It is hard to believe that we have not updated our Antwerp guide since 2013, what with it being one of my favorite cities in Europe. What keeps pulling me back to this city, besides professional obligations? Fashion, obviously, as well as a mix of medieval and contemporary architecture, with some Art Nouveau buildings thrown…
On some level writing a guide to Paris is an exercise in futility. What can one write about a city where you can get a good glass of wine and a decent meal in so many places – as long as you stay away from the touristy areas – and where there is no such thing as the best bakery, since you can only get bread that is either fine or excellent. Therefore, this guide to Paris is the guide to what I have gotten to know over the years of traveling to the City of Light.
I’ve been to Paris about fifty times, I’ve walked it back and forth, and I know I am not nearly close to discovering all the good things it has to offer and have not sufficiently explored all of its neighborhoods (for example, I rarely find myself in Montmartre, or in Charonne, and some day I’d like to eat my way through rue des Martyrs). I’ve not been to the 20th arrondissement, which is where the epicenter of hipsterdom has moved to. I have not yet been to the Catacombs (very ungoth of me), and I’ve never had any luck record shopping in Paris. So this guide is flawed and deeply personal, and I am all ears if you want to add to it.
For the aesthetically inclined and designed conscious there is probably no better place on earth than Tokyo. And for science fiction fans it’s probably the closest thing to encountering another humanoid civilization – things are similar enough and foreign enough in Tokyo to make it all the more exciting, even though in the last couple of years the intractable march of globalization of culture has left an indelible stamp on the city. I’ve been to Tokyo three times and by now feel confident enough to write a guide of sorts. Because there is so much to do and see here, I decided that the best approach is to break it down by neighborhood rather than the list of places, because there are too many of them. Tokyo is vast – don’t even think about spending less than a week here. I’ll list the neighborhoods more or less in order of preference or proximity to each other. Aside from these recommendations, the best advice I can give you is to get lost in the wonderful maze of Tokyo’s streets – because the best spots are often in the back alleys off the main thoroughfares. You’ll need your GPS.
To say that Kyoto is a magical city is like saying that Francis Bacon is a great artist – neither words nor pictures can relate the firsthand experience. The feeling of peace that washes over you as you stroll the zen gardens or feel the wooden floors of Buddhist temples creak under your unshod feet. Even the hordes of tourists cannot spoil the experience if you are in the right mindset. There is no season when Kyoto is not full of visitors, or at least I have not experienced it. There are ways to avoid them somewhat by visiting the smaller temples, but no way to avoid them by visiting the bigger ones, but visit them you must, at least on your first trip. But you would also be missing out if you viewed Kyoto as just a temple destination; exploring its rich fabric of shops, restaurants, and a maze of architecture is a joy in itself. If you want to do it right, you’d probably need a week or so.
In any other year I would probably be in London today. Think of this guide as an exercise in catharsis, and not only for me. Perhaps you’ll read it and it will inspire you to visit London whenever you can travel again.
Japan is my favorite place to travel to. I cannot do this now, but I can still visit all the Japanese or Japan-inspired places in New York.