But I have to admit that, three months later, despite feeling winded every time I get to the top, the stairs have done done wonders for my legs and ass!11:15 AM - Arrive at the local phone store so I can pick up some phone credits for the phone I'm going to lend Elizabeth during her visit (tip: pre-paid phones are seriously miracle makers when you have guests in town!). Recognizing me as one of the Americans, the man behind the desk says "hello" to me, but quickly corrects himself and says "Bonjour" because he knows I like to conduct my business in French there.
11:22 AM - Check my mailbox at school, and it's one of the few days there's not a snail mail letter waiting for me from the States. Which is fine, because I have enough to keep me busy for the day.
11:30 AM - It's early, but as a logistical thinker, I hate back tracking, and it's drizzling now, so I decide to pick up my lunch. I have about 4 boulangeries I regular, which I like for odd reasons (I admit sometimes the woman with big hair and Dolly Parton make-up can sway me that direction). Today is all about convenience. I'm tempted by the pastries, but instead opt for "sandwich ciabata" with prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato. However, at the cashier, I fall pawn and also order a viennois chocolat. It's essentially a slightly sweeter baguette (not too sweet) with chocolate chips. I like to think of it as a healthy snack, basically because it's healthier than a patisserie! And because I have no self control, I decide to start with my dessert and eat the viennois chocolat on the way to the library (and before I can photograph it).
{what the walk to the library looks like on a sunny day!}12:00 PM - Leave the library to head to another library so I don't have to fight for a seat. Paris has all sorts of amazing libraries hidden around the city and in the museums, so I like to use studying as an excuse to get out and explore. Not only do I have a panoramic view of Paris, but today I have the added benefit of watching men in funny suits doing work on the roof in the rain.
12:10 -3:00 PM - Read about hybridization (as opposed to homogenization when it comes to globalization) and think about how I'm going to apply it to my paper on Bollywood. I admit, I kind of love it.
3:10 PM - Arrive 10 minutes early to class to catch up with my friend Andrea and finally eat my delicious sandwich.3:20 - 4:40 PM - This is seriously the only time of my day where time not only stands still, but I swear at times the clock goes backwards. In general I love my classes, but this one just doesn't make me tick. (But I do love that I'm writing my final paper on the representation of culture in tourism advertising, so that makes it all better, and so I daydream about that).
4:50 PM - Head to the metro while checking my iPhone and finding an email that makes my day and makes me stop in my tracks. This is also a good reminder that I need to look up and look at the world around me sometimes. Not only is the lighting beautiful now, but there happens to be some group strike outside the metro (I figured it was either a strike or soccer fans). Oh, how Parisian!
5:00 PM - On schedule and on the metro to go meet Elizabeth and Matt for a drink. Catch up with the world thanks to the iPhone (which has seriously changed my life!) on npr and nytimes apps. I even have enough time to catch up on "The Biggest Loser."
{Pop Quiz: Leaving the metro station, do you take the stairs or escalator? Answer: always the stairs (despite what this image suggests)}5:30 PM - Arrive at Cafe de l'Industrie to meet Elizabeth and Matt for a drink. I'm so impressed by my timing, and shocked that I beat them. Once they get there it's great to see them, sit down and get a drink in me after a long day! Luckily, I know I'm going to be seeing them again, so it's ok that we didn't get a full update. Also, I start thinking that I should have a drink before class more often! (So exciting chatting the I forget to take a picture!).
6:45 PM - Run to the dance studio for hip-hop class. (Yes, I seriously packed for the day!). I get changed just in time for class to start.
7:00 - I'm in hip-hop world. Sometimes I like to blame the fact that I miss a step on the fact that class is in French, but really it's because I'm not that good! But I've been going to the same studio for 8 years now, every time I find myself in Paris. It's my weekly sanity. Today is one of the rare instances when we're not dancing to Michael Jackson, but it's still fun.8:29 PM - With one mintue left in class, I think I finally get the moves down.
8:34 PM - On my way out of the studio, I catch a wink from my teacher. It makes me happy to know that I'm a regular in his book. A la prochaine...
8:40 PM - Make my way back to the metro, resisting 4 creperies on the way.
8:45 PM - On the metro for great people watching this time and probably the worst metro singer I've witnessed yet. (I've actually been recording random musicians on my iPhone these days, now just to figure out how to download them, and then what to do with them! However, this woman was too awful to make the cut).
9:10 PM - Realize that I don't think I'm going to be able to make it up the 6 flights of stairs unless I have some food in me so I get off of the metro one stop early so I can visit my favorite crepe man. Besides making a delicious crepe, I also enjoy the excuse to speak French in the English-speaking bubble I live in. We're on a first name basis, so I'm glad Sudha let me take this picture as he made my citron and sucre crepe.
{the Chirstmas lights are on for the first time on my walk home!}9:30 PM - Wash up and throw together a salad to pretend I got a little nourishment on a day where I decided that dessert comes before real meals.
9:50 PM - Decide it's probably time to finish up my paper due tomorrow that goes with my Amelie project. [The real epiphany won't come until the middle of the night lying in bed, and part of it gets finished in the am].
1:00 AM - After emails, business and life, 1 AM is finally time for bed, and I swear every day my bed gets more and more comfortable. It was a full day, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I never was a super late night person until I came here. Now it jives with my lifestyle - there is too much to do and too many opportunities to sleep though it all...
SECRETS OF LIFE: balance, efficiency and logistics (no back-tracking!) :)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Smalltimore Comes to Paris
Friday night I had one of those surreal moments of life, which eerily is becoming the norm for me these days. I had two friends in town from Baltimore, so I thought it would be fun to take them to the typically French restaurant Bouillon Chartier. It's really one of those places you go for the experience and people watching, but you can't beat a 3-course meal with wine for about 20 Euros.
The resto is quite popular among French and tourists alike, so you can expect to wait in line. Once inside, no seat is spared, so be prepared to get cozy with strangers (only adding to the experience if you ask me). We actually got inside after not to long of a wait and were taken to a table not far from the door (fabulous for watching the maitre d' in action all night!), along with the three girls behind us. It was quickly established we were Americans. So where are you from? Baltimore? Really - we used to go to school there. It was one thing to establish that I used to live a few blocks from their school, but it was a whole other moment when one girl claimed to recognize my friend Elizabeth. Oh, I just have a familiar face. But the girl insisted that she knew who she was - and she did! Not only was our new friend able to name the magazine that Elizabeth used to work for, but it turned out that Elizabeth had come into speak to one of her classes at one point. For anyone from Baltimore, you can really appreciate this as a truly "Smalltimore" moment. Small world stories happen all the time in Baltimore, but to transport a Smalltimore moment to Paris was just priceless!
P.S. Check out the homage to Baltimore - "Baltimore, the Greatest Show on Earth" - I wrote earlier this fall as a special feature on Ever the Nomad. While I adore Paris, Baltimore will always hold a special spot in my heart.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Boarding Pass - Leela Cyd
Today's Boarding Pass features is one of those connections that fell into place. Thanks to the blogosphere, I was connected to Leela Cyd when she commented on a post a couple weeks ago. Professionally Leela works as an art and special ed teacher in the States, but is a food writer/eater/aspiring travel writer by night with the dream of eating her way around the world. After getting married on the 4th of July, she and her husband David embarked on a 9-month journey through India, Vietnam and Turkey (a trip four years in the making), leaving Portland, Oregon for a taste of the rest of the world. And while they're on the move (they're 2.5 months into it), I adore that they're taking the time to enjoy and experience the place. Leela is currently working on a cookbook (check out the links to recipes below), while, meanwhile, David is working on an ink series based on the architecture and jungles. {Thanks, Leela!} 
last trip taken:
We visited Northern India, “the Golden Triangle,” last week – New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur – We felt that while living in India, we must see the Taj Mahal and all the amazing Mughal architecture of the North. The Taj was every bit as gorgeous and out of a fairy tale as I could have possibly imagined and then some– The most symmetrical, harmonious, lyrical, romantic piece of architecture I’ve seen. We walked around in a stupor, totally dumbfounded by the beauty. The marble floors were perfectly slick for dancing on as well!
next trip on deck:
Vietnam, then Turkey
one place you would go back to again and again:
New York City – My Dad and all of his side of the family are from Brooklyn, so we grew up going there all the time as kids – my passion for the city started with a walk across the Brooklyn bridge at age 6 (I thought the distance was almost insurmountable – my teeny feet hardly made it!) into the city with my Grandma, Aunt and cousin… the river and the wind were so exciting to me, even then. From this point on, I was hooked – the art galleries in Chelsea – my husband Dave and I spend days on just a few streets… the museums – PS 1 is worth the hoof up to Queens, the Temple of Dendor is the most magical place to chill out and think about Egypt in the Met . . . the shops—I always buy some wacky tennies (I recently had to retire my gold and red patent-leather asics) from a David Z on Broadway and the food, oh the food! – We worship the red spicy sauce at Vincent’s on the corner of Mott and Hester (my Grandfather used to go here when it was just a food cart), the pretzel croissant at The City Bakery will make you die and reborn a happy little fat kid, Magnolia Bakery cupcakes will do the same, I love all the Jewish delis – Katz’s is the best for an egg cream . . .
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Laos, Northern Thailand and Myanmar – I traveled to this end of the world as 12 year-old girl and the people, traditions, culture and food made a huge impression on me. The temples were so beautiful and all the young monks and school kids were outgoing and talkative – they were so open with their life and way of doing things . . . and very curious about me, an awkward White girl with “bracelets and decorations” on my teeth (I had braces.) The chanting, singing and daily life of the Buddhist monks struck me – so different than my life in the States – peaceful, simple and beautiful. Watching the sunrise behind Mt. Popa, near Bagan in Myanmar, while munching on a flavorful papaya was an incredible feeling . . . Another great part of this trip I’d recommend would be to get on a boat in Laos and buzz down the Mekong River, stuff bread in your ears to block the sound of the crazed motor!
preferred method of transportation:
In India, we love the trains – we’ve been on every class imaginable, including no-seat-have-to-sit-on-luggage-rack class. I love trains for the conversations you have with your neighbors. Around town, I love to walk—I have a horrible tourist/Teva suntan on my feet from all my walking here.
place you've never been but dying to go:
Istanbul (we are going in the Spring! Hooray!) and Denmark, looks so chic, stylish and bicycles galore!
place you'd never go back:
Anjuna Beach, GOA – lots of people hustling you to buy their goods while you are trying to take in the beach . . . Crappy flea market . . . really hot. I don’t think I’m a beach-all-day person.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
The epic 9 month trip (India, Vietnam, Turkey and Paris—hopefully, Paris. . . ) we are 2 ½ months deep into RIGHT NOW is by far the most intense travel experience I’ve ever had – so much different to live abroad, rather than passing through. This time-line changes the way we think and experience every country, in a good way.
how do you prepare for a trip?
I decide none of my clothing is good enough for the non-tourist look I’m going for and ponder shopping (and wind up going with my old digs and splurge on a nice new journal, sensible girl that I am), I poll all friends, family and co-workers about the place I’m going, trying to get a little scoop or sense of the place, I read novels that take place in said country – I went through a HUGE Indian literature phase before this journey – Shantaram, Death of Vishnu, a Fine Balance, White Tiger are a few great books that take place in India. I stress about all the preparation and packing. When I get on the plane, all my worries melt and I relax about traveling and get super excited (and then commence snacking on chocolate of some form – it’s my flying tradition.)
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
As a kid, my Dad made my brother and I keep a journal everywhere we went – He’s a photographer, so we went a LOT of places as kids, lugging his equipment and keeping notes as assistants. This habit stuck with me and now I look forward to journaling (drawing, collage, writing, pasting found items) as a way to process new experiences and think about where we’ve been/what we’ve seen. When I was 14, I received Dan Eldon’s journal book, The Journey is the Destination, got me thinking about journaling as a high art/personal art form – his work showed me the infinite possibilities of what a journal could be—best friend, narrative, collage, photo, family album . . . He was so awesome. I also keep a cooking/thought/travel blog, Leelacyd.com, which I love for gathering my thoughts in a cohesive way—treating my written pen-to-paper journal more of a rough-draft space – full of sketches, lists and ideas/quick writes and the blog as more of a final draft space – keeping it helps me hone my ideas, test and post recipes. Lastly, I take a ton of photos.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
As a cook and an artist, I love to photograph food in its natural environment, it is a wonderful subject, as it never moves! – I also love to photograph small details about a place – a little shrine in a tree, a weird phone booth, a cookie – lastly, I love to take pictures of Dave, my sweety, looking ridiculous (climbing trees, posing with monkeys, enjoying a cup of perfect tea with blissful expression, etc.)
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Too many!
