Portable Mind: A sort of travel guide

Overheard

at the Post Office today...
"Can you tell me how much the postage is for this?"
"58 cents.
"Ok, do you have a stamp with an American Flag?"
"We have a 41 cent stamp with an American Flag on it."
"Ok, do you have a 17 cent stamp with an American Flag on it? I really want the stamps to match."
"No. But we have a 39 cent stamp with an American Flag on it - er, but that's more than 58 cents, so.."
"Well... I really want the stamps to match."
Pause.
"Ok. Do you have a different stamp that will match the 41 cent stamp that has the American Flag on it?"
"Um. I don't know."

City Living

The park across the street from my apartment is lovely. A few blocks away are a number of great restaurants, boutiques and the train to Manhattan, a 20 minute ride. There are endless things to do and people are everywhere. I love it. The other night I awoke to an exchange of gunfire. Close enough to wake me at 2am. It's been awhile - the last time I heard the sound of a gun was when I lived in L.A. I'd forgotten. But I'll get used to it again. Sacrifices, right?

Early Sunday morning

Next door and out my bedroom window is a Baptist church. On Sunday morning I lie in bed and listen to the service, gospel music floating up to my room as if it were on the iPod next to my bed. That's my kind of church service.

Spring in Jersey City

I realize that this blog is supposed to be about travel and lately I've done nothing but post photos of my move and the new apartment. Or done nothing at all. My excuse is that since leaving Princeton I have started a new day job that is way more demanding than expected and is really starting to interfere with the rest of my life... but that's what you get when you're involved in coordinating elements of one of the biggest events in the world, I guess. I have tried to spend any downtime unpacking and making the new place very glamorous - but clearly, the day job has won out, as the only thing I've been able to do is buy a bed and two barstools, hang some drapes, rather badly I might add - and put a few of my many, many (too many) books on a shelf. I have managed to buy a decent amount of wine (thank god for the internet) and despite the fact that I am not traveling at the moment, have two great recommendations for you, dear readers...

Although the weather has been nothing but a gloomy misery this month, it's still Spring and I am celebrating by drinking lots of Sauvignon Blanc. I recently tried these two gems - a 2006 Preston, a vineyard I am loving more and more (their Viognier is beautiful and sadly, sold out) and a 2004 Laughing Raven from Alexander Valley, which I purchased from a great online store called My Wines Direct. Cheers.

...contemplating the possibilities of a new place.

Buried in the baggage that I carry...

Dolce Vita

Hello internet. Sorry for the hiatus. I’ve just started a huge new gig and it’s been taking up much of my energy. Any leftover energy has been spent obsessing over fashion, because Spring is right around the corner and I’m ready to throw all of my sweaters and coats into the incinerator.

Princeton, NJ is not the place you think of when thinking about style, let’s face it. But considering the geography, an hour from NYC and an hour from Philly (there must be stylish people somewhere in Philly), this slightly eccentric university-centered town has cause for some ready-to-wear. Hoping to be wowed by what Princeton has to offer, I grabbed a large cappuccino from Small World and hit the streets.

Blue Mercury was my first stop. The shop reminded me of the beauty department at Bendels and subsequently I was uninspired to purchase anything. I found a few hard-to-get-in-the-suburbs items like Tocca candles and Chantecaille makeup, and they do get bonus points for the in-store spa services. The atmosphere is warm and I decided it's a perfect spot to *freshen up* before dinner at a local restaurant (note to self).

Zoe is the Lindsay-Paris-OC type of store that every wealthy college town needs because those girls have got to have their Stuart Weitzmans, of course. Their website explains that the Zoe customer is anyone from a precocious teen (is there anything more annoying?) to the groovy matriarch. Can you even use the words 'groovy' and 'matriarch' in the same sentence? That said, part of me was looking forward to Zoe because, based on buzz, I imagined scouring racks filled with Marc Jacobs or Imitation of Christ and discovering my inner style icon. In the end I was, again, uninspired. While the store is certainly label-savvy, they don't choose the most interesting pieces from the designers they carry. I might as well have been in Bloomingdales.

