Fried Original

 

Visited the Original KFC located in North Corbin, KY.   We were prompted by the billboards on the interstate while traveling which led us 3 or 4 miles off the exit ramp - not exactly efficient by today's standards.  The restaurant is housed in the original building which was once part of a larger gas station/motel complex.  While some of the integrity of what it once was remains, its more or less merely a modern KFC dropped in an antique store - original appliances and packaging are showcased throughout.

Some of the original packaging.  Charming.

100 lbs. of industrial seasoning?  Great generic label.

Learn more about this place.  Not that a trip should be necessary, but an interesting roadside attraction nonetheless.

Dallas Turn On

Inspired by this unconventional boutique shop in Dallas' Highland Park neighborhood.  They represent an artist using found objects to create objects that I really relate to.  The merchandise is a bit dark, but still tasteful and humorous.  Great designers, books & decor.  On top of being a lovely shop, they also do fresh flowers in the back.  Love the way they utilize unexpected materials that still look chic.  Visit Urban Flower Grange Hall.

Military Sexy

Trying to figure out an excuse for owning one of these.  Wish they made these when I was in scouts.

Job Envy: Anthropologie Buyer

Came upon this new show chronicling an Anthropologie buyer shopping the world.

Travel: Hard Bound

Just finished editing and uploading my book "PARIS 2 ROME." It's mainly image based, but with excerpts from blog posts as well as a daily travel log. You can preview the book and its contents by clicking my blurb.com badge.

PARIS2ROME WES...

By L. MATTHEW TROTTER

Book Preview

Travel Merchandise

Image for new product: available at holiday preview show.

Split Rail

I like the way the line seems to reproduce - peeling away from the center rail. I think this is our departure from Centraal Station in Amsterdam. It's much nicer without sound (or play your own music).

Oh, Martha

Although only six ingredients make up this stripped-down version of Roast Chicken, every detail is carefully considered - including the Brioche Stuffing. It's like roast bird for purists. This aired on Martha's Season Premiere courtesy of Eleven Madison Park (NY Times Four Stars) executive chef Daniel Humm.

While you may not find my name on their reservation list just yet, you may find me in the kitchen stuffing a chicken and roasting beets for Humm's simple, yet slightly exotic Beet Salad.

Don't miss this either.

50 Posts + 1

Just realized the last post was the 50th. Time to celebrate? Not yet. But here are some images I "stole" from the walls of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome.

Sunday Junk

Took a drive north of Sheboygan along Lake Michigan and stopped at a couple inconspicuous "antique" shops which ended up being more shelters of the used & abused than destinations for collectables. One had some great Red Wing stone wear, which I always adore, but other than that it was nothing more than glorified permanent garage sales in dilapidated buildings. That aside, I took a liking to the way these chairs were displayed.

As well as these dolls amongst some china and other serving ware.

And a well organized grouping of lighting fixtures - from lanterns to table lamps - all in a row along the wall of an old school house in an unspecified location in the country-side.

A charming day it was.

Photos Up

Finally got the photos off the floor and on the wall.  As much as I'd like to leave them where they are, I'm hoping they'll be out on another wall available for purchase soon.  The frames turned out nice (as much of a pain as they are) but I am considering options for upgrading to an even nicer version.

Travel Series

63 Blur. 20 X20. 2009.

Roman Underground. 16X20. 2009.

Milan Rising. 20 X20. 2009

I've been working on a series of Travel photos from the June trip to Europe. Above is a sampling of the images which I had printed at ookiimage. The obvious theme is travel, but more specifically the unexpected beauty of transportation and the constant movement associated with it. Plus, I couldn't overlook the food so there's a little of that in there as well.

Stripped Aesthetics

It was love at first site: I stepped foot in this store and was instantly attracted to the stripped, classic & thoroughly considered design it offered.

Revisiting Food: At the Table

Fresh herbal infusion of peppermint in Amsterdam.

Strawberry Tart in Milan from Princi.

Delicious fare from Happy Hour buffet in Milan.

Stocked up with local fare at the market in Florence to create this

delectable little stack of salami, crostini, pecorino and pesto.

Review: Cities Traveled & Accommodations

6/1: Boston, Harvard Square.(Mon) With a 9-hour layover during the day, we took the T into the city, walked around downtown and around the ICA, had lunch at cousin's restaurant,Uptown on the Square and visited the Harvard campus.

