-
Type+Place: Over 25 Fonts Inspired by Paris
It’s amazing how a typeface can look and feel so much like a famous city such as Paris! In continuing with my font fetish, I’ve gathered up over 25 fonts that exude the City of Lights. These are perfect to use post-travel when you are putting your memories together of your trip or great to use for any design project where you want it to speak of Paris. I have a feeling there will be another Paris-font series to come. It seems like so many fonts didn’t make this list. Be sure to stay tuned for more. Below is a list of links to the fonts used above. Note: These…
-
Culture: A Cure for Reverse Culture Shock- Become a Tourist in Your Own Town
There’s a bus that trundles through my neighborhood several times a day. I’m not sure where it stops or where it’s going, but I’m going to get on it. I’m craving an adventure. I’ve just returned from my longest trip (so far) and am reeling in the monotony of getting back to reality. Any seasoned traveler can empathize, I have a bad case of reverse culture shock and I need a cure! My home just can’t compare to Paris, Venice or Istanbul, a few of the cities I have just explored. There is something so exciting about arriving in a new city, hopping on the local subway and navigating to…
-
Travel Story: The Bells of Notre Dame
Paris is such a magical city. The monuments are icons known world wide; the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame. Regardless of where I am, I can close my eyes and picture these sites. So when I opened the door to our rented apartment in Paris, how enchanted I was to look out the kitchen window and see the Notre Dame. It was something straight out of an opera set of Verdi’s La Bohème. Roof tops galore, rows of chimneys, windows into other people’s worlds, and the Notre Dame. But that’s not all. Later that afternoon as we relaxed in our new surrounding the real magic began.…
-
On Location: The Berthillon Ice Cream Experience – Très Français!
When I read things like, “the best ice cream in all of France,” “the grand dame of ice cream, ” and “world-renowned ice cream”, you bet it will make it to the top of my list of places to go when traveling, especially in sweltering hot Paris in July! The glacier (ice cream maker) that holds these illustrious proclamations is Berthillon, and I’m here to say, it’s worth a visit! After wading through the summer crowds at Notre Dame and exiting out the back gardens, I was looking forward to crossing over the small bridge (Pont Saint-Louis) that connects Île de la Cité with Île Saint-Louis. I had read wonderful…
-
Travel Story: The Art of Packing
I have never been a light packer. Although I’m not that crazy lady with 3 bags and a suitcase for cosmetics, I do tend to pack my fair share of clothes for a trip. On past vacations to Hawaii I’ve easily filled a large 29″ suitcase. You know, the kind with the extra zippers to expand. Yes, that’s pretty big for a trip that only needs a bathing suit, shorts, some shirts and flip flops, but somehow I managed to fill it up. I have never really had to lug it far either, mostly just through the airport, to a rental car, and then plop it in the hotel. I…
-
Art on the Go: Photo a Day Travel Journal Using Over App
On a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, I wanted to try a new travel journal technique. Writing a travel journal can sometimes be so time consuming. I love the look of text on top of a photograph, so I decided to use this approach for my trip journal. I chose one photo from the day, and put some short highlights of that day’s activities on it. I used an app (for iPhone and iPad) called Over. It has a simple to use interface, and within minutes I had created a great memory of the day. If you want to share your trip with family and friends, after you’ve created the…
-
Palette+Place: Fireworks over Lake Tahoe
There’s nothing like a fireworks show up close and personal! I’ve been lucky to be able to watch many firework shows with an unobstructed view in beautiful Lake Tahoe, California. Lake Tahoe hosts at least 4 different firework displays, so for the past several years, the community has decided to divide up the shows between July 3rd and July 4th. The display closest to my family’s cabin just happens to always fall on July 3rd. Although it’s not actually Independence Day, I find it a great way to kick off a long weekend or holiday the next day. Below are some photos I took from this year’s show. Enjoy, and…
-
On Location: Seattle’s Gum Wall – Abstract Art or Janitor’s Worst Nightmare?
After a wonderful walk through lively Pike’s Place Market, my nieces were eager to show my family and I more Seattle sites. Outside the market place we went, and onto adjacent Post Alley. I see the dutiful graffiti and bills posted for this concert and that political message. It doesn’t take long though to get past the typical “alley” graffiti and come face to face with a janitor’s nightmare. Gum. Loads and loads of gum. Gum smeared inches deep in some parts. Plastered on the wall for all to enjoy. My daughter’s expression sums up my initial feeling of Gum Alley as it is affectionately named. Eeeewww. To think how…
-
Art on the Go: Sketching en Plein Air in the Country, Sebastopol, California
I love it that my daughter loves art as much as I do! Ever since my kids were little, I’ve always tried to do some art project or another with them– making salt dough, collaging with paper scraps, painting on big paper. Whatever the outcome, they both have loved the experience. So, when I went on a weekend trip to the country with my daughter, we of course had to incorporate an art outing to our plan. We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Sebastopol, a small artsy town in Sonoma County. The B&B was located 3 miles out of town, so we definitely got the country experience…
-
Palette+Place: The Colorful Mission District, San Francisco
Even on a foggy day, the Mission District in San Francisco shines with color. The streets and alleys of this hip and trendy neighborhood are filled with murals and street art reflecting the artistic and diverse population that reside here. Although I lived in the city for over 10 years, and have spent many-a-night out at the bars and restaurants in this neighborhood, I had yet to photograph the amazing street art during the day. What a treat I was in for. There are 2 alleys in “the Mission” that are most popular for the murals and street art, Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley. Most of these photos below are…
