tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71502233653210240362011-10-18T14:50:37.730-05:00...........A Flaneur's Guide to Modern Architecture & Carousal..........Meg Gustafsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235825644051050416noreply@blogger.comBlogger41100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150223365321024036.post-5029484434548550912009-04-30T14:07:00.066-05:002009-12-01T14:43:31.228-06:00

London architecture is mostly dull. Block after block of neoclassical Elizabethan and Victorian Gothic Revival buildings render even life-long Londonites lost without their A to Z(ed) street guides. Sure, Big Ben is cool. I find it's best viewed from a nearby pub while watching politicians and their cute female interns get drunk at lunch.I want architecture to leave me short of breath- like the

Meg Gustafsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235825644051050416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150223365321024036.post-29955749508157107702009-04-27T17:10:00.025-05:002009-05-20T11:46:38.145-05:00

Couchsurfing is the best way to ensure culture shock in a very foreign city. I got to drink Raki and play video games with real Turks! All of this for free, and on the Asian side of Istanbul no less.Sidenote: Witness the magic of Raki. When water is added, white clouds swirl around until it looks like skim milk. Fascinating. You may ask, "Is Couchsurfing.com really free- come on, what do you

Meg Gustafsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235825644051050416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150223365321024036.post-56255554456788492172009-04-27T15:00:00.011-05:002009-05-20T11:33:50.460-05:00

Never thought I'd say this- I like Los Angeles. Actually, that may be why I'm saying it. I'm a contrarian. Just like other stuck-up urbanites, I have long expressed my disgust for the wasteful and poorly planned city of Los Angeles. (Eh, but I'm "totally over" New York, and if one more person tells me how awesome Portland is, I'm going to punch them.)So I thought, maybe the gritty streets of

Meg Gustafsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235825644051050416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150223365321024036.post-71249058378496922522009-04-27T11:01:00.015-05:002009-05-20T11:32:26.340-05:00

First, get a Belgian beer at a bar, restaurant, cafe, club, museum (Jesus, beer is everywhere, and it's easy to find Le Chouffe- on tap!). Next, start walking. It can sometimes be unwelcoming and cold, but when you discover a random modern skyscraper or an post-industrial warehouse conversion, you'll find Rotterdam's urban planning mistakes charming.If you can't get lost and feel like you're

Meg Gustafsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235825644051050416noreply@blogger.com0