I love the Otherist.
I’ve loved this shop since it was named Egg Merchantile a few years ago. I asked the owners–Americans, although the shop is in the tourist heart of Amsterdam–why they changed the name. People thought it was a literal egg merchantile, ignoring the beautiful displays of jewelry and oddities. That funny story just makes it better, to me.
As already mentioned in a previous post, I had a vision for my time at the Regina Coeli Language Instititute. (You can see a video of my daily Dutch commute, if you like.) I knew it was a unique opportunity, and I wanted a quiet respite for my time there. Most guidebooks that cover the [...]
Tags:Dutch·Netherlands
I had a vision for my time at the Regina Coeli Language Institute (a.k.a Dutch Princess School), and that vision involved biking to and from school, in order to give myself a physical break after a long, mentally challenging day. I admit that almost an Eat Pray Love-style cliche, but I don’t care. I’ll own that’s it’s something almost exactly like this European fantasy.
I searched the Google maps nearby towns looking for a B&B, and mapped out my route using Google street view. It looked like the total commute time by bike would be 30 minutes, 45 tops. After my freakout about how it would work and my test drive in Delft, I found out that the Netherlands really makes biking easy, no matter where you are.
Video of my daily ride after the jump.
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.
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.
Tags:art·great design
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
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
But for this weekend, to visit a traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan, I wanted to do as much as possible under my own steam. The journey still involved a diesel-powered ferry, but for a trip to Kyoto without an airline ticket, it seemed like a fair trade.
Tags:Bainbridge Island·Japan·Kyoto·Regina Coeli Language Institute·Seattle
This morning, I’m pouring over this infographic from Information is Beautiful, showing the world’s number ones. Seems like a good source for cocktail conversation.
If you wanted to lure me into a trap, here’s what you should put in there for bait. Marc by Marc Jacobs purses. Free travel upgrades, both in the air and on the ground. And European magazines, particularly if they involve Dutch design. Which is why Liv’ magazine is currently at the top of my [...]
Tags:Dutch·educated traveler·Holland·magazines·Netherlands·travel writing