Showing posts with label polaroid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polaroid. Show all posts
9:36 am
10:00 am
THIS IS MY CITY | Stanislava's Tokyo
We are very big fans of artist Stanislava Pinchuk, or Miso, here at Benah. When we found out that she splits her time between Melbourne and Tokyo we jumped at the chance to tap her for a city guide to the Japanese capital. We love her stories of hidden bars, French bookstores and vintage Chanel. This is Tokyo, by Stanislava.
one. Best thing about Tokyo? It never stops being inspiring.
two. Worst thing about Tokyo? That Tokyo sewerage waft.
three. Favourite secret spot? I have this tiny bar, right next to my place. I call it 'Best Friends Bar'... I'm not sure what the real name is. It's run by two old Shakespearean actors. They don't speak much English, but they seem to know all of Shakespeare in Japanese. They're also really good at darts. But because it's so small, the best thing is that you never know who you sit next to there, and you have to chat. Last time I was there I sat between a Michelin-star chef and a sex toy company CEO. I recently got a text from a friend that's also a regular, that said; "I'm at Best Friends Bar, sitting next to the original blue Power-Ranger. He makes wigs now." It's that kind of place.
four. Favourite everyone-knows-it-but-it's-still-good spot? Yoyogi park & Meiji-Jingu! It's so dense, you forget you're in the middle of Harajuku. Tokyo really lacks public spaces {given how small the apartments are}, and I love watching everyone use it for their own thing - people practicing dancing or playing instruments for fun, studying, birthday parties, theatre groups, dogs in amazing outfits, picnics. I love the dense parkland and the ravens that live there, and the walls of sake barrel offerings. And I love seeing Shinto marriage processions at the Meiji Jingu shrine. They are so incredible.
five. What was your newest discovery in Tokyo? My friend Frank just opened 0fr in Tokyo! It's my favourite bookstore in Paris, in Le Marais - and he's just opened a little one in Naka-Meguro, right by the canal. They have amazing books, magazines, a little gallery. It's also Frank's studio, and he makes you French eggs, baguette and coffee there in the morning - and wine at night. He is an amazing, intelligent, handsome man and a great artist - please go and meet him. And if you get enough drinks into him, he will tell you about the escaped baboon that he's been seeing roaming around Tokyo.
six. Where is the best place for.... morning coffee/pick-me-up? meal with friends? romantic rendez-vous? late night drink? even later-night boogie? - Morning coffee at Omotesando Coffee, the most beautiful, tiny traditional garden and tatami cube. They also do Cafe Kitsune Maison coffee round the corner. - Pick-me-up at any vending machine! - Meal with friends, make it Whoopi Goldburger, run by a bunch of funny skaters in great bands and the best burger you will ever eat. - Romantic rendez-vous, at SoraNoNiwa on the Shibuya train tracks. Walk past the trains rattling, into a traditional room, they make tofu at your table. I'm so lucky it's around the corner from me - it's the most amazing place, and dirt cheap for how good the food is. They make this soy tiramisu.. it's out of control. - Late-night drinks at Tatsumichiya - an underground izakaya in Naka-Meguro, run by some awesome punk rock dudes. They have a wall full of amazing bottle-keep sakes, Japanese posters for great bands like CRASS all over the place, and drunk Yoshitomo Nara drawings all over the walls. Really cold beer and izakaya. That place is magic. - And a late-late-late boogie, it's gotta be Le Baron in Ayoama. It kicks off around 3 am. - And a late night read, go to T-Site. It's a huge, dimly lit book store across 5 buildings that's open until 2 am; good drinks, art books, magazines.
seven. Where are Tokyo's style spots? Where is the best shopping? My favourite is 1LDR in Naka-Meguro, so French (but so Japanese) and full of the most amazing clothes, with a tiny tiled wine and coffee bar on the side. I've spent way too much money there, I would wear every single thing they stock to death. It's a dream. Otherwise - Harajuku and Ayoama! Opening Ceremony, Comme Des Garçons flagship, Cosmic Wonder Light Source, Chicago (cheap, amazing, vintage kimono.) The best places are the designer consignment stores; Rag-Tag, We-Go, etc. Recently I found a classic Chanel black tweed miniskirt on sale for $70... and now I live in it.
