Top 8 Cities/Areas I Visited in 2008
~I went to a lot of places in the last year, and as a result I've become an elitist according to a few friends, as well as an avid critiquer of everywhere I go. But heck, you would too if you got an opportunity to see and experience as much as I did in only 12 months!
the list is not in any specific order!
Minneapolis, Minnesota. So what, I'm from Minnesota and have lived there my whole life, but this was the first year I lived in Minneapolis and embraced the whole city for what it truly had to offer by immersing myself in the culture & scene, and met a lot of great people as a result. You'll really appreciate and understand home a lot more once you get an opportunity to leave it. I had many great times in Dinkytown, which is to be expected given that I lived there, but it truly is a young and exciting area to hang all year round. The area never will grow up. Aside from that, Minneapolis really is changing as far as sub-cultures, and attitudes go. I used to hate going downtown, one being that I wasn't old enough to truly enjoy it, nor am I now, but really because I was disillusioned in believing that the only thing it had to offer was sweaty top-40 blasting, dress code regulating clubs (regulate those girls in flares and the dudes with the pinstriped button-ups!). Now there's TML, an emerging sub-culture and scene, and a different venue or dance party poppin' every weekend. So it's not hard to find a good crowd, or a good time. A friend and I even dabbled in throwing some parties of our own that turned out to be partial successes so I can't be mad. Northeast is a fun area, which at times can feel like uncharted territory. I would spend summer days riding my bike all around the area trying to get a feel for the neighboorhood wishing I had enough money to get food from one of the many ethnic restaurants that make up central ave.. Uptown, is well, its uptown, the "hipster-hangout," go-to shopping district, Lake Calhoun, but to me it sometimes felt like the aging alternative village or yuppie dwelling grounds. All and all, its definitely a cool place to hang/live and has a lot to offer and do. I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more once I am of age, or if I get a better fake in the next 6 months, because what I have now doesn't suffice.
http://photobucket.com/
Fav. Place to Eat: Kilimanjaro Cafe (low prices, eastern-African cuisine, AFRICAN GYRO GoT DAMN!)
Fav. Place to Shop: Everyday People Dinkytown, U. Outfitters in Uptown, Friedmanns Shoes NorthMinne, STATUS - even tho i dont buy shit, i like when they comment on my kicks :)
Fav. Venue: First Avenue
2. London, England. To me, this is the world's city; not New York. I literally met someone from every sector of the world in this place. The size, design, and structure of the city was amazingly cohesive, and everything felt well-connected and logical. Not to mention the historical aspect of being in the town that was more or less the capital of the world at one point during England's stronghold on the world. Everything you could ever want in a big city can be found in London which is probably of no secret to anyone, though with any good thing there will always be some type of shortcomings. For me it was the weather, the cost-of-living, the underground transportation system closing @ Midnight, and the coldness of the Londoners. Maybe its just me? But I regularly have no problem striking up conversation with strangers, nor do I have a hard time making friends in a foreign place. But in a place like London, the common culture and the way people communicate is sharply different than in the United States and elsewhere. The Minnesota Nice complex, and mid-western jolly doesn't quite follow out here. It is reminiscent of New York to me in the sense that everyone is constantly moving going about their business, and the whole energy of the place. But people here are literally less likely to befriend someone they just met, especially if you're just passing through. It really had me second guessing my social skills. Am I alone in my opinion? What did you think of it? I am heading back to England during the summer months, maybe my luck will be different as far as meeting more people here? I'll probably try harder this time around to meet some like-minded individuals, but isn't trying hard to make friends the wrong way to go about doing so?
Fav. Place to Eat: Hummus Bros near Leicester Square & This restaurant that I'm hating myself for forgetting.
Fav. Place to Hang: Camden Square in the afternoon, Old Town @ Night, Covent Garden, & Brick Lane
Fav. Place to Shop: Oxford Circus was cool for obvious reasons (topshop, nike, h&M, & a lot of streetwear boutiques), and so was Camden for its market/boutique chic, but I found crazy good vintage finds in Greenwich Village for reasonable prices that converted well with U.S. Dollars and didn't have me kicking myself while i double-checked my bank account as a result. A lot of good food places here as well, which is surprising for the sub-par selection of cuisine in this huge city.
