Good Morning and Hello Friday!!

• Venice was POWERFUL. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly why I ended up feeling so completely content and fulfilled on this trip. I’ve traveled to a myriad of amazing places but something about Venice (the beauty, the vibe) was in perfect harmony with how I’m feeling about my life at the moment. Every day as I wandered around this beautiful city I felt grateful to be able to take in all the city has to offer from its architecture to its canals, the art, the food, and the overall gioia di vivere of the Italian people.
• Some of the joy is, I’m sure, the result of being able to travel internationally again (first time in over 2 years). But I was also keenly aware of how fortunate I was to be in a position to plan such a beautiful and indulgent trip for myself.
• Much gratitude also to my amazing travel agent, Pablo Cruz, who planned perfect flights and hotels. And to my Venetian friend, Kiki, for joining me for 2 days, helping me get the lay of the land.
• This was my first time back at the Biennale since 2013. It was WONDERFUL to again take it all in while roaming the Giardini and the Arsenale.
• Much has changed for travelers to Italy over the last 10 years. All for the better in my opinion (see below).

Please scroll down for more on Venice, the green card situation, and my next major trip. I’ll be looking for recommendations and tips.

TRAVEL: VENICE RECAP

1. Biggest improvement: Venice is almost cashless!

1. I spent a total of 8 euros in cash over 7 days! I got 32 euros on the first day (from Kiki) in repayment for the online tickets for Anselm Kiefer/ Doge Palace. I spent 2 euros for a traghetto gondola to cross the canal (plus 1 euro tip which I noticed nobody else was doing). And I spent 5 euros on a glass of wine at a local wine bar that seemed to be cash only.
2. Almost all restaurants, stores, and Vaporetto (water taxis) accept Amex. The only places where I had to use my Visa card were smaller bacaro (Venetian tapas bars). Not a single place accepted ApplePay.
3. WARNING: ATMs charge up to 35% for currency exchange, i.e, it will cost you 27 euros to get a 20 euro note.

2. Great food and restaurants!

1. I got to 4 of the 5 restaurants on my must-do list. Only miss was Al Covo (a 5-minute walk from my hotel). Try as I might, I could not snag a reservation (booked solid for next two weeks). Must also add that NYC has really stepped up its game over the last 10 years because I didn’t find dining out in Venice more impressive than what I routinely get served at my favorite NYC restaurants.
2. Here are my Venetian favorites: La Zucca, Chat Qui Rit, Lineadombra.
3. Also totally enamored by the bustling bacaro scene (small bars offering Cicchetti, Italian versions of tapas). Unfortunately, as much as I love to travel solo, I was a bit intimidated by the bacaros. I did finally find one that I could ease into as a non-Italian-speaking lone traveler: Wine Bar 5000. And it was fabulous. Right by a canal (saw an engagement go down on a gondola), and met 3 lovely Italian women visiting Venice for the day.
4. Menu highlights: potato mousse with tiny meatballs at Ai Gondolieri (right by the Peggy Guggenheim Museum), baccalà mantecato (a whipped salt cod appetizer), and those delicious Cicchetti. (Photos below)
5. NOTE: Very important to make reservations (online) well in advance, even for solo diners. Most restaurants do not have bar or counter seating. Also, while the Cicchetti bars are open all day, better restaurants are open for lunch until 3-ish but then do not open again until 7:30 pm.

3. Top 5 things to do/see in Venice

Although I traveled to Venice specifically to see the Biennale (#5 below), there is so much to explore and savor in this glorious city:

1. The Doge’s Palace, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, is an absolute must-see. I would also advise getting tickets online to avoid the long lines.
2. Conservatory of Music Benedetto Marcello. I cannot thank my friend Rodrigo enough for tipping me to this gem. It’s a working conservatory. Visitors can enter the building (although not the studios). The music, however, wafts through the courtyards and the buildings. Absolutely magical (video below).
3. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Spectacular palazzo/former home (right on the Grand Canal) housing Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection of art. Most of the artists were also her friends, e.g., Pollock, Ernst. Make sure you also check out the gardens where she is buried along with her beloved dogs. Again, get tickets online beforehand. And if time permits have lunch at Ai Gondolieri.
4. Cannaregio area/ Ghetto Ebraico. I tried twice to explore this area in depth. First, I went to see two off-site Biennale exhibitions and experienced a largely quiet, residential area which includes the Ghetto Ebraico (or Jewish Quarter). Supposedly it’s the best place in the city from which to get a taste of local life. However, when I tried to get to the area near CALLE DEI ORMESINI I couldn’t get through the crowds. It was teeming with visitors (many of whom seemed to be Italian). So I’m a bit confused about how quiet and residential it really is. But if I had more time I would definitely put in the effort to explore this area more thoroughly.
5. Local neighborhoods and campos. Although Venice is teeming with tourists, if you wander one block off any of the main drags, you will be in another world. You’ll see families, kids playing soccer, couples day drinking and smoking, but only ever a handful of tourists. My two favorite campos (city squares) are Santa Croce which is close to La Zucca restaurant and Campo Bandiera e Moro which was close to my hotel and that unattainable restaurant, Al Covo.

4. Venetian Street Style

1. Lots of black – which is very Italian it seems.
2. Lots of non-gender conforming styles, e.g., people with beards wearing dresses.
3. Lots of very colorful hair.

5. My biennale top 5

So much great art but some towers above the rest.

