Monday, June 7, 2010
More People!
Name: GenevieveOriginally From: Nassau, Long Island
Why In Rome: Living here for a month (like me!)
How We Met: A family friend, Robin Numeroff, put her in touch with me. We met up for a meal in Trastevere and have been wandering buddies ever since!
Fun Facts: Just graduated from The Catholic University of America and is en route to law school. Like me, has an Italian style family who have fueled her with a love of eating and togetherness. One of her favorite quotes, by H.P. Lovercraft:
Name: German (aka GiGi)Originally From: Bulgaria
Why In Rome: Studying to get his MBA
How We Met: Teammates for Trivia night at Scholar's Pub (During the "Picture Round" of Celebrity Profiles, we made a bet: he SWORE that one of the photos was David Beckham. He lost. I won a beer.)
Fun Facts: Loves business, beer, and sports. Doesn't understand the concept of a "Sound" as a body of water and would rather go to any bar in the world than Disney World. Dreams of coming to New York and enjoying a diner breakfast of bacon and eggs.
Italy Photography
Okay. So while enjoying il bel far niente, I must admit that I am doing something....taking pictures.
My two cameras come with me EVERYWHERE and I am working on a few different series. Here is un poco preview:
Portraits:
Food/Drink Photography:
Things Around Italy:
Candid Gelato Eaters:
My preference in photography is more humor and realism. I often take pictures of things that make me laugh and I would much prefer to take a picture of someone sneezing than a formal posed portrait. One of my favorite days here in Rome so far was the day that I went to Old Bridge, the famous Gelateria near the Vatican, and spent over 3 hours talking to their friendly, international customers and taking 50+ photographs of them in the middle of enjoying their gelato.
What really frustrates me are the things that I can't possibly capture with my camera.
Like the middle aged man on the tram eating suppli. It's midday and dressed in a suit, undeniably on a break from a work. He must be starving because he rips open the white bag holding his lunch. He takes a bite and the melted cheese oozes out and hangs in a string from his mouth down to his chest. He takes another bite and the same thing happens and every succeeding bite, more cheese strings hang. He's clearly not aware because all he cares about is how good that suppli must taste.
Or sitting on the Spanish Steps close to midnight. A group of about 15 teenagers line up in a row on the bottommost step. Girls and guys, tall and short, mixed races. They place an Ipod dock in front of them and music starts playing. "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy! Grab my glasses, I'm out the door! I'm gonna hit this city!" They break out in synchronized dancing, complete with circles of hip thrusting and arms swinging in the air, to Kesha's "Tick Tock." They are laughing at themselves the whole time and I wonder how many times they actually practiced this. When they are finished, everyone on the giant staircase claps for the free entertainment they just witnessed.
I'll never forget the time I said to Travis, "I wish I could take pictures with my eyes!" and he looked at me like I had just taken some kind of drug. But really, I know my photographs are not the best composition with the best lighting but at least I can say that I took that picture. I captured that moment. If I'm not going to capture that moment, who will?
My two cameras come with me EVERYWHERE and I am working on a few different series. Here is un poco preview:
Food/Drink Photography:
Things Around Italy:
Candid Gelato Eaters:
My preference in photography is more humor and realism. I often take pictures of things that make me laugh and I would much prefer to take a picture of someone sneezing than a formal posed portrait. One of my favorite days here in Rome so far was the day that I went to Old Bridge, the famous Gelateria near the Vatican, and spent over 3 hours talking to their friendly, international customers and taking 50+ photographs of them in the middle of enjoying their gelato.
What really frustrates me are the things that I can't possibly capture with my camera.
Like the middle aged man on the tram eating suppli. It's midday and dressed in a suit, undeniably on a break from a work. He must be starving because he rips open the white bag holding his lunch. He takes a bite and the melted cheese oozes out and hangs in a string from his mouth down to his chest. He takes another bite and the same thing happens and every succeeding bite, more cheese strings hang. He's clearly not aware because all he cares about is how good that suppli must taste.
Or sitting on the Spanish Steps close to midnight. A group of about 15 teenagers line up in a row on the bottommost step. Girls and guys, tall and short, mixed races. They place an Ipod dock in front of them and music starts playing. "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy! Grab my glasses, I'm out the door! I'm gonna hit this city!" They break out in synchronized dancing, complete with circles of hip thrusting and arms swinging in the air, to Kesha's "Tick Tock." They are laughing at themselves the whole time and I wonder how many times they actually practiced this. When they are finished, everyone on the giant staircase claps for the free entertainment they just witnessed.