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
A small backpack, mine is black and made by Ben Sherman, I love my moleskin journals and my camera for this trip is a Canon G10, super compact and easy to carry but takes high-res photos and video – I love the low-commitment of a camera this small and unobtrusive compared to our old, and much larger, Nikon D70. And, we bring a serious art-supply kit – brushes of varying size and quality, gouaches, pens, pencils, glue stick and I insist on glitter because I love sparkly, shiny things. I like little notebooks of graph and lined paper to jot down recipes, which I test later, then post on my blog. This is a habit I picked up by my ever-prepared, former newspaper reporter Mom. She also has an insane amount of writing implements.
{my current kitchen}I recoup with foods I miss – usually a giant salad (oh how I long for this in Asia!) and a slice of the perfect chocolate cake, I shower aggressively . . .Then, I show my parents and close friends my journal (then it goes on a shelf forever!) and print a book of photos/musings using Blurb or a program like it – It’s amazing how quickly we all tend to move on and get back to “regular life” after a big adventure. It’s hard for me to describe a trip adequately . . . Having the blog has helped with this – keeping myself and everyone else updated on current state of affairs and what I’ve been cooking. This is the first big journey since I started my blog, almost 2 years ago. . . so this is a new documentation tool for me.
how long after a trip does this happen?
{cooking class in Goa}
My question to your readers and yourself is : How do you stay self-motivated for projects (i.e. travel writing, a cookbook, a blog, a series of artworks, etc.) while on a long-term trip? Do you carve out a work routine in a new place? If so, what does it look like?
links:
blog: Leelacyd.com
David's site: Davidkilpatrick.net
A few recipes:Click HERE for past Boarding Pass features!
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Amélie Project
Le Fabuleux Destin de . . . my final project for my Color as Communications class.
I'll spare you the 10 page paper and 20-minute presentation on color in Le Fabuleux Destin de Amélie. The format is really designed more for a larger powerpoint style presentation, supplemented by verbal explanation, but you can click on the image to enlarge (and actually read the text). Essentially, this project was inspired by watching the Amélie Director's Cut [disk 2] with interviews with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel. Merging Jeunet's ideas and mine, I created the notebook you see below using screenshots from the film and images (bordered in white) that I've shot over the past few weeks.
While color is everywhere in the film - costumes, sets, props, etc. - I chose to center on Paris itself.
Jeunet was very disappointed in the way the colors turned out in the 1991 film, Delicatassen and sought to remedy that in Amélie.
The film Jeunet created immediately before Amélie was the mega blockbuster, Alien: Ressurrection. Turned off by the idea of the global Hollywood film, he wanted to create a film as a contribution to French cinema. Amélie would become the first film he shot digitally.
The paintings of Brazilian painter Jaurez Machado (who currently lives in Paris) are cited as inspiration for the color palette in Amélie. A lot of his work features two colors of prime importance - namely red and green - and a punch of a third lesser used color as an accent.
Amélie is a happy, positive story. The colors and telling should reflect that.
Amélie was the first (and probably last) film Jeunet shot on location, which provided immense challenges one typically doesn't face on traditional sets - weather (20 days out of the month of May when they shot were rainy), people, traffic, the unexpected...
Jeunet is not so much interested in reality (it's boring to him), but rather a heightened reality. He loves having control over every element of his films.
After the film was shot, they went in during post-production to adjust the hues and saturation to create the desired effect.
In certain scenes such as in front of the epicerie, a "power window" was used to pump up the color and saturation, such as one is able to do with Photoshop these days. In fact, one is even able to download a Photoshop "action" in order to replicate "the Amelie effect."
In other cases large saturation and the adjustment of levels creates almost super human effects. Conversely, the use of black and white imagery tells its own story and acts as a system for memory.
These days fans of the film still flock to the locations made famous by the film. It's just a pity that the cafe not only decided to remove the famous tabac and wall where Amelie writes the plat du jour, but they've also recently decided to paint the ceiling a hideous purple color! (Oh, and don't forget to visit the tourist shrine in the bathroom when you go!).
And in Montmarte, some clever chap has decided to mark blue arrows around to guide the average visitor up to Sacre Coeur.
Next step: Turn on Yann Tiersen's La Valse d'Amélie and re-read :)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving #1
Eight years ago I was a student studying abroad, I'd walk through this garden a couple times a week to get to my photography class at Studio Vermes and make my way to this lounge as I'd prepare myself to go hide myself in one of the darkrooms for hours on end. My family came to visit me for Thanksgiving of that year, and I brought them by the studio on Thanksgiving day. And on a complete fluke we ended up having a photo shoot right there on the spot. It remains one of my favorite - and most atypical - Thanksgiving memories ever. And last Saturday, now 8 years later, I found myself returning to the very same spot for a very different Thanksgiving celebration.
Meet Philippe, photographe francais extraordinaire. Here he is pictured with a postcard from the current Irving Penn show going on in Paris. Of course in Paris the turkey for dinner came complete with head, so Nancy and I (ok, it was all Nancy and I went and hid in the corner) took the cleaver to it. Knowing Philippe all too well, Nancy knew he'd see the head and want to photograph it. So we hid it - until everything was ready - and then we took this picture. Philippe, if you're reading this, I hope that head isn't still hiding in the studio to be photographed like your rotting fish!
Meet Nancy, the delightful, fabulous exuberant wife of Philippe. Although she's American, I'd argue that she cooks just as well, if not better than any French woman. She's also my new cooking mentor these days and we slaved away together in the kitchen all day. The other wonderful thing about Nancy is her passion. Recently, or later in life as she describes, she discovered her love of singing. She's been working with a professional teacher, and before dinner she put on a magical performance for all the guests (which even involved a cross-dressing performance by Philippe, but you'll have to click on the extra images below to see that!).
The kitchen became a bit of a comedy routine from the start. Nancy said is was something right out of a Woody Allen movie. If so I need to be watching more Woody Allen movies!
The most important lesson: Cook with Love.
Lesson two: Always make extra! The 30 guests multiplied to 38!
But it was a jolly good time of merriment for all and a wonderful spectrum of lovely guests! (pictured here "dining room" aka the photo studio!).
Final lesson as many of you celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones today: limit yourself to how many desserts you have. I had to try three different kids, and I practically had to roll myself home at the end of the night!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all! More to follow from my Thanksgiving celebrations #2 and #3 later this weekend. Vive la France - I love the enthusiasm for Thanksgiving here, and I already have had to turn down two other T-day invitations. (By the way, you can pick up all your American supplies at a store that conveniently is called Thanksgiving in the Marais).
Click here for more images from my marathon THANKSGIVING #1 :)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Nomad Ink
Tyler Johnson from Nomad Ink from Leonardo Mercado on Vimeo.
From now until December 18th, my life enters a black hole time warp. I've never worked so hard in my life as I have this fall (trust me, that says a lot), but I've also never felt so rewarded as I do these days. Little pieces from every aspect of my life seem to be coming together, and it's magical and inspiring. While massive papers, research, and projects may not sound like lots of fun, I'm having more fun than ever, and feeling like I'm exactly where I need to be these days. And while I'm living in the moment and letting spontaneity happen, I'm also always looking ahead and thinking about what's next. Everyday I encounter something that inspires me. This week, Flavia and Tyler of Nomad Ink, who I "met" through a post I did on my blog several months back, sent me the link to an interview Tyler recently did for a conference in Argentina (the two are based in Curitiba, Brazil these days). I have plans to feature more from them and their work in "cross-cultural design" (so cool!). But for now, as someone with very little free time in their life, you have to trust me and watch the video :)Monday, November 23, 2009
Boarding Pass - Jen Altman
It is often said that you learn a lot about yourself through travel. Well, in the case of my Boarding Pass series, I find that I learn a lot about others through their own travels. I never would have guessed that the beautiful, soft eye of photographer Jen Altman had spent time in the United States Navy (aka her ticket living in Europe! - read on below). Originally from California, but growing up for a time in Japan and smack dab in middle America (Omaha), I think I can relate to Jen's life growing up a little bit of everywhere (although mine was all domestic), and made it extra fun putting together today's feature. Even more fantastic are the new travel-inspired projects she's putting together these days :) Enjoy! {Thanks, Jen!}
last trip taken:
I just returned from Boulder, Colorado last week - but that was work related. My last foray out of the country was Tuscany last summer in which my dear friend and I shared an old farm house in a tiny village outside of Lucca for two weeks.
next trip on deck:
The only trip I have on the books right now is to Stockholm in May to shoot my cousin's wedding. I am so excited not only to be a part of that special day, but it will be my first time to Sweden as well. In the meantime, my mom and I try to take an annual road trip with my daughters to see family in Atlanta, Georgia. I have a major crush on the south and traveling by car is the absolute best way to indulge in that part of the country - so many equally quirky and breathtaking things to see.
{a little collage of adventures over the last ten years...}one place you would go back to again and again:
Sardinia, Italy - again and again. It is my favorite place on earth. I lived in Sardinia for three years and I reflect on that time often - it was the first time I lived on my own - it was a soulful, almost spiritual experience and Sardinia itself is bewitching. Once it captures your soul, it's hold is eternal. It was also my first experience with slow food - everything you consume comes from the land and sea outside of your door - I truly believe that is part of the islands power - as you consume - it consumes you.
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Such a tough one! That would truly depend on the person and what they would like to gain from the experience. I had an amazing time traveling through the Highlands of Scotland; walking the streets of Paris; shopping the souqs in Turkey... Greece and Israel were both very spiritual journeys. That is the beauty of travel - there is a place in which anyone can feel like they have found home.
preferred method of transportation:
I think this depends on where I am. When traveling in the States - I love to travel by car. There is something almost nostalgic about stopping at the plethora of strange and wonderful road-side attractions this country has to offer - and I am equally adventurous about road food when I travel. Some of the best meals of my life have been consumed in dusty road side cafes. In Europe, I love traveling by train - there is something heartbreakingly romantic about it - I love writing and simply watching the world smoothly race by. When I lived in Europe I was serving with the United States Navy aboard a repair vessel. As our main mission was to aid and repair other vessels, most of our work was done in port. This was an incredibly unique situation in the Navy as we spent a maximum of about five days at sea before pulling into a new port. I loved traveling through the Mediterranean this way - the sky at sea is unmatched. I was on board when the ship changed homeports from Norfolk, Virginia to La Maddalena, Italy - I have never felt so truly alive as when standing on deck - the salt breezes creating havoc of my hair - in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
place you've never been but dying to go:Without question, Egypt. I have been obsessed {and I am not using that word lightly} with ancient Egyptian history since I was a child and the thought of walking through the hushed and holy halls of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, standing in the Valley of the Kings, or at the foot of the Karnak sends ripples of excitement through my heart. I remember with utter clarity the feel of the earth reverberating through me when I first stepped foot in Italy, Greece and Ireland - I know that I would be so passionately connected with Egypt as well.
place you'd never go back:
I do not think that there really is a place that I could say I would never return to - though the airport in Pisa comes close. My husband and I did have a rather nasty spell of bad luck when we traveled to Budapest. The city itself was spellbinding. But traveling by bus 12 hours there and 12 hours back {3 hours each way spent at the Hungary/Croatia border} - and then having our luggage and purchases stolen from said bus - not so fun.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:Standing on the boardwalk in Opatija, Croatia; my husband whirling me around under a full moon while someone is playing "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" on the accordion. I remember wearing my hair in braids; I felt so young and alive - he asked me to marry him at that moment.
how do you prepare for a trip?
A crash course in the language is imperative to me - I do not like feeling helpless or that I could not communicate in an emergency situation. Beyond that, I day dream. A lot.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?I photograph and I write. I collect a lot of paper - tickets, receipts, museum brochures - they really help clear the dreamy fog I find myself in when I return.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Everything. Anything that I find fascinating - people, food, land - if I am moved by it, I capture it. And doing so on Polaroid seems to enhance the memory - it is how I felt the moment I pressed the shutter - full of magic and lovely light.
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Shooting Polaroid I am only limited by the amount of film I am willing to tote around with me. To me, 50 incredible Polaroids are worth gold in comparison to hundreds of digital files.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ? I never travel without at least one of my Polaroid cameras. My three favorites are my 680SLR, SX-70 and my 110b Pathfinder. I also love to bring a medium format camera - either my Hasselblad 503CW or Yashica Mat-124g. Loads of film of course. I have a little kraft paper Moleskine that has addresses in it - I also keep a supply of stamps in the interior pocket of the notebook for impromptu post card sending. I always bring my pack of Stabilo Point 88 markers, another blank soft cover Moleskine for journaling and sketching, a Kolo Essex travel book for note-taking and stuffing paper goodies {museum brochures and such} and my Ipod - packed with music that will eventually become the soundtrack to that adventure.
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?Honestly, I go through a little down time - especially after returning from Italy. I feel like I belong there so coming back to the States is always a little bittersweet. I have so much in my life to be grateful for - so I focus on that and once the aforementioned fog has passed, I scan Polaroids into my Mac and share them on my blog - and sometimes, in my shop and online portfolio. This last trip to Italy actually helped inspire my latest venture, Fieryeyed Books whose first publication, "Little Italy" was in essence a visual journal of my time in Tuscany. When I returned from living abroad I found a wonderful project in an old Martha Stewart Living magazine that I wrote about and photographed here.