6/2: Paris, France. (Tues) Arrived around 8am. Took a train to the city center. Couldn't figure out how to exit train station for about 25 minutes. Mike had his train pass eaten. Walked for 3 hours with bags on backs through narrow streets stepping on toes of locals sipping from small cups. Visited Sacre Coeur.

6/3: Paris, France. (Wed) Took free tour of city landmarks. Walked around, beneath and through Eiffel Tower. More time at Sacre Couer and Montmartre area.

6/4: Paris, France. (Thur) Walked all around districts 1, 3 & 4. Took another tour, this time of Montmartre: visited Van Gogh's apartment, Picasso's studio, several locations from the film Amelie & the Moulin Rouge. Who knew we were staying in the red-light district, just blocks from the 4-story all-things-pleasure "Sexodrome?"

6/5: Paris, France. (Fri)Pompidou, Notre Dame, Louvre.


6/6: Paris, France/Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Sat)
Left Paris about 12:00. Arrived in Amsterdam about 5:30pm. Found Hostel. Walked around City Center. Red Light. (In that order.)

6/7: Amsterdam. (Sun)
Flea Market. Late Lunch at Cafe Smit & Voogt. Artis Zoo.

6/8: Amsterdam. (Mon) Wandered in and around the plant life at Hortus Botanicus. Delicious cookies fromBertram & Brood. Visited Anne Frank house.


6/9: Amsterdam. (Tues)Amsterdam Sex Museum (very educational) then Dutchies Rembrandt & Vermeer at theRijksmuseum. Train to Munich at 8:30pm, overnight.


6/10: Munich/München. (Wed)Loong night in train, arrived at 7:30am. Found A&O Hostel rather quickly. Laundry! Beers.


6/11: Munich. (Thurs) Walked around, found a square with beer, music and food (Wisconsin?). Mike's Bike tour of city landmarks, Hofbräühaus for more drinks and food.

6/12: Munich. (Fri) Took a tour to Dachau Memorial Site. Booked Milan Rail tickets & room.

6/13: Munich. (Sat) Took a day trip to Füssen: went in and aroundNeuschwanstein Castle. Paraglided over the castle and the foot of the alps. Biked around swan lake. Dinner at Carlton with Italian hostel friend.


6/14: Munich/Salzburg, Austria.(Sun) Day-trip to Salzburg, Austria: Sites from the Sound of Music,Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg), Mozarts home & birthplace, multiple churches, biked along Salzach River. Returned to Munich at 7:30pm for brats & beer garden. Then lots of rain.


6/15: Milan. (Mon) Left Munich at 9:30, arrived in Milan at 5:30. Took 2+ hours to find our room. Late dinner.

6/16: Milan. (Tues) Visited Milan's larger-than-life and very gothicDuomo. Lunch at stylish, yet affordable Princi. Later, happy hour at Mas! ,where, like most places, a hot delicious italian buffet is included with the price of one drink; mussels, pasta, pancetta and more. Love free food!


6/17: Milan/Como. (Wed) Day-trip to Como: watched bigger fish eat schools of littler fish from water's edge. Lunch by the lake. Also, fed swans and birds at the landing and watched them bathe. (We're easily entertained)


6/18: Nice, France. (Thur) Left Milan at 6:30. Arrived in Nice around 1:30. Checked into room, applied sunscreen then checked into beach and sun. Drinks & beach at night with other travelers.


6/19: Nice, France. (Fri) Lunch, Beach, out & about with a German, a Japanese and a French. Checked out "Wayne's."

6/20: Nice, France. (Sat) Visited beautiful Matisse Museum and his nearby burial site situated on the grounds of Roman Ruins in the Cimiez neighborhood. Train to Barcelona departs at 9:00 pm.


6/21: Barcelona, Spain. (Sun) Arrived around 1:00. Cleaned up. Just before leaving the hostel for to grab some food, met 3 of our roommates...from Wisconsin. Grabbed some food with them.


6/22: Barcelona, Spain. (Mon) Day at the beach with our roommates. Las Ramblas. Had tapas dinner them then went out as they do in Spain: very late.

6/23: Barcelona, Spain. (Tues)Tired. Lots for the tummy and the eyes at the Market. Hiked up to Antonio Gaudi's Park Guell after seeing his yet unfinished Sagrada Familia. Happened to be in town for Revetlla de Sant Joan (Eve of Saint John's Day). Another long night.


6/24: Nice, France. (Wed) Travel Day. Making our way back towards Italy. Got as far as Nice. Staying the night, leaving early. 