eight. What is something you can get/read/experience/eat that you can only do in Tokyo? Golden Gai! It's a little yokocho area in Shinjuku, just off the red-light district Kabuki-cho. It's right by the train station, all these little rooms stacked on top of each other. After the war, they housed a black market for things outside of rations - they could fit about 5 people in them. As time went on, they weren't needed - and slowly these rooms tuned into bars, and it was where jazz really took off in Japan. It's a tiny block, and houses maybe 300 tiny bars stacked on top of each other, with tiny cat-ladder staircases to go up them. It's a very fun, very wierd, drunk maze. Because they're so small, that you're meant to talk to the barkeep, which I like. There are a few places run by Buddhist monks on the 'grey path' - you can drink beers with them and talk about some pretty important things. Until recently, there was an amazing 94 year old woman who ran a little karaoke bar there - she'd do vodka shots with you and sing. But mostly they are awesome music bars; usually jazz or punk rock. I like the Booska-theme one - the barkeep plays awesome Turkish psych music, Ethiopian jazz... and just wrote a book about K-Pop. He's really good to swap records with, and now there are Ghostpatrol drawings on the walls. And "The Loneliest Cowboy"; the barkeep has run it every night for 50 years, and played me beautiful acoustic songs about his girlfriend's death. He sounds like Serge Gainsbourg and hands out lyrics sheets for the other regulars to sing harmonies. In between that we watch boxing on TV and talk about Akira. And after about 1 am, you just hear these great thuds through the block... drunk salarymen toppling back down the little cat stairs. It feels like a dream.
nine. You can tell a lot about a city from their airport. Describe Tokyo's. It awes me that Narita is dead silent. When you land, when you get your bags, when you find a ride to the city.... it's just silence. Everything is happening, but it's like the sound has been turned off in your ears. It's very orderly, and always floors me when I land. Incredible.
ten. How would your describe Tokyo to someone who has never been there before? There is nothing else like it.
Read our previous city guides here.
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Polaroids of Tokyo | Stanislava Pinchuk
one. Best thing about Tokyo? It never stops being inspiring.
two. Worst thing about Tokyo? That Tokyo sewerage waft.
three. Favourite secret spot? I have this tiny bar, right next to my place. I call it 'Best Friends Bar'... I'm not sure what the real name is. It's run by two old Shakespearean actors. They don't speak much English, but they seem to know all of Shakespeare in Japanese. They're also really good at darts. But because it's so small, the best thing is that you never know who you sit next to there, and you have to chat. Last time I was there I sat between a Michelin-star chef and a sex toy company CEO. I recently got a text from a friend that's also a regular, that said; "I'm at Best Friends Bar, sitting next to the original blue Power-Ranger. He makes wigs now." It's that kind of place.
four. Favourite everyone-knows-it-but-it's-still-good spot? Yoyogi park & Meiji-Jingu! It's so dense, you forget you're in the middle of Harajuku. Tokyo really lacks public spaces {given how small the apartments are}, and I love watching everyone use it for their own thing - people practicing dancing or playing instruments for fun, studying, birthday parties, theatre groups, dogs in amazing outfits, picnics. I love the dense parkland and the ravens that live there, and the walls of sake barrel offerings. And I love seeing Shinto marriage processions at the Meiji Jingu shrine. They are so incredible.
five. What was your newest discovery in Tokyo? My friend Frank just opened 0fr in Tokyo! It's my favourite bookstore in Paris, in Le Marais - and he's just opened a little one in Naka-Meguro, right by the canal. They have amazing books, magazines, a little gallery. It's also Frank's studio, and he makes you French eggs, baguette and coffee there in the morning - and wine at night. He is an amazing, intelligent, handsome man and a great artist - please go and meet him. And if you get enough drinks into him, he will tell you about the escaped baboon that he's been seeing roaming around Tokyo.
