There’s only so much of a place you can get from a postcard. Those little glossy tidbits usually display Photoshopped representations of the “best” of a city. Rarely will you get the daily life or quiet alleys that really exude the soul of a locale.

When I traveled through the Mediterranean, I kept my eye out for street art in each city. What I got was a flavor of the local community, spoken via graffiti and street signs: politics, subversion, apartments for rent and just general mischief. I’ve included, below, my collection of street art photos from Venice. I’ll post shots from other cities—including Athens, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome and more—as time goes on.

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Few museums are as peaceful as the Honolulu Academy of Arts. On days of reflection like today (read: too many parties last night), I like to mentally revisit the time spent there, wandering through the courtyards and diving deep into its collection of fine art. It may not compete with the Met or even the Legion of Honor, but it’s beautiful and impressive in its own right. It’s ironic that a place so quiet can instill so much energy inside. read more »

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor consistently ranks as my favorite museum in San Francisco. Up in the hills at the far west end of the city, it offers dramatic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. The architecture of the museum, with its striking courtyard and Rodin’s The Thinker, inspires photographs almost as much as the artwork inside.

Currently on exhibition is Pissarro’s People, an examination of the individuals that inspired French impressionist Camille Pissarro. I particularly liked his depictions of the marketplace. To describe his paintings as “bustling” feels odd, though accurate.

Finally, San Francisco is offered a chance to gaze upon Bernini’s Medusa, on loan from the Musei Capitolini in Rome. What makes this piece particularly unique is how he depicted her as sad and in pain, rather than utilizing the usual monstrous images others would. read more »

I recently visited Disney’s new Aulani Resort in Ko Olina, located in a beachside community thirty minutes west of Honolulu. I had been coming to this beach since it first opened when I was a kid, back when the water was absolutely clear and didn’t even sting your eyes when you opened them. The addition of the Aulani Resort definitely makes this area more happening. Free parking is virtually non-existent, though the crowds aren’t anywhere near Waikiki levels. With a lazy river, water playground and a snorkel pool with tropical fish, there’s plenty here to keep kids and adults occupied. And while the Disney presence is existent, it’s not overly expressed.

Good show, Disney.

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During a party on New Year’s Day, a friend asked if I had any recommendations on hostels in New York City, given I had spent some time there during a backpacking trip down the East Coast several years back. While I had an enjoyable time at the Hostelling International, I couldn’t really comment on the other hostels in the area.

I checked out the New York hostels listed on Hostelworld.com, a search engine I had used extensively for researching my upcoming trip to Rome. I was amazed to see so many great hostels listed (and very happy to see that the HI I stayed in was ranked #2).

Here are the results for highest-rated NYC hostels, according to Hostelworld.com reviewers, with average prices per night: read more »