With a background in art and architecture, Brisbane, Australia-based Etsy seller Kolya works by hand "to reduce a city to almost nothing, to render the landscape in two dimensions, to see the world in a sheet of paper ... to see the humanity in everything."
The result: intricately beautiful city skylines (such as Paris, top, London, above, and New York, below). Carved with a surgical scalpel from card stock or paper money, these 3D paper sculptures are strikingly simple but breathtakingly precise.
Each cityscape costs $60 and is produced in a limited edition of ten and signed and numbered by the artist. A few others that caught my eye:
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Rio
Paris en Papier, $30, featuring the Arc de Triomphe cut from a Parisian art card
International Real, $52, a piece of the Manhattan skyline cut from a Brazilian 2 Real note
See all of Kolya's creations right here.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Etsy Find of the Day: Paper Skylines
The View From There
My friend Nancy sent me this picture today. It's the view of Dragon's Back Ridge that she sees every day as she looks out the window of her home in Hong Kong.
Nancy and her husband David, Canadians by birth and by allegiance, are the most well-traveled people we know. We met them in New York, where we landed several years ago -- in a daze and with a new job, an 18-month-old, and nary a friend around.
Nancy, herself along with David a recent transplant from Baltimore (and from Toronto, Africa, and Alberta before that), struck up a conversation with Nick when they were both at toddler tumble time at our local Rec Center one snowy day. From that point on, Nancy's family pretty much adopted our family and made our time in New York a lot less scary and lonely than it could have been.
We only lasted a couple of years there, but we'll always remember that time in our lives fondly -- mostly because of the wonderful friends we made. (In addition to Nancy and David, there's Ellen and Ted, Scott and Sharon, Karen and Chris, and Kitty and Ed -- hey guys!)
Nancy, David, and their two sons have moved a few times since then -- first to London, then to New Jersey, and most recently to Hong Kong -- following David's fast-track career. I know it can't be easy to make a new home in an unfamiliar place every couple of years, but I envy their adventurous spirit and the amazing gift they're giving their children: the chance to see the world firsthand and to experience other cultures closeup.
Still, Hong Kong seems awfully far away -- so far that it's unlikely we'll see them for a few years. But getting this picture from Nancy today helped bridge those miles a little bit, and reminded us that "home" is wherever you make it and that true friends are those you hold dear, no matter how far away they may be.
Nancy, David, Kevin, and Brennan -- we miss you!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Wanderlust: Portland's Hip Hotels
I'm sort of obsessed with Portland, Oregon. (Well, as obsessed as one can be with a place that one has never actually set foot in -- which, in my case, is fairly obsessed.)
In fact, I'm so fixated on Portland that I threatened to move the whole family there, sight unseen, a couple of years ago. Saner heads (that would be the kids') ultimately prevailed, but I'm still holding out the option.
I don't know what it is about the place, but -- at least from afar -- it seems to possess some sort of magical combo of big-city sophistication, small-town homeyness, great food, natural beauty, arty funk, homegrown music, old-time charm, and affordable (at least by Bay Area standards) housing. On the more sweltering days here in the balmy East Bay, even Portland's purportedly endless drizzle seems romantic. And it doesn't hurt that a recent article about the city was entitled "Weird, and Proud of It." That's my kind of town.
Though we're not packing up the U-Haul just yet, I'm absolutely dying to check out Portland in person. It's definitely the locale of our next big family vacation -- most likely over the Thanksgiving or winter break. I have a file folder growing ever-thicker with articles about the rejuvenated industrial Pearl District, Hawthorne, and other cozy-yet-cosmopolitan neighborhoods to explore; tearsheets with ads for all the great stores I want to hit; and reviews of Portland's foodie favorites and increasingly hip hotel choices (like the white-hot Ace, above).
When we travel, we usually sublet somebody's apartment for a week or so (though I'm keen to try house-swapping, too) rather than stay in hotels. Not only is it cheaper, but we get a lot more space, have the option of eating in rather than springing for restaurant meals three times a day, and can pretend that we're locals while we're in town. But these digs look so tempting that we may just suck it up and book a room.
Here's a peek at my shortlist of Portland lodgings:
The Ace Hotel
Housed in a 1912 building near the Pearl (and a block from Portland's legendary Powells Books), the Ace features funky vintage furnishings and Army surplus-chic decor, art-centric spaces (each room has an original mural), a fleet of rental bikes, record players in some rooms, a photo booth in the lobby, and an on-site coffeehouse. It's the sort of place where you might find a dot-com millionaire, a starving art student, or a touring band bunking for the night. Rates range from $95 to $250. Check out the Ace Hotel here.
Hotel deLuxe
Though it doesn't exactly jibe with Portland's damp-and-funky aesthetic, this lavish downtown Deco gem channels an old Hollywood glamour that's hard to resist. Rooms come with iPod docks, flatscreen TVs, and a "pillow menu." There's also room service and daycare for your dog, a swanky screening room that unspools classic films and new releases, a Noirish cocktail lounge, and an elegant eatery. Sounds de-Lovely. Rates range from $159 to $329. Check out the Hotel deLuxe here.
Hotel Lucia
Understated luxury and hushed tranquility ooze from this art- and photography-themed downtown hotel, which features the work of Pulitzer Prize winner (and PDX native) David Hume Kennerly. Part modern art gallery and part upscale hideaway, the Lucia boasts stellar service (press the "get it now" button in your guest room and a staff member will materialize almost instantly to grant your wish) and a contemporary Asian-fusion vibe. Rates range from $149 to $259. Check out Hotel Lucia here.
Hotel Monaco
Decorated in high Anglo-Chinois style by Cheryl Rowley, this glammed-up Pioneer Square dowager boasts an enviable private art collection to complement the dramatic decor. There's a "curator on call" to squire guests to the Portland Art Museum and local galleries. Pets are welcome, too -- and the hotel's canine "pet concierge," Art, can even arrange (presumably with a little help from his human handlers) visits from a pet masseur or pet psychic. Rates range from $160 to $245. Check out the Hotel Monaco here.
Jupiter Hotel
A hipster's haven with a techno beat, this mod motel is located in Portland's uber-trendy "LoBu" neighborhood. Highlights include chalkboard doors, retro-modern furnishings, an adjoining club called Doug Fir, and a rave-party vibe that keeps pumpin' until 4 a.m. When supermodels, European club kids, and rock stars have stopovers in Portland, I suspect that this is where you'll find them. Rates range from $99 to $119. Check out the Jupiter Hotel here.
McMenamins Kennedy School
A converted 1915 schoolhouse in Northeast Portland, the Kennedy puts up guests in classrooms complete with original chalkboards, feeds them in the wood-paneled cafeteria, and lubricates them in the Honors Bar, Detention Bar, or two other watering holes. An attached brewery, a soaking pool on the site of the former teachers' lounge, and a pizza parlour-cum-movie theater in the school's auditorium make this a fun and laid-back choice. In fact, I think it's my favorite of the bunch, since it most closely captures the friendly, funky, down-to-earth Portland I have in my mind's eye. Rates range from $99 to $125. Check out McMenamins Kennedy School here.
I can practically smell the rain and the microbrew now ...
(Any Portlanders out there with other tips for lodging -- or suggestions for shopping, eating, seeing? If so, please share 'em!)
P.S. I finally went! Click here, here, and here for more info on Portland lodging and shopping.
