More feet please

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A large number of foot fetishists search Flickr for photos, judging by the number of hits my shoe and feet photos get. What’s so fascinating about feet? They’re all different, and shoes are like icing on a cake (however, not a cake that I’d like to eat). One can learn a lot about a person with just a glance at the feet.

Washington Square Park
“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” A fashionably clad foot with polished toes.

MOMA crowd
“Look at me!” Gladiator sandals at the MOMA.

Washington Square Park
“Functional yet stylish.” Comfy shoes and roomy pants made for walking.

Foot of handsome gentleman
“A semi-free spirit.” Heel slightly dirty but clean shoes.

Keens...the best travel shoes
“Practical and cute.” My cushy Keens in India. Perfect travel shoes.

Art I bought in Chelsea. The artist paints layers of texture and color on bike maps.
“Granola art lover”. My Birkenstocks next to a poster I’d just bought in New York.

Shoes at the Vatican
“Exhausted tourist and Happy tourist.” The same Birks at the Vatican. My feet would have been MUCH happier in his shoes. This one got 1,000 views. Why? WHY?

Vatican visitors
“Oh, the places these boots have been.” Tattered boots at the Vatican.

Custom-made shoes at VIAJIYU
“Precious shoes for precious people.” Handmade shoes in Florence, Italy. Worth $500? Perhaps not.

Shy happy toes
“Shy girl.” The perfect pedicure at the beach.

In the spirit...
“Shall we dance?” A whimsical dame in San Francisco.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2010
“Earthy dude.” Squatting to dig a sandcastle, heels worn smooth.

Atrabilarios by Doris Salcedo
“Grim.” Shoe of a female gone missing in Columbia. Sealed into the gallery wall with a slice of cow’s bladder and stitched with animal hair. From Doris Salcedo’s Atrabilarios, which means defiant.

Airbnb apartment in the Village

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I’ve spent perhaps my last night in an Airbnb apartment.

During this, my third Airbnb experience, I stayed in a small apartment in Greenwich Village. The location couldn’t have been better. Macdougal Street near the Comedy Cellar and dozens of restaurants and little shops — including my fave Ben’s Pizzeria. One block from Third Rail, a great coffeehouse that serves Counter Culture coffee. Two blocks from Washington Square Park. Three blocks from the subway.

One of the fun things about travel is the element of surprise. You get lost and end up seeing the sun set behind a row of brownstones. You come across a parade or labor union strike, perfect for taking pictures. Or you happen to sit next to an old friend from home at a play.

I like surprises.

This Airbnb apartment offered one too many surprises. The small curtained shower, located in the kitchen, was not designed for a modest guest. How one would undress discretely in this main room of the apartment to step inside the shower remains a mystery. Still, this wasn’t the end of the world.

The toilet was in the hall — not a hall in the apartment, rather, the hall of the apartment building. A toilet in a tiny locked closet of a room. This wasn’t clear in the ad. It was inconvenient, but again, not the end of the world.

I draw the line at strangers opening my bedroom door. The guy sounded as shocked to see me as I was to hear him gasp. This happened to me at a previous Airbnb apartment, except the bedroom door there had a lock so the guy didn’t get in.

Airbnb is hit or miss in my experience. Some surprises are more acceptable than others.

People of Raleigh

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These pix are from Artsplosure, an annual festival of artists from around the South selling their wares. I enjoy meeting the artists and learning what inspires them. Jewelry, paintings, pottery, clothing — there’s something for everyone.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2010

This guy certainly knew how to pose! His mom, the artist, slept next to him in a chair. He said go ahead, take a picture of her. I somehow resisted.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2010

I loved the contrast between this girl’s green eye shadow and the red streaks in her hair. Plus she was wearing a beautiful flowing rainbow-colored dress.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2010

Artist Paul Flack hamming it up for the camera.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2009

Cute young couple I spotted under a tree. How nice of them to pose for me. Ah, young love! I wonder if they’re still speaking to each other.

Raleigh Artsplosure 2009

One of the fire-eating Aerial Angels, a group of aerial acrobats, contortionists, and ladies with other artistic talents.

People of San Francisco

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Cute boy in Mission District, San Francisco

Walking around in the Mission District, I came across this young boy asking folks to sign a petition to provide health care to the poor. He seemed so sweet and sincere.

Arab woman and child in the Mission District, San Francisco

This is my favorite photo from San Francisco. I passed these two ladies somewhere in the Mission District and wanted to take their photo. They didn’t speak English, so I held up my camera and smiled. The mother lit up and sat down with her daughter. Their smiles. The little girl’s frizzy ringlets and red nails. The sequin heart on her shirt. I love everything about this photo. I wish I could have asked them some questions, but alas, I only know English.

Street vendor in Mission District, San Francisco

“I used to be handsome,” the street vendor joked when I asked to take his photo.

Muir Woods

In Muir Woods, this boy sat watching his sister and mom fighting. His sister did something to revoke her cell phone privileges. As they argued, he cried, “STOP! STOP!” I felt so bad for him.

The yawning interloper

I just wanted a picture of the Lenny Kravitz lookalike in the foreground. The yawning guy snuck into the frame, which I didn’t realize at the time.

Star the basset hound

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Blaze Star Vega (or “Star”) was the tail wagger in a litter of basset hound puppies. For 12 years, she turned out to be the best dog a girl could have. Sweet. Great with kids except when she knocked them down. Mellow. The perfect cuddler. She died in 2007 and I miss her to this day. Do not believe the rumors. Basset hounds are not dumb. They understand what you ask them to do. They simply choose not to do it.