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?I always buy jewelry. I especially love finding one of a kind pieces in the markets and antique stores abroad. I love that I can go through my jewelry cabinet, pick up a piece and tell myself exactly where I purchased it and why - it bonds me to that place forever - a talisman - there is great power in such things. I have a necklace and a stack of bracelets I wear everyday of pieces I have collected throughout the world. The necklace is made up of five coins, stamps and medallions that not only symbolize their origin, but something much deeper to me - my spiritual connection with each of those places. A coin featuring the Goddess Athena as an owl from Greece and a medallion of Kuan Yin from Japan are among the five.
links:
website:: www.jeniferaltman.com
latest project:: fieryeyed.com
blog:: nectarandlight.com
on etsy:: fieryeyed.etsy.com
d*s "sneak peek" :: here and here
Click HERE for more artists and designers featured on Boarding Pass!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Shake Up
The platform at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Jason Motlagh).
While the posts on this blog tend to be happy and carefree, they're still designed to make you think and look at the world with new eyes. Today's post takes a darker turn as I want to share with you an incredible piece in journalism which explores last November's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. A year later, multimedia journalist Jason Motlagh recreates step by step, person by person, story by story the 60 hours of terror that took place for the Virginia Quarterly Review. In my current studies we're constantly analyzing and deconstructing (and most often criticizing) the current media system, so it's incredibly refreshing seeing a piece like this created with such intricacy, detail, and most importantly, a human connection. It pulls at you, makes you cringe, be angry, while at the same time making the unimaginable eerily imaginable. It's notedly a long piece - 4-5,000 words - but the fact that it's broken down over a series of 4 posts makes it easier to approach. The subject matter gets heavy, so reading it in installments only feels appropriate, while making it more accessible and aiding in digestion. Click for the editor's note, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 (I also recommend reading the commentary and growing conversation in the comments section at the end of each piece). I promise it's worth every word, so please spread the word.
Fongen Fernandes in the upper level of the Re-Fresh snack bar (Jason Motlagh).
I also find this piece an amazing read knowing the author. Jason and I first met on the crew team in our days at UVA. Even back in the day his work was inspiring for the Cav Daily. He's one of those people that you meet in life and know he's going to have great success in life. Finally, he was also one of the people I met in college who really made me start to look at travel in a new way - as an experience rather than as a tourist. I will never forget his attitude to travel, stating that he always seeks to go some place new, but Paris is the one place he can always go back to. Clearly, it still rings true for me today. . . Enjoy the piece!
Farhang Jehani, co-owner of Leopold Café, on the restaurant’s upper level (Jason Motlagh).
{images via VQR}
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Missed Connections
{Saturday, July 18, 2009 - m4w - 20 (m train) : you had on a blue dress an brown boots on i was a purple shirt we were waiting at myrtle an wyckoff ave at like 2 or 3 am for the m you were just amazing looking an i wanted to talk to you but i was having a bad day an looked offal so i didnt even try then you got off at central well its a long shot or your probably seeing some one but you seemed like a nice person so maybe}
If yesterday's posts were all about connections, the theme of today is missed connections. It's a subject matter that my friends and I seem to be falling victim to these days - passed junctures, missed communications, technical glitches, fleeting moments. They're endearing, yet excruciating at the same time. And they're the very moments - as documented on craigslist and in newspaper listings - that illustrator Sopie Blackall captures in one of her recent projects, "Missed Connections." The video below exemplifies the spirit of the project (very well done for Radar!). Stay tuned for Sophie's book in 2012 (and check out a "sneak peek" of her home right here).
All over France "missed connections" get their own attention on the website, Croisé dans le Métro, where metro commuters post their spottings, glances and desires in hopes that the person on the other side will be reading. There's something extra charming about it in the city of love. And seriously, what's more romantic than public transportation?? Read about it, complete with interview, on Invisible Paris.
{Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - w4m - 23 (Hoboken, NJT station) I just wanted to say thank you for offering to help carry my little orangey/pink suitcase. It really meant a lot because I was having a really terrible day. -Half asian girl in the green shirt}
{illustrations by Sophie Blackall; text from real life}
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Kisses from Paris
Tonight on my ride home on the metro from hip-hop class I couldn't help but feel like I was living inside this video. A few seats away from me a cute young couple in love is taking pictures on their camera phone. As with the characters in the video, it becomes an obsession, a way of remembering each moment. And then they make out - and as if they forgot what the other looks like in that process - and they take more pictures of each other. And then they make out, and the pictures continue. In the 10 stops we traveled together, they must have taken at least 50 pictures. It was sweet, but made me laugh too.
I absolutely adore the video entitled, "Kisses From Paris" by French actor-director Yvan Attal. According to Budget Travel, it was "commissioned by the Paris tourist board, the director had a goal: Shoot the less well-known parts of Paris, not the typical scenes by the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower." It got me from the opening scene where the characters are introduced, as the Palais de Tokyo is always a favorite place to take friends (with the added benefit that it's a museum that is open until midnight). My only complaint with the video is that they could have cut down on the making out (seriously, sometimes I want to tell people to get a room here). But then again, given my scene I lived on the metro, it goes to show they really do show the real Paris. It is so French [said in English with a French accent].
A Place in Paris
By far one of the best highlights of my current stint of living in Paris lies in the fact that through my blog, and freelance work through design*sponge, I find myself meeting amazingly wonderful and inspiring people. (Just yesterday I met France based American photographer Carrie Soloman). I've always been a bit jealous of Grace working out of Brooklyn, where there's a mecca of creative folks at arms reach. But the cool thing about Paris is that even if it's a place where people don't live, it's a place where they visit :)
But anyway, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some images from the recent "sneak peek" of the home of French stylist Sandrine Place. Sandrine has such a distinct style and I love how fun and quirky it is, yet so classy and Parisian at the same time. Sandrine was sweet enough to have me over to tea last month, so I got to see the fabulous space in person and so I was thrilled when she agreed to share it on d*s. All the photos (by Coco Amardeil) in this post are from her lovely home, but be sure to click HERE to see the full "sneak peek" and get the whole scoop, more images and inspiration behind the rooms!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Boarding Pass - Laura Frankstone
I met Laura Frankstone last April when we were both down in Savannah, Georgia for Grace's gorgeous wedding. While everyone was enjoying their sweet tea and cocktails after the ceremony, we had both independently snuck away to the reception site to document it - I with my camera, and and Laura with her sketchbook. We didn't have much of a chance to talk at the wedding, but I was smart enough to think to take her picture [below] which started a wonderful correspondence of inspiring exchanges. I'm so glad Laura agreed to open up her sketchbook for today's Boarding Pass, but don't miss her blog, Laurelines, where she goes one step further and tells the stories behind and beyond her beautiful sketches. {Thanks, Laura!}
{In Barcelona, artist at work}Brittany, for three weeks in September and October
{Sketch and paint gear, trip to Brittany}next trip on deck:
A coastal voyage in Norway in December! Northern lights, arctic hurricanes (yes! What drama!), not much to do on board, but sketch and paint and sample aquavit!
{Grand Palais seen through spring trees, Paris}one place you would go back to again and again:
There's Paris, of course, where I DO go often---at least twice a year. There's Iceland, which I fell hard for on an August 2008 trip. It's the most primally beautiful spot I've ever seen or could imagine. But there's also Brittany, which I love with a quieter passion. It enthralled and delighted my artist's self and it calmed me at a time in my life when I most needed calming. I feel I've only just started with Brittany. If I get the second life I'm hoping for, I'll go back and live it in Brittany.
{Western Iceland, rainbow}
{Budir twilight, Iceland}
{Iceland rocks and water: Acrylic on board 11" x 14"}Besides Iceland and Brittany, I'd recommend Stockholm for those who, like me, love watery light, Swedish cuisine, and elegant architecture.
preferred method of transportation: 
{Fish on ice, Tom Robinson's seafood}Istanbul, Morocco, Pondicherry
{Placa de Catalunya people, Barcelona; [right] Boqueria market, Barcelona}Mont Saint-Michel. Imagine a Brueghel painting come to life and reconfigured as a pavilion at Epcot Center, throw in wall-to-wall tacky shops, and there you have Mont Saint-Michel. It's a crime.
{Presqu'ile de Rhuys, beach with rocks}most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
The month I spent alone in Paris in October 2006. I rented an apartment in the 7th arrondissement and went out every single day to sketch what I saw there. It was, for me, the trip of a lifetime.
{Fontaine de l'Observatoire, Paris}
{detail: Littlefield Fountain, Austin, Texas}I get very happy thinking about it! I read everything I can on the place--- online, on paper, any way I can. I talk to friends who've been there. I listen to the music of the country or region and look at the artwork generated there. I also do a google search for art supply shops in the area I'm going to. Like most artists, I have a mania for art supplies. I love preparing for my trips almost as much as I love taking them.
{Poissonerie, Auray, Brittany, right side of sketch}Unpack quickly, check to make sure sources for coffee, water, and wine are in close proximity to my person and then head out for a long, long exploratory walk, sketchbook and pens at the ready!
I keep sketchbooks, of course---most of my trips are art-focused. I go to make sketches, collect ideas and imagery for later paintings and projects. I also take some, not many, photos, and I tell my travel stories on my blog.
what is your favorite thing to sketch in a new place?
People, fountains and other watery things, food and drink, flora and fauna. I'm getting really interested in sketching architecture---a direct result of my having been a correspondent for Urban Sketchers for a year now.
{Rocky shore, Golfe du Morbihan, Brittany}
{Café Varenne espresso drinkers; [right] Angel,Museum of Breton Culture, Quimper}Lots. I actually spend a fair amount of time on each sketch, so they end up not quite as numerous as I'd like. I'm going to force myself to work quicker in 2010.
{On location sketching gear}A paintbox, a portable brush stand, 5 or 6 watercolor brushes, pens, a couple of 8b pencils, sketchbooks, loose sheets of watercolor paper, a foldable water holder, and a digital camera.
{Chateau in Josselin seen from Nantes-Brest Canal}what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
Where appropriate, I add washes to my sketches if i haven't managed to do so on site and then I blog them, adding a narrative to the images i've made. I start this the very first minute I can on returning, but it can take a while to process everything.
{Onomea Bay, the Big Island, Hawaii}Friday, November 13, 2009
Cook & Eat
With all the time I've spent in France, I've spent far more time eating than cooking. The fact that my kitchen currently consists of two hot plates and a refrigerator doesn't help anything either. But when given the invitation to my first cooking class I jumped on the opportunity. Who knew of all people, I'd be getting a lesson from a former photography teacher - Philippe Vermes - and his lovely wife Nancy. Our menu consisted of soupe au legumes, potatoes au gratin, sauteed mushrooms, tarte tatin and madeleines. And of course the best part about learning how to cook, is that someone has to eat it too! C'est si bon!
Click here for more images.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Comment dit-on "awkward"?
Lately my favorite question to ask French people is Comment dit-on 'awkward' en Francais
So I continued the discussion later last week when having lunch with two dear old French friends. Étranger was the first word to come to their mind. But in my mind, that translates to "strange." To be awkward may entail being strange, but still I am an étrangère
[Note: The images above from awkwardfamilyphotos.com represent exactly the issue I seek to define.]
*Comment dit-on [en Francais] translates to "how do you say...?"
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Trip to India (without leaving Paris)
Recently I took a trip to India, but I never left Paris. An easy metro trip to Gare du Nord, exit on Rue du Fabourg Saint-Denis and head towards La Chapelle and behold, India is before your eyes. Stepping inside the stores you're instantly transported to India's sights and smells. Off the tourist track? Yes. Worth a visit? Most definitely. Just be sure to visit with an empty stomach!
A rainbow of color brightens up the gray facades of Paris.
Accessorize your life.
Pick up your spices, and maybe a samosa while you're at it.
Need a little more color, song and dance in your life? There's an endless supply of any Bollywood film to meets your desire.
And of course no trip to India would be complete without a lassi!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Boarding Pass - Patricia Naves
Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who has sketched the outfits they plan on packing for a trip, but then thanks to Boarding Pass I'm reminded that I'm not alone in the world. But I guess that's bound to happen when you put designers who have a true passion for travel together. I laughed too when reading about Patricia Naves on her website and the fact that she grew up in a 4m2 (fully furnished) bedroom helped inspire her to become an architect. (As someone who is currently living in 10m2 I can appreciate that!). These days, inspired by her ventures around the world, Patricia is designing beautiful, functional and fun products under the name Oiti. {Thanks, Patricia!}
last trip taken: Copenhagen and Paris
next trip on deck:
Cuba for new year’s
one place you would go back to again and again:
I can think of so many places, but Buenos Aires is the first one that comes to my mind. I have been going back there for the past 5 years religiously. I haven’t missed a year since my first visit in 2005.
