Sunday, September 28, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

uhop open house

Here's the answer to the frequently asked question "where do you disappear to on Wednesday nights?"

See more here

Thursday, September 11, 2014

firenze by foot

Once upon an October, about 11 months ago from today, 

I woke up to these views from our Airbnb balcony. After a beautiful first meeting with Italy in Sestri Levante and Cinque Terre, Grace and I had made our way down to Florence.

When we arrived the previous night, we could tell right away that this was a very walkable city.


Our first stop? Gelato of course.
To this day I wonder what it would look like if the Arno were clear.


Another puzzle: how does everyone park so neatly and tilt the front wheel in the same angle?  The ever present sight of scooters throughout the city reminded me of the Italy I had seen in The Lizzy McGuire Movie. Interesting how much our perceptions of foreign countries are shaped by media consumed during our childhood.

 I would have enjoyed this city a thousand times more had it not been for the incessant foot traffic. Tourists x tourists x tourists. Everywhere. Yes, I, too, add to this visiting population. All I'm asking for is space though - enough room to take it all in without needing to snake through crowds. Can I just have Disneyland to myself and my crew? 
This is where hidden alleys come in. Okay, maybe they're not so secret, but located deep inside the narrow and confusingly windy Florentine streets. Regardless, I just want to be able to capture moments like this without unwanted tourist bodies photobombing the frame.

I was told to watch the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, but the mosquitoes up here got a little too friendly with me. After enduring 6+ bites, I called it a day and headed down. I recommend wearing long sleeves for any brave souls ready for a horizon watch.