VENICE, ITALY ROMANTIC TOURISM: VISIT CANALS, GONDOLAS, VENICE BIENNALE ART ATTRACTIONS. SOURPUSS RED DRESS.
Venice, Italy can be frustrating. You build up a mental picture of suave gondoliers — and get pudgy tourists and Disneyland lineups instead.
But then you duck under a stone arch, and there’s a crumbling Gothic church. Wander off on a side path, and you find a trattoria glowing with candles. The light shimmers from the water, the docked boats creak, and sigh — Venice still has its magic.
Having Casanova as your companion also helps.
La Carmina is wearing a “black heart” dress gifted from Sourpuss, and a wide-brimmed sunhat from Hong Kong.
Sebastiano is wearing a silk shirt stolen from Kira DNR’s closet.
We’re grateful to Hostelbookers for sponsoring our stay all over Italy. The hotel booking website put us in a large room full of character — we could hear the water outside our window. And the secluded location allowed us to avoid tourists the entire time. (More photos from our Hostelbookers rooms coming up.)
Our typical healthy meal: grilled fish, salad, rose wine.
Followed by an indulgence of Italian desserts. Tiramisu is a diet necessity!
The best way to know Venice is by walking wherever intuition takes you. We found an “interesting” clothing store.
Art galleries abound. Seba can’t seem to process Marge Simpson as an odalisque. (It’s too bad we couldn’t attend the Venice Biennale, an impressive gathering of modern artists.
Travel tip: wear a big-brimmed hat, sunscreen, and bring along a can of mosquito spray. And dress up for Venice. The soft, flowing light is ideal for photos, and you’ve got to play along with the city’s romantic mood.
Nothing in the world compares to Venice’s canals.
When the sun sets… indescribable.
Seba felt stuffed, but still, we shared mint gelato.
Our wanderings took us to San Sebastiano church! (The “O” must be for Sebastian-ooo.)
Someone please give his butt a push.
I didn’t realize I was making the “small” hand gesture. Appropriate, for this naked statue.
Thank you, everyone, for your comments — I read and appreciate them all. Next, there’ll be coverage of Milan, Rome, Modena, and more from Florence.
Have you been to Venice, or yearn to visit? Did you feel it was a commercial trap, or did you feel the magic?
Song of the Day: Nana Kitade – Kibou no Kakera (Powerpuff Girls theme song. Pandas are involved.)
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HONG KONG NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY, TSIM SHA TSUI SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS SHOW. COOLHUNTING DIGITAL BOOK, COOLHUNTERS.
Hong Kong at night. There’s no place like it.
Photos can’t convey the flicker of neon signs, the Cantonese chatter, the smells — good and bad — from food stands. You must visit this Asian metropolis and experience it for yourself.
Seba and I enjoy walking around Hong Kong after dark. The weather’s less humid; the streets glow neon. Every night at 8pm, there’s a Symphony of Lights show in Tsum Sha Tsui, where the skyline performs a laser light disco dance.
What are the people like in Hong Kong? The opposite of polite, reserved Japan: they’re up-front, quirky. The old ladies are not afraid to wear hot-pants and push you aside!
Hong Kong currently has many “tomboys”: lesbians, or women who like to dress and identify on the masculine side. Tomboy life/style is quite overt, and socially acceptable here — interesting, isn’t it?
Personally, I’m sticking to kawaii. This top is by Hyoma, a cute character brand that originated in Japan, but is now Hong Kong based. Photos from their shop coming soon.
Seba’s wearing a Hyoma top as well. The round cat-face reminds me of my Basil Farrow. How many boys make you carry their can of hairspray, and stop to do touch-ups throughout the night?
Do you think Bill Clinton truly dined at the “Vietnamse” restaurant?
Hello Kitty is as popular here as in Japan. Food stalls and funny toys abound.
Puppy!
After a long detour, we ended up at this fountain. Seba lay down for a second… and an old lady began yelling: “Hey, you can’t sleep there! You bum, go away!”
Hong Kong. Nothing like it.
A quick press round-up. Thank you to Fashion Questions for interviewing me about my work in style blogging, designing and travel TV. You can read it here; below is an excerpt.
5. Where is your favorite place in the whole world, and why?
I love Tokyo’s spooky scene. You’ll always find me and my friends at Shinjuku’s Club Marz, home to the city’s longest-running Goth Industrial party, Midnight Mess. I also spend too much time in the Japanese alt Lolita Punk second hand store, Closet Child.
6. What is your favorite food?
Around Halloween, you can find pumpkin-flavored anything in Japan. Ice cream, soup, you name it. My absolute favorite snack is kabocha (pumpkin) pizza from the Sunpierrot bakery in Shinjuku Station. Only 200 yen ($2) a slice!
Thank you also to AA Risings, a website for Asian Pacific Americans in entertainment, for profiling me. A teaser:
Have you ever experienced writers block? How did you get out of it?
Never. Ever. I’m overloaded with material from my travel and TV adventures. Often, I have photos and stories from months ago, waiting to be posted. I’m currently making my way though the recent Hong Kong and Italy content, with no end in sight.
Most interesting fan encounter experience.
On the hentai side… there have been some unspeakable moments. But on the positive side, I’ve had people tell me that my blog brightened up their day, or inspired / helped them in some way. Many first-time visitors to Tokyo have found my Goth Lolita Japan shopping guide to be very helpful. Hearing from readers makes me feel my work is worthwhile.
And I’m featured in a Spanish book, Coolhunting Digital, which is getting rave reviews. Got my copy in the mail today, and it’s a visual feast.
The book starts out with an interview with yours truly! I discuss how I got into coolhunting with First Mate Naomi, and our unique philosophy and research methods. (You know we run a coolhunting and TV arranging company, right? If you haven’t seen our Pirates website — well, you must!)
Look who else is in the book: Evil Queen Yukiro. This is an example of a “mood board”, or photo-heavy collage, that we show clients to get our ideas across (this is Black Veil Ball in Osaka). It’s wonderful to be able to work with friends, have a great time, and do something — dare I say — cool.
Do you enjoy taking “night-walks”? What type of people and places have you encountered in your explorations? It’s one of my favorite ways to get inspired.
Song of the Day: Machine – Infinity (Sexy track from the Visual Kei band, live in 1999)
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LA CARMINA