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Rio de Janeiro. No one should die before going to Rio. Even for us, Brazilians, who are kind of used to it, it never gets normal. The mix of stoning nature + beautiful people + fun life style + fantastic music in a big cosmopolitan city is something that I have never seen anywhere else.
preferred method of transportation:
It depends on the purpose of the trip. I love flying! For me, it never gets boring. I love everything about it, even things that every human being hates like the economical class food. The possibility of paying 20 Euros to go from Paris to Stockholm drives me crazy. Brazil is a continent sized country, the simple act of going to a little further state would cost me 20 times more.
I used to love the trains, specially in Europe cause you could observe the landscape throughout the journey. But I confess that I haven’t taken a train in a while in Europe. It is so cheap to fly within Europe now, that I always choose to trade travelling hours for walking around hours within city limits.
place you've never been but dying to go: Cape Town
place you'd never go back: I haven’t been there yet.
most memorable trip:
13 years ago, I was a 17 year old exchange student in Central Australia along with other 30 exchange students from all over the world. 30 days throughout the Outback feeling like we were on top of the world and, not for a second, being aware of work, time or aging.
how do you prepare for a trip?
Getting information on it’s inhabitants habits. It tells you everything about a place: people’s life style. I even appeal to street style blogs. You can get so much information from the way people dress: weather, the city mood... the whole atmosphere. It is also a great help when it comes to packing. Living in a tropical country takes away your ability to equip yourself for 4 different and well defined seasons. There for, checking out the way locals are dressed has been a very helpful tool to decide whether I should take or leave the woolen scarf sometimes .
I also look up the destiny on Google maps and check the official city website. The official Copenhagen website, for example, is great! It has the best architecture tips and fantastic advises on walking routes.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Pictures, lists and souvenirs
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Every day details.
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
I have no idea. The digital technology took this count away from me. And for the disappointment of many, I never spoil a fun moment with a “cheese” moment. I am not a picture freak.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
Camera, graph notebook, small backpack, 2 different color pens, a paper ‘old school’ map (I have not crossed this line yet, no GPSed IPhone in my kit…)
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
God!! I file the photos on my computer and post it on my blog gradually. Actually I only post the ones that can be related to a tip or indication.
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Very local things. Objects which I observe are deeply part of the locals everyday life. Ah! I almost forgot my must have souvenir: tea cups and teas. I am a compulsive tea drinker and I collect tea cups. So I try to get a new (actually old, most of the times) cup and a local tea flavor from every city I visit. Well, I must confess: I have cheated a couple of times… I forgot to buy the local traditional tea and just got a nice globalized English brand from the duty free shop at the airport to avoid the feeling of coming home empty handed and having to do some explaining to my tea shelf… ; ) Oh, well… Once it’s been a while since I last visited the UK, I think it is ok to get English tea from the airport, right? A good tea collection must have some English tea…
links:
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog
As you may recall, last year I celebrated my birthday with a typography themed party. It was a huge hit and people really got into it from an appearance by the "serif sheriff" to two of my friends who dressed up like "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" [the typographic panagram - a sentence that uses every letter in the alphabet - used by designers to check out fonts]. So I was so pleased to see that I'm not the only one who uses typography to celebrate their birthday. To celebrate their 6th birthday, The Lazy Dog gallery is currently hosting their own print show based on the theme "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" featuring some extremely talented designers treating the subject in really smart and creative ways. Don't miss the show, which continues from now until November 25th at their gallery space at 2 passage Thiere, 11eme arrondisement : Paris. Their bookstore just around the corner - 25 rue de Charonne - also happens to be a designer's paradise. {via gogoparis}
BTW, the video rocks too.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Paris: Man at Work
On Monday, while walking down the street - somewhere between Valentino and Escada - I came across this construction scene. Initially I was drawn to the giant elevator [below], as I laugh at how many people move into their 5th floor apartments (unlike myself who carried every bag up the 6 flights). But then I saw the man in the yellow hard hat and liked how it matched his shirt and stripe on his pant leg. Better yet, he says to me in French hey, are you going to take my picture? - which is how I've shot some of my favorite images over the years. Then I saw the baguette in his hand, and it became a priceless moment. Bien sur, I respond and luckily caught the shot above. Our exchange continues in French and he says hold on, how am I going to get this picture? He then disappears inside and re-emerges 30 seconds later with his email address scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. Before I leave, he tells me I'm lovely, which is always fun to hear from a Frenchman.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Parc Asterix
Thanks to my friend Pascal, 2 Americans (myself included), a Venezuelan, and a Croatian got to experience a little bit of French culture in an entirely different way last Friday - a trip to Parc Asterix. While signs and maps for Euro Disney are plastered everywhere around Paris, Parc Asterix is very much a theme park catered to the French. It's definitely not as cheery, rosy as Disney, nor are they afraid to show a little wear and tear around the edges. Every step and ambient sound isn't planned to a science, but in that respect we found it very refreshing, and very French (et bien sur tous est en francais). (It was also very French in the fact that when standing in lines, as with at the post office, personal space is pretty much ignored).
My favorite part was the French sense of humor, best exhibited in the image above from the carousel - yes, you can literally sit in the ass of Obelix!
The park is very much geared towards adults, over kids, although is fun for the whole family. All I know is that when it came to the haunted house we were terrified as 20-somethings (rules against personal space and touching [hello chainsaw man!] and guide lights didn't really exist here), but for all we know an 8 year old would have been fine with it.
The biggest perk on going on a week day (note: the park is not always open on weekdays, so consult the schedule before going; it also doesn't open until 10am) and off/cooler season is that we hardly had to wait in lines. We still had to wait about 30 minutes for Goulduriiix, but it was the perfect time for us to digest before going upside down 5 times (a first for me, and it was completely awesome).
Of course the downside for going in the off-season is that it was way to cold for water-rides, except for the boat tour. Next visit we're totally bringing ponchos so we can stay dry!
It only seemed appropriate that we visited the park on a cold, grey (aka typically Parisian) day. In a way it helped transport us back to the days of the Gauls and Roman conquests and put us in place of Asterix and Obelix. It also made the wood-burning "heat lamps" extra awesome.
Once in the park the food was surprisingly affordable and good (it is France after all), but the real cost (beyond the tickets) is getting there. To get there take the RER B to Charles de Gaulle 1 (note: they never tell you to get off at the 1st airport stop) for 17,50E roundtrip, followed by a 7,50E bus ride (RT) to the park. It takes about an hour, hour and a half from central Paris.
Currently, in honor of the 50th Anniversary (20th for the park) of Asterix and Obelix, there are all sorts of celebrations happening around the city. A scavenger hunt of sorts is happening across Paris now, with installations at various monuments, honoring the dynamic duo (Place de Concorde and the Louvre [metro] pictured below).
For many more adventures in Parc Asterix, click HERE!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Boarding Pass - John Giordani
This week it's a double header with Boarding Pass. Yesterday was all about Conn, and today belongs to his partner John Giordani. There are so many creative juices between the two of them I can hardly stand it. It's always refreshing getting a peek into the sketch book of fellow designers (you can see his professional work here). And of course, his collection of vintage signage is fantastic - if only they made signs like they used to! Now if we can only get John to visit Paris (he's never been)... {Thanks, John!}
last trip taken:
next trip on deck:
one place you would go back to again and again:
preferred method of transportation: 
place you've never been but dying to go: place you'd never go back:
most memorable trip: 
how do you prepare for a trip? 
how do you record your travels when you're traveling? 
the picture of the signage from Leonard's Bakery was taken in Honolulu on my last business trip. I've been developing a website for them and with that vintage sign it's really a match made in design heaven. 
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip? 
from our first trip to Haleakala here on Maui... i think it's good at illustrating our favorite travel activity...hiking. BUT it also shows how we try to clean up the trails when we come across unsightly litter... in this case a very tacky visor. and those aren't sunburnt legs, it's red dust from the crater.
links:
website :: john giordani graphic design
Monday, November 2, 2009
Boarding Pass - Conn Brattain
Not everyone knows how to appreciate a good cemetery, but the fact that designer Conn Brattain does, makes him a true traveler in my book (as Conn notes below - Paris had a similar effect on me). I first "met" Conn and his partner John (stay tuned for his Boarding Pass tomorrow!) last year when we featured their amazing Hawaiian home in a d*s "sneak peek." Not only have these two managed to figured how to make their way from of the grind New York City to the dream life in Hawaii, but Conn continues to spend his days working part time as a designer for Todd Oldham! So I hope you enjoy today's look at the world through the eyes of Conn Brattain. {Mahalo, Conn!}
Our first trip to Maui, hiking Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakala National Park 2001. Did I mention we LOVE to hike?last trip taken: September/October 2008 to NYC and Indiana.
next trip on deck:
Most likely a drive to town. Since we live in the boonies, it takes us an hour just to go to and from town for groceries and such. Nothing less than 2 hours so we consider that an excursion. Therefore, we only make the trip about once a week. But seriously, it's hard to say where the next trip will be. We have a list as long as our arms (all four of them), but nothing scheduled in the next few months. I would love to visit Chicago in the spring as I have not been back since my days at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and John has never been. It has incredible architecture and art. A little island hopping would be fun too. We are dying to go to back to Kauai and looking forward to visiting Lana'i for the first time.
one place you would go back to again and again:
Paris and Kauai. Sorry. That's 2. Hanging out in the cemeteries of Paris is an absolute favorite excursion. I love walking every inch of Paris and hiking every inch of Kauai. Both are a bit like stepping back in time. I've never been to the French countryside though and would love to have a month to explore that.
{Cemetery and balloons in Paris in the early 90's...i do love a good stroll through a cemetery. when i was little i used to beg my mom to drop me off at one near my uncles house because i LOVEd the headstones... and she always let me go. Paris cemeteries are amazing... i would easily spend 2 days every trip in them. and the cats! }
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Kauai or Paris. Both are so completely different . One a sleepy little island in the most remote island chain in the world and the other a bustling yet calm city so full of beautiful architecture and life yet both so full of history.
{Ke'e Beach looking up the Napali Coast, Kauai, Hawai'i}
preferred method of transportation:
Plane. Although a road trip through the National Parks would be fun.
place you've never been but dying to go: Bora Bora or Japan.
place you'd never go back:
I don't think I'd ever visit Dallas, Texas again. But then again who knows. Also don't think I would go to Niagara Falls again. It was kinda depressing as there did not seem to be anything really natural about it at all.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
First trip I travelled alone to Paris in Spring 1991 because I saw it my way…what I wanted, when I wanted and it was amazing. Sometimes a trip on your own is exactly what you need, but I'd love to go to Paris one day with John as he has never been. Also our first trip to Maui because it planted the seed that would have us living here 5 years later. (oops that's 3)
I took these images of Philippine Ground Orchids our first trip to Maui in 2001. I finally got to use them as the logo for a floral designer in 2007. In 2008 I made a 3-D orchid of felt and canvas that I then framed.
how do you prepare for a trip?
First make a list of what to pack. Then line everything up on the bed that I am going to take and make outfits for each day with as few items as possible. Then throw in one extra pair of shoes last minute that I never wear. I like to leave some extra room so I can bring back a few great finds.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Photos and a few notes. I used to try to write down a lot, but now I just rely on the old digital camera. I take pictures of everything now that I don't have to process film. But I do miss images from film. I also look for the best out of the way mom and pop places to eat as well as investigate where the antique and thrift stores are.
A holiday card and a "self portrait" inspired by a book I found in a thrift shop in Indiana of Pseudoisochromatic Plates to test for color blindness from 1957.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Buildings, old signs, plants/flowers, sky, textures. They all inspire me in the design process of new logos and color schemes. Nature plays the biggest part in what makes me happy. The color combinations and patterns in nature always boggle my mind.
Sky and floral images.
Hui Aloha Church 1859 in East Maui, surfboard fence -Maui, Price Sign at Home Depot, and a doll with plastic flowers in a trash can at a cemetery in Indiana.
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Depends on the trip. Before we moved to Maui, I would take close to a thousand pictures each time we visited the islands… and that was when I was still shooting 35mm film. Now that it's all digital, I bet I shoot more. I have a rule that my camera is ALWAYS on me on within a few steps. I never go into a store without it, especially vintage stores. And if it makes me laugh I will almost always snap a pic of it. I'll even turn the car around to go back and get the shot.
ALWAYS have a camera with you to take pictures of anything that will help make the trip more memorable like this gem. I took this on a work related trip in the lobby bathroom of the hotel we were staying in. It made me laugh so hard I had to go and GET my camera. It says: "Towel Machine is Out of Order" then someone else added their 2 cents by writing "And it doesn't work either."
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
2 cameras: Canon Rebel XTi and a Canon Powershot, some sort of note or sketch book, one of those pens with 6 colors of ink, at least 3 pencils, 2 sharpies, laptop, ipod, empty folder to collect pages from magazines and other printed materials that inspire me, a list of where to shop local antique/thrift shops and business cards.
The 6 colored pen.
