Lately, I’ve been helping a lot of friends with their itinerary planning for trips to Europe this summer. It’s fun, and I enjoy doing it. There’s one recommendation, though, that never really seems to take off: Include time at the beach. Admittedly, it’s a hard sell for those of us who don’t have a year [...]
Entries from June 17th, 2010
Five Reasons to Include a Beach Day on Your Next Euro Trip (Like You Need Them)
June 29th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Novelty, Recommended sights, The point of travel
Tags:Basque Region·beaches·Biarritz·cultural exchange·France·Holland·Paris·Spain
The Pastiscake Factory
June 27th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Wary of the advice of others
As someone who can be a total sucker for preciousness (see also: my love letter to the Ace Hotel), I also adore it when other writers stick a pin in it: “There’s nothing that represents the ongoing degradation of the very soulful soul of New York than the invasion of cookie-cutter-branded theme eateries. ESPN Zone! [...]
Zipcar Reviewed: The Highs and Lows of a Zip Trip
June 25th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Novelty
Which is why I was intrigued by Zipcar. It’s hard to imagine a road trip with more novelty than the ability to drive a different car every time.
Tags:iPhone·Manzanita·Oregon Coast
Where Won’t You Go?
June 24th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Blog posts by Betty, Novelty, The point of travel
I have a friend who is a hard core traveler. She’s been to South Korea and Qatar and Kenya and lived in Hong Kong and, well, you get the picture. Her travel experience, and the fact that she’s hilarious and laid back, is why I chose her to go to South Africa with me. She [...]
Tags:Africa·dreamscapes·photos
Tuscany Is the “Twilight” of Travel Destinations
June 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Wary of the advice of others
I love Siena. When I visited the magnificent Piazza del Campo, I wished we could have something similar in the U.S. When I was there, I fell in love with the little symbols of the contrade hidden all over the city, tucked onto buildings and gleaming out at me from metalwork around the city. In [...]
The Bespoke Guidebook
June 21st, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch language school, Good design, Novelty
For my upcoming trip to Dutch Princess School–and the week beforehand, where I’ll be touring far-flung parts of the Netherlands–I pulled a list of a few locations I’ll be visiting.
Tags:awesomeness·guidebooks
Olympic Ghost Towns
June 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Betty, Good design, Novelty, Quick Post
Christopher Rhoads of the Wall Street Journal wrote a great story about how the infrastructure created for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece has become derelict, and a symbol of the country’s ruined economy. As Greece sifts through the wreckage wrought by its enormous public debt, which sent tremors through world finance in recent [...]
Tags:great design·Vancouver
Gehry Goes Schitzo in Vegas
June 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Betty, Fail 'o' the Day, Novelty
One trick pony Frank Gehry has flown over the cuckoo’s nest. Dezeen magazine reports on his unbelievably hideous Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health which recently opened in Las Vegas. Imagine the low man on the totem pole in Gehry’s office stuck on this project for three years. He or she would seriously have to [...]
Tags:bad design·Guggenheim
New Orleans’ Geaux-Geaux PR Push
June 17th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia
The Guardian’s travel section has reported on this PR campaign for New Orleans, financed by BP’s money: The B in BP may no longer mean British, but tell that to New Orleans. The city is using a $5m cheque from the company to launch what might be seen as only a slightly tongue-in-cheek anti-British campaign, [...]
Tags:Iceland·New Orleans·tourism
Cycling and Smooching
June 17th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch bikes, Quick Post, Transportation bliss
We’ve had an unseasonably gray and dour June in Seattle, which is why I’m in love with this photo series from Amsterdamize called “Love Is Bike.” This one is a favorite, of two people catching a quick smooch, probably at a stop light: I’m also fond of this photo, which shows a dad clearly gleeful [...]
