2009 October « Travel Virus

Awesome Lugano

October 26, 2009 at 1:41 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

I was really looking forward to spend some time abroad, I was thinking Lugano is so small, always the same, same people… but when I was living there i forgot to appreciate the beauty of the lake, the safety and low bureaucracy of Switzerland, the familiar feeling in the university, so small and so intercultural…
And after being away for six months I must admit I really miss Lugano!! The lake, the mountains, the university, and above all… my friends!
As zucchero says ” è andando via che si rimane…”
It’s almost time to go back to Singapore, luckily it will be summer again there and i’ll come back to beautiful Lugano in spring!

St. Gallen

October 24, 2009 at 3:13 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

St. Gallen is a gracious little city in the north east of Switzerland, near lake constance (Bodensee). There is a prestigious management university there, the University of St. Gallen, specialized in management. The city is tiny and cute, very well kept and stylish. The people are all elegant and dressed up, the shop’s windows are fair of formality and stylish elegance… very expensive elegance!
The very center of the city is closed to cars, so it’s very enjoyable. There are several churches, of which one is really huge. The atmosphere is vibrant, especially around the market square, with fancy restaurants and clubs.
I was there to teach and experiment, and surprisingly it was very hot and we could hear the cows’ bells during the class

Atlantic City

Last week I attended the InfoVis conference, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The small city is a local tourist attraction for the many casinos along the Boardwalk, a long walking street on the beach side (see the pic).

There is no comparison with Las Vegas, but its peculiarity is the location on the sandy beaches. I was staying in Bally’s hotel (in the picture), which is one of the tallest hotel in the city. Others are more scenic, such as the Wild West and the TajMahal.

The conference was held inside the hotel, and just above the casino! Strange…

Lots of opportunities for shopping of all kind, from absolute kitsch & cheap, to high class brands like Guess, Armani, CK, etc.

My favorite part was to see the old grandmas in pinky cloths, going around the slot machines with their power chairs or walkers (deambulatore, in italiano) and gamling!! So cool! I wonder what my grandma would do in a casino ah ah!

Other attractions? walking on the beach, there is also a light house and an aquarium. I was indeed planning to visit the aquarium but the night I arrived a man was found dead, shot by six bullets, just nearby… so I didn’t get very far from the hotel.

Getting a taxi has also been not very pleasant… the first taxi driver told me “it’s going to be 13 $”. And I was thinking… they used to use meters in this country since very long time!! Where is this guy from? I arrive at the hotel and the meter says 7.80$: I give him 20 (didn’t have anything smaller) and he give me back 10…

Second attempt: I got a more friendly haitian driver, noel, with very fancy hairstyle; too bad he hasn’t been a driver for long, just got this job after loosing his previous one because of the recession. consequence: he doesn’t know the way around and can’t really drive on wet pavement… and the car spins half round, just near the wall! Thanks god there were no other cars near us.

Altogether, it’s an ok city, not my favorite in the united states. At least now I know why it was not on my US travel guide…

Philadelphia

October 14, 2009 at 2:17 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: America

On the way to the Infovis conference I landed in Philadelphia, here known as Philly, and met up with Darya, a friend from Lugano, who is a visiting phd student there. She planned a very nice tour of the city, which is full of historical buildings celebrating american history. The most famous landmarks are the Liberty bell and city hall, which is the biggest in the world. We spent the evening at the university city with the italian phds community and I enjoyed a delicious crab cake, a famous delicacy here. The reading terminal market is also not to be missed, for tasting some local and exotic food.

Moon on mid-autumn day

October 5, 2009 at 9:58 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Last Saturday Chinese people celebrated mid-autumn festival with mooncakes. It’s full moon and the story tells to look at the moon to feel connected to the beloved ones that live far away… very romantic

On my way back to Italy I brought mooncakes to my family and friends, to share with them this Chinese tradition… my relatives enjoyed to try it but my friends did not…mmm… not global citizens yet!

Too bad I wasn’t in Singapore to see the celebrations! The Chinese garden was all decorated with lanterns for the event!