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
It depends on the trip. Usually breathe a sigh of relief to be home. I do make slide shows of what we have been up to here in Maui to show friends and family when we head back to the mainland. I have also made a few online photo books. If traveling with John I usually don't write stuff down about the trip... he's really great at it so I leave that to him. If by myself I tend to write a bit more. Funny expressions and things people say that make laugh ALWAYS get written down. It can take weeks to sort through photo's after returning home.
Collection of small found objects, vintage wooden plates, bowls and cups, books and glass purchased at various shops around the globe.
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Hopefully something we found in an antique/thrift shop with some history behind it like old hotel brochures, fabric, art, glass... oh yeah... and candy.
A graphic I made inspired by the leaf of the Monstera Deliciosa plant.
where do you like to stay when you travel?
We really like to stay in a vacation rental rather than a hotel. It gives the sense of living the place you are visiting. Don't get me wrong, I love a nice hotel just as long as it is not in a crowded resort area. Of the 8 trips we made to the Hawaiian Islands, we always rented a house. Very private and quite and a little bit of living the fantasy.
website :: conn brattain
blog: cuckooforcoconuts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Interview with Coralie Bickford-Smith
If you haven't noticed, I've been falling through on my (completely self-inflicted) blogging duties. I have so much to share, but school and life been more than keeping me busy. I've finally made it to "fall break" and savoring every moment of it and the excuse to go out and explore Paris without assignments hanging over my head. I'm working on some fun posts, but in the meantime, I wanted to direct you over to the latest interview I did over on design*sponge with Penguin classics cover designer, Coralie Bickford-Smith. Her work is so amazing, so I hope you enjoy the piece on the inspiration and process behind the new cloth-bound classics [not pictured]. Check it out HERE!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Lettering & Type
While life in Paris is great, there are days where I could use a good dose of Baltimore. Today is one of those days I wish someone had invented a button that could transport me there in a matter of seconds. Last year I remember hearing tales of Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals of PostTypography being hard at work on their first book. I can't think of anyone more perfect to write a book called Lettering & Type (check out their work if you don't believe me). Tonight all their hard work pays off with the official launch party at MICA. But the best part is that 26 artists and designers will be presenting their favorite alphabetic letter or typographic character. I can only imagine what Baltimore will come up with!
Click here for a peek inside the pages of Lettering & Type: Creating Letters & Designing Typefaces. You can pick up your very own copy right here.
Congrats Bruce and Nolen!
P.S. for those of you in NYC, the NYC launch happens Nov 17th at The Cooper Union.
P.S.S. on a separate note, in no other city can pink flamingos make the news like they can in Baltimore!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
This Week in Paris
David Lebovitz talks about his favorite subject - desserts - at the American Library in Paris Wednesday night at 19h30.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Happy Birthday Tour Eiffel
Recently, La Tour Eiffel started to look a bit more like this at night. It's particularly cool walking under it with the blue lights.
And then last night, I was on my merry way near Trocadero and happened to catch a mini lighting spectacle. There were many, many more combinations than this, but these were the most festive to share.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The World in Color
I'm currently taking a class on color as a tool for communication in marketing in art. We recently had to come up with a collection and structure, as well as naming system. I thought it would be fun to share what I came up with. You can click on the images below to enlarge and see the location for each. (Note: I feel like as I saved down the images "for web" they lost some of their color - any tips on how to avoid this in the future?)
Ultimately, I decided to base my naming system from images from Iceland. I pulled one image from each color palette, and I was happy with the resulting images. For me they were very reflective and indicative of my experience in Iceland - showcasing the mix of natural beauty, great design, and fun with color in a place one would least expect. The two naming systems were based on Iceland as a place (ie. tourism focus) and temperature.
P.S. For another inspired, unexpected way of viewing the world, don't miss "Paris Pastries" by Susan Hochbaum. It compares French pastries to architectural and everyday elements around Paris. Truly inspired and incredible (just be patient and wait for the entire show)! {via LostNCheeseland}
Monday, October 19, 2009
Boarding Pass - Ashley North Compton
I'm so bummed that just as I was leaving Baltimore, Ashley North Compton was moving to Baltimore. I wish our paths had crossed earlier, but alas, we have the wonders of the internet to connect and inspire. And who knows, maybe our paths will cross somewhere else in the world, given our mutual love of travel and design. Regardless, I'm so thrilled to have her featured for today's edition of Boarding Pass! {Thanks, Ashley!}
last trip taken:
small stints to Austin, TX + Charleston, SC, respectively. Also recently- a 2 month/23 city/9,122 mile road trip around the US coined 'wanderjaunt 2009'.
{Barton Springs :: Austin, TX}next trip on deck:
NYC! for a wedding and general catching up. I often forget how grateful I should be that it's such a cheap/easy/awesome weekend away from the trusty Mid-Atlantic.
{Cliffs Moher :: Ireland}Anywhere in Ireland. All of the country that I've experienced feels like home and smells like pete moss.
{Barcelona}place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
It depends on the friend. To my designer friends- Barcelona. It's a no-brainer. So much to see and do along that vein. And yet not-to-do; hello, cava + tapas at 1pm. To anyone else, inclusive of my designohpiles- Granada, Spain. it's a lovely mix of culture, an uber-hippiesque college town and has the best gazpacho and sangria on the planet...plus Moroccan tea shops. Swoon-city. To anyone in general- perhaps, oddly, the Themal Spas in Vals, Switzerland. It's the coolest [green] architecture set into a hill, the Alps hit you in the face on the back deck, and it's inclusive of a cave thermal pool, on top of which, flower petals float. Yes please!
{Austin, TX}
{Thermal Spas in Vals, Switzerland}train, or
{streetcar :: San Francisco}So many places. For one, Reykjavik, Iceland- on the way to Copenhagen...truly anywhere I can catch a good to great glimpse of the Northern Lights, and/or cozy up amongst an amalgamated refined-design-sense, cozy coffee shops and amazing food. Also highly contemplating a Canadian roadtrip...whereupon I see said northern lights + otherwise don vintage snow shoes.
Any major European city that I've already been too- inclusive of Madrid, Rome, Milan or maybe even Paris. No, scratch that- Paris again. and again. Not that I'd refuse a trip back to the others- they're wonderful, worthwhile places- but I feel like I have a lot more ground to cover and I sort of hate the oft-seen + ever-touted.
My sisters wedding was in Ballyvaughan on the east coast of Ireland; following was a 2-person, 10 day roadtrip from the east coast- southernly- to the west coast. It was the perfect mix of kindredness and adventure, inclusive of some of my favorite folks and the most amazing salmon ever-- mmHM.
{Ventura, CA}I procrastinate until the very last moment. and then I do laundry, charge all-things-chargeable and pack and repack 14 times the night before circa 1-4am whereupon I realize I need to sleep at some juncture. As far as the actual planning; I sort of do the verbal equivalent of blindly poking a locale on a spinning globe-- I say or think to myself "i would love to go here ___" or "see this ____" and then try my best to make it happen as such. I went to Spain with the first and last night's stays in Madrid planned, a list of 7 potential cities i wanted to visit, [knowing I could likely fit in 3-5...I did 4] and a train schedule...My US wanderjaunt was similar, in a way-- I printed a US map out and drew a dot where I knew a family/friend and connected the dots...things opened up from there.
{Getty Center :: LA}mostly via digital camera. I used to hate that my sketching was waning as technology waxed. Yet, now, I feel like I record so much more and quicker- and can sketch/design when I get back. Sometimes. I also typically record, in a blank book, what I did on a daily basis. I've also started to create something tangible from my jaunts. This time-- some t-shirts + postcards from a photo I took in White Sands [National Park], New Mexico. I also used to sell fine art photos on etsy based on past trips.
{on etsy}
{Inch Beach :: Ireland}Tiny people. No, really. That, and shadows. I think there must be some odd psychology behind that. Color blocks, obscure textures and unexpected patterns as well. In effect, I like the 'visually elusive.' I sort of like how a lot of my photos could have been taken anywhere.
Also- per the blog, I like to record how people live + work unconventionally. It makes me inexplicably happy. I had the pleasure/fortune to visit some really inspirational homes/studios [Achille Castiglioni in Milan, Neil Frankel in Chicago] while still in school, and I think that initiated a fundamental interest in seeing how people unearth + foster their opus'.
{Achille Castiglioni's Studio in Milan}
{Vitra Museum :: Germany}Between 500-5000. Ireland marked my first trip with digital camera [it was 2006, and I was oh-so behind...as a wannabe Luddite who ultimately caves]. I was still so cautious then, still unaccustomed to this 'digital technology.' Then it hit me- I can be nearly careless, and thus- I am, like most, less discerning and/or critical of something in that moment and cull later.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ? My friendly nikon D50 because I am a sheep and allow Ashton Kutcher to drive my purchases [sike, I got it before he joined the ad campaign- so, he's the sheep.] a typically, partially-full sketchbook, a few blank books [which I have a penchant for] and some fun pens. I heart ink and get oddly attached to a good pen. Like a good sepia felt tip-- it can make or break an 'entry.'
{Duomo :: Florence, Italy}
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
{NOLA houses}favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Myself, more restored, inspired and ready to hit the road/skies/seas again. More so, gratitude and appreciation for what-already-is. Without sounding like an Oprah episode- for as much as I love love travel [lots]- I love the perspective it affords me...and recognizing how lucky I am to have super people/places/things in my life where I already reside...
{Marfa :: Texas, White Sands :: New Mexico, Rapid City :: South Dakota}On a more tangible note, I have an unearthly obsession with having a gloriously globally stocked pantry...other-worldly spices, teas, wines + oils strike my fancy in a big way. That and typically one locally-designed or thrifted dress/skirt per trip. However else can one sip a foreign wine, except within a sweet little foreign frock?
links:
- website/blog :: the wanderous (don't miss the travel photomontages here and here)
- on etsy:: the wanderoushop
- on flickr
- at weheartit
Friday, October 16, 2009
Take the Stairs!
Whenever given the option of taking the stairs or escalator, I always opt for the stairs. Consider this.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
This Week In Paris
Johnny Miller and Baptiste Lignel bring a little bit of Americana to Paris Thursday (Oct 15th) with the opening reception of their new book, Coney Island, at Galerie Pierre-Francois Garcier. There will be Coney Island fare - nuggets, margaritas and cotton candy - to ring in the Paris premier in true style. [click image to enlarge for more information]
What timing. A week after his passing, Galerie Thierry Marlat in the Marais opens Irving Penn's " Banquet" exhibition Thursday evening from 6-9pm. Show continues through January 16th.
Nathalie Lete celebrates her new charming book "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" this Saturday from 3-5pm at Bonton Bazar.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Boarding Pass - Nate Williams
After Eliza Jane Curtis's feature over the summer, and today's Boarding Pass with illustrator Nate Williams, I'm even more convinced that Buenos Aires is a hotbed for creativity activity. But wherever you are, chances are good that you've seen Nate's work around whether for BlueQ, Urban Outfitters, Coke, United, the New York Times and many more. I'm also inspired by the fact Nate photographs lots of hand-painted signs on his travels - it only seems appropriate for an illustrator known for his hand lettering. {Thanks, Nate!}
last trip taken:
Cordoba, Argentina
{give me a peso and I'll draw what I think you'll look like naked}
next trip on deck: somewhere in Brasil
one place you would go back to again and again: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
preferred method of transportation: Walking
place you've never been but dying to go: Brasil, Mexico
place you'd never go back: Santiago, Chile
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less: Fiji was a very memorable tirp ... I didn't know places like that existed.
how do you prepare for a trip? I like to know a little about he places history and climate
how do you record your travels when you're traveling? I usually like to take photos .. just to jar my memory for later. I have a big magnet wall at my house and all I need is a small photograph to pt me mentally back in the place
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place? food, bugs, buildings
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip? 50
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?camera, sketchbook, books to read in transit, sharpie markers, pens
what do you do after a trip? post pictures on my blog for my family to see and for me to have a record
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back? information, stories, pictures
links:- website: Nate Williams
- blog (travel links here)
- on Twitter
- on Flickr
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Dinner at Jim's
I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to write this post. It's definitely blog worthy, and there have been multiple people breathing down my throat for a full report. Maybe grad classes are just keeping me busy, but really I think it's because I'm nervous to share my latest best kept secret about Paris. And with all the press it - dinner chez Jim Haynes - has received around the world, it's hardly a secret anymore. I just know I want to be able to go back, so let's just keep it between us. Ok?
Over thirty years ago Jim started opening his home to friends and strangers alike. Long before social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, word about Jim's weekly Sunday dinners spread in the best marketing form known to man - word of mouth. While the goals of the dinners is to connect people, "the regulars" were sure to let us know that the dynamic has changed since word has spread. There are fewer familiar faces and more people who just pass through. But surely in 30 years, the dynamic is sure to grow and evolve.
