Recently in Travel Category

If I had to choose one store in which to blow a ton of money I don't have, I would--without hesitation--throw it all away at LN-CC, aka Late Night Chameleon Cafe. Pretty much ground zero for the heppest of hep-cats in East London (and many a celebrity who book private appointments), LN-CC is a Kubrick-esque concept store, web shop, library, basement club, music hub, and mini style museum. I'm going to go ahead and declare it the coolest store in the world right now, because you know what? IT IS.

Launched in September 2010, LN-CC is the brainchild of seasoned buyers John Skelton and Dan Mitchell (formerly of Harrods and Oki-Ni). Boasting innovative and hard to find labels like Damir Doma, P.A.M, Saskia Diez, Folk, Tze Goh, and footwear brands like Silent and Yuketen, LN-CC takes their retail concept further by stocking art books, zines, and music. They also host DJ nights and art openings such as this month's Richie Culver exhibit and have recently introduced a sort of "thank you to our International customers" contest that will give away a free trip to London plus a £15,000 shopping spree at the store.

A place for inspiration as much as retail-ization, the LN-CC store itself is a dramatically minimal wonder. From a caged hallway tunnel to a series of individual rooms linked via untreated wood, soft lit concrete, and gravel pathways, it's a lifestyle store unlike any other. Here's a peek inside...

The Earth Room

The Light Room

The Library

The Warmth Room

Items from my wish list...

With a recent trip to Tokyo postponed (sadly) for obvious reasons, Mr. H and I decided to embark on an adventure to Japantown in San Francisco instead. There was rain mixed with pockets of sunshine, cocktails in hidden bars disguised as detective agencies, a mall straight out of Shibuya, too much shochu, a trip to a Galaxy Far Far Away, insanely good coffee, and a rumble with a gang of mice pretending to be Hamlet. Here are a few photos...

Souvenirs (from left): poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke and futuristic folkflore by Jasper Fforde from City Lights Books, French Star Wars t-shirt courtesy of Skywalker Ranch, Souplove recipe book and Fort Standard Merit Badge necklace from General Store, and borrowed Green Tea from Hotel Tomo, all atop a vintage scarf from an unnamed store next to Four Barrel coffee in the Mission district.

The mall in Japantown.

Hamlet mice at Paxton Gate.

Mission district restaurant, Commonwealth.

Luchador masks on the way to Humphry Slocombe.

Hayes Valley store Lavish wants you to put a bird on it!

The enchanting Muir Woods, or "Ewok Village" as Mr. H called it.

Not the cherry blossoms we hoped to see in Tokyo, but close enough. These brightened the Presidio, and after days of rain, the sun finally made a triumphant appearance in beautiful San Francisco. Still, as always, Japan remains in our hearts and minds. If you haven't already, please donate to relief efforts here.

Kyoto has these 11 things:

1. Trees that look like they're about to explode.

2. Smiling eighty year-olds on bikes.

3. Giggling geisha.

4. Dancing Care Bears.

The Dancing Bears of Kyoto from Verbose Coma on Vimeo.

5. Darkened alleyways that are both clean and safe.

6. Mysterious black cats and curious black birds that follow you in empty parks.

7. Restaurants on the 10th floors of office buildings that let you fry as much as you want tempura-style at your table for 90 minutes. Plus a button that you push for beer.

It was the middle of November. We boarded a quiet yet crowded JAL flight to Tokyo. Too excited to sleep, we watched movie after movie in cramped coach quarters while making friends with the tailored Japanese flight attendants who worked tirelessly in perpetual smile-mode. Upon arrival, we zipped to our hotel in Ginza, dropped our stuff, and then jumped headfirst into the sea of Shibuya a few train stops away. Despite not sleeping, despite a relentless haggle for a new room that wasn't musty or dark, and despite scarfing dry backpack snacks because the hotel restaurant was closed in the middle of the afternoon, we set out excitedly not wanting to miss a single second of the glittery gray wonderland that is Tokyo.

We were soon lost, sag-eyed and incredulous, in the swarm of Shibuya crossing. Then we were fingering through selections of design books at Tower Records whispering to each other, "Why wasn't our Tower Records ever as cool as this?!" Food was found (Belgian pomme frites and beer - sure!), people watching commenced, and before too long we dreamily nodded and dozed all the way back to Ginza begging our bodies to keep us awake just a few minutes longer. We didn't want to miss a thing.

Photos by Touristique.

Mr. H and I just got back from our ancestral homeland of Scotland. We visited our favorite chain restaurant Pizza Express, browsed through Old Town looking for vintage delights, and did our fair share of spirited imbibing (Czech beer and whisky respectively). We also attended a beautiful wedding in a castle just outside of Edinburgh, where we spent time sitting very close to a gregarious bagpiper and I did my traditional bum-on-dance-floor routine. What a glorious time! Here are a few pics from the trip taken with the ol' iPhone (more photos over at The Tourist):

A quiet evening in Edinburgh as the fog rolls in.

Flowers in bloom at the Bank.

A stylish gent through a hidden doorway.

Retail score! Vintage tea towel.

This New York Doll has high tailed it down to her ol' stomping grounds in Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Music Festival. I've already had Casino el Camino's famous Amarillo Burger (it burns so good) and am about to get this party started! Stay tuned for more highlights including Playboy Bunny chasing, taco tasting, cocktails with the Vanity Fair crew, and one night with Perez Hilton.

My partner in crime, "Mr. H", just returned from a wild adventure in the trenches of glittery Hollywood. Lucky for me, he brought gifts back with him. Here are some new additions to our cabinet of curiosities courtesy of the always awesome LA stores, Time Travel Mart, Family and Ooga Booga.

A vintage book:

Mono Kultur magazine featuring Miranda July:

Back of Mono Kultur:

A book Jen recommended:

Here and There magazine:

Cosmic Wonder Free Press:

And some vinyl for the ol' collection:

Ah, The Sads. So fantastic!

This album from The Sads is designed by Mike Mills:

I plan to sit cross-legged on the floor to feed my brain and ears with these West Coast delights. Mr. H may have gone on an intergalactic flashbulb ride with James Bond and Princess Leia's mom, but I'm gonna come out of the sticks with new tunes to hum and new quotes to strum.

"Glad you're back. Next time, I'm a comin'."

Just got back from Japan and boy am I tired! The jet lag is insane but so totally worth it. It was like living in the future over there. Like living in a dream world where everybody is polite and every toilet sings you a sweet melody. I can't wait to go back. Stories and pics soon...

Andi and Hamish, at the Hotel Amour.

Bonjour everybody! We've just returned from a whirlwind romp through the streets of Paris where Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing was traded in for guinea fowl with chestnuts and pumpkin pie roughly translated to "macaron" from the famed Ladurée. There are many stories to recount (let's just say that we'll never look at Batman and Robin in the same way again), but we'll let you know when the in depth words and pics from our epic journey are in print for an upcoming issue of CITY magazine. Even though the streets were paved with endless rain, the City of Lights perpetually filled us with sunshine.

Come back to us, Paris. We miss you. And your pain au chocolats.