six. Where is the best place for.... morning coffee/pick-me-up? meal with friends? romantic rendez-vous? late night drink? even later-night boogie? - Morning coffee at Omotesando Coffee, the most beautiful, tiny traditional garden and tatami cube. They also do Cafe Kitsune Maison coffee round the corner. - Pick-me-up at any vending machine! - Meal with friends, make it Whoopi Goldburger, run by a bunch of funny skaters in great bands and the best burger you will ever eat. - Romantic rendez-vous, at SoraNoNiwa on the Shibuya train tracks. Walk past the trains rattling, into a traditional room, they make tofu at your table. I'm so lucky it's around the corner from me - it's the most amazing place, and dirt cheap for how good the food is. They make this soy tiramisu.. it's out of control. - Late-night drinks at Tatsumichiya - an underground izakaya in Naka-Meguro, run by some awesome punk rock dudes. They have a wall full of amazing bottle-keep sakes, Japanese posters for great bands like CRASS all over the place, and drunk Yoshitomo Nara drawings all over the walls. Really cold beer and izakaya. That place is magic. - And a late-late-late boogie, it's gotta be Le Baron in Ayoama. It kicks off around 3 am. - And a late night read, go to T-Site. It's a huge, dimly lit book store across 5 buildings that's open until 2 am; good drinks, art books, magazines.
seven. Where are Tokyo's style spots? Where is the best shopping? My favourite is 1LDR in Naka-Meguro, so French (but so Japanese) and full of the most amazing clothes, with a tiny tiled wine and coffee bar on the side. I've spent way too much money there, I would wear every single thing they stock to death. It's a dream. Otherwise - Harajuku and Ayoama! Opening Ceremony, Comme Des Garçons flagship, Cosmic Wonder Light Source, Chicago (cheap, amazing, vintage kimono.) The best places are the designer consignment stores; Rag-Tag, We-Go, etc. Recently I found a classic Chanel black tweed miniskirt on sale for $70... and now I live in it.
eight. What is something you can get/read/experience/eat that you can only do in Tokyo? Golden Gai! It's a little yokocho area in Shinjuku, just off the red-light district Kabuki-cho. It's right by the train station, all these little rooms stacked on top of each other. After the war, they housed a black market for things outside of rations - they could fit about 5 people in them. As time went on, they weren't needed - and slowly these rooms tuned into bars, and it was where jazz really took off in Japan. It's a tiny block, and houses maybe 300 tiny bars stacked on top of each other, with tiny cat-ladder staircases to go up them. It's a very fun, very wierd, drunk maze. Because they're so small, that you're meant to talk to the barkeep, which I like. There are a few places run by Buddhist monks on the 'grey path' - you can drink beers with them and talk about some pretty important things. Until recently, there was an amazing 94 year old woman who ran a little karaoke bar there - she'd do vodka shots with you and sing. But mostly they are awesome music bars; usually jazz or punk rock. I like the Booska-theme one - the barkeep plays awesome Turkish psych music, Ethiopian jazz... and just wrote a book about K-Pop. He's really good to swap records with, and now there are Ghostpatrol drawings on the walls. And "The Loneliest Cowboy"; the barkeep has run it every night for 50 years, and played me beautiful acoustic songs about his girlfriend's death. He sounds like Serge Gainsbourg and hands out lyrics sheets for the other regulars to sing harmonies. In between that we watch boxing on TV and talk about Akira. And after about 1 am, you just hear these great thuds through the block... drunk salarymen toppling back down the little cat stairs. It feels like a dream.
nine. You can tell a lot about a city from their airport. Describe Tokyo's. It awes me that Narita is dead silent. When you land, when you get your bags, when you find a ride to the city.... it's just silence. Everything is happening, but it's like the sound has been turned off in your ears. It's very orderly, and always floors me when I land. Incredible.
ten. How would your describe Tokyo to someone who has never been there before? There is nothing else like it.
Read our previous city guides here.
10:48 am
BENAH LOVES | The Present Company
What is one thing you'd like people to know about you? If you could ask a complete stranger anything in the world, what would it be? These are the questions that photographer, and all round creative girl, Amber Byrne Mahoney asks the unique individuals she encounters on a daily basis.
She started her initiative, The Present Company Project, as a challenge to herself. She wanted to genuinely engage with people that perhaps she might never know. She claimed, "I wanted to stop fitting people into my world" and rather see them for who they really were. So now, she is never without a Polaroid camera, and if the comes across an intriguing person she would like to meet, she does just that. Sure, sometimes she might get a bit flustered asking to take someone's portrait and asking them personal questions, but it is definitely a journey that maybe we should all start to embark upon.
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She started her initiative, The Present Company Project, as a challenge to herself. She wanted to genuinely engage with people that perhaps she might never know. She claimed, "I wanted to stop fitting people into my world" and rather see them for who they really were. So now, she is never without a Polaroid camera, and if the comes across an intriguing person she would like to meet, she does just that. Sure, sometimes she might get a bit flustered asking to take someone's portrait and asking them personal questions, but it is definitely a journey that maybe we should all start to embark upon.
