Paris becomes Paris right away. I don’t have to go looking for it; wonder where the images I’ve seen in other pictures are. Right away I know my place, Paris, and that it’s the right one. —Lori Tripoli Headed to Paris? Consider these posts: The Book to Carry while Cruising Paris Quality Time at the…
Author: BashfulAdventurer
Not Shopping
My riffs on street art and graffiti in Germany, Italy, New York City, Mexico, Ecuador, and Russia are not meant to be exhaustive catalogs of either street art or graffiti in any of these places. Instead, they are meant as a reminder to travel with your head up. At home, too often, my focus is…
Street Art: Russia
Russia is another society I am intimidated by—its wars, its strength, its vastness, its vodka. As I do in Germany, I expect its street art and graffiti to be fierce, aggressive, bold. As in Germany, I find some of what I anticipate but also some unexpected lightness. —Lori Tripoli
Street Art and Graffiti in Germany: Strong and Light
I see Germany as strong and fearless; it has that strong economy, those fast highways, that World War II history, a reputation for orderliness. I am not surprised to see a monstrously large statue of Germany’s first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, or sculptures of lions or graffiti with strong lines and bold colors. Curves and…
#ThrowbackThursday Graffiti: Italy
Some political interests are universal as demonstrated by “Legalise Cannabis” messages viewed in a number of areas in Italy on a trip there in 1989. —Lori Tripoli
Isla Mujeres Graffiti: Appreciating Symbols
I do not speak Spanish and do not really know the message of the brightly colored graffiti I see on a wall while speeding through Isla Mujeres, Mexico on a golf cart. While I ponder the artwork, I gain a new appreciation of symbols. I see the purple awareness ribbon. I learn that one of…
Galapagos Graffiti: Who Would Mark Up Paradise?
As much as I enjoy some visually gratifying graffiti in urban areas, seeing it in the Galapagos islands is a little jarring. I understand there’s tension here that tourists do not necessarily see—pressure to fish, to provide jobs, to keep certain animals in and others out. I appreciate that the islands served a strategic purpose…
Graffiti: Little Italy
I don’t quite adhere to the philosophy that graffiti in a neighborhood is a sign that residents don’t care about where they live. Graffiti is art to me. Yes, sometimes graffiti is destructive. Many times, though, graffiti enhances a neighborhood’s look, adds meaning to a tourist’s visit. What I see in this graffiti in Little…
The Book to Carry while Cruising Paris
I’ll confess to having a stack of Parisian histories (and a number on my Kindle as well) that have been leafed through but not exactly read. I mean to, I want to, I just haven’t. I am not sure where I picked up a copy of Edmund White’s The Flâneur, but it’s the perfect little…
Enjoy the Present while Glimpsing the Past at the Talbott Hotel
Why I just love the Talbott Hotel in Chicago: It mixes business and romance successfully. There are old-fashioned telephones in the lobby and in the corridors. There are doorbells in the room. Double sinks in the bathroom are always appreciated. Courteous service and an easy-to-relax-in lobby. Free apples There’s a Starbucks on the corner. A…