LEONE

Best train ride home so far!

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:43:27 -0400

Best train ride home so far!

The prodigal son returns...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:32:58 -0500

So I managed to wait until after the most important semester of my education to write on this damn thing, but I guess thats just my style. Its lat and I don’t feel like writing much, so Ill just say that Jeff Kipnis is awesome; but not as awesome as New York Pizza! nite’

Photo

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:11:41 -0400

Back in the states, soon to be back home

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:05:59 -0400

well, my plan to update my two followers on the festivities of my experience abroad was needless to say (and somewhat expectedly) unsuccessful. However to my defense computers in Europe were hard to come by and time to use them even tighter. So I thought Id take a few minuets to reflect on my travels before my maddeningly long drive tomorrow (to be made better by a short rendevouz in pittsburgh, happy chili?) and fill you dedicated readers in on what I’ve been up to.

My trip started where one would least likely expect an architectural tour to begin: Dublin Ireland. It was my first taste of Europe (it turns out NZ and Australia are considered Oceania). My accommodations were terrific, as my buddy Paul has relatives in the cities suburbs. Once acclimated we took to the city to do the most authentic Irish thing we could think of: tour the Guinnes brewery and Jameson factory. Needless to say we ran into a lot of americans. On another occassion we went to newgrange, a burial site (that I had never heard of) that is 500 years older then the pyramids. yeah you read that right. thats fucking old.

The “real” trip started in Athens, Greece: a tropical Mediterranean city that needs to be sponsored by some sort of sunscreen. This was an appropriate location for our tour, because we got to see the very beginnings of architecture (or at least as much as we westerners care). It would have been a wonderful start…had the city not been on the verge of revolt. Perhaps one of the most memorable nights in Greece, and perhaps the entire trip, was standing atop mt. whatever (not its real name, I just dont remember). My eyes still slightly red from my run-in with tear gas at dinner, in the distance: a FULL lunar eclipse, in the bckground: an illuminated Pantheon glowing like a beacon over the city, in the foreground: 300000 protestors in the city square of Athens. Surreal is the only way to describe that moment.

After visiting some ancient Greek sites, some more memorable then others, we hopped on an overnight ferry to Italy. The drinks were too expensive, and the AC didnt work, but we did find a disco-tech with 80s european dance music, so it was more then made up for. Enter Rome. Walking around Rome was somewhat of a mindfuck. I found myself having to remind myself that I was actually there, and what I was looking at was the real deal. We managed to see all of Rome in two days (and I had a half dollar sized blister on my foot to prove it) To recap everything we saw would take forever, so Ill just say the highlights were the humbling experience of walking through the Vatican, standing in Absolute awe in The Pantheon, and seeing the original starchitects, and my favorite designers of all time, Bernini and Boromini (suprisingly, I enjoyed san quarinale much more)

Venice was equally exciting. Just to give you the gist of things, we saw a lot of shit and walked everywhere. Unfortunately the cast of the Jersey shore left a week before we arrived, so we begrudgingly had pizza at the shop where they worked. We also went to the first nightclub of the trip, which would eventually be shat all over by Germany, but well get to that.

Lets see, After a few more cities in Italy went to Prague, were dinner cost 240 crown (about 15 dollars). We also got a personal our of Villa Mueller by adolf Loos. Pretty cool. Prauge also happens to be home to the largest nightclup in middle europe. also pretty cool. despite our short stay i was amazed at the beauty of the city.

Our longest stay of the trip was in Vienna, Austria, where we we housed in apartments for 5 days. Austria was a lively city, and one that everyone soon took to. Its hard to dislike a city that has a bar simply called “absynthe” down the street from you. We also had our first free day, which after a few hours of walking around consisted of preparing for the pot-luck dinner on the rooftop later that night. I decided to go Italian an make Penne alla vodka, a dish I had never prepared before, with a recipie I did not have. Fortunately my Italian genes kicked in and to my suprise/delight I made some kick ass pasta.