Out of frustration/boredom, I was ready to trade in my cappuccino for a shot of whiskey, but instead crossed Witherspoon street and went into Rouge. When it first opened a few years ago, Rouge was a tiny shop filled with artisan perfumes and Agent Provocateur-esque lingerie, but has since moved, expanded and added to the eclectic inventory. It is exactly the place I was looking for. The buyers at Rouge understand what it takes to make a statement. On the shelves are rare perfumes from Comme des Garcons, candles from evil alchemist Douglas Little and those shoes, which are my latest obsession. Because who doesn’t need a pair of spikey red patent heels?

While in Miami, I was grousing to a business associate about the lack of excitement back home in sleepy, culturally homogeneous Princeton, NJ. A gracious and well-styled man, he smiled and said "The last time I was in Princeton, I was arrested."
Full stop. Based on first impressions, I never would have guessed him to be the type (he went on to explain that it was a wrong place at the wrong time sort of situation), but his comment made me think about how we often judge quickly and incorrectly. New Jersey is a place that suffers from this type of judgement and I have certainly contributed to its negative reputation, occasionally commenting that the state has nothing going for it. I also might have said that it is a congested industrial wasteland full of people with ridiculous Soprano-like attitudes and Bon Jovi hair, but whatever. Now that I am preparing to move from Princeton to Jersey City and have committed to at least another year here, I've been digging a little deeper to uncover some hidden gems in the Garden State. Starting with Princeton, the place I am leaving behind...

Obvious historic importance aside, Princeton is a quaint University town flush with high end shops and restaurants designed for moneyed residents, but one of its most notable locations is the Princeton Record Exchange. PREX, established in 1980, caters to audiophiles from around the world and is exactly what you would expect from an used/indie record store - Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, The Shins, whomever, blasting from the store speakers and skinny kids working the register; but it is the incredible volume of of hard-to-find product that brings music lovers to tears, with gems like that rare Napalm Death 7" from 1988, very scarce Blood, Sweat & Tears or first issue Cream MoFi record. The shop is so well-known that it garnered a mention in Jose Saramago's The Double, as one of the main characters visits the store in search of rare jazz recordings.  They even have a myspace page, 'cause they've gotta keep up with the kids.

Today, I braced the unbelievable cold 6F in an effort to snap some photos of Princeton, but only lasted for about 5 minutes before it felt like frostbite was setting in (Ben, if you're reading this post, I know...), so I've grabbed a great photo from Flickr of my favorite local coffehouse, Small World. I will miss it - best Cafe au Lait ever.

Next stop - Rouge and Conte's...
Princeton Record Exchange photo also from Flickr

This month a film I produced was screened at the Trenton Film Festival. I spent most of the festival weekend in the downtrodden city, sheltered from gang gunfire in the NJ State Museum and the adjacent State Street buildings deemed safe for festival-goers. Underneath the degenerate condition lies beautiful architecture and an important, historic city - it was the site of Washington's first military victory in 1776 and the national capitol of the United States for a brief two month period in 1784; the site of the first professional basketball game in 1896, a major manufacturing center in the early 1900's. Ultimately, the city ended up on the same path many other American cities did in the 60's - overpopulation and poverty led to riots and Trenton never recovered. In 2005, the city was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the US.

Filmmakers from places as far away as India wondered why a festival would be held in such a place. Speeches and award ceremonies glossed over the revitalization efforts in favor of cheerleading ("Go Trenton!"). The local fervor was lost on those from out of town, especially when the realities of the city could not be escaped. During a festival party one night, gunfire was heard in the distance and one guest said to another "Must be a car backfiring." The other guest replied knowingly, "When was the last time you heard a car backfire?"

