triggerhappymedia

Golden Gate Park. Maybe the de Young Museum houses the finest modern art, and the revamped Academy of Sciences was made possible by contributions from the greatest scientific minds, but the true gentleman of San Francisco spends his time on the concourse in between. He makes wire sculptures of bathing Chinese women. And if you stop to take a picture of his work he will, quietly, take a picture of you taking a picture of his work.

 

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Trigger: Golden Gate Park

Brazilian dancing, African/French artist Kaysha’s music, English lyrics…just watch…

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Trigger: A couple, one love and the Zouk in Goiânia, Brazil

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Trigger: The SPACE

Here a strip mall, there a strip mall, everywhere a strip mall. Thank goodness for Phoenix’s small business owners for breaking up the monotony.

Central 7th Street is the place to be for an affordable boutique shopping experience. Look no further than The Trunk Trading Company for a sweet mix of vintage and new apparel, plus clothing and accessories made by local designers. On Saturday owner Jen Woodling hosted a Neon Party Sale complete with a DJ spinning shop rocking beats from the 90s.

Two very different finds included this handmade Audrey Hepburn-esque dress, and an animal print hoodie possibly inspired by Planet Unicorn. $26 for both.

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Trigger: Trunk Trading Co

In hipper times I met trip-hop artist Tricky. He asked me where I was from, and my answer made him smile. He told me that he liked Arizona and its “wicked weed”.

Now crystal meth has overtaken marijuana as the drug of choice in the valley. Several versions of this disturbing billboard have been placed in downtown Phoenix to call attention to this growing problem.

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Trigger: Arizona Meth Project’s “Not Even Once” campaign

Exploring how my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, has changed in the last ten years.

Wide open spaces no more.

No longer satisfied with multi-acre estate homes, the well-off are now actually choosing to live in the mall. Residents of the Waterfront at Scottsdale Fashion Square and Kierland Commons were keen to invest in million-dollar condominiums situated above huge shopping plazas.

The only logical reason for this phenomenon is that the city’s super rich were determined to have both the urban feel of condo-style living and the suburban comfort of having a Gap nearby. When the Arizona Republic asked one young couple why they purchased a Waterfront unit for more than the price of a single-family home, they were sure of their decision: why do we need a sprawling back yard for our daughter to play in when we live just steps away from a toy store?

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Trigger: “Home buyers trade in houses for mall living” by Lisa Nicita

More pics here.

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Trigger: Happy New Year from me and my favorite camel!

4/5/04
Piazza della Repubblica

20 short Italian men talking in front of a ferris wheel with breakdancers stretching in the corner while a girl on the merry-go-round shouts “Mamma!” and waves at every turn just like I used to do.

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Trigger: memories

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Cross it off the list: I’ve now walked New York City from top to bottom.

I met my brother and his friends on the train platform at 225th Street, where Manhattan almost touches the Bronx. The path was green and hilly as we headed through Isham Park and past the Cloisters. After that it was all concrete for the 15-mile journey.

We stopped only once for a slice of pizza. My brother gave me fair warning- if you sit down for too long, you won’t be able to get up again. So we kept going, pushing past the tourists in Midtown- and then looking like tourists ourselves in our baseball caps, sweaty T-shirts and tennis shoes- down Hudson Street and through Tribeca. Eight hours later we collapsed on the long benches at the bottom edge of Battery Park.

The cab driver didn’t ask, but I told him about my day.

“I don’t know why you did that,” he laughed, “but that’s pretty fantastic. I’ve got some aspirin somewhere here if you need one.”

For some way uptown shots (before my arms were too sore to lift the camera), click here.

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Trigger: NYC

I thought I had captured a scene straight out of the film Malèna on my recent trip to Porto Venere, Italy.

In the center of the photo is a stunning blonde woman, eyes downcast, dress blown open by the wind. An old woman looks disapprovingly in her direction. The jealous shopkeeper in the foreground almost confronts her in the middle of the street.

But then I took a closer look…

The blonde is just on her way to the beach.
The old woman is eyeing the ugly hats.
And the shopkeeper is eager to sell her one.

From near or from afar, one thing is for sure: Porto Venere è bellissima.
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Trigger: Porto Venere