12:49 pm
THIS IS MY CITY | Georgia's Paris
Yeah, so we've done Paris before. And that guide was pretty great. But it's Paris, and you can never have too many insider tips, right? We would love to jump on a plane and go to Paris now, to catch the last of a European summer, and be in the city of light when everyone else has gone on holidays. Apparently Paris in Autumn is totally calm, quiet and collected. You have to see it to believe it. So we asked someone who has - Georgia flits between Paris and New York and has great taste in reading material, foodie locations and more. This is Paris, by Georgia.
All polaroids by Georgia Hilmer
All polaroids by Georgia Hilmer
one. Best Thing About Paris
You can wander for hours, days, even weeks, and constantly find new, beautiful things.
two. Worst thing about Paris? I like to think of myself as graduated from tourist-ness (I've lived in Paris for months at a time) so the saturation of fanny packs and tour groups can make the city seem slightly less charming.
three. Favorite secret spot? A friend and I discovered this Japanese restaurant (Aki - 11, Rue Saint-Anne 75001) in the first arondissement that has seating pushed right up against the kitchen, below street level. You can watch your order being fired off if you grab a seat at the counter, and it is so fun to see the chefs in action. Cheap too - especially since you're paying for dinner and a show.
four. Favourite everyone-knows-it-but-it's-still-good spot? The Shakespeare & Co. bookstore (37, rue de la Bûcherie 75005) gets plenty of foot traffic from foreigners, but for good reason. The shelves are stuffed to bursting, with both recent releases and old, dusty classics. There's room upstairs to read without being hassled, and the staff is interested and interesting (as long as you're polite.) Plus, it's one of only two sizable English-language bookstores around, so it is a comforting presence when you're away from home.
view from Georgia's window in the 1st
five. What is your newest discovery in Paris? What about somewhere you've been going since forever but can't quite give up? Just before I left Paris in July I found a great Thai restaurant called Villa Papillon (15, rue Tiquetonne 75002) with great food. It seemed to be run exclusively by flamboyant gay men with amazing style - lots of outrageous Jeremy Scott footwear. It's right around the corner from my favorite street in all of Paris: rue Montorgueil. You can get anything you need walking down those five or so blocks. There are tons of restaurants, boulangeries, produce halls, fromageries, Italian and Greek and classic French prepared-food stores. It really lights up at night, with tables and chairs spilling into the streets, kids and dogs running around, and couples on Vespas snaking through the cobblestones.
six. Where is the best place for.... morning coffee? meal with friends? romantic rendez-vous? late night drink? even later-night boogie? As an American, I'm culturally engineered to require a bucket-sized coffee in the morning. I need more than the thimble of espresso available on any corner here, so I often make my own mugful in the morning. Eric Kayser is a really great chain - I know, I know, that churns out top quality breakfast pastries, and I go there if I need to grab something to eat in a hurry. There's a boisterous Thai place, Madame Shawn (40 Pl. du Marché Saint-Honoré 75001) where I went for dinner with a group of 15 and had a fantastic time. Amazing curries and real spice, which can be tricky to find in France. The most romantic place in Paris has to be the bank of the Seine late at night in the summer. Gangs of teenagers and 20-somethings and families all have the right idea: pack a picnic and some drinks and go sit on the water in the half-dark with whoever makes you smile. There's a palpable sense of electricity; everyone seems connected, and buzzing.
Banks of the Seine
seven. Where are Paris's style spots? Where is the best shopping? If you're looking for something special - since you can get anything anywhere these days - go to Espace Kiliwatch (64, rue Tiquetonne 75002) for mounds of vintage. The store is cave-like in its size, and has hard-to-find magazines as well.
eight. What is something you can get/read/experience/eat that you can only do in Paris? The outdoor markets are unique in their size and scope. There is nothing quite like jostling your way between stalls jammed over with fruits and vegetables, fish heads and cheese wheels. It's a sensory overload in the best way: too many colors and smells and sounds pressing in all at once. My favorite market is Bastille on a Sunday morning, when there's barely room to squeeze between tables, and the vendors are yelling and cat-calling at you. You can leave satisfied without buying a thing, but you'd be a fool not to scoop up a few peaches or a crusty baguette to chew on. (There's a man who fries churros to order, and a family of French women who make hot, stuffed crepes that leave you drooling.)