It would have been smart and thoughtful to include pertinent information about Trenton in the festival packets so the attendees - theoretically creative thinkers, risk takers and people who speak aloud about important issues - would know how important it is to have a festival in a city struggling to revitalize and rebuild. Wouldn't it be interesting to use tourism as a way to inspire action to repair our cities, similar to the way that Ecotourism inspires environmental action?

Ici La-bas

...contemplating the possibilities of a new place.

You Are Here

Buried in the baggage that I carry...

Dolce Vita

Hello internet. Sorry for the hiatus. I’ve just started a huge new gig and it’s been taking up much of my energy. Any leftover energy has been spent obsessing over fashion, because Spring is right around the corner and I’m ready to throw all of my sweaters and coats into the incinerator.

Princeton, NJ is not the place you think of when thinking about style, let’s face it. But considering the geography, an hour from NYC and an hour from Philly (there must be stylish people somewhere in Philly), this slightly eccentric university-centered town has cause for some ready-to-wear. Hoping to be wowed by what Princeton has to offer, I grabbed a large cappuccino from Small World and hit the streets.

Blue Mercury was my first stop. The shop reminded me of the beauty department at Bendels and subsequently I was uninspired to purchase anything. I found a few hard-to-get-in-the-suburbs items like Tocca candles and Chantecaille makeup, and they do get bonus points for the in-store spa services. The atmosphere is warm and I decided it's a perfect spot to *freshen up* before dinner at a local restaurant (note to self).

Zoe is the Lindsay-Paris-OC type of store that every wealthy college town needs because those girls have got to have their Stuart Weitzmans, of course. Their website explains that the Zoe customer is anyone from a precocious teen (is there anything more annoying?) to the groovy matriarch. Can you even use the words 'groovy' and 'matriarch' in the same sentence? That said, part of me was looking forward to Zoe because, based on buzz, I imagined scouring racks filled with Marc Jacobs or Imitation of Christ and discovering my inner style icon. In the end I was, again, uninspired. While the store is certainly label-savvy, they don't choose the most interesting pieces from the designers they carry. I might as well have been in Bloomingdales.

Out of frustration/boredom, I was ready to trade in my cappuccino for a shot of whiskey, but instead crossed Witherspoon street and went into Rouge. When it first opened a few years ago, Rouge was a tiny shop filled with artisan perfumes and Agent Provocateur-esque lingerie, but has since moved, expanded and added to the eclectic inventory. It is exactly the place I was looking for. The buyers at Rouge understand what it takes to make a statement. On the shelves are rare perfumes from Comme des Garcons, candles from evil alchemist Douglas Little and those shoes, which are my latest obsession. Because who doesn’t need a pair of spikey red patent heels?

While in Miami, I was grousing to a business associate about the lack of excitement back home in sleepy, culturally homogeneous Princeton, NJ. A gracious and well-styled man, he smiled and said "The last time I was in Princeton, I was arrested."
Full stop. Based on first impressions, I never would have guessed him to be the type (he went on to explain that it was a wrong place at the wrong time sort of situation), but his comment made me think about how we often judge quickly and incorrectly. New Jersey is a place that suffers from this type of judgement and I have certainly contributed to its negative reputation, occasionally commenting that the state has nothing going for it. I also might have said that it is a congested industrial wasteland full of people with ridiculous Soprano-like attitudes and Bon Jovi hair, but whatever. Now that I am preparing to move from Princeton to Jersey City and have committed to at least another year here, I've been digging a little deeper to uncover some hidden gems in the Garden State. Starting with Princeton, the place I am leaving behind...

Obvious historic importance aside, Princeton is a quaint University town flush with high end shops and restaurants designed for moneyed residents, but one of its most notable locations is the Princeton Record Exchange. PREX, established in 1980, caters to audiophiles from around the world and is exactly what you would expect from an used/indie record store - Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, The Shins, whomever, blasting from the store speakers and skinny kids working the register; but it is the incredible volume of of hard-to-find product that brings music lovers to tears, with gems like that rare Napalm Death 7" from 1988, very scarce Blood, Sweat & Tears or first issue Cream MoFi record. The shop is so well-known that it garnered a mention in Jose Saramago's The Double, as one of the main characters visits the store in search of rare jazz recordings.  They even have a myspace page, 'cause they've gotta keep up with the kids.