3. Zagreb, Croatia. One of the biggest motivations I had during my stay in Europe was to try and hit some spots that I haven't heard a lot about, and places that I know a lot of my friends have not went. I guess that last sentiment is more or less the want to be able to 1UP someone in conversation, and I can't front it works oh-so-well blah! I guess I kind of cheated though, because a few of my good friends hail from Croatia and so I was a little familiar with how Croatians interact and a little bit of what to try and do. Though you gotta give me some points for traveling here ultimately alone. I was truly surprised when passing through Lbujuana, Slovenia and eventually making it to Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia. Not once did I encounter another black person during my passing through. Naturally, I was taken aback. I've been accustomed to being surrounded by white people with trickles of black people here and there since living in Wisconsin for school, etc. But black people aren't mythical around Wisconsin, but the way people would look at me as I traveled through Eastern Europe it almost felt like I was. Mythical in the sense that black people were non-existent factors in daily life aside from media and sports in Eastern Europe. Shyness has never been one of my attributes and confidence has always been my key, but what really astonished me was how many people I met simply through them coming up to me and asking, what am I doing here? The way that translates in our version of english, is the common "So what brings you here?" They were genuinely interested in trying to understand my reasoning for wanting to be there, and were keen on making me feel comfortable and welcome in their country (even if I didn't RAP or play SPORTS like they imagined I would) ((Professionally)) On my blog/travel journal, I never quite mentioned Iven or Marqueta while I was there. And I probably won't elaborate on here either, but I met them both on seperate occasions, and each gave me a personal tour of their city as well as introduce me to a few of their in the town as well. It really made me appreciate their culture, and their town much more than If i would've just walked around aimlessly by myself. The people in Croatia were always down to talk and help you if they could. This is definitely a city/country to look out for in the near-future, their creative scene looked pretty vivid, and from the looks of it, their influences have been taken from all over Europe/The U.S. So it's only a matter of time before you start hearing more about this amazing place. I am really excited to make it back out to Croatia and enjoy some more good times out there. Especially down south in Croatia where I hear all the beaches and tanned bodies be at. Oh and btw, their man snack, the BUREK was definitely on point!
Fav. Place to Eat: Nocturnal (bomb pizza, i'm talking Ninja-turtle style pizza here folks. And the bureks were no joke, 1-up'd! think a donut filled with meat and spices. fuck yo diet nigga) Marco Polo
Fav. Place to Hang: Dolac Market. Lots of site-seeing, pretty girls, cheap eats, and history.
Fav. Place to Shop: I dunno, I didn't buy any clothes or items out here.
4. Barcelona, Spain. Beaches, beautiful girls, bud, and Gaudi. Nuff Said'. Naw jk, I'll explain why a little more. Barcelona will give you that effervescent feeling of nostalgia, that only a true paradise on earth can give you. As soon as I exited the train and stepped into this beauty, I swear that four sunny/happy Beach Boy songs simutaenously played in my head as the sun shined downed on me. I can honestly say that I have never been happier in a city than here. It is situated in the east cost of Spain, but what I learned is that it is actually a seperate entity called Catalonia. So it has a heavy influence from neighboring France as well as Italy. Barcelona has a marvelous mixture of big city, beach, art, attitude, and culture. Everybody was kind and welcoming, and had "great style." To juxtapose, Madrid was like the latin New York City, while Barcelona to me was Los Angeles minus the Hollywood complex. Though to be fair, not all of Barcelona was as happy as I make it out to be, I remember vividly urban exploring into some niches of Barcelona that were as shady as any urban centre can be. And wishing that I had not been so confident to venture to these parts. Prositutes and pimps squatted outside hustling, dudes sizing me up for the potential jack, dealers tried to push. But such is life in a city. I've always told people that my favorite city in the world could be Barcelona, but I'd never want to live there. Why? I don't know for certain, but to me it just felt so perfect and right that I wouldn't want the image of the place ruined in my head haha. I felt so comfortable here, even though I don't speak much Spanish let a lone French or Catalan, it didn't seem to matter here when meeting people. Where else could I pull off red jeans, and lime green jeans in consecutive days.I know people will be like, well you could wear those anywhere, it all depends on the person. But in all honesty, it just felt right in Barcelona haha.
Fav. Place to Eat: I think it was called Delicom? I can tell where not to go: Nakupenda. Damn ciabatti bread almost broke my fuckin teeth. My mouth hurt for two days after trying to eat the damn chicken breast sandwich.
Fav. Place to Hang: Las Ramblas. You can't go wrong on this strip kid.
Fav. Place to Shop: I don't remember having money in Barcelona?
