Love Your Bodie

Love Your Bodie. Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A., September 2017.

North Carolina, U.S.A. September 2017.

I spent Labor Day holiday this year with friends in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Outer Banks, also know as OBX, is a string of islands on the north east coast of the state. It is about a six hour drive from D.C. and a welcome getaway for a short vacation. It was my first time to this sliver of land on the coast and first time seeing these beautiful, quaint lighthouses. There are a few stretched along the length of OBX, this one with its signature black and white horizontal lines is Bodie Island Lighthouse. Apparently going into the surrounding tall grass is ill-advised as there are snakes and ticks abound this time of year, but with risk comes reward.

Give Me Liberty

Give Me Liberty. Milan, Italy. April 2016. 

Milan, Italy. April 2016.

Hidden in Milan near Porta Venezia is an enclave of art nouveau (aka liberty style) buildings. One of the most notable examples is pictured here, the turn of the century palazzo Casa Galimberti. The exterior features a whimsical façade of feminine and masculine figures, curved wrought iron, a floral motif, and ceramic tiling. The nouveau exterior of Casa Galimberti actually stretches beyond this panel and wraps around the entire 170 meters of the palazzo. The building and the exterior were both designed and executed by architect Giovanni Battista Bossi between 1903-1906. While the city is known for it's flashier architecturural marvels like Boeri's Bosco Verticale, Pelli's Unicredito Tower, and the Galleria, this section of Milan has the air of cities like Brussels, Paris, Glasgow, and Barcelona, where Art Nouveau is much more common. 

Beauty in Brutalism

Beauty in Brutalism. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. August 2017.

Washington, D.C., USA. August 2017.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is one of the more interesting brutalist buildings in D.C. Modernist Marcel Breuer designed the building and included two of his style signatures: the concrete curve and the deep-set rectilinear windows. The "curvilinear" shape of this 10-floor building was designed to ensure the maximum amount of light to shine into the offices while the seemingly endless grid of windows reminds you just how immense the concrete structure is. I am not typically drawn to brutalism, but HUD is striking to me because it integrates these two opposing design aspects. 

Enter the Matrix

Enter the Matrix. Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.

Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017. 

Thanks to a tip from my co-worker, Bibilioteca Vasconcelos made it to the top of the "must visit" list for Mexico City. Walking into this massive library is like walking into the matrix: angular and futuristic. The uneven composition, transparent floors, and "floating" bookshelves make this one of the most unique public institutions I have ever seen. 

Bibilioteca Vasconcelos is named after José Vasconcelos, former president of UNAM (Autonomous University of Mexico) and a man who reformed the Mexican education system. This space was designed by Mexican architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar and was inaugurated in 2006 after three years of construction. This massive library holds roughly 470,000 books throughout its six floors. This "megalibrary" is actually a fusion of five libraries into one with each individual library dedicated to a famous Mexican thinker: Ali Chumacero, Carlos Monsiváis, José Luis Martínez, Jaime García Terrés, and Antonio Castro Leal. 

A tip if you would like to take photos with a camera—you will have to "register" and sign an agreement (en español) that your photos are for non-commercial use. Upon entering, ask a security guard where to register your camera, they will point you to a small desk on the ground floor on the opposite side of the main entrance. You will be escorted downstairs to their office to sign the paperwork; the whole process takes about 10 minutes. 

Besos Por Soumaya

Besos Por Soumaya. Mexico City, MX. March 2017. 

Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017. 

Museo Soumaya is the most visited museum in Mexico and for good reason. The museum is deceptively large, six stories with over 66,000 pieces of art. The most impressive part of the museum (in my opinion) is the top floor that houses founder Carlos Slim's collection of Rodin casts, the largest collection of casts outside of France, 380 to be exact. 

Speaking of Rodin, this sweet moment on the steps of the Soumaya reminds me of his sculpture "The Kiss". It was drizzling and dusk as I was leaving the museum; when I glanced back to admire the architecture, I saw this couple sharing un beso. 

Museo Soumaya itself is quite a romantic structure. It is named after Slim's late wife Soumaya who passed in 1999. Slim began collecting art largely due to Soumaya's influence. He built this version of the museum and dedicated it in her honor in 2011. Soumaya was a fan of Rodin's work and that is why Slim has collected so many of the works over the years. 