Today, I braced the unbelievable cold 6F in an effort to snap some photos of Princeton, but only lasted for about 5 minutes before it felt like frostbite was setting in (Ben, if you're reading this post, I know...), so I've grabbed a great photo from Flickr of my favorite local coffehouse, Small World. I will miss it - best Cafe au Lait ever.

Next stop - Rouge and Conte's...
Princeton Record Exchange photo also from Flickr

This month a film I produced was screened at the Trenton Film Festival. I spent most of the festival weekend in the downtrodden city, sheltered from gang gunfire in the NJ State Museum and the adjacent State Street buildings deemed safe for festival-goers. Underneath the degenerate condition lies beautiful architecture and an important, historic city - it was the site of Washington's first military victory in 1776 and the national capitol of the United States for a brief two month period in 1784; the site of the first professional basketball game in 1896, a major manufacturing center in the early 1900's. Ultimately, the city ended up on the same path many other American cities did in the 60's - overpopulation and poverty led to riots and Trenton never recovered. In 2005, the city was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the US.

Filmmakers from places as far away as India wondered why a festival would be held in such a place. Speeches and award ceremonies glossed over the revitalization efforts in favor of cheerleading ("Go Trenton!"). The local fervor was lost on those from out of town, especially when the realities of the city could not be escaped. During a festival party one night, gunfire was heard in the distance and one guest said to another "Must be a car backfiring." The other guest replied knowingly, "When was the last time you heard a car backfire?"

It would have been smart and thoughtful to include pertinent information about Trenton in the festival packets so the attendees - theoretically creative thinkers, risk takers and people who speak aloud about important issues - would know how important it is to have a festival in a city struggling to revitalize and rebuild. Wouldn't it be interesting to use tourism as a way to inspire action to repair our cities, similar to the way that Ecotourism inspires environmental action?

Pret-a-porter de Princeton

Dolce Vita

Hello internet. Sorry for the hiatus. I’ve just started a huge new gig and it’s been taking up much of my energy. Any leftover energy has been spent obsessing over fashion, because Spring is right around the corner and I’m ready to throw all of my sweaters and coats into the incinerator.

Princeton, NJ is not the place you think of when thinking about style, let’s face it. But considering the geography, an hour from NYC and an hour from Philly (there must be stylish people somewhere in Philly), this slightly eccentric university-centered town has cause for some ready-to-wear. Hoping to be wowed by what Princeton has to offer, I grabbed a large cappuccino from Small World and hit the streets.

Blue Mercury was my first stop. The shop reminded me of the beauty department at Bendels and subsequently I was uninspired to purchase anything. I found a few hard-to-get-in-the-suburbs items like Tocca candles and Chantecaille makeup, and they do get bonus points for the in-store spa services. The atmosphere is warm and I decided it's a perfect spot to *freshen up* before dinner at a local restaurant (note to self).

Zoe is the Lindsay-Paris-OC type of store that every wealthy college town needs because those girls have got to have their Stuart Weitzmans, of course. Their website explains that the Zoe customer is anyone from a precocious teen (is there anything more annoying?) to the groovy matriarch. Can you even use the words 'groovy' and 'matriarch' in the same sentence? That said, part of me was looking forward to Zoe because, based on buzz, I imagined scouring racks filled with Marc Jacobs or Imitation of Christ and discovering my inner style icon. In the end I was, again, uninspired. While the store is certainly label-savvy, they don't choose the most interesting pieces from the designers they carry. I might as well have been in Bloomingdales.

