Forget the Belgian Chocolate, I Want the Clothes

By admin -- June 20, 2008 at 1:42 pm · Filed under Fashion, Travel

At first I didn’t know what to expect. I was once in Belgium for a night before I had to fly out of Brussels back to the United States. I admit, I felt a little reluctant to come back after my first impressions. But that feeling’s way gone now.
If you’re in the mood for some stupid history, international languages central, or design, Brussels is definitely worth the visit. The first evening that I spent here I went walking with a friend, and found it funny as the road was turning the corner that so many people were stepping back to take pictures–but of what? My friend proceeded to tell me to pull out my camera so I gave it a good shot.

This is the peeing boy (Manneken Pis) who put out a fire. Okay…
On with the town. It seems that the best meeting place for the young and hip, living in the city center, is at Fontainas, a cafe friendly for all kinds of people. It’s a great atmosphere and it’s fun to look at everyone around you.

After Fontainas, make sure to go North on Boulevard Anspach and then make a left onto Rue Auguste Orts. This road will continue as Rue Antoine Dansaert and it is chockfull of design shops, bookstores, and other cool cafes that you can’t resist to stop into for another coffee or beer. Flemish designers are actually working on and around this road so it’s really easy to spot some original pieces as you continue towards the canal.

My personal favorite stops so far:

Stijl
rue Antoine Dansaert 74-1000 Bruxelles
Make sure to come here if you’re in the mood for some exciting Belgian clothes. There’s an odd sense of character when you walk into this store–be it the sound of your footsteps on the creaky wooden floors and birds singing somewhere in the ceiling with the modern visuals superimposed with fabulous clothes that you’ve never seen the likes of. Phew, out of breath. So if you’re on a budget, hold on to your wallet because you might go broke.

Le Bonheur
rue Antoine Dansaert, 196-1000 Bruxelles
When I walked into this store, I was curious to ask whether it was a book museum rather than a bookstore. At this highly curated shop you’ll find varying artistry in writing, illustration, photography and music covering a broad range of unique topics. If you’re in Brussels for longer, they’ve also got the hookup for good shows in town.

Warvis
You can’t resist it. Whether the atmosphere, the smell of food, or just purely the aesthetic draws you in, you’re going to walk in when you see it. It’s right across the street from Le Bonheur – so get something to read and come over. The people here are also really cool to talk to. There’s no need to worry, people here can speak English.

Comments

City in Hiding

By admin -- June 2, 2008 at 2:48 pm · Filed under Travel

So it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve last written, sorry! I’ve been on a whirlwind tour of Europe and I made sure to take a million pictures in order to provide some memoirs for you all. So keep on the lookout!

I recently stopped into Venice for a couple of days in order to check out what this city on water is about. If you’re not familiar with the geography, Venice is on an island. It’s a labyrinthine place filled with tightly fitted buildings, invisible alleyways, smelly water routes, and more bridges and pigeons than you can imagine.

The only modes of transportation throughout are either pedestrian or by boat – if you bring a car it’s going into the single garage on the island and staying there until you leave. Fedex even has something like a gondola for moving packages around in Venice. So with that said, it is an interesting experience to go the public transportation dock as opposed to a bus stop.

You may already know Venice for their beautiful masks – so if you’re looking for one this is the place to be. Venice has prepared a smorgasbord of traditional and modern masks for the millions of tourists inhabiting the city annually.
Speaking of tourists, the city is filled with them. You don’t even have to know Italian because everything is catered to you – at least what you can see; because the real city is just as hidden as you with your mask that you just paid ten euro for. But don’t be alarmed – if you step out of the tourist stampede circle using alleyways that you’ll never remember if you’ve taken or not, you’ll come across some wonderful food and coffee shops. Remember, if you’re looking for a cappuccino, go to Italy; and if you’re looking for the ultimate Italian pizza experience however, don’t expect a Papa Johns and leave your taste buds some room for new things.

Comments

JIF is so good it’s GOTTA be gourmet!

By admin -- May 10, 2008 at 8:52 pm · Filed under Design, Travel

Hey guys I’m in Londres! Just to fill you all in, I’m a designer living in the South but I’ll be riding the rails throughout Europe this summer, spreading some of Hotlanta around, sleeping on couches, bathing in cologne to stay fresh, visiting the sites, meeting the designers, and letting you all know what these foreign countries are all about.

So it’s been a couple of gorgeous days here in London, and some of the first things that I did was check out the stores to let loose some pounds (by walking, not spending because I refuse to do the latter). So check it out, we’ve got some gourmet happening right under our noses. I went to Selfridges, one of the hottest department stores here to see some of the posh buys. First of all, you must know that a department store here is the whole shebang – it’s got designer attire, designer home goods, and a designer food court with the top foods including fresh cuts, cheeses, desserts, and candies galore. And proudly displayed at any of these posh department stores you’ll find not only the foods you could only dream of, but you’ll see the imported specialties like JIF peanut butter, Oreos, the Aunt Jemima, and those good ole Lucky Charms. That’s all for no less than 5 pounds a piece – that’s $10 for a jar of JIF

With the wallet aside, it’s interesting to mention that there’s a huge awareness for design here in London. With world renown designers such as Alexander McQueen, Ron Arad, and Marc Newsson just up and down the street, people are looking good and living well. ICON, a design magazine hosted it’s first ICON Day Experiment at this year’s consumer show which I managed to go to as soon as I got here. It was a day full of tradeshow booths, design debates, design exhibits, and interesting people to talk to. One of the cool pieces on display was Albin Karlsson’s Hot Glue piece. It’s a clock with a turning hot glue dispenser on the ceiling that releases drops of glue as the day moves on; so when you’re looking at it you might not see time moving fast, but once you leave it alone for an hour or two the changes will surprise you. Make sure to check this Swedish designer out at his website, www.albinkarlsson.com.

If it’s getting warm there like it has been here and you’re thinking ice cream, check out The Parlour if you’re in town. It’s worth a trip and the extra dime for some awesome cold treats like you’ve never had before. It’s in a 50’s style ice cream shop close to Piccadily Circus, London’s equivalent to Time’s Square. I recommend the Beekeeper Ice Cream Sundae. It’s served proper-like with ginger, honey, praline, and vanilla ice creams topped with honeycomb chunks. If that’s tickled your taste buds make sure to hit up The Parlour, even if you can’t make it to London for this Mother’s Day.

On that note, make sure to remember that Mother’s Day is tomorrow and that you’ve planned to take your momma out for a swanky day – don’t just get her that oops-I-forgot-gift-certificate deal! See you guys soon! NiK

Comments