1. At the Palazzo Ducale (Doge Palace) Anselm Kiefer, has taken over the immense Sala dello Scrutinio with 14 paintings that incorporate zinc, lead, real gold, real clothes—and parts of shopping trolleys (until 29 October). Not technically part of the Biennale but …..
2. The Danish pavilion has been transformed into a paddock for Uffe Isolotto’s “We Walked the Earth,” curated by Jacob Lillemose.
3. Korea’s Yunchul Kim, an artist creating kinetic, cyber-punk-looking sculptures, transformed the pavilion into a mechanical beast composed of parts old and new. Pumping through the veins of Kim’s sculptures is water from the Venetian lagoon.
4. Precious Okoyoman uses organic materials—including butterflies, invasive plant species, raw wool, dirt, and blood—to create and animate life-size sculptures of unknown beings. Okoyomon’s garden will continue to grow throughout the seven months of the biennale – a living, breathing work of art, literally.
5. The Mexican Pavilion’s best work is Fernando Palma Rodríguez’s Tetzahuitl (2019–22), a group of 43 dresses that are arranged in a pattern similar to how a Nahuatl shaman might move. The movement of the dresses, each of which stands for a student who went missing in 2014 in a mass kidnapping that provoked national protests, is unpredictable and somewhat terrifying (video below).

6. TRAVEL TIPS for Venice

1. There are very few direct flights to Venice but I recommend you book one if you can possibly swing it. I took a direct Delta flight out of JFK. United is the only other airline, out of NYC, offering direct flights.
2. Take the Alilaguna from the airport directly to Venice (RT ticket is 27 Euros). It’s a 15 minute walk from the terminal to where you pick up the water taxis and vaporetto (which take just over an hour to get into Venice). I’d also recommend booking a hotel close to one of the vaporetto stops (schlepping your luggage up and down stairs, over bridges, through the crowds etc) is a major hassle.
3. Hotels in Venice are expensive – especially ones in good locations. I stayed at the Hotel Metropole which was about $500 a night (more for the weekend). The rooms are kind of corny but the service is great as is the breakfast, and as I said, the location is terrific.
4. Make sure you arrange for an international wireless plan for your phone. It’s a game changer and such an improvement from the last time I was in Venice. Just being able to use Google Maps is beyond helpful because the city is really twisty and turny. I also, paid the $22 fee on the plane to browse the internet on the flight back to NYC. Makes those 8 hours fly by.
5. Venice is incredibly safe. It was such a pleasant surprise to be able to sit/dine outdoors in a campo and not be afraid of being attacked by mentally ill vagrants. Likewise, walking to the hotel through deserted calles at 9 or 10 in the evening did not make me feel queasy about my personal safety. I don’t know how they do it, but we should send some NYC elected officials over there to figure it out.
6. October is a great month to visit Venice. It’s a “little” less crowded, a little less expensive, and the weather is cooler (in the low 70’s). There is also a 30% chance of rain but I was lucky with 7 days of sun and moderate temperatures.

TRAVEL: UPCOMING

7. GREEN CARD RENEWAL: Got it!! (finally)

1. While in Venice, I received notification that my renewal had been approved and the card was scheduled to be produced within the next 3 months.
2. Lo and behold, it ARRIVED yesterday!!!
3. From start to finish it has taken USCIS 20 months to process the renewal. A sad state of affairs, when in the past, the whole process took less than 2 weeks.
4. That said, I am enormously grateful to once again be “legal.” And I wish the 8MM plus people who were part of the same green card backlog as me, speedy approvals and the same good news that I just received.

8. Where am I off to next?

Green Card in hand, I have MAJOR plans for next year. Will be spending 6-7 weeks traveling with stays at Soho Houses in London, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, and Berlin. Then boarding a Lindblad ship to the Faroe Islands.

• London must-sees include Hallyu! The Korean Wave at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Sky Garden, the London Eye, Highgate Cemetery and much more.
• In Paris, I really want to see the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature and also get tickets to the French Open.
• Rome must-sees???
• Istanbul supposedly has one of the most beautiful Soho Houses in the world. Plus, I want to check out the Bomonti neighborhood, the newly opened Turk restaurant, and Müze Gazhane (a power plant in the Kadıköy district that has been converted into an arts complex).
• In Berlin, Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods, plus since I have never been to Berlin, I’ll be doing some really rookie tourist stuff like the Brandenburger Tor. I also have friends in Berlin and will be leaning on them to steer me in the right direction when it comes to planning my itinerary.

FRIENDS AND READERS OF THIS BLOG: PLEASE, PLEASE SEND ALONG RECOMMENDATIONS!!!! I will be super grateful for any tips on restaurants, galleries/museums, neighborhoods, events!!

MUSIC

9. Billy Strings is on a roll! If you are at all bluegrass-curious, check him out!!

1. In 2021 and 2022, Billy Strings received numerous awards and nominations.
2. Awarded “Guitar Player of the Year,” “Entertainer of the Year,” “Best Bluegrass Album,” 2022’s “Artist of the Year” by the Americana Music Awards. Also received three Grammy nominations.
3. In 2022, he also opened for Metallica on the main stage at Lollapalooza, and in June, played NYC’s Pier 17 Rooftop (where was I?) So bummed I missed that show.
4. He has an intense touring schedule for the balance of 2022 going thru 2023. He will be performing both in this country and in Europe. Many of the shows are already sold out. If this style of music is of interest, check him out.

And that’s a wrap for this week, my friends.

Wishing you all a great weekend. Fall is definitely in the air (which I love). ‘Til next week!