So a week or two the dinner I emailed Jim to make a "reservation" for myself and my new friend Zoe (she too had magically heard about the dinners). We were top of the waiting list, but "the waiting list is normal, and we'd surely be at dinner on Sunday." And lucky for us, and this amazing fall weather we were having, it was a perfect night. While weather is great, it also meant that a bigger guest list was ok, as the party can spill out into the garden.
Backing up, Zoe and I met at the metro and pulled out the very specific directions to Jim's place (don't worry, by the end of it he has you counting the number of steps you're taking). Before long we were walking behind a couple as we read directions aloud. The turn around, and in their strong southern accents as us if we're headed to Jim's too. We weren't at the party yet, and we were already making new friends!
We actually ended up behind two young Brits before we even made it to the giant green gates. We were in. The party had started. Within a minute we had wine in hand, and then checked in with Jim. He's easy to spot. His red apron says "Jim" on it, and his personality is welcoming. Before we can introduce ourselves he's already introducing us to others. (Note: he later had to tell me and Zoe to go talk to other people, but little did he know that the whole time he wasn't looking we were talking to other people, so of course we had to compare notes).
I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was sleep deprived from my late night dance party the night before, but I couldn't help but feel like I was in a movie the whole night. I'm sure the wine helped too. For someone who was always called "the quiet one" growing up, it was fascinating to find myself in this situation with complete strangers and how normal it felt. It's quite rare to find yourself at an event where really no-one knows anyone. So you've got to start somewhere.
The first real conversation of the evening was with the two Brits we followed in. It was a fast paced conversation in an attempt to keep up with British humor. But somehow it became this conversation of trumps and challenges. He says the catacombs are closed, I say go visit les egouts (the sewers!). He says he's an actor; I say do you know my favorite British playwright - he says yes, indeed he knows all about Kwame Kwei Armah, but has also seen "Elmina's Kitchen." I say we put on that play at the theater in Baltimore I used to work. Oh, Baltimore? The Wire. Yes, I know it. . . Here I am in Paris, at a random house having dinner with strangers, and my first conversation is about the things that bring me so much joy.
Throughout the evening I chatted with a musician from San Francisco, an architect from Vancouver, a couple from Scotland on their honeymoon, two brothers from the states (one whose son has his own show on NPR) and got an invitation to stay on a luxury Nile River cruise. Pas mal, for my first dinner at Jim's.
But dinner wouldn't be complete without food! And the food, it was delicious - three courses and definitely one of the best dinners I've had since my arrival in late August. (All for the suggested donation of $25, or whatever you can give).
So if you're patient enough to make it through this entire post, perhaps you have earned the right to join the company of dinner at Jim's. I highly recommend it. I'll definitely be back.
Not in Paris? Why not try out the Sometimes dinners in Baltimore? or the Sunday Suppers in NYC?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Boarding Pass - Meredith Norwood
For the past month and a half, today's Boarding Pass from Meredith Norwood has been itching to get out of my inbox. Luckily, my internet is working and I'm back in action. Meredith emailed me awhile back because she's a graphic designer/illustrator/photographer who is interested in figuring out how to incorporate more travel into what she does professionally. While unfortunately I didn't have the magic response to her question (if anyone else does, please leave your response in the comments below!), I thought it'd be fun to see how a fellow designer/traveler explores the world. {Thanks, Meredith!}
last trip taken:
I travel a lot for work so the most recent travels of mine have been short, but they include Detroit, Nashville, New Orleans, and Denver. My last trip that was actually vacation was to Seattle, WA. I fell in love with the place. There is a lot of culturethere, art and music, and a lot going on. I'm really jealous of urbanareas where you don't have to have your own car. Oddly enough too, it didn't rain one day I was there, so I missed out on the famous rains of Seattle!
next trip on deck:
Tokyo, Japan. It's been so long since I've been, but I've grown up with an affinity for asian everything. I went in high school as a high school ambassador,so it was really neat looking back, we met some officials and had a little bit of special treatment. I loved it when I went, I just wish I had recovered from jet-lag sooner than I did! While in Japan I also visited 2 other small towns, and they were even more amazing than tokyo. I love delving into a totally different culture.
Monterosso al Mare, Italy. I was living in Vicenza, Italy for a couple of months for an art class. My fellow students and I studied Italian and drawing during the week, and on the weekends we'd venture out and explore somewhere new. One weekend a few of us decided to go to the Cinque Terre. It was a terrible trip up, filled with rain, hectic transportation and near death experiences. But once we arrived it was like magic curtains opened before us, and there it was. The place smells wonderful and looks amazingly beautiful. While we were only there a couple of days, we did our share of exploring. I remember walking for miles to get to a beach, because there was a bus strike. Eventually me and 2 other girls made it. It was made of rocks and was fairly secluded. We were exhausted and just lay on the beach for the next several hours. Another day we walked through the houses and buildings, ending at farm land.
I like to fly for a few reasons. If all goes as planned I'll get to where I'm going faster. I get a lot of reading done in the downtime (the only time i can read is when I'm traveling). And, I love people watching. Airports also have a bit of glamour for me too. I wanted to be a flight attendant when I was little. But for domestic travel, I enjoy walking as much as I can.
Paris, because I'm a big fan of French music and movies. & Bali ... you can blame that on Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
place you'd never go back:
In high school I was in the marching band, and we marched in a parade in the Netherlands. I suppose it could be because everything is more fun when you're a teenager, but it was also my first major trip.
I wouldn't say that I'm a disorganized person, but I am scatterbrained and always busy. So usually I pack at the last minute. I do though, make sure I've got extra batteries and have clean memory cards. I pack as lightly as possible, and don't check bags if I can help it. They always lose the bags! And really,you don't need that much if you pack the most functional pieces of clothing. More than one pair of shoes is essential! A lot of walking in one pair can make it hard to enjoy yourself.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I take a million pictures! I also write to friends through email. And more recently I use twitter. I update it pretty often with interesting things that have just happened, or where I am at the moment. I like how it's shortand simple, and almost acts as a timeline when I go back and look at my twitter history. @merenor.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place? 
oh lord. Well I'd say my average for a day is around 600. But it really depends on the day and happenings. Some instances are just more photographically interesting than others. or if they daylight is beautiful one day.. I have gotta keep snapping!
I take my Canon SX 100 everywhere I go. But I bring my Canon20D when I feel like it won't be a burden. I like to be active when I'm exploring and I tend to feel dragged down by the large camera. I also keep a tiny notebook in my purse to write down ideas or small drawings.
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
White Night
A few images from my Nuit Blanche 2009. Starting at Centre Pompidou. It's all still a bit of a blur...
Slow motion "international arrivals" video installation inside Saint Eustache set to choir music.
The giant disco ball at Jardin du Luxembourg = my favorite.
Projections at Jardin Luxembourg.
Here's a taste of what I missed, as seen through the eyes of Meg Zimbeck and Invisible Paris. Buttes Chaumont definitely looked awesome last night!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Nuit Blanche
Little did I know when I went out last weekend, I'd be having my very own nuit blanche, or sleepless night. There's nothing like dancing until 4am and then walking home halfway across Paris in 2 inch pumps (sure, I could have taken a cab, but I needed the exercise). Anyway, it was just a little dry run for this weekend which is the official Nuit Blanche, a city-wide event sponsored by the Mairie de Paris takes place from 7pm Saturday until 7am Sunday. Official (and unofficial) art and light installations take place around the city bringing out a little bit of everyone and anyone. And to join in the fun bars and restaurants stay open all night long too. This year's festivities are centered around the Marais/Chatelet, the Latin Quarter/Luxembourg Gardens and Buttes-charmont. You can check out the maps below to start planning your route, or check out the website (the press-release and program are very helpful). Here's a nice piece by Meg Zimbeck to give you a flavor of the event.
P.S. Lots of other cities around the world are hosting their very own nuit blanche!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
There's Internet, and there's Internet
In honor of having internet in my apartment today for the first time in nearly a month, I thought it be fun to upload some images of my favorite advertising I've seen around the city. It's only appropriate to start off and celebrate being connected with Orange's [France Telecom] "there's internet, and there's internet" campaign.
Only in France would you see sex ed meet "[wo]man's best friend" in a public service announcement around town by the Mairie [mayor] of Paris:
And who knew encouraging students to buy student transportation passes could be so refreshing, and incorporate contemporary design styles so well. 
P.S. I'm constantly looking for examples of good/interesting/clever advertising - both print and televison - for a class I'm taking, so if you ever come across anything good, please do shoot it my way :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Boarding Pass - Pia Jane Bijkerk
After my mini sabitical from Boarding Pass, I'm so happy to be back and in full swing. Pia Jane Bijkerk is one of the most talented women around from her work as a stylist, to her most recent work as an author (you must see her book, Paris: Made By Hand if you haven't already!). She is truly a woman of the world, originally from Sydney, Australia, spending lots of time in Paris, and currently calls a beautiful houseboat in Amsterdam home. Pia's style is so calm and romantic, and inspiring in how she manages to capture a handmade feel in the digital world we live in. {Thanks so much for the inspiration, Pia!} 
last trip taken:
Paris, France
next trip on deck:
Sydney, Australia
one place you would go back to again and again:
there are so so many! But I do love Vancouver and Vancouver Island, I could go back there time and time again.
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
hmm, that's tough. Of course I tell everyone they must go to Australia at least once in their life - it's an incredibly beautiful country.
preferred method of transportation:
I am really loving the train.
place you've never been but dying to go:
I made a pact to a dear friend that I would visit his homeland Tibet, when it was free/ autonomous. In the meantime I do what I can to help bring peace to Tibet.
place you'd never go back:
I don't like going to touristy places and avoid them like the plague. But every now and then I find myself in such a place for work, or by chance and I always make a mental note to never come back. Some touristy places are unavoidable so in these cases, I always search out the hidden treasures.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
My first trip back to Europe from Australia in 15 years was poignant, to say the very least. It will be the subject of an upcoming book.
how do you prepare for a trip?
with a few mental check-lists, a pocket full of maps and contacts, and a very loose itinerary.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I make very brief notes in my diary and pick up little leaves or flowers from wanders and press them between the pages. Sometimes I will take my journal if I know I will have the time to write. And of course I take photographs. And most recently I've added soundscapes - I create about 3 little sound recordings which I combine with my still photographs and post on my blog.
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
The landscape. The trees. The nature. I love nature and I love how the flora and fauna changes from region to region. I also love to capture 'the light' which is always so different in each place. And also interiors - I am so inspired by how people decorate - or don't decorate - their home.
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
It completely depends if it is a work trip or for pleasure. If I'm on holidays I actually refrain from picking up the camera. As I am shooting all the time for my work, I see everything 'through the lens', even if I'm not shooting so the only way I can take a break from this is to ensure I do not have a camera nearby, otherwise I will see everything as a potential photograph. So, on holidays I take about 10 photos! On a work trip, it could be hundreds.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
I'm not sure if anything I take could be called designer! I'm pretty practical when it comes to traveling. And I just use what I have - interestingly enough, with the intense travel I've done in the last 3 years, I only recently bought a proper suitcase! I am still yet to buy a decent carry on bag. My travel camera is still the same 400D I bought 3 years ago. I carry 2 lenses, one of which is a wide angle. I have just added a polaroid camera to my travel kit - it is such a great way of making quick, beautiful memories as you can write on it and stick it straight into your diary. And my sketchbook /journal is a moleskine.
Links:
blog
soundscapes
portfolio
book: Paris: Made By Hand
Click HERE for more inspiring Boarding Pass responses from amazing designers and travelers from around the world!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Portes Ouverts
This morning in class, my professor remarked that of the 20+ years he's lived in Paris this is the best fall weather he's ever seen. I fear by typing this I'm jinxing my good luck, but seriously in the 4 weeks I've been here now, it's been sunny and gorgeous for all but like two or three days. We're all trying to soak in the sun before the long, dreaded Paris winters. But fall is definitely my most favorite season in Paris. Something about the layering of clothes, yet still being able to picnic outside, along with falling leaves - it adds charm to charm. It's also the season for many Portes Ouverts, or open studios around the city. This weekend is kicking it off in Belleville. Click here more info about the flyer above, and here for the studios below.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
You Rock My World
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Prequel
While the bulk of the exhibit was inside, I actually fell in love with the free portion of Martin Parr's "Small World" exhibit just outside the Jeu de Paume at Place de la Concorde in the Tuilerie Gardens. His photographs shot over the past 20 years of were a fascinating look at tourists and tourism in our globalized world. Just as the subjects in the photographs tend to be more interested in the kicknacks and souvenirs of the world's most popular sites, somehow the photographs themselves are way more interesting than the shots most people capture at these world sites.
I tried to recapture the photographs with my own look at tourists interacting with them. Can you say fanny pack?
Then it was the awesome chair I then snagged around the big pond in the Tuileries, not far from the museum. (Also proof of the heals I ran in from yesterday's running in circles saga).
Everyone taking in the sun.
People everywhere.
Just another day at the park. (And then the rest of my day happened).
