People of The World

Soccer matches are a place to both root for your team and voice your political opinion. Siena-Inter Milan in Siena, Italy.

Standing at the edge of Corsica.

Wanderlust: Venice

In no major city will you find a quieter nighttime atmosphere. The silence, apart from the ceaseless sloshing of water on stone, is beguiling.

Even adults have their fun with the rat-birds.

This is one of my favorite photos of both Venice and modern culture. Even in a setting as other-worldly and enchanting as this, you can still find McDonald's.

Wanderlust: Venice

The ubiquitous gondolier.

Children of all nationalities agree on one thing when visiting Venice: playing with pigeons is all the rage.

The Grand Canal is exactly what people say it is. It's a canal, and it's grand.

Venice: Unique And Alone

Venice is a city characterized by descriptions. It is probably the most written-about city on the planet, and, as a result, travelers will never be able to write anything original about the crowning jewel of the Italian peninsula. People the world over are in love with this city; but venice is rarely in love with people.

It's antiquated; it's palatial; it's romantic; it's dreary; it's lazy. If Venice were a person, it would probably be demure--even indifferent, avoiding the incessant questions about its illustrious past and whorish present. It has enchanted and confounded travelers and locals alike for centuries, and with every inch the city sinks, the more its mystique will rise.

When you step away and consider Venice objectively, you realize that, outside of admiring the city itself, there isn't much to do. Compared to other cities in Italy, the food isn't great, the museums and churches aren't exactly famous, the locals are hard to find, and the nightlife is almost nonexistent. So, how are we entertained? Is it the bliss that comes from inhaling pasta decorated with squid-ink? Is it the grandeur of the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Square? Is it that the few locals we do see amaze us by being astoundingly apathetic about the incredible city around them? Or is it that being literally the only person astir in the city after midnight--walking canals aimlessly and absorbing the ghostly qualities of a dying city alone-- beats looking for bars and clubs in Milan and Rome?

Venice is idisyncratic. If San Francisco is like Lisbon, if Berlin is like Warsaw, if Chicago is like New York, if Tokyo is like Seoul, then Venice is like Venice. The city is easy to describe, yet difficult to explain. I think it is for this reason that so many people love it. Being left speechless or incapable of explaining joy is usually a result of something good. The only thing you can do is go there yourself and let its canals whet your palate.

People Of The World

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is meeting and observing (surreptitiously or otherwise) the people around me. Nothing beats sitting in a piazza, park, or pub and watching the world go by. It's overwhelming how diverse this world is; and yet, at the same time, everything is eerily familiar, no matter how far away from home you are. That familiarity often starts with people. No matter where I've been, people are doing the same thing-- eating, laughing, rushing, working, biking, kissing, holding hands, relaxing, and chatting.

I will regularly post candid and not-so-candid photos of people from Portland to Prague. Their smile, eyes, posture, and style are among many things to admire. Seeing people captured in their element is definitely worth a thousand words.

One of Joyce's Dubliners.

Two old friends in Alghero, Sardegna

A trip to the local market in Reggio di Calabria will lead to a gastronomical fortune.

Wanderlust: Amsterdam

Nobody wants to acknowledge it, but pancakes are the true drug in The Netherlands.

You'll find as much entertainment on the streets of Amsterdam as you will in museums and bars. The street life is as vibrant as any.

Wanderlust: Amsterdam

Amsterdam: More Than Red Lights

Amsterdam carries a certain stigma. Words matching that stigma? Lascivious, turpitude, corruption, sinful, lecherous. We all know where these words come from. It's a city made famous for the legalization of prostitution and soft drugs. As a result, the city is often swarmed with degenerate tourists seeking a thrill--more so than, say, Paris or Seattle.

However, I feel it should be stated that Amsterdam does not entirely deserve its sinful label. Sure, you reap what you sow; but, the city has many other qualities that completely overshadow its immoral reputation (not to say I entirely disagree with their system, as it has proven to drastically reduce crime and raise capital). Of all capital cities I've visited, it is by far the quaintest, and it truly captures the essence of yesteryear.

The expansive influence the Dutch have had is blatantly obvious in the architecture. Strolling the side streets and outskirts of this charming city, one gets the feeling they're in Brooklyn. New York was, after all, known as New Amsterdam. You might also notice that the Dutch are highly educated and cultured. Men are debonair, while women are stylishly disengaged. They compose themselves with confidence--dressing well, speaking with sparkling smiles, and having the appearance that they know exactly what they like. Here you will find Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Anne Frank, and most importantly, you'll likely find yourself.

Amsterdam is international, historically significant, and entertaining for any traveler. It offers to the visitor myriad opportunities to engage the mind and excite the imagination. Everything about the city--the canals, the bikes, the skinny buildings, elfin bars, its aging charm--contribute to create a delightful locale that will surely hold your attention. If you desire the trendy, artistic, and intelligent, you'll undoubtedly find it all in this canal-locked city, drowning in savoir vivre.

The oft-dreary weather in The Netherlands is very befitting of the scenery.

Street art for the pleasure of the passer-by.

The First Post

Here is the first post. So, congratulations to me. This is a photographic account of my travels around the map. As of today, these photos will cover some of the journeys I have made through 11 countries and 23 states. There will be people, places, and things (yeah, mostly nouns) and should give insight not only in to the places I've been and people I've met, but also the things that interest me. Cheers.