Downtown fortunes seem to blow in the wind like so many jazz trumpets. Famous for being as noir as this previous sentence, downtown Los Angeles has seen its share of ups and downs. A formative force in the birth and development of the city, downtown fell into obscurity as places like Hollywood and Venice bloomed thanks to urban sprawl amid growing demand for housing in the city of dreams. In the first part of this millennium, downtown L.A. … [Read more...]
Best Casino Resort in Las Vegas
My first trip to Vegas was a road trip with two friends. This trip did not start out very smoothly - after pulling out of my driveway I stopped for gas and one of my friends noticed one of the tires was nearly flat. In a hurry to get on the road in anticipation of 12 hours of driving, we quickly pumped it up and continued on our way. However it lost air pressure fairly quickly and every two hours or so we had to stop to pump up the tire. … [Read more...]
5 Most Amazing Casinos in the World
There are two places in the world that claim the honor for hosting the most amazing casinos in the world; Las Vegas and Macau. Both are exclusive gambling destinations for tourists and compete in glamour and extravaganza. Casinos these days are not standalone structures, they are part of huge resorts that offer a myriad of services. While Macau attracts with designs and constructions of disproportionate size, Las Vegas invites to celebrity … [Read more...]
Los Angeles by Serge Ramelli
This book showed up one day, still warm from sitting in the California sun. It is an impressive collection of epic photographs of this great city. The lightning in Ramelli's captures makes the City of Angels pop in a way not always seen. From downtown to the beaches, to architecture - these are inspiring photographs of America's second largest city. The photographs are laid out as double page spreads - providing maximum effect on the use of … [Read more...]
The Greatest Spot in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is like few cities in the world. The mere name instantly conjures up more world-famous sights than I can name - the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Fame, the Getty Center and Museum, the California Science Center, Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica and its pier, the boardwalk at Venice Beach, Universal Studios, Rodeo Drive, the Griffith Observatory, the Disney Concert Hall, Huntington Library and Gardens, and on … [Read more...]
Suzhou, China’s floating city
Suzhou is often referred to as “the Venice of the East.” In a less ethnocentric world, we would perhaps call Venice “the Suzhou of the West.” The original canal city, Suzhou was already a over a thousand years old when Venice was founded (514 B.C.E. vs. 421 C.E.) It is also significantly larger than Venice, a full order of magnitude more, in fact. Its canal system is indescribably extensive and complex, spreading through a vast network of fields, … [Read more...]
Murano and Burano: Islands of Glass, Lace and Brightly Colored Houses
Fragile Art When people hear the word Murano, they immediately think of glass. Artfully blown glass consisting of a rainbow of colors in whimsical shapes of fish, horses, chickens, unicorns and other creatures. Everyday items like bowls and mugs and plates come alive with images and designs never seen or even imagined. Jewelry of every taste is also abundant in the many shops of Murano and Burano. As visitors pass through the various shops … [Read more...]
Suzhou, China: An Edible Garden of Eden
If I were a philosopher, my motto would be “I eat, therefore I travel.” My first step towards understanding a culture is through food. Taste is the silent thread that binds me to fellow gastronomes around the globe. This is especially true when I visit a country where I know not a soul nor a single word of the native language, my exact situation during my recent visit to Suzhou, China. As alien as I felt upon arrival, I correctly suspected that … [Read more...]
Sirmione, Lake Garda: When You Need a Vacation From Your Vacation
Churches, paintings and palaces are all well and good, great even, but sometimes a traveler needs a little respite from all that culture (right, honey?). Lake Como may be the most famous and glitterati-ist body of water in Italy, thanks to you, Mr. George Clooney, but Lake Garda sparkles quietly, like a hidden gem – at least as far as Americans are concerned. The largest lake in the country, Lake Garda is about an hour’s train ride from … [Read more...]
Dream of Venice edited by Joann Locktov
Dream of Venice is a curated collection of memories thoughts and experiences from a number of well-traveled and accomplished individuals. Philosophical and reflective in nature this book is part reflections, part memories, and a pinch of nostalgia. Excellent photography accompanies every writer's contribution. Venice is always in a state of partial decay and need for support. Portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will be … [Read more...]
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