AVAM Takes Manhattan

When I first saw these images from the fantastical window displays of Bergdorf Goodman, I couldn't help but think of The Muppets Take Manhattan - a kind of ridiculous combination, yet it totally works. The high end department store has teamed up with Baltimore's own American Visionary Art Museum, juxtaposing high end fashion to a handful of work by visionary "outsider artists" that is part of the museum's permanent collection. The result is a feast for the eyes. If you're in NYC between now and July 20th be sure to stop by the windows on Fifth Avenue. You can get more of the scoop on the collaboration here. {Thanks, Lara and Jim for the images!}

P.S. For anyone in Baltimore, the museum is organizing a trip up to Manhattan to see the windows, and a couple great studio tours on July 12. For more information, click here.

Boarding Pass - Kristine

Most of the time, the people featured in Boarding Pass don't travel for a living, they just live to travel. But today is a different story - Kristine of Where is Kristine Now? works in international relations and, hence, finds herself traveling more often than not. Originally from Norway, Kristine now finds herself calling Belize home, but she got there by way of Laos and Indonesia. Read on for a taste of her travels, and don't miss her blog to hear more about her fascinating adventures in everyday life abroad. {Thanks, Kristine!}
last trip taken:
I travel a lot for work, but my last trip for fun was to Guatemala. I went to Tikal, and then spent a week in Antigua for the Semana Santa processions…with a few side trips to Chichicastenango market and lake Atitlan. It was fantastic. I had a feeling I’d love Guatemala, but I just had no idea how much. It is so beautiful, and the people are an absolute delight.
{Guatemala has a terrible violence and gun problem. It is not safe at all, statistically. And yet, travelling there, this is so hard to understand; people are so incredibly helpful and kind. This is what travel does, I think - helps you see behind the stereotypes and the statistics.}

next trip on deck:
It looks like I might take a bit of time this summer to get acquainted with the Yucatan peninsula. In particular, I’d love to see Merida. I hear it is lovely. I am hoping to get a chance to do a Spanish immersion course there too.

one place you would go back to again and again:
No hesitation: Brazil. The first time I left Brazil I was in tears. The second time I left Brazil I told myself it was all OK, because I knew I’d be back. Again and again and again. I love Brazil, and Brazilian people. It’s a real infatuation. My (somewhat loose) plan is to buy a holiday home there. I find the perfect one online from time to time, but invariably, it’s out of my budget. And Warren Buffet’s budget, probably. So I’ll have to work on the whole ‘expectations’ thing.
{Burma has a very special place in my heart. I campaigned on it, wrote my thesis on it, was about to go and work there when the protests broke out...I am sure it will pop up on my horizon again.}

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Two places. One is my own country, Norway. I’ve travelled a fair amount, but I still think the natural beauty of Norway is very, very hard to beat. The downside is its very expensive, so I recommend it mainly if you are a) loaded or b) really into camping. To be honest I have yet to see most of my own country – isn’t that always the way?? The second place is Indonesia, where I lived for two years. Indonesia has an intimidating reputation to some, but this is unfair: it is one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been, and I have never felt remotely unsafe there. Backpackers should get off the Thailand track a little more and head south (and not just to Bali! Try Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Lombok, Sumbawa….there are 17,000 islands to chose from!); its
like the rebel of South East Asia, the slightly less sophisticated but more genuine cousin. People are phenomenally friendly, so interested in engaging with foreigners, and everyone says “hello Mister”. As a woman I find this amusing.
{on a longboat on Inle lake, Burma / the slow boat to Luang Prabang, Laos}

preferred method of transportation:
Well, anything gets uncomfortable after a few hours, but I’ve had some amazing river trips in South East Asia. So maybe boat??

place you've never been but dying to go:
Southern Africa. And I’d love to have a few months to try and fumble my way around China.
place you'd never go back: Dubai has little appeal to me. Skiing indoors, in the desert? No.
{Kids are wonderful subjects anywhere, but I have never met more enthusiastic ones than in Indonesia. This photo, taken in a jakarta kampung, is one of my very favourite pictures. There is nothing technically interesting about it, but their expressions are just priceless.}

most memorable trip:
I spent about 6 months travelling around South America a few years back, experiencing so many
wonderful things, from snorkelling with sea lions in the Galapagos, to hiking the Inca trail, to Spanish classes in Quito and an internship in La Paz, to partying in Rio and Buenos Aires and wine tasting in Mendoza. The biggest challenge I had to face in those 6 months was bikini shopping in Brazil; that was a profoundly disturbing experience.