Glass Ceiling

Glass Ceiling. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

Named after Italy's first king, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II connects two of Milan's most famous landmarks, Teatro Alla Scala and The Duomo. Construction was completed in 1877 and it is officially the world's oldest shopping mall. The cast iron and glass ceiling roof was one of the first of it's kind (along with a few others like Galerie du Roi (Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert) in Brussels and Galleria Umberto I in Naples), however the dimensions of this ceiling and arcade were much larger than any of the predecessors. The galleria was an international effort in terms of design and construction, especially when it came to the gleaming roof—the ironwork was produced and installed by the French craftsman Henry Joret and the glass plates were also manufactured in France. In a strange and tragic twist, the architect behind the galleria, Giuseppe Mengoni, passed away the day before the galleria was to be inaugurated after falling from the roof while inspecting the final decorative details. 

Mengoni's vision stands as one of the busiest and most photographed places in Milan. It is a beautiful landmark and during the World's Fair in 2015, the U.S. Pavilion in partnership with the James Beard Foundation created a fine dining restaurant from this space on the top floor of the arcade and this is where I captured this shot.

Dancheong

Dancheong. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.  

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of the "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul. Construction of Gyeongbokgung began in 1395 and the palace became the main royal residence during the Joseon Dynasty for roughly three hundred years before a fire swept through and demolished the grounds. The palace has been through two major restorations, each one expertly restoring the palace closely to its original design and color. 

This is the interior of Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, where the King would host formal audiences and deliver official speeches and announcements. The size is impressive, however I was taken more with the "dancheong," the traditional decorative coloring used on the wood. The colors of "dancheong" are blue, white, red, yellow, and black and the various combinations of the colors also convey social status. The pattern pictured here in the throne room was used almost exclusively for royal residences or holy places. While I have seen palaces in Asia before, many of them are a deep red with gold decor and dark wood. The "dancheong" style is truly unique and a nice departure from what I imagined traditional Korean architecture and interior would look like. 

Fleeting Thoughts

Fleeting Thoughts. Strasbourg, France. December 2016.

Like Diamonds in the Sky

Like Diamonds in the Sky. Milan, Italy. April 2016.

My favorite time of the year in Milan is during Milan Design Week commonly referred to as "Salone del Mobile." It is the largest international design/furniture fair and draws and an incredible amount of attention and talent to the city. It happens every April, perfectly timed for when the weather finally turns. While there is plenty to see at the actual fairground where Salone del Mobile is held, the best part is that exhibitions permeate throughout the entire city. Designers and brands show outside of the fairground and those installations are known as Fuorisalone (outside Salone).

For Fuori Salone 2016, Citizen created this amazing installation, "time is TIME," in Superstudio Più. Under the creative direction of Tsuyoshi Tane, Citizen created a galaxy where the silver stars are 120,000 main plates suspended in the air with wire. It was 800 square feet of breathtaking bling. The idea behind this design was that visitors would witness time standing still where. This was one of my favorite installations, it was inspired and beautiful both when inspected closely or taken in in its entirety. The experience stuck with me long after we visited and obviously still does.

Authentically Agnès

Authentically Agnès. Bologna, Italy. August 2015. 

I made some good friends living in Milan and Agnès is one of them. A talented linguist and writer, Agnès and I were colleagues at the USA Pavilion during Expo. She studied in Bologna and wanted to show me the city she once called home. We went on ferragosto so it was quiet as most people vacate cities for the seaside during this time. This moment highlights just how quiet the city was. These streets would typically be bustling with students and residents, however since it was a slow day in August, I was able to spot Agnès resting yards away and get a quick candid of her. 

Little House on the Ocean

Little House on the Ocean. February 2015. San Diego, CA, U.S.A.

I am back home in San Diego for the holidays and one stop I like to make is at the historic Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. These Cape Cod style cottages sit on the pier for visitors to rent for a stay above the Pacific. Crystal Pier was built in the 1920s, followed by these cottages in the 1930s. They are particularly unique because these accomodations are the only one of its kind along the California coast line. 

Lovely Lyon

Lovely Lyon. Lyon, France. December 2016. 

This is my first time in Lyon and I have fallen in amour....Granted it is love at first sight so we are still in the honeymoon phase.

Lyon is a lovely city known for its vibrant culinary culture. It has been regularly pegged as the gastronomic capital of the world and home to the "Pope of French Cuisine" Paul Bocuse, Daniel Boulud and many many others. Lyon has (at a minimum) 1,500 restaurants with 13 of them awarded Michelin Stars. I read that Lyon has the highest number of restaurants per inhabitant in France, which is truly incredible. The spectrum of restaurants is impressive as well, ranging from century old brasseries and bouchons to more experimental nouvelle cuisine.

Lyon is the third largest city in France, but you don't feel rushed or lost in a sea of people when you are here. There is space to breathe, walk, eat, and take in UNESCO sites sprinkled throughout the city. Architectural powerhouses Calatrava and Renzo Piano have created buildings in/near Lyon, however my favorite in this context is still the beaux arts style found in the old town; this particular façade is in Place Saint Jean.