6/25: Florence, Italy. (Thur) Got out of Nice, and into Florence via Pisa by 5pm. Met a couple travelers headed our way staying at a camping "hostel." Checked into Camping Michelangelo early that evening.


6/26: Florence, Italy. (Fri) Got up early to visit the expected Uffizi Gallery (Birth of Venus) and The Accademia (David). Returned to the camp in the early afternoon for drinks and downpour-only second bit of precipitation of the trip (lucky).


6/27: Florence, Italy. (Sat) Mercato Nuovo leather shopping...all day? Walking and eating too.


6/28: Rome, Italy. (Sun) Early up and out of Florence. Check into Camping Village Rome-better than Florence: pools, live music, bar. Got some sun and dinner with some others + great blues band.


6/29: Rome, Italy. (Mon) Colosseum, ruins, etc., etc. Overload!


6/30: Rome, Italy. (Tues) Vatican, Walk about.

7/1: Rome, Italy. (Tues) National Gallery of Modern Art (Very cool).  Flight at 6:00pm to London.  Lay-over until 6:00am next day.

7/2: Chicago.(Tues) Not much sleep in airport overnight.  Left around 7:00am.  Got into Chicago at 10:30am, quick customs.  Car troubles, stop in Milwaukee, home at 10:00pm. And its over.

ACCOMODATION RATING

Village Hostel, Paris ***
Vintage Hostel, Paris ***
Travel Hostel, Amsterdam **
A&O Hostel/Hotel, München ****
Hotel Piazza, Milan **
Hotel des Flandres, Nice **
Gothic Point, Barcelona ***
Camping Michelangelo, Florence ***
Plus Roma Camping Village, Rome ****


**** A keeper.
*** Reasonable, suitable.
** Okay, but not recommended.
* Never return. Yuck.

Revisiting Food: Markets

Paris Fruit Stand.

Milan fruit spread or still-life?

Barcelona's Boqueria Market...Dragonfruit...

...and squash blossoms.

Tents Over Florence

On our way to Florence we met some travelers that booked a night in a campground. It sounded cheap and like a nice change of pace. We followed along until we arrived at Piazze Michelangelo, then walked 5 minutes to the site.

Less a campground than a camping resort, the place is a jem. Had we brought our RV we'd have stayed in that but instead opted for a canvas tent on a platform with bunkbeds. We dropped our stuff and checked out the market, bar and ammenities. Not only is it clean, but the patio on the bar overlooks the entire city; the duomo itself seems to sit no further than a spit away. We sat there last night eating prosciutto di parma, pecorino and bargain chianti (maybe more than one bottle.) all from the on-site market. Good stuff.

More site-seeing tomorrow.

Long Nights Barcelona

Good internet access again for a little update:

Long travel day, very hungry so I won't say much.

Last night, though, was a crazy, crazy night. There was a buzz in the air early on- it was the Eve of Saint John. The streets were exploding with fireworks of all sizes, the constant banging echoing through the alley ways made it feel like we were in a war zone. It was of concern if and/or when we'd be near an explosion. After hiding out with some Sangria and pool with our Wisconsin pals, we caught a couple of cabs and headed to ground zero: the beach.

As far as you could see the beach was crowded with bodies, all moving to the excitement of the night. Fireworks continued to ignite on all sides of us-music blaring from every beach bar. It was a little hard to let our guards down with the constant threat of chaos all around. Nevertheless it was a really cool experience.

I can say we did manage to get home and catch a few hours of sleep before we left Barcelona. By 8am, on the way to the station, we said goodbye to the city all the while passing crowds still making they're way home from the beach.

Back in Amsterdam...

...at the Rijksmuseum, there was a machine to make video messages. This is us saying hi.

Not Responsible for Lost Items

No, this isn't our new friend. This is one of the top image results for "Nice, France."

However, it is an informative image-perfectly depicting the rocky beaches that draw those looking for a sun tan AND a hot stone muscle treatment (just lay your towel down, put your body on it and wiggle around).

That aside, the weather is gorgeous and we had a fun time last night with an Aussie and a group of Canadians. Too much fun, perhaps, as I had to walk home from the beach barefoot. I lost my sandals by the water, but that's another story.

And an update on our lowly-rated one-star hotel in Milan: Mike has confirmed that the 12-15 little red bumps on his hand, arms and legs are in fact bed bug bites. I wasn't as popular (nor would it have occurred to me to look into it) with the few spots Mike pointed out to me on my arm and leg. Ever since, he's been researching the little pests and has become quite educated on the topic.