I'll never forget the time I said to Travis, "I wish I could take pictures with my eyes!" and he looked at me like I had just taken some kind of drug. But really, I know my photographs are not the best composition with the best lighting but at least I can say that I took that picture. I captured that moment. If I'm not going to capture that moment, who will?
Roman Interactions
For someone who loves small talk, communication is hard. Not everyone speaks English and although I'm starting to pick up alcune parole (a few words), I can't be my chatty Callie self. However, I have had some interactions.
Things Italians Have Said To Me:
"Sono Solo" is something that I say a lot here. I understood it to mean "I'm alone" and I would say it when I was getting my table for one. Apparently it means, "I'm single." So every time the waiters ask how many people I will be dining with, I've just been telling them my relationship status.
At the restaurant Insalata Ricca one Friday night, I am sat at a table directly next to two older women dining. (They do this a lot in Rome, have you sit with strangers-it never bothers me.) These woman were cute and friendly as we talked about Rome. They told me about the contemporary events of the weekend, giving me their free press passes. When I said, "Sono solo," one of them answered assuringly with her thick Italian accent....
"Better to be single, than to be with someone NOT GOOD!"
Thank you for making me feel more confident about dining alone!
If you are a girl or anything slightly resembling a girl, you are catcalled on the street. For the first month I was here, I kept telling everyone that no Italian men were saying anything to me on the street. I thought it was because I looked like a crazy American tourist. Then, I lost my Ipod. When you are pumping the sounds of "Don't Stop Believing! Hold onto that Feeeeeeling!" by Journey into your ears, of course you can't hear the sounds that are ACTUALLY being heard while walking down the city streets....
"OHHHHHH! It's Goooooood!"
It's good? I turned around and politely told this younger group of Italian men to check their English!
Everyday I wake up and I don't know exactly where my day is going to take me. Leaving my apartment starving in search of a good lunch, the next thing I know I'm on the back of Mario's motorino flying through the streets of Rome. Mario runs the M&J Hostel and I had met him once before when I almost accepted a job working with him. What are the chances that he happens to be walking out the door on his way to lunch at the precise moment that I am wandering in desparate search of food. Being from Rome, he is quite the popular fellow. He KNOWS the places and the people. He brings me into a book store and we do an experiment. He opens one travel book and I open another one from a different company. We both turn the pages to the restaurants near Piazza Navona. Not a single restaurant is the same. "No real Romans go to any of these places." An enlightening conversation over a delicious Japanese meal ensued. He doesn't sugarcoat things. He tells me what I don't want to hear but what I need to hear. He looks at my black flipflops and tells me that I am living in Italy. I need to be wearing nicer shoes. We talk about my "life" situation and he gives me advice. Too often I use the excuse, "I'm too tired." (Sono Cinderella. I turn into a pumpkin after midnight.) When I say this, Mario answered with...
"You're not tired. You're bored."
And I think he's right. So, I take out my pen and my giant crumbled-up map. After Mario circles the city center and draws a giant X through it, he circles the places that I REALLY need to go to.
You never know who you're going to meet or who is going to say what to affect you in what way.
Things Italians Have Said To Me:
"Sono Solo" is something that I say a lot here. I understood it to mean "I'm alone" and I would say it when I was getting my table for one. Apparently it means, "I'm single." So every time the waiters ask how many people I will be dining with, I've just been telling them my relationship status.
At the restaurant Insalata Ricca one Friday night, I am sat at a table directly next to two older women dining. (They do this a lot in Rome, have you sit with strangers-it never bothers me.) These woman were cute and friendly as we talked about Rome. They told me about the contemporary events of the weekend, giving me their free press passes. When I said, "Sono solo," one of them answered assuringly with her thick Italian accent....
"Better to be single, than to be with someone NOT GOOD!"
Thank you for making me feel more confident about dining alone!
If you are a girl or anything slightly resembling a girl, you are catcalled on the street. For the first month I was here, I kept telling everyone that no Italian men were saying anything to me on the street. I thought it was because I looked like a crazy American tourist. Then, I lost my Ipod. When you are pumping the sounds of "Don't Stop Believing! Hold onto that Feeeeeeling!" by Journey into your ears, of course you can't hear the sounds that are ACTUALLY being heard while walking down the city streets....