Out of frustration/boredom, I was ready to trade in my cappuccino for a shot of whiskey, but instead crossed Witherspoon street and went into Rouge. When it first opened a few years ago, Rouge was a tiny shop filled with artisan perfumes and Agent Provocateur-esque lingerie, but has since moved, expanded and added to the eclectic inventory. It is exactly the place I was looking for. The buyers at Rouge understand what it takes to make a statement. On the shelves are rare perfumes from Comme des Garcons, candles from evil alchemist Douglas Little and those shoes, which are my latest obsession. Because who doesn’t need a pair of spikey red patent heels?

Jersey Girl

While in Miami, I was grousing to a business associate about the lack of excitement back home in sleepy, culturally homogeneous Princeton, NJ. A gracious and well-styled man, he smiled and said "The last time I was in Princeton, I was arrested."
Full stop. Based on first impressions, I never would have guessed him to be the type (he went on to explain that it was a wrong place at the wrong time sort of situation), but his comment made me think about how we often judge quickly and incorrectly. New Jersey is a place that suffers from this type of judgement and I have certainly contributed to its negative reputation, occasionally commenting that the state has nothing going for it. I also might have said that it is a congested industrial wasteland full of people with ridiculous Soprano-like attitudes and Bon Jovi hair, but whatever. Now that I am preparing to move from Princeton to Jersey City and have committed to at least another year here, I've been digging a little deeper to uncover some hidden gems in the Garden State. Starting with Princeton, the place I am leaving behind...

Obvious historic importance aside, Princeton is a quaint University town flush with high end shops and restaurants designed for moneyed residents, but one of its most notable locations is the Princeton Record Exchange. PREX, established in 1980, caters to audiophiles from around the world and is exactly what you would expect from an used/indie record store - Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, The Shins, whomever, blasting from the store speakers and skinny kids working the register; but it is the incredible volume of of hard-to-find product that brings music lovers to tears, with gems like that rare Napalm Death 7" from 1988, very scarce Blood, Sweat & Tears or first issue Cream MoFi record. The shop is so well-known that it garnered a mention in Jose Saramago's The Double, as one of the main characters visits the store in search of rare jazz recordings.  They even have a myspace page, 'cause they've gotta keep up with the kids.

Today, I braced the unbelievable cold 6F in an effort to snap some photos of Princeton, but only lasted for about 5 minutes before it felt like frostbite was setting in (Ben, if you're reading this post, I know...), so I've grabbed a great photo from Flickr of my favorite local coffehouse, Small World. I will miss it - best Cafe au Lait ever.

Next stop - Rouge and Conte's...
Princeton Record Exchange photo also from Flickr

Maybe Tomorrow

This month a film I produced was screened at the Trenton Film Festival. I spent most of the festival weekend in the downtrodden city, sheltered from gang gunfire in the NJ State Museum and the adjacent State Street buildings deemed safe for festival-goers. Underneath the degenerate condition lies beautiful architecture and an important, historic city - it was the site of Washington's first military victory in 1776 and the national capitol of the United States for a brief two month period in 1784; the site of the first professional basketball game in 1896, a major manufacturing center in the early 1900's. Ultimately, the city ended up on the same path many other American cities did in the 60's - overpopulation and poverty led to riots and Trenton never recovered. In 2005, the city was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the US.

Filmmakers from places as far away as India wondered why a festival would be held in such a place. Speeches and award ceremonies glossed over the revitalization efforts in favor of cheerleading ("Go Trenton!"). The local fervor was lost on those from out of town, especially when the realities of the city could not be escaped. During a festival party one night, gunfire was heard in the distance and one guest said to another "Must be a car backfiring." The other guest replied knowingly, "When was the last time you heard a car backfire?"

It would have been smart and thoughtful to include pertinent information about Trenton in the festival packets so the attendees - theoretically creative thinkers, risk takers and people who speak aloud about important issues - would know how important it is to have a festival in a city struggling to revitalize and rebuild. Wouldn't it be interesting to use tourism as a way to inspire action to repair our cities, similar to the way that Ecotourism inspires environmental action?