Sunday, September 20, 2009
My Glamorous Life
For the past few weeks I have this fear that my friends feel like they think I'm too good for them or don't care about them. My average email response time of 5 minutes, now three weeks later, is still to be determined. The reality is that I'm just really busy, disconnected, and running in a lot of circles. Here's a tale from yesterday of how fun life in Paris really can be.
The day started off with an awful head cold, feeling like I should stay in bed all day. Instead I opted for Option B - explore Paris and run errands. By the end of the day I felt like my head was going to explode from waiting in lines, but all that mattered was that I had pillows in one hand, and a cheap iron that the saleswoman convinced me would break in three months in the other (it's ok, I don't iron much anyway). On the way out of the metro on my way home, I saw the Orange [France Telecom] store open and decided just to humor myself I'd inquire for about the 20th time if there was any idea when the new shipments if iPhones was going to arrive. C'est arrivée! the salesman says, "we close in 15 minutes." I think I looked sad, shocked and pathetic all at once, as I announce, please, let me run home and get my paperwork so I can get the phone I've been waiting for nearly a month now. Today. He obliges, and I seriously start running down the street, trying to look like one of those fabulous French women in the Dior perfume commercials, but miserably failing, as I have my large shopping bags in tow. But if there's anything I learned how to do in Baltimore, it was to how run in heals (the buses are so infrequent, it became a necessity). So there I am, running 4 blocks and up my 5 flights of stairs to my apartment, in my dress and heals, forgetting instantly that I really do deep down feel like crap.
I throw down my jacket, grab my passport and any piece of paper that the system of French bureaucracy could ever ask for. I don't even take the time to go to the bathroom, because there are more pressing matters at hand. I mean, what if the iPhone that I've so patiently waited for sells out by Monday? A mere 45 seconds later, I'm back out the door, running down the hall, but not before severely bending my key which is still in the lock. It's a hopeless cause at this point, and I run back to the phone store, now with a lighter load, and striving harder to pull off the Dior-girl look, but really only caring about getting my phone. I'm forced wait at a crosswalk, at which point I have a moment with a homeless man, who helps reassure me the proper way to say "I broke my key" en francais. Even the man without a home has pity for my situation.
Bon. I arrive at the Orange store, and I think the man who told me to run was impressed by my speedy return. No, non, he was not closing early today. I knew exactly what I wanted and only got hung up on the fact that "unlimited" text messages between 8pm and 8am does not in fact mean "unlimited" text messages. So all is good, while they're entering my information, I repeat the words that the homeless man echoed to me, J'ai cassé mon clé. Really all I needed to do was to hold up the key. We all agreed on three things 1) it'd be better to go to get a replacement than try to bend it back, for fear it'd break and 2) it was getting late and most places would be closed 3) I was screwed. So with my brand new iPhone in hand, I sprinted out the door to try to find a solution as how to actually get back into my apartment.
Of course the first place I went to - as suggested by one of the gentlemen at the phone store - was closed. But then again, it turns out it's closed every Saturday. Then as I held up my key and spoke in my now nearly perfect French (as aided by the nasal congestion of my cold), I ask the woman to tell me where I can go for a new key. She looks up and happens to see a beautiful blue sign with a yellow key on it down the street. My savoir.
I'm tempted to take pictures, because the weather is beautiful, lighting perfect and cafes around me brimming with people, but, first I had to complete my mission: the key. I get to the shop, the door is open, but there's a man with a cane in the doorway that tells me it's closed. So in my cute dress and heals, I hold up my key, and in French say, I broke my key. And by the luck of god (or something like that), the shop owner, still inside the quaint shop that makes keys and fixes shoes and hasn't changed in the past 50 years, has pity on me. Like magic he makes me a new key, and just as I pay my 5 Euros (I secretly wanted to pay him 50) he saved my life. At that moment, the tip of the old key broke in two.
So I headed home. But it was not without first encountering a "fairy princess" wearing a long white gown and holding her father's hand as they walked down the street. She stopped at a storefront window just her height and tells her Papa to look at the bracelet. He responds, Oui, c'est magnifique. I had my phone, I had my key; the world seemed right again.
Until I got home and remembered I still don't have internet (that's a whole other story), and therefore could not activate my new phone. While I was thankful to actually be in my apartment again, I was still disconnected from the world. Rather than letting my body rest, I knew what I had to do: go to McDonald's. As far as I'm concerned McDonald's is one thing, and one thing only - the mecca of free internet.
Something about a trip to McDo just seems easy and straight forward. This was the one time I was wishing there was one closer to me, but I figured I'd settle and just walk to the closest one I knew of. It was still far enough away I considered Velib, until I remembered that my biking skills are still about that of a 3-year-old, and on my one bike adventure around the Champ de Mars I managed to sustain a minor shoulder injury (yes, I realize that takes mad skill to hurt one's shoulder on a bike), so I opted to walk - still in my heals, of course.
Never before had the golden arches glowed like they did now. Until I got closer. The place that had been open just one week prior was now fermer pour travaux. After my day so far, I couldn't say I was that surprised. It would have been really awesome at that point to pull out my iPhone to find a desirable McDo location for me to go to, but wait, I couldn't use my iPhone because I was looking for internet to activate it.
Lucky for me, McDonald's was kind enough to include a map of the two closest locations. So I hopped on the metro to the closest stop. I couldn't help but notice that it was one of those metro stations that you literally went down only to go up again, and right to go left again. But the good news is I got there. I got to the McDonald's - probably one of the nicest ones I've ever been to - didn't bother to stand in line to purchase anything (it's one happening spot in Paris on a Saturday night), sat down, connected to iTunes and activated my phone. And with the click of a button I was back in business. To give my thanks to McDonald's I ultimately did wait in the long line of Parisian teeny-boppers and learned that fast-food in France is not only not fast, it's not cheap either. Rather than scoffing at the 2,50 Euros I spent on a Sprite, I decided to walk away and appreciate how far I had come with my day. Besides, the Sprite did wonders for my headache and cold.
So that, my friends, is how I spend my days in Paris. If this is what getting a phone involves, I can barely contain my excitement for my carte de sejour....
[Now to get internet in my apartment, and Boarding Pass will be back in order!]
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rendezvous Paris
One of the things I love most about Paris is it becomes a meeting place for all. This morning I was lucky enough to have breakfast - croissant and chocolat chaud under the heat lamp of a Parisian cafe on Rue Montreuil - with the lovely and talented London based illustrator Trina Dalziel. It was such a treat to meet her in person and talk about design and life. Of key discussion was how busy life can become but it's important to always take time each day for the things we live (as evidenced by her recent sketch of a cafe she visited).
Up next: Arkitip + Steven Harrington issue release and installations TONIGHT at the Palais de Tokyo.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The Sweet Life in Paris
Today marks two weeks since I arrived in Paris. There hasn't been a dull moment. French bureaucracy has kept me on my toes and running around in circles - literally. And if all the walking I do on a daily basis doesn't kill me, the hike up my 5th floor (that's 6th floor American style) is sure to keep me winded without fail. It feels like I'm part of some evil weight loss challenge on The Biggest Loser, despite the fact that I'm in bonne forme! There's no need for me to lift weights anymore, because by the end of any given day, my bags probably weigh more than I do. I'd rather carry more than I can handle once, rather than dare taking the trip upstairs one extra time. And while my "quaint" and "charming" apartment (that's code for 10m2!) is tres petite, it has everything I need, and in arms reach. (I bet you can't reach your arm from your bed to the shower to the refrigerator!). The only thing I'm missing these days is internet access (hence the lack of posts). However, for the moment, that's probably a good thing, because after the first week of class I'm still in complete denial about the insane amounts of work ahead of me. Still, there's no place I'd rather spend my time in 10m2, as a frugal grad student, reading all the time, than in Paris. I've interviewed around and found my preferred crepe-man (he's from Sri-Lanka and happy to let me practice my French on him), I love the woman at the boulangerie who wears so much make-up she'd put Dolly Parton to shame, I'm in awe that I've gone running around the Champ de Mars (my new backyard) twice this week now and both mornings have literally run into someone I know. La vie, c'est bon!
Speaking of the sweet life, I'm excited for David Lebovitz's - author of The Sweet Life in Paris - book event tomorrow. Hoping to pick up a tip or two about Paris when I'm there!
P.S. Lots of great Boarding Pass features soon to come. It's just a matter of finding the time to upload them. In the meantime, check out the archives!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Book Review: New Mexico - a guide for the eyes
I vividly remember my first trip to New Mexico: giant blue skies and adobe everywhere. But really, the coolest thing in my 5th grade eyes was that the local chain pharmacy didn't look like your typical strip mall pharmacy, it looked like it was straight out of New Mexico! I was instantly in love with this place that didn't attempt to be like every other city in America, but rather stood out, literally, with a style of its own. But what did it all mean?
A chain store shadowed in the facade of adobe architecture, may not be authentic [New Mexico], but for me it was a stepping stone in understanding and inquiring about the meaning behind a new place. As a kid my parents were my guides. Somehow they just seemed to know everything and where to go. I never remember traveling around with a guidebook (why, when you're father is a walking map of the world?). Obviously, we survived the trip just fine, but surely there were unanswered questions after it all, but most likely any guidebook wouldn't have answered any of my questions, let alone teach me new meanings I never would have thought to ask about.
Several months ago Elisa Parhard (you may remember her from this Boarding Pass), a cultural anthropologist, contacted me about her new book series: "Guide for the Eyes." The concept was simple enough - taking a hundred images from the local landscape - foods, icons, traditions, folk art, symbols, souvenirs - and using these gorgeous snapshots as a way to experience the place. Quickly the book becomes a treasure hunt of new things to try on your travels, but is equally as beautiful as a coffee table book. It's vicarious travel at it's best, and more insightful than any travel guide you'll find on the market, and visual references make it easy to explore.
As you make your way through the book alphabetically, you come across the mundane and the magical. For the first book in the series, New Mexico: a guide for the eyes, you learn things you'd never expect, from what makes a good breakfast burrito to the fact that blue doors on adobe buildings aren't just there to look pretty (the blue color is symbolic as it wards off evil spirits). And while (sadly), I likely won't me making it to New Mexico anytime soon, reading through this book makes me feel like I was there (and once again secretly wishing I had come up with the idea for these incredible clever guides first). You chuckle along the way as "lowriders" and "aliens" weave their way along site rich traditions and history, but the result is a compact guide that is true to the place. And, not to worry, Elisa includes some of her favorite "not to be missed" places in the back of the book if you're still looking for a more traditional guide. {Congrats, Elisa on your first book!!!}
Click HERE find out more about (and pick up your own copy!) of the Guide for the Eyes series. Stay tuned for the next book in the series, all about Japan (the true inspiration behind the project)!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Boarding Pass - Gemma Correll
Ironically, as much as most people hate flying, I'm a big fan of airports. It's the one place where I feel like I can unplug, chill and enjoy catching up with a good book. However, that was not the case last week on my flight out of Dulles (which is now at the top of my least favorite airports). After looking through today's Boarding Pass submission with illustrator Gemma Correll I was completely looking forward people watching/sketching (see below and click to images to enlarge). All told, Gemma shares with us some of the most charming illustrations based on her travels that I have ever seen. Anyway, I was so pleased that I came across Gemma's work on this post on creative travel journals. Not only do her illustrations just make me happy, but they're an awesome, fun (and cheap) souvenir. Happy sketching! {Thanks, Gemma!}
last trip taken:
to Antwerp, in Belgium (with a couple of days spent in Nimegen, Holland and Köln, Germany) a couple of weeks ago, for an exhibition. Antwerp is a lovely city, with lots going on.
next trip on deck:
to Austin (TX), San Francisco and Portland (OR) next year
San Francisco. It's my favourite city. Or Las Vegas!
{[right] our 80s-tastic hotel, Luxembourg}place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Other than San Francisco, probably Athens, Greece, which is a fantastic city with perfect weather, food, location and lots of history. Or, the Salton Sea in California, which is just an amazing, crazy place.
preferred method of transportation:I like travelling by train in any country except for here in England, where trains are expensive, often late and dirty. The trains in Europe are great and one day, I'd love to travel in India by train.
place you've never been but dying to go:Ooh, so many! Buenos Aires; Argentina, Sao Paolo; Brazil, Japan, Singapore, Hawaii... the list goes on...
{Salvation Hill, Niland}I probably wouldn't go back to Köln. There wasn't much to do there. Once you've seen the cathedral (which admittedly is amazing) you've pretty much seen everything.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
Christmas in Cyprus, BBQ for Christmas dinner, drinking lots of iced coffee, my boyfriend nearly got arrested.
{at the Salton sea, CA}how do you prepare for a trip?
I'm usually working right up to the last second before a trip. Sometimes literally. So my preparations are generally all quite last minute and involve throwing clothes into a suitcase and panicking about not being able to find my passport.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I always carry a sketchbook and write/draw everything of interest that I do. More often than not it involves eating. If I don't record the things I do, I forget by the time I get home, so my travel sketchbooks are for me as much as for other people.