Ready for a ride with the top down
Here she is in my old beloved Miata.

Curled up closeup
Curled up in her blanket (it still smells like her).

Star the vamp
What a flirt.

Squint!
Stop taking pictures, Mom!!!!

An evening at Drag Bingo

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The Alliance of AIDS Services – Carolina hosts Drag Bingo to raise money to support those living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. You play bingo (not that fun in itself) while watching high-heeled, lipstick-laden, bejeweled he-women pounding the stage (that’s the fun part). Trust me, you’ve gotta experience it at least once. Watching the audience is part of the fun. It’s a mixture of all gender preferences. The leather-clad gentlemen, in particular, are fun to observe.

For each event, there’s a different theme. TV Moms. Madonnarama. Pop stars. Viva Las Vegas. Here’s Marilyn Merlot belting out some showtune. I really like the blurry watercolor effect…and those glistening red lips.

Marilyn Merlot

Homeless man in San Francisco

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Mom and I met in San Francisco in July 2010 to tour Napa Valley. We spent a day driving around the San Francisco area, visiting John Muir forest, Fisherman’s Wharf and, of course, City Light Books, former literary home of the Beat writers. Three floors of Heaven, the site of Allen Ginsberg’s historic reading of Howl. Such a rich history. Imagine who stepped into that bookstore in the past — Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Burroughs!

City Lights Bookstore at night

One morning I wondered around the Cyril Magnin and Ellis area as dozens of people rushed to work. I wanted to take a picture of one of the homeless folks asking for money. The toothless woman was belligerent, so I decided to move on.

Then this guy came along. Not sure how I introduced myself to a homeless man. Perhaps “Hey, do you mind if I take your picture?” sufficed. I asked a few questions about how he got there, the answer to which consisted of the words “Fresno,” “prison,” and “parole.” He moved slowly and seemed so worn down, poor guy, and understandably so. Sand peppered his beard, as if he’d been sleeping on a beach. I wanted to know more if he cared to talk but felt I’d worn out my welcome.

He’s holding the only money I had with me.

Homeless man in San Francisco
Homeless man in San Francisco

On traveling alone

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Friends ask me what I like about traveling alone. I’ve enjoyed it so much, I wondered myself. Am I a closeted misanthropist? Why not spend these great moments with a friend?

Here are a few of my favorite aspects of solo travel:

  • The ability to get lost in the sights, sounds, and sensations around me
  • The freedom to do what I want at a moment’s notice
  • The sense of accomplishment at finding my way alone, relying on Google Maps and my questionable navigational skills
  • The gratitude for surviving scary moments alone

Solo travel drives home the silver lining of being geographically lost. In Pune, India, I walked off the beaten path near a popular shopping area and found myself the only white American girl in a Muslim neighborhood. Sadly, I know little about the Muslim faith other than through sensationalized stories on the news.

Stern men, congregated outside the houses, stared as this lone woman wound her way through the streets, trying desperately to remain calm. My heart beat madly even after finding the main road. How thankful I was to feel safe again.

The stern men most likely wondered how this stranger ended up in their neighborhood. Here’s the “beaten path” I enjoyed exploring before wandering off.

Neighborhood I enjoyed *before* walking off the beaten track
Neighborhood I enjoyed *before* walking off the beaten track

I traveled to India with a friend, however, wandering around alone was essential.

Getting lost in the moment is essential for taking good photos. I can take pictures with friends, but I want to be with them, not trying to capture the moment with someone or something else. For example, walking down Madison Avenue alone, I escaped into the reflections of this Ralph Lauren window display.

Ralph Lauren window display
Ralph Lauren window display

Capturing the moment is most satisfying, whether I’m alone or with someone else. I was sitting next to Jessica near the Vatican when this photo presented itself.

A moment with the pizza guy in Rome
A moment with a stranger in Rome

Another Airbnb adventure, this time on the Upper East Side

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Aimee and I spent a long weekend in New York City in May. We both love art and wanted to see the Whitney Museum of American Art in its new Chelsea location. The new building has spectacular views of Manhattan. If you’re forced to visit (say, with a friend or partner), spend your time enjoying the views from one of the balconies or inside on one of the comfy couches overlooking the city.

View from the Whitney Museum of American Art
View from the Whitney Museum of American Art

In An introduction to NYC from Airbnb, I described my first Airbnb adventure in a $60/night room with a shared bathroom. This time, because I was sharing the expenses with Aimee, we splurged on an apartment on the Upper East Side. The apartment was on Lexington near 72nd. We passed dozens of expensive clothing stores and restaurants to get there.

The apartment was sandwiched between Swifty’s restaurant and Lexington Gardens floral/antique shop. The narrow glossy black door opened to two flights of steps and a 500-square-foot apartment. Two spartan rooms and a renovated bathroom. A teensy kitchenette with a small refrigerator occupied one corner of the front room. I figured this was the typical Manhattan apartment.

People spend thousands of dollars a month on such tiny living spaces, surrounded by elegant restaurants and clothing stores they can’t afford to step into. What’s it like to have those constant reminders as you walk to and from the subway every day?

Aimee and I walked alone from the Theatre District to the apartment on 10 p.m. Friday night. Businesses and even restaurants had closed.

The apartment was clean, quiet, and safe. Only $250/night. The tiny apartment in this sleepy area is fine if you rely on the rest of the city for food and entertainment. Visit Airbnb to take a look.

Stay tuned to read about my next Airbnb experience in Greenwich Village, one of my favorite areas in Manhattan.