newelty

travel, novelty, and a pinch of snark

welcome to newelty. image (c) Genna Campton

Entries from August 1st, 2010

Reviewing the Citizen M: Yes, the Hotel with the Toilet in the Middle of the Room

August 11th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Good design, Novelty, Obsessed with the Dutch

If you read my previous post (How Zen Is Citizen M?), you probably want to know the answer to the following question:

OK, how was it staying in a hotel room with a toilet in the middle of the room?

But hold on a second–there’s more to the story of the Citizen M.

When I checked in to the Amsterdam branch of the hotel, it wasn’t a good first start. I had made a reservation for the previous week, but had to cancel it. Unfortunately, they canceled BOTH reservations, and had no record of me in their system when I showed up for second reservation. Things were shaping up to be a fail.

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The Really Expensive, Really Crazy Travel Plans That Actually Bring You Happiness

August 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch language school

The night before my first day at Regina Coeli (a.k.a. Dutch Princess School), I lay awake, and not just because it was the World Cup final, and rowdy Dutchies were still filling the streets.

What the hell am I doing? Who studies Dutch…for fun?

And did I also mention it cost thousands of dollars?

I had plotted out the route to the school the night before, winding my way through a series of wrong turns and construction zones until I found a reasonable path and knew that it would take me roughly thirty minutes to get there.

But the bigger question remained: Why wasn’t I on a beach somewhere, rather than heading to a classroom at 8 in the morning?

The night before, lying in bed, I thought: Maybe I’ve hit my novelty wall. Maybe going to a town you’ve never been to, to speak a language in the most intensive immersion environment possible, is actually beyond the pale. Maybe it was actually a bad idea.

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World Cup Photo Roundup from Holland: The Good, Bad, and Just Confusing

August 6th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Novelty, Obsessed with the Dutch

As already mentioned in a previous quick post, being in one of the two countries that made it to the World Cup final as the last few games were in progress was–well–really really fun. And, as someone who loves novelty, perfect timing.

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Stumbling Upon Kinetic Novelty

August 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Betty, Good design, Novelty

Before we went to Orcas Island a few weeks ago, a friend of mine said that when we were there we had to check out this artist. I was intrigued by her enthusiasm, but it’s always one of those things that seems more interesting to the person who is recommending the experience.

I filed it away to the back of my mind, but then when we were there, another set of friends suggested his work to us, so we had to check it out.

Anthony Howe is a sculptor whose work seems to be influenced dramatically by nature and engineering.

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The Dutch: What’s the Deal with All the Orange?

August 4th, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Novelty, Obsessed with the Dutch

The World Cup this year did me a great favor: People stopped asking about my trip to Scandinavia, to visit Denmark. Because the Netherlands made it to the World Cup finals, more people–friends, co-workers, family–stopped confusing the Dutch with other people. They had at least a little bit of new knowledge about the Dutch: They’re good at soccer, and they love to wear orange.

What is the deal with all the orange, anyway? Their flag is red, white, and blue. So how does that explain their love of orange, as in this apartment complex, festooned with the colors of a traffic cone?

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Biking Through the Green Heart of Holland

August 3rd, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch bikes, Obsessed with the Dutch

When I decided to attend Dutch Princess School–an intensive language immersion at the famed Regina Coeli Institute–I chose to stay in an apartment in the town next door. Would I be able to actually bike between towns every day?

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The Other Amsterdam

August 2nd, 2010 · 1 Comment · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch bikes, Obsessed with the Dutch, Transportation bliss

When I used to travel for a living, updating travel guidebooks, I would often think to myself: Why isn’t this making me happier? After all, for lots of people who don’t know better, being a travel writer is a dream job…in theory.

I realized that when you’re being paid to do something, it’s work. Period. It might not be anything as difficult as working in a coal mine, but it still is work. When I was in the Netherlands, rocketing from place to place, I would sit on the train, noticing the neat bicycle lanes that ran out across the flat fields into infinity. Where were people biking to on those paths?

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A Dapper Gentleman, Cycle-Ready

August 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Blog posts by Lia, Dutch bikes, Euro-style cycle chic, Novelty, Obsessed with the Dutch

I’ve already posted about how much I love the Dutch relationship to bicycling. I love Copenhagen Cycle Chic, and am trying to help bring Seattle Cycle Chic into being. But Dutch biking is simply beautiful.

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