{left: iced coffee at FloCafé, Athens; right: fleamarket, Antwerp}I take a lot of photos of food! There are always loads of photos of my boyfriend drinking coffee whenever I look back on the photos I have taken... But I also look for unusual signs, typography and colours... and funny things, like the vending machine stocked with porn mags that we found in our hotel in Luxembourg and things I find in supermarkets (like this 'pocket pie' I found in Athens). Oh, and if I see any pugs, I usually take photos of them.
{Pocket pie, supermarket, Athens}
{supermarket, Athens}Hm, it depends where I am, but I'd say I take about 10 a day, on average.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ? A couple of different sized sketchbooks, different coloured pens and coloured pencils, a digital camera and maybe a polaroid too.
what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?I scan my drawings and choose the best photos and upload them onto my flickr. Sometimes I do this while on the trip, if I'm staying somewhere with wi-fi. If not, it sometimes takes me a while because I have a lot to catch up on when I get home.
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
I like finding nice kitsch-y souvenirs like snowglobes, figurines and tacky postcards and I also love scouring local fleamarkets and thrift stores for interesting things.
links:
- website: GemmaCorrell.com
- travel journals on flickr
- photography on flickr
- blog
- etsy shop
Click HERE for past editions of Boarding Pass that will leave you equally as inspired!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Je Suis Arriveé
I arrived in Paris, alive and well, just a little tired and wishing I had one of these "Je t'aime" heart pillows by MoonTea to rest my head on . . . My first day and I'm excited to already see a friend from high school today who I haven't seen in 10 years, and orientation starts tomorrow! I'm also starting to plan my visit to Maison + Objet, the big design trade show next weekend - if anyone has any pointers, please share!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thank You, Baltimore!
Dear Baltimore,
Thank you for 5 amazing years! You've taught me more than you'll ever know and introduced me to friends I'll keep for a life-time. Sometimes you get a bad rap, but that's ok. I like it that you're my little secret sometimes. Ironically, it was moving here from Paris that helped me appreciate you most. Baltimore, like Paris, is a small "big city" - it doesn't take you forever to get from one end to the other (ahem, however you could take a queue from Paris when it comes to public transportation - for 3 years I rode the bus, and now I must thank you for lowering my standards and making public transportation easy as pie anywhere else I may go). I learned to love distinct neighborhoods with their own personality and flair while living in Europe, and you've got that too. Besides, there really should be more Hampdens in the world. Along those lines you have great farmer's markets which are full of color and support local businesses at the same time. You may not have wine flowing like they do in France, but I cracked your code, and was quite pleased with my $3.99 bottles of wines from my regular visits to Trinacria (and that's practically like hopping the border to Italy, right?). Eight years ago in Paris I started taking hip-hop classes, and, B-more, somehow you raised the bar with BodyJam with Sam, as every week she religiously beat my body into a sweaty mess, but in the best way possible. I have the moves to prove it.
Baltimore, you make me realize that while I've found ways to compensate for my favorite things about Paris in Charm City, USA, there are things I'll miss when I return to France as well. First off, the gym (aka, my sanity). There really is no gym culture in France - especially on my student budget - so I guess the stairs in my 7-story walk-up apartment will have to suffice. Speaking of which, I'll miss your cost of living too. It's a sweet deal, and I fear the exchange rate alone may be the death of me. I'm not sure that Paris has as much kitsch and charm - that is, in the John Waters kind of way - as you do, but I'll do my best to find it! (If I ever come across another dessert topped with marshmellow fluff I'll be shocked if they do it the way you do). In the meantime, just as you've taught me, I promise to make the most of the city I'm in. Thus I'll plan on partying all night for nuit blanche, or sticking around long enough to visit city center sand and palm trees of Paris plage. It may be tough at times, but still, if I can live in the city where The Wire takes place, and still love it, I can handle anything.
Thank you again for everything, especially for the amazing people and memories we've created along the way!
I'm off to catch my plane soon. See you on the flip side! And who knows, maybe I'll be back. . .
Sincerely,
Anne
P.S. I also must add that I think it would behoove you to take a few lessons in love from the French. Your men need some pointers!
P.S.S. For more on how Baltimoreans are like the French, check out this article. I'm not the only one who sees it!
{Baltimore [top], Paris [bottom] illustrations from mix cd covers by the illustrious Felice Q. Cleveland}
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Baltimore vs. Brooklyn
Whenever I go someplace new I love comparing to places I've already been. So I love the concept behind the new blog Baltimore vs. Brooklyn. It's a fascinating way to look at any city you've spent significant time. The first duel is between bars. . . go Baltimore! (And kudos to the Brewer's Art for being named the #1 Bar in America by Esquire magazine). {Thanks Phil and Megan!}
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Human Centered Design
I'm now 3 days away from hopping the pond and preparing to start my next chapter in life. I will be working towards a Master's in Global Communications from the heart of Paris. More than anything I look forward to starting so I can better explain to people what I do (or plan on doing). Going into it, the way I see the program is a bridge, taking my background in design (there's a focus on advertising and branding) and blending it with my love of different cultures (I studied anthropology undergrad) and travels. It's all tied together under the framework of communication (I'm good at that!) and globalization in our ever changing world. The final component is a practical one, involving direct work with NGOs. In my mind it all makes perfect sense, but my goal is to be able to better communicate exactly what it is soon enough.
I recently came across this Human-Centered Design Toolkit that was developed by IDEO with IDE and the Gates Foundation that for the time being will help articulate the path I see myself taking. With the toolkit, the goal is for organizations to use methodologies based around Hearing, Creating and Delivering ideas in creative ways to improve the lives of people. A simple concept, but the focus is on the people themselves and working with them to understand needs and desires rather than telling them what we think is best. Click here explore the site and download the complete toolkit, and here for more cool work cooked up by IDEO.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Boarding Pass - Kristina Gill
For anyone who has tuned into the column "In the Kitchen With" on design*sponge, you know that Kristina Gill - who runs the column - is a food fanatic, as every Friday she shares a new recipe from a great designer (besides being delicious, the styling is also always impeccable). She's also a mega traveler, always on the go and taking advantage of living in Italy to explore Europe and beyond. So read on as Kristina tastes her way through her travels. {Thanks, Kristina!}
{Umbrellas in NY}
{Citroen, Amsterdam}
{Clogs at Maarten Baas studio, Gewande ('s Hertogenbosch), Netherlands}one place you would go back to again and again:
{Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia}
preferred method of transportation: 
{Mekong River, fisherman, Vientiane, Lao PDR}
{Santa Monica Beach}
{left: Miniature mannequins, Arezzo flea/antiques market, Italy}
{Border Terriers in London (Crash!, the love of my life) is a Border Terrier, so I take pictures of them wherever I go!!!}
{Bondi to Bronte Walk, Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia}
{Sydney-based artist Chris Chun preparing an exhibition}
{Autumn leaves in Woollhara, NSW, Australia; right: Clothes drying, Vientiane, Lao PDR}
{Bangkok street food}
{Ice Cream, K2, Modena, Italy}
{Lunch, Princi, Milan, Italy}
{left: Gorgonzola, Salone del Gusto, Turin, Italy; right: Amok, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
{Hot dog Stand, p-berg neighborhood, Berlin}
{a few things I bought (the wrapped stuff is about 1/10 of the mud australia porcelain I bought!)}
{Paris (someone carrying a baguette)}links:
- website: Kristina Gill
- weekly column at design*sponge: In the Kitchen With
- on twitter: KristinaGill
- blog: Three Layer Cake (in progress of redesign)
- on flickr
Friday, August 21, 2009
Moving = Fun?
Amusing my friend Dale last night with tales of my transition she gave me the idea that I should write a guide about the lessons I've learned from moving. Your wish is my command:
- Do something fun. My friend Alison had the brilliant idea to take a workshop at Paper Source (which inspired the visual above). So last night we met for a drink in Georgetown and then went to our rubber stamping class. It sounds simple and straight forward, but little did I know, all these years I've been using the wrong technique when it comes to stamps! And all I have to say is embossing stamps may be the cheapest thrill ever (I'm still talking about it!). And beyond being a good distraction from moving, I'm ready to work on some more projects that don't involve sitting in front of a computer. [Also for fun, check out the Girls Night Out workshops offered by Paper Source...and with all the workshops you get a 10% off coupon for the store. Awesome, yet dangerous too.].
- Don't make plans to eat out for every meal in order to see friends. While it sounds good, trust me, it's exhausting and sometimes you just need a simple home cooked meal. At this rate I think I could fast for the next week at the rate of what I've consumed ;) I vote for creating fun alternatives (see #1 for quality time with friends).
- WINTIP = Will I need this in Paris? The mantra Polly (of Polly Vous Francais) used on her previous moves to Paris, and a great one at that. Brilliance, sheer brilliance.
- I Might Need This Someday = I'm N.U.T.S. Once again, Polly teaching me that acronyms are possibly the best thing ever. And, yes, I'm probably better off getting rid of most of my crap rather than holding onto it (I've cut my clothes by at least half). She also sent me this packing video as a reminder that you don't want to have to deal with useless crap when you come back.
- Make packing fun. I took a note from Margaret's Boarding Pass where she talked about choosing a color scheme for each trip. So Paris is a bit more than a trip, as I'll be there for at least a year, but still, Paris, the fashion capital of the world seems like the best place worthy of a creating a clothing color scheme. So, drumroll please. . . my Paris colors 2009 are . . . black, brown, blue and grey. Golden yellow is the accent (blazer, shoes, scarf and earrings). Stripes are the only thing that can trump color, since everyone knows stripes are so French (proof here and here). Accessories can be any color. . . Already I'm coming up with all sorts of new outfit combos that I'd never considered before, and everything goes! . . . And seeing as I've gotten away with wearing the same 3 dresses for the past 2 weeks, I'll probably still be over-packing, but c'est la vie!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Exciting Paris
I leave for Paris one week from today. Instead of freaking out I thought it would be fun to post some of the things I'm looking forward to most:
- Earlier this year there was an amazing story about American born Jim Hayes who has been inviting 50-60 strangers into his home for dinner every Sunday for the past 30 years. He's a firm believer in introducing people to each other. I'm dying to sign up for one of his Sunday Salons!
- Paris Plage - ok, so today is the last day of Paris's "beach" in the center of the city, but still I had to put it on the list as something to look forward to next year. {image via velib blog}
- La Grande Prairie at Bellevillois - a loft garden above Paris that is free and open nightly until midnight through mid-September
- Velib - there are 20,000 bikes at locations literally all around the city. I've been practicing. {bike locations shown by purple dots on map above}
- Paris in the Movies - here is a great link to locations all around Paris that have shown up on the silver screen, or don't miss this to channel your inner Julia Child
- Born in the Streets - graffiti expo at the Fondation Cartier
- Sky-high dining at Art Home (above the Palais de Tokyo) {via budget travel, image by arthomepari/Flickr}
Please share any fun Paris tips below!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Seeing the World: William Eggleston
Ever since digital photography came around I've felt a bit disillusioned as a photographer. Perhaps it wasn't so much me that changed, but the fact that everyone around me suddenly had a camera too (ahem, even the non-photographers). Without the limits of a roll of film, I can shoot endlessly, but am not necessarily more satisfied with the results. In fact, I end up creating more work - uploading, sorting, organizing, editing, sharing - than before. Lately I've found myself taking too many overall shots that feel generic and touristy.
Note: the Corcoran is one of the few museums you have to pay for on the Mall, but it's worth it (for less crowds if nothing else). Saturdays are also free in the summer. William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961–2008 is on now through September 20th.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is one of the most commonly mentioned locations on Boarding Pass, whether it be a place that someone has visited, or where someone is dying to go (myself included). So as I continue to feed my need to go there one day - sooner rather than later - I'm glad I can at least indulge myself in the new Buenos Aires Design Guide that blogger/designer/stylist Manvi Drona-Hidalgo created for design*sponge. Click here to scope it out (and plan your trip)!
{image via d*s via travelpod}
Monday, August 17, 2009
Boarding Pass - Christine of LAMA Designs
I've spent the last week going through my entire life, sorting through everything I've collected over the past 28 years. In the process I've come across great scrapbooks I created years ago, that even impress me now (funny to see the budding graphic designer in the young me), and makes me wish I had better continued the habit. So it was fun going through today's Boarding Pass and see a couple solutions that Christine Martinez of LAMA Designs has come up with - namely coming up with a playlist/soundtrack for each trip and creating digital movies based on her images. Both are such a fun solution and a modern way to record ones travels. Read on! {Thanks, Christine!}
{My brother's dog Hams and I and I at the Jewish Memorial in Berlin; bottom: Immigration office + colorful courtyard: Berlin, Germany}
last trip taken:
{Berlin Cathedral + TV Tower}
{The Antique fair in San Telmo: Buenos Aires, Argentina}
{Vine swinging from tress in the rainforest}