"OHHHHHH! It's Goooooood!"
It's good? I turned around and politely told this younger group of Italian men to check their English!
Everyday I wake up and I don't know exactly where my day is going to take me. Leaving my apartment starving in search of a good lunch, the next thing I know I'm on the back of Mario's motorino flying through the streets of Rome. Mario runs the M&J Hostel and I had met him once before when I almost accepted a job working with him. What are the chances that he happens to be walking out the door on his way to lunch at the precise moment that I am wandering in desparate search of food. Being from Rome, he is quite the popular fellow. He KNOWS the places and the people. He brings me into a book store and we do an experiment. He opens one travel book and I open another one from a different company. We both turn the pages to the restaurants near Piazza Navona. Not a single restaurant is the same. "No real Romans go to any of these places." An enlightening conversation over a delicious Japanese meal ensued. He doesn't sugarcoat things. He tells me what I don't want to hear but what I need to hear. He looks at my black flipflops and tells me that I am living in Italy. I need to be wearing nicer shoes. We talk about my "life" situation and he gives me advice. Too often I use the excuse, "I'm too tired." (Sono Cinderella. I turn into a pumpkin after midnight.) When I say this, Mario answered with...
"You're not tired. You're bored."
And I think he's right. So, I take out my pen and my giant crumbled-up map. After Mario circles the city center and draws a giant X through it, he circles the places that I REALLY need to go to.
You never know who you're going to meet or who is going to say what to affect you in what way.
At the Beach in Rome
At the beach in Ostia, I settle up my towel and prepare for that initial first laying down. The DJ immediately starts playing Michael Buble.
"Another summer day, has come and gone away...in Paris or Rome. I want to go home."
I thought, "Nah, I'm not ready yet!"
I've heard a lot of hate for the Ostia Beach. It is the closest one to Rome, or rather the easiest to get to for tourists. In order to get there, you have to take a short 30 minute train and a 10 minute walk to the shore. It's free entrance to the public beaches but they also have a number of private beach clubs. (The kind that you can pay to enter and be served drinks while laying on lounge chairs of all the same color. I can serve my OWN drinks, thank you!). My expectations were so low that I was surprised- I found the beach to be quite nice! It was a Monday and I hear that it's miserably packed on the weekends so that could have been the difference. There was sand, water, and the sounds of Billy Joel playing from the small DJ booth. That's all I really need at the beach! There was a boardwalk and like every beach (and everywhere in Rome for that matter), things being sold to you while you're soaking up the sun.
Ostia, meaning "Mouth" in Latin, was the harbor city in ancient Rome and its main seaport. Like everything else, this flourishing town fell with the Roman Empire. It now holds an ancient archeological site with a number of buildings and preserved frescos and mosaics. Of course with my luck, it was closed on Mondays. Ostia Antica Fun Fact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built entirely of materials coming from here.
During the winter, this is a ghost town but it comes alive in the summer with beach bars that open up and apparently it generates quite the nightlife.
There were no "Rum Runners", though. For these precious beverages, go to the outdoor bar Nick's in Montauk at the tip of Long Island. Warning: Watch the amount that you have or you WILL start singing and dancing with the live band that is playing music. A Peroni instead.
Next time, I won't pretend that I do not need sunscreen. I looked like someone painted me red for an art project.
"Another summer day, has come and gone away...in Paris or Rome. I want to go home."
I thought, "Nah, I'm not ready yet!"
I've heard a lot of hate for the Ostia Beach. It is the closest one to Rome, or rather the easiest to get to for tourists. In order to get there, you have to take a short 30 minute train and a 10 minute walk to the shore. It's free entrance to the public beaches but they also have a number of private beach clubs. (The kind that you can pay to enter and be served drinks while laying on lounge chairs of all the same color. I can serve my OWN drinks, thank you!). My expectations were so low that I was surprised- I found the beach to be quite nice! It was a Monday and I hear that it's miserably packed on the weekends so that could have been the difference. There was sand, water, and the sounds of Billy Joel playing from the small DJ booth. That's all I really need at the beach! There was a boardwalk and like every beach (and everywhere in Rome for that matter), things being sold to you while you're soaking up the sun.