how do you prepare for a trip?
I used to read a ton. These days I must admit I tend to be woefully unprepared. I find I like to read up on places after I've been there...when I can associate it with something. This said, I absolutely love maps. I can pore over maps for hours. I also find other people's photography fantastic inspiration before going on trips - I spend hours on flickr.

how do you record your travels when you're travelling?
I take photographs.

{this is one of my most viewed photos on flickr. This old lady has a whole life 's worth of experience written in the lines on her face.}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
It depends where. The people of Indonesia are an absolute joy to photograph. Old grandmothers literally chased me down the street shouting “mister, mister, photo?” and little kids go completely nuts. Beyond people, I love big bursts of colour. Markets tend to be good for that.

{Market vendors the world over think I am insane. I like to take pictures of their vegetables.}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
I think in my ten days in Guatemala I took about 350. I am not sure if that is typical.

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
Um, does a cork screw count? And my camera, of course, a Canon EOS400D. I am not a good photographer. I like photography, but I am terribly lazy about technique. Anything I do that comes out reasonibly well tends to be complete fluke. I am determined to sit down and teach myself more, but I am bored by instructions...

{This is my friend Rose and me at the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. I think it looks like we are sitting in heaven. I have a large framed version of this at home. It is such a great memory.}

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I love to sit and play around with my photos after I come home. I do put pictures on flickr and on my blog, but mainly I just sit and look at slideshows over and over again!

what are your thoughts on expat life as compared with travel?
Being a "professional expat" can be challenging. I am well aware that no matter how much I assimilate, make friends, try to integrate, I will always, always be an outsider. But then, it is also a wonderful way to get beyond the obvious - getting to understand more about what motivates people, how society works, and why things are the way they are. What strikes me most though, is how similar we are; people tend to care about the same things the world over. These kinds of insights are harder to come by when you're just visiting. But more and more, I see that as a luxury - as an expat, you are forced to face some of the more complex and difficult sides of your host country - corruption, say, or chronic poverty, or discrimination against indigenous people.
As a tourist, you you are further removed from that, and can just enjoy a beautiful place and allow yourself to be enchanted by exotic differences. I appreciate that sometimes.

Blog: Where Is Kristine Now?
Kristine on Flickr

Click HERE for all the past Boarding Pass features.

And the winner is....

And the winner of The Doorbells of Florence giveaway is . . . Kelly Anne of the blog Have Degree, Will Travel. Congratulations and thank you all for playing (and special thanks to Chronicle Books)! I loved all the wonderful responses from everyone. . . Click here to pick up your very own copy.

{Just for fun - World in A Bag posted above by MUJI; via Black Eiffel}

Dîner en Blanc

As I attempt to write this post, I find myself a bit speechless as I think I have made the discovery of pretty much the coolest thing EVER. It's called dîner en blanc, and it's another amazing event the French have cooked up. It's been happening every June for the past 20 some odd years and the location remains a secret until the very last minute when everyone shows up (this year it was at Place de la Concorde) wearing their best whites with a picnic dinner. Check out the two videos below, and pictures on flickr and it's practically like you're there. . . By the way, if anyone knows how I can get on this invitation list please do let me know!
{top photo by parisdailyphoto & don't miss his photo slideshow here}


Thanks to Polly of Polly-Vous Francais (who I was lucky enough to meet in Baltimore yesterday) for posting about the event!

Mailboxes!

When it comes to things that make me happy there's travel, design, and snail mail also comes at the top of the list. I've loved reading all the fun responses to the Doorbells of Florence giveaway (you still have 2 days to respond if you haven't already!). One of the responses was from Gord, who says he likes to photograph mailboxes, so today I thought it would be fun to post some of his shots (you can check out the complete set on flickr here). It definitely makes me realize that I've seen a lot of boring mailboxes in my life. {Thanks for the comment, Gord!}P.S. The winner of the contest will be announced Friday afternoon.