Enter Germany. Perhaps the Highlight of the Trip, Germany was a country I had little knowledge of beforehand. I mean, they tell you all about their buildings, but little more. Germany quickly appealed to me because they serve sausage everywhere and beer is a part of everyday life; sounds like a place I can get comfortable in. We traveled all throughout the country, so to save time I will just go over the highlights. In dessau we got a tour of the Bauhaus, yes the fucking bauhaus. Gropius at his finest. In Leipzig we went to a BMW plant and saw Zahas new building. I didnt really like it, but walking through the plant and watching cars being made kicked ass. In Berlin we saw the national gallery by Meis Van der Rhoe, the monument to the murdered jews, the jewish museum, and corbs habitat. But perhaps the best memory will be walking out of a nightclub with the sun already up (cant do that in Italy).Another memory I will always treasure happend in Wurzburg. Our trip relied on individual presentations of buildings to aquint us with each visit. On the day when I was to present the Wurzburg residenz, an building I could only find about a paragraph of information on, we first stopped by a city to sample smoked beer (tasted like bacon) and then did a tour of the Wurzberg winery. All in all I had 5 drinks in the span of an hour and a half, not counting the gin from my flask. flsh forward to me standing in front of 40 people, the room spinning, talking about a building I knew nothing about. It wasn’t my best presentation.

We spent a few days in Swizerland. In Basel we saw a bunch of Hurzog and Demeuron buildings (it seems like they designed every other building there) and payed 15 dollars for McDonalds big mac. The highlight however had to be in Vals, however, where we stayed in THE zumthor baths. Well, the hotel next to them, but we go to go into the baths at free will. the guy may be a pot head, but he sure can design a good bath house.

We had on day in France to see the Chapel at Ronchamp along with some earlier corbusier villas. to write about how amazing they were would be an understatement, so Ill just say they defied imagination.

Our last city was Munich, home to the no. 1 and 2 largest beergartens in the world. We went to both. Munich was as exciting as it was beautiful. Though there was plenty to see, the pace of the trip was beginning to take its tole, and we began to look homeward. After a few site visits we said our goodbyes, sang carmen ohio, and then they were off. My flight was a day later so we took advantage of our free day and took a bike tour of Munich with an energetic Aussie tour guide. The next day we hopped on a plane, and so started our 5 day trek back to columbus. First stop in Dublin, where it all began, where I saw myfriend Kristin who had just ended her study abroad with buffalo. Then another flight to Chicago, where we ran into my friend Britney from high school. Then a 12 hour megabus overnight to Columbus. And now I sit here, once again writitng about a trip about to commence, though this one probably not nearly exciting. It was nicd haveing all the details of my life planned out for me for 6 weeks, but now I go home to no job, no priorities, basically a big question mark.

So that was my expericence abroad, or at least what Im capable of writing right now. It was quite an increadible journey, and one that I wont soon forget. I now leave you to continue packing for my trip home tomorrow, where I will have 11 hours with nothing but my shiney new cd player and time to think about what I will do until my last year in school starts.

later

wadda country

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:00:17 -0400

became official taste testers for the Jameson company, saw a tomb that is 500 years older then the pyramids, and oh yeah, managed to find time to beat Halo 3 somewhere in there. Off to Greece to “start” my European adventure. This should be interesting…

not a ginger to be seen...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:16:48 -0400

So Ive been in Dublin for 2 whole days now. In that time three major myths about Ireland have been dispelled. First of all, there are little to no gingers here, second, the bars close at 2 and there is no open container law, and third, everyone here hates Guinnes. How dissapointing. What isnt disapointing, however, has been my time here. On the first day of our trip I stumbled into an old friend in the Guinnes brewery, probably the most likely of places to see another American in Dublin, and weve been hanging out with her since. Its nice to seea familiar face, and having a group of four (shes traveling with her cousin and I with Paul) to counter the four losers that left us for London has made our time more worthwhile. Irelenad is not at all what I imagined. Its almost summer here, and It feels like late fall. The sun does not go down until 11pm, which makes guaging time and/or sleeping quite difficult. Tomorrow is supposed to be torrential downpours, so it looks like it will be a video game / local match / local bar day.

Anyways, much to accomplish before we leave on Tuesday, afterwhich the trip will actually begin!

till then, cheers

Europe in 30...

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:58:58 -0400

I literally leave for Europe in 30 min (actually chicago, but who cares). Its been something at the back of my head for months, but Im usually not excited about traveling until I get on the plane. I must admit, part of me is a little scared, not so much of the flight or of something new, but of the billions of unexpected anomalies that can happen overseas. despite my smalls worries, Ive done this before, and as I always say: don’t worry about the things you cant change. However anxious I may be, I am ten times more excited for what Im going to see. The acropolis, Pantheon, MAXII museum, and 1277568 more, this is gonna be sweat…

The end?