Ostia, meaning "Mouth" in Latin, was the harbor city in ancient Rome and its main seaport. Like everything else, this flourishing town fell with the Roman Empire. It now holds an ancient archeological site with a number of buildings and preserved frescos and mosaics. Of course with my luck, it was closed on Mondays. Ostia Antica Fun Fact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built entirely of materials coming from here.
During the winter, this is a ghost town but it comes alive in the summer with beach bars that open up and apparently it generates quite the nightlife.There were no "Rum Runners", though. For these precious beverages, go to the outdoor bar Nick's in Montauk at the tip of Long Island. Warning: Watch the amount that you have or you WILL start singing and dancing with the live band that is playing music. A Peroni instead.
Next time, I won't pretend that I do not need sunscreen. I looked like someone painted me red for an art project.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Panino dell'Uovo
How to Make the Perfect Saturday Afternoon Egg Sandwich in Rome:
1. Go the fresh markets and use your Visual Italian English book to get ingredients.
2. Crack open the eggs.
3. Season to taste.
4. Cook the eggs.
5. Prepare the buns.
6. Layer the cheese.
7. Add the perfectly cooked eggs.
8. Pose for a picture.
9. Sit on the terrace and enjoy!
Please Note: I had no part in the actual making of this breakfast. Thank you, Hasan.
1. Go the fresh markets and use your Visual Italian English book to get ingredients.
2. Crack open the eggs.
3. Season to taste.
4. Cook the eggs.
5. Prepare the buns.
6. Layer the cheese.
7. Add the perfectly cooked eggs.
8. Pose for a picture.
9. Sit on the terrace and enjoy!
Please Note: I had no part in the actual making of this breakfast. Thank you, Hasan.
MAXXI Opening
With advertisements all over Rome saying "We are Open," the brand new modern museum, MAXXI (Modern Art of the 21st Century), had it's grand opening on May 30th. The building design, by Zaha Hadid, has integrating curved and linear levels with complex shifting scales. At the entrance of the museum you are greeted with a giant sculpture by the Italian artist Gino de Dominicis. There was an entire gallery on the top most level devoted to his drawings of portraits, each one containing that very same cone-shaped nose. (I'm still trying to understand this fascination with this distinct honker. I looked up a picture of what the artist's nose looks like. I was expecting it to be GINORMOUS but it's actually not that big.)
The architecture wing of the museum was definitely the most interesting, showing designs, photographs, models, and paintings of Italian architecture, all the while comparing it against other recent trends in different areas of the world. Spazio. Space is the theme of MAXXI, more so than the art found within. "The museum is a staging of architectural space, it is an element of the collective imagination within the urban context, a machine for communicating." And that is exactly what the building reminds you of- being in a machine.
The art in MAXXI was more -how shall I put this- "experimental" than the other museums. Let me explain with some examples:
This video projection of two skinheads making out in the Trevi Fountain.
Or Kutlug Ataman's video of him wandering blind folded and barefoot through a dessert. Like all modern art, it just needs some good old interpretation. The video was supposed to reference the legend of Layla and Majnu,n as he plays the part of the hero "blinded by love."
I was nearly shocked (and thankful) that on its first day open, there were no crowds! This could have been because it was specially open on a Monday when most museums are closed, and also because it lies a few metro stops outside of the city center. If you're interested in architecture-MAXXI is a must. Also a must: Having an OPEN mind!
The architecture wing of the museum was definitely the most interesting, showing designs, photographs, models, and paintings of Italian architecture, all the while comparing it against other recent trends in different areas of the world. Spazio. Space is the theme of MAXXI, more so than the art found within. "The museum is a staging of architectural space, it is an element of the collective imagination within the urban context, a machine for communicating." And that is exactly what the building reminds you of- being in a machine.
The art in MAXXI was more -how shall I put this- "experimental" than the other museums. Let me explain with some examples:This video projection of two skinheads making out in the Trevi Fountain.
Or Kutlug Ataman's video of him wandering blind folded and barefoot through a dessert. Like all modern art, it just needs some good old interpretation. The video was supposed to reference the legend of Layla and Majnu,n as he plays the part of the hero "blinded by love."
I was nearly shocked (and thankful) that on its first day open, there were no crowds! This could have been because it was specially open on a Monday when most museums are closed, and also because it lies a few metro stops outside of the city center. If you're interested in architecture-MAXXI is a must. Also a must: Having an OPEN mind!
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