Boarding Pass - Victoria of SFgirlbybay

The more time I spend on my BOARDING PASS column, the more I love locating styles and themes that are so specific to the featured person. Today I'm thrilled to have Victoria of sfgirlbybay, fresh off her blog re-design. My two favorite things about Victoria are: first, that she takes advantage of everything her own city - San Francisco - has to offer (in a beauty in simplicity over toursity kind of way), and, second, she does it through beautiful photographs which she often groups together in diptychs - her signature style - which she posts in her Sunday in the City series, and now in her etsy shop. Both of these elements on a local scale benefit they way Victoria travels, sees the world, and shares it with us. Oh, and the other bonus with Victoria is that the two of us have been to a lot of the same places, so I spend way too long looking through all her pictures, but it was also fun comparing notes on Thailand when we finally got to meet in Savannah this past spring. {Thanks, Victoria!}

{victoria on longtail boat : hong islands, krabi}

{from sunday in the city : road trip edition}

last trip taken:

A jolly good trip to London, England.

{why do i keep looking right?}

next trip on deck:

A short trip home to L.A., but nothing big planned yet.

{my kind of billboard : south bank, london}

one place you would go back to again and again:

Rome, Italy.

{colors of london: row houses in notting hill, london}

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:

I adore Italy - everything about it. I loved Venice and Cinque Terre and Rome was a huge surprise - much more quaint than I expected. Venice, too - we stayed in the Dorsoduro neighborhood (near the Peggy Guggenheim Museum) and it was not touristy at all.

preferred method of transportation:

I do love a good road trip, but airplane is still obviously the quickest route and I'm usually in a big hurry to get where I'm going!

{mint: notting hill, london}

place you've never been but dying to go:

I very much want to go to Barcelona - I think I'd love it.

{lucky birds @ amulet market...bangkok, thailand}

place you'd never go back:

Patong Beach, in Phuket, Thailand. Horrid, touristy place - like Fisherman's Wharf with hookers. Really bad.

{we got to this tiny island [thailand] and they were filming this bollywood music video. i cannot express enough how hysterical it was}

most memorable trip:

Venice. This one evening always comes back to me: I spent a rainy night alone in Venice, and met up with two musicians at a chichetti bar, who serenaded me all night long under an awning while we shared wine and stories and the rained poured down around us. An older Italian guitarist, and a young Czech violinist, who ended up kissing me goodnight at my villa in the pouring rain.

{women in krabi, thailand}

how do you prepare for a trip?

I actually do a lot of research - Slowtrav.com is great for finding unique rental homes, which is where I prefer to stay over hotels. Also I check Trip Advisor for recommendations and ratings. I like getting as many books as I can about a place and immersing myself before I go. I love reading fictional novels about a place I'm headed, too, to get in the right mood.

{stiff upper lip : sunday in the city london diptych}

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?

I usually keep a small journal with me - I either buy one that's unique to the trip, or I like Moleskines a lot.

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?

I like capturing the people a lot. And the architecture. That's hard thing for me to decide - I shoot everything. Even the most mundane details.

{broken : notting hill, london}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?

Thousands. Thanks to the digital era. It's bad really. I'm horrid to travel with - I stop and shoot everything! Although my friends claim not to need to bring their cameras along since they have me shooting like a mad woman.

what's in your "designer travel kit"?

I've learned to bring my own small travel pillow, or a cute pillow case that fits the in-flight pillows (I found them on etsy), socks, a pashmina (because I get cold on planes), earplugs, iTunes, and an eyemask, water and snacks. It's ridiculous, really when I write it all down. And then I always have my Nikon D80 DSLR camera, maybe a Holga or a Diana toy camera depending on where I'm headed. I usually bring my Macbook Air, too so I can upload pix to Flickr as I go. I like my journals pretty plain - a blank canvas to start out with, so, as I said, a Moleskine, or simple Muji journal.

{london journal pages}

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?