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:33:00 -0400

well, this sunday marks the last weekend of my first year of graduate school. Its been quite a ride. I guess you can say Im not the same person I was going in…..is that good? well see. Final on tuesday, plane on wednesday: Europe for 5 months

8 days till europe...

Tue, 31 May 2011 21:12:20 -0400

the title is pretty self explanatory

happy chiri?

Tue, 24 May 2011 20:28:00 -0400

so Bethany, this yinzer whos still madly in love with despite the fact that I remind her of the two biggest dorks on TV (care to guess who?) wont stop nagging me (her finest talent) to keep this bog going, because clearly my life is soooo interesting. Anyway, my studio has been done for a week now and my liver has been suffering the consequences. I shouldnt brag too much because despite my studio’s demise, there is two more weeks left of school and everyone else is still working. So to fill the void in my life that studio and or Bethany usually fills, I’ve been updating my portfolio for the ever-approaching real world, and paying way to much attention to my students studio projects (who against all odds have terrific projects). So I guess you can say my life has been pretty epic and will continue to be so until another inevitable studio comes my way.

As I learned in undergrad: enjoy the high times, because the the fall is always around the corner…

happy birthday Dad

edm

Sun, 22 May 2011 19:29:52 -0400

So i went to an EDM party last night (electronic dance music)……………..awesome.

hello again...

Fri, 20 May 2011 21:04:32 -0400

at the insistence of my old friend Bethany, or more affectionately known as “chili” (who is still madly in love with me btw) I decided to once more post on my blog. I was going to recap my year in a lengthly blog, about all the concerts, the all nighters, the alchohal, the four day birthday bender (winning!) the first (and last) date, the women (just kidding) the heartbreak and the triumph, but then I realized that no one probably gives a shit. So instead Ill start off this new string of hopefully frequently more posts by saying that my time in Columbus has been intense, immense, and some other “ense” word. I have changed, I have reflected, and I am better for it. However with two weeks left until the halfway point, and 2.5 weeks until my first visit to Europe, I find myself once again at a loss of words, wondering how Ill ever get out of this world alive. And don’t worry, cuz for once its nice not to have everything in life figured out…

enjoy the end of the world everybody…

Greetings from Columbus

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:42:51 -0400

So this post is more then likely overdue, mostly because Ive been in Ohio for about 25 days. Today is my third day of Graduate School. Thats right, Danny went to G-school.So far, Ive managed to get a studio desk with a computer (only a 50 percent chance) meet Jeffry Kipnis, become an avid bike rider, and buy MUSE tickets (!!!!!). After a quick rendezvous with the Buffalo gang, I took the 9 hour drive up with the family to move into my furnished apartment. So far I haven’t seen a Football game, but its only a matter of time ;) The people here are nice, and despite what Im used to at Buffalo, the Grad students here are from alllll over the place. The town is much more active then Im used to in Buffalo, with a lot more artsy venues for craft beer and whiskey. The architecture building, or should I say my condo, is the best arch. school building in the land (seriously) So all is well, for now. Just a little anxious to see how things are when the pressure starts to grow. Till then, GO BUCKS!

330AM

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:33:11 -0400

despite my attempts at sleep tonight, I was awoken by not one but two acquaintances. The first being my inebriated friend, the other my sister texting the wrong person. I guess I never had a chance. Columbus in 11…

my latest professional undertaking

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:57:01 -0400

my latest professional undertaking

hello again

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:55:05 -0400

I came to realize that the whole point of having a blog is to write stuff in it. Being that Im almost positive no-one reads this thing, it probably has gone unnoticed, however I thought it might behove me to put something in this little blog of mine. So whats new with me? still working from the goodness of my heart (which is latin for working for free). however, not many jobs out there allow me to play with photoshop all day ;) the sister got married, and after 5 days of waiting for the dust to settle, the only thing on my mind at present is Columbus Ohio. booked a quick trip to buffalo to see some old buddies for labor day weekend, then off to school pt. 3!

vote for it...

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:36:38 -0400

vote for it at http://threadless.com/submission/285311/lady_liberty

lady liberty

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:34:47 -0400

lady liberty

Lately I’ve been working for an architect in Northport. He...

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:34:28 -0400

Lately I’ve been working for an architect in Northport. He doesn’t pay much (well, he doesn’t pay at all to tell the truth) however it allows me to spend the day working on photoshop, and what better lifestyle is there then that?

A few shots from our tour of Canada…

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:54:24 -0400

A few shots from our tour of Canada…