Saturday, June 9, 2007

A Comedy of Errors 1

Okay, mi amici...this is going to take a while so sit back and relax. In fact, let's call this installment one 'cause it's going to take me a while to get caught up...

All four flights (it's halfway around the world, you know) were smooth and uneventful (on the way from NYC to Rome I got to listen to the life story of a very nice woman from Long-gisland who went to high school with Rosie O'Donnell) so much so that I actually slept on each of them and arrived in gray, drizzly Venice not much worse for the wear on Thursday afternoon, about 2:00 local time.

And then...no bag! I was surprisingly calm, had every piece of information they needed and figured the good news was I wouldn't have to lug the thing from the airport - by boat and then over cobbled streets and bridges - into Venice.

Marcia was waiting (our cell phones worked perfectly) - she had arrived earlier via Lufthansa - those Germans never lose a bag - and we decided to spring for a water taxi - the most expensive way to get from the airport into the city. Ha!!! Not even a one-inch stack of Euros will get you a water taxi when the press is in town for Biennale previews. So, on to the Alilaguna - the transport that runs from the airport into town. It's now about 3:00 p.m. What we didn't figure out, however, was that Alilaguna means "all around the lagoon" (DUH!) and so about an hour and a half later (after a wait of more than half an hour for the right Alilaguna standing elbow to elbow with a huge crowd on what is best described as a floating, rocking holding pen) we disembark at Zattere, drag the bags over three bridges, no make that four bridges, and come face to fact with our truly lovely palazzetto. It's in on a tiny canal in a very beautiful residential neighborhood, just around the corner from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, etc.

It's now 6 something, we have 7:00 dinner reservations at a place across town which we still have to find on a map and then figure out a route and but first we have paperwork to do - the apt. version of hotel check-in. Keep in mind, please, we have been travelling for about 48 hours.

The apt. is quite large - especially the two bedrooms - very comfortable with an incredibly well-equipped kitchen (Wanda!), good water pressure (very important) and it was easy to instantly feel "here." Yes, I'll post pictures at some point...

Okay...I'm done for now - will be back to you as soon as I can with dinner details from Ristorante Alle Testiere, the rest of the story...and photos.

Ciao...


Wednesday, June 6, 2007

So 4:30 in the morning is much too early to arrive anywhere, especially L.A. - but there I was. Starbucks wasn't even open yet!

Moments before boarding, the celebrity march began. Having never watched "Grey's Anatomy," I'm not sure if Patrick Dempsey is McSteamy or McDreamy or Doctor Demento but there he was in serious need of an espresso, a shower, a shave, and a hairbrush would have been good, too. Yuck.

On the other hand, political consultant James Carville is much taller, much thinner and, dare I say, much better looking in person than he is on CNN or CBS or NBC or wherever else he pundits.

Smooth sailing to JFK and here I am in the Alitalia's Business Class Lounge which might as well be in Rome 'cause I think I'm the only one here reading the New York Times. There's a soccer game on the big, flat screen TV - Italian and LIT (I'm guessing that's Lithuania, does Lithuania even field a soccer team??) - and listening to/watching the Italian men - young and old - cheer and jeer at every play.

Time for an espresso....next time I write will be from beautiful Venice.

Ciao, mi amici...

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Leavin' on a jet plane...

My bags are packed (mostly), I'm ready to go (just about)...
Still need to get in one last workout at the gym (will it REALLY matter?!).
Then home for the final final preparations.
A ride down the hill compliments of the Kula Cab Company (aka friend Gill), a quick dinner, and on to the airport.
Scheduled to arrive in Venice on Thursday afternoon (yes, it is a LONG haul from out here in the middle of the Pacific) and will post as soon as I'm settled in and then often as I can.
Ciao...