5. New York City, NY. NYC is dope for obvious reasons. Brooklyn was definitely what's up, and I can see why the area has become the east coast's alt-haven, you can't hate on anywhere the young and the old can clash, and an area with a striving music, food, and art scene. I will not hate on the trendiness of the area, because if you creep a little further into BedFord near Marcy, then you'll get a whole new look at Brooklyn if thats what you're really after. The Spanish Harlem is gully. Lower Manhattan was cool for shopping, good eats. The people and the whole energy is what did it for me here, everyone has that hustler mentality that keeps eachother on their toes. Subways that run 24 hours a day. Basically the equivalent of London, if not better according to some. I'll let you be the judge of that one. I need not elaborate any further. I barely scratched the surface on what to do in the area, you will need a real ID and months out here to do so.
Fav. Place To Eat: Too many. good pizza places in brooklyn, corner bistro in lower-manhattan had good burgers.
Fav. Place to Shop: Brooklyn's many vintage stores. Bodegas that let you haggle prices. Union square for the flyest new shit.
Fav. Place to Hang: Wherever my friends are.
6. Berlin, Germany. This is a town that is so unique I wouldn't be doing it justice if I were to compare it to anywhere else. The East and West sectors of the city were extremely diverse and different, and the history of the whole place makes for an interesting reason to travel here. I could definitely see myself living in Berlin in the future if the opportunity arises. A lot of forward-thinkers, creatives, [hipsters], and diversity here - and for good reason. It's a city that's living under a looming shadow draped by their troubled past. Yet, they do not take pride in it, and look towards the future to re-establish themselves as a welcoming nation that has a lot to offer.This is a city that will continue to strive, because it virtually had a rebirth/revival due to the rebuilding it had to undergo after WW2 as well as the WALL (communistideals) dividing the two sectors came down, which re-opened the EAST back into the world. Daytime activities are endless and the Nighlife was definitely on point. A lot of thrifitng if thats what you're into, as well as high fashion shit. Suprisingly the town is somewhat inexpensive when compared to the other European cities. The exchange rate from dollars to Euros is still pretty sub-par, but it defintitely beats a DUBLIN, MADRID, or LONDON.
Fav. Place to Eat: Dolores' Burritoes, this Japanese joint aroundtheway whose name escapes me. The doner kebab spot near my hostel.. All of these places can be found near the Rosa-Luxemborgstrabe
Fav. Place to Shop: Lotsa highfashion/vintage shopping near the schonhauser allee.
Fav. Place to Hang: All over East Berlin, White Trash Bar @ Night.
7. Paris, France. What isn't cool about Paris? Foreign language, foreign beauties, awesome architecture, good food, black people, white people, all people, but for me the deal breaker definitely had to be the culture and style. That's what really sets it apart from everywhere else I've visited. I wasn't really sure what to expect when getting to Paris, but it definitely wasn't the ideal American version of what France and French people are supposed to be like. I hit the majority of the museums here from the Louvre, the musee Rodin, to the d'Orsay and Pompidou. I definitely got museum'd out, but it was definitely worth seeing the most amazing and popular museums in the world. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting. Aside from the museums and educational ventures, I spent a lot of my time traveling the city and checking out the different cultures. There's a heavy West and Northern African influence here, as well as a ot of other nationalities that have taken residence here. The style here is unparalleled, with everyday feeling like some mock-fashion show. The winds are crazy, and it rains quite often, but it doesn't do much to stop the people from steppin out in their best attire. A lot of vintage shops and high fashion can be found in any of the many fashion districts. My favorite spot was around the Pompidou to actually buy shit, but if you're running out of euros and don't mind window shopping then definitely head to Colette on the rue saint-honore for some crazy expensive streetwear, highfashion garbs, huge collection of music and books, a cafe in the basemet, and a whole lot of condescending glares from the proud french staff ;)
Fav. Place to Eat: I forgot to get the names of these places. But i got some amazing schwarma and some good french pastries.
Fav. Place to Shop: Lotsa highfashion/vintage shopping near the Pompidou and Louvre
Fav. Place to Hang: ParisParis, Social Club, museums
ill finish the list later!!
8. Los Angeles
+Honorable Mentions
~ Prague, Czech Republic.
~ Amsterdam, Netherlands.
~ Nice, France.
I took Catalan at NYU, and I remember how to order pigs feet with beans. Catalan is a sick language.
ReplyDeleteAlso this shit made me want to get out of freezing Minnesota immediately.