Well, I always upload pix to my laptop and to Flickr as I go, otherwise there's too many to deal with when I get back. I have made slideshows - I did one of Italy and one of a fun trip to Maui with a bunch of friends. But generally I share my travels on the blog now, so that does the job of sharing the trip with who ever wants to take a look.

{souvenirs clockwise from left to right: ceramic chinese girl from venice; eiffel tower from paris; mini camper from caravan in london; buddha and prayer beads from bangkok amulet market; watercolor from venice; another buddha and trinket box from bangkok; mini deer from caravan in london; tin leaves from caravan in london; and center, oil painting from venice.}

where should I go next?

Well, I think you should go to Barcelona, or Prague. One of those two!

{orange crush : from sunday in the city}

blog: sfgirlbybay

series: sunday in the city

flickr: destinations set

etsy shop: sfgirlbybay

Click here for ALL the past editions of Boarding Pass, including many designers who have been featured on sfgirlbybay.

Doorbells of Florence + Giveaway!

The top 10 reasons I love The Doorbells of Florence by Andrew Losowsky.

1. It started by chance when Andrew Losowsky started photographing doorbells in Florence to practice with his new camera
2. The photographs (I love looking for his reflection in the shiny ones) became popular on flickr with the help of whimsical stories he'd include in the captions which elicited responses from fellow flickr users and...
3. Andrew started to think about the photos and the people behind the doorbells, which culminated in a delightful series of short stories
4. And to put it all together, Andrew self-published the first version of the book on lulu.com
5. The book wasn't a huge hit, but he did enter (and win) the Blooker Prize for best fiction, and then something magic happened and Chronicle Books picked it up
6. And in a small world moment, my talented friend Andrew Schapiro @ CB was assigned the design of the book
7. Then Joel Holland was brought on board to illustrate the beautiful type for the book, and he makes me want to draw beautiful words all day
8. The book is released and I get my copy - I love everything about it!
9. It's the perfect read on my bus ride to work - short and sweet with just the right amount of charm [view excerpts here and here]
10. The book is now being adapted into a play! (and remember where it started with #1 !?!)
    

And the best part is that thanks to Andrew Schapiro and Chronicle Books, I have a free copy of The Doorbells of Florence that could be yours! All you need to do is answer the question: What is your favorite mundane thing to photograph/illustrate/look at? There's no right or wrong answer. Just respond anyway you please in the comments below [make sure you include your email if it's not linked to a blog] and your name will be thrown into a hat and winner will be randomly selected to win a free copy of the book. You have one week to respond. Giveaway ends Friday, June 26th at 5pm EST. Thanks for playing!

[update: Andrew Losowsky's is up and running again here - check out his latest projects, which are pretty awesome.]

Soundscapes & Dordles

{click here for carousel soundscape}

Every Monday in my BOARDING PASS column, I'm constantly inspired by how people record their travels. One of the most influential people out there for me right now is Pia Jane Bijkerk. I especially love the soundscapes she's captured in Paris and paired with her beautiful images (she's a stylist afterall). There's something about the still images with sound, rather than video, that really lets your imagination travel and feel like you're there. My favorite of her soundscapes are the French cafe, in the park, the carousel, and a love song on the street, but you can find the entire series right here. Stay tuned for a Boarding Pass feature with Pia in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, check out this great interview with Pia about her new book, Paris: Made by Hand, which is a really insightful look into the design of Paris and putting the book together. Oh, and don't forget to listen to the sounds!

{click here for cafe soundscape}

{click here for park soundscape}

Switching gears, but along the same lines, I also am a fan of Nik's dordles. The two below are reflections of Shanghai, the city he currently calls home. It's definitely a humorous spin on daily life. I always have grand plans to create new work after a trip, but Nik's graphics definitely inspire me to actually do so. You can see more of his "doordles" here and his Boarding Pass feature here.

Camera Style

Lauren and Derek just posted a super cute tutorial on design*sponge on how to customize your camera strap to be something more exciting than a black and white advertisement. Too cute! Check out the full tutorial HERE!

Paper Cut City

In honor of Julie's BOARDING PASS yesterday, I thought it'd be fun to post two of her latest pieces - Paris and London paper cuts [prints] which are now available in the Famille Summerbelle shop. She's so talented!