Notre Dame Cathedral
nine. You can tell a lot about a city from their airport. Describe Paris's. Paris has two - the modern, glassy Charles de Gaulle, and the grittier Orly. CDG has a sizable Laduree outpost - good for last minute souvenirs, and is definitely the ritzier option. Orly is a bit grayer and grubbier, but it gets the job done. I think the contrast reflects Paris accurately; there is so much beauty and grace in the city, but you can't forget how many people are hustling just to get by. Rippling under Paris's surface is the grind of working class life.
ten. How would you describe Paris to someone who has never been there before? Enchanting.
Grand Palais
two. Worst thing about Paris? I like to think of myself as graduated from tourist-ness (I've lived in Paris for months at a time) so the saturation of fanny packs and tour groups can make the city seem slightly less charming.
three. Favorite secret spot? A friend and I discovered this Japanese restaurant (Aki - 11, Rue Saint-Anne 75001) in the first arondissement that has seating pushed right up against the kitchen, below street level. You can watch your order being fired off if you grab a seat at the counter, and it is so fun to see the chefs in action. Cheap too - especially since you're paying for dinner and a show.
four. Favourite everyone-knows-it-but-it's-still-good spot? The Shakespeare & Co. bookstore (37, rue de la Bûcherie 75005) gets plenty of foot traffic from foreigners, but for good reason. The shelves are stuffed to bursting, with both recent releases and old, dusty classics. There's room upstairs to read without being hassled, and the staff is interested and interesting (as long as you're polite.) Plus, it's one of only two sizable English-language bookstores around, so it is a comforting presence when you're away from home.
five. What is your newest discovery in Paris? What about somewhere you've been going since forever but can't quite give up? Just before I left Paris in July I found a great Thai restaurant called Villa Papillon (15, rue Tiquetonne 75002) with great food. It seemed to be run exclusively by flamboyant gay men with amazing style - lots of outrageous Jeremy Scott footwear. It's right around the corner from my favorite street in all of Paris: rue Montorgueil. You can get anything you need walking down those five or so blocks. There are tons of restaurants, boulangeries, produce halls, fromageries, Italian and Greek and classic French prepared-food stores. It really lights up at night, with tables and chairs spilling into the streets, kids and dogs running around, and couples on Vespas snaking through the cobblestones.
six. Where is the best place for.... morning coffee? meal with friends? romantic rendez-vous? late night drink? even later-night boogie? As an American, I'm culturally engineered to require a bucket-sized coffee in the morning. I need more than the thimble of espresso available on any corner here, so I often make my own mugful in the morning. Eric Kayser is a really great chain - I know, I know, that churns out top quality breakfast pastries, and I go there if I need to grab something to eat in a hurry. There's a boisterous Thai place, Madame Shawn (40 Pl. du Marché Saint-Honoré 75001) where I went for dinner with a group of 15 and had a fantastic time. Amazing curries and real spice, which can be tricky to find in France. The most romantic place in Paris has to be the bank of the Seine late at night in the summer. Gangs of teenagers and 20-somethings and families all have the right idea: pack a picnic and some drinks and go sit on the water in the half-dark with whoever makes you smile. There's a palpable sense of electricity; everyone seems connected, and buzzing.
seven. Where are Paris's style spots? Where is the best shopping? If you're looking for something special - since you can get anything anywhere these days - go to Espace Kiliwatch (64, rue Tiquetonne 75002) for mounds of vintage. The store is cave-like in its size, and has hard-to-find magazines as well.
eight. What is something you can get/read/experience/eat that you can only do in Paris? The outdoor markets are unique in their size and scope. There is nothing quite like jostling your way between stalls jammed over with fruits and vegetables, fish heads and cheese wheels. It's a sensory overload in the best way: too many colors and smells and sounds pressing in all at once. My favorite market is Bastille on a Sunday morning, when there's barely room to squeeze between tables, and the vendors are yelling and cat-calling at you. You can leave satisfied without buying a thing, but you'd be a fool not to scoop up a few peaches or a crusty baguette to chew on. (There's a man who fries churros to order, and a family of French women who make hot, stuffed crepes that leave you drooling.)
nine. You can tell a lot about a city from their airport. Describe Paris's. Paris has two - the modern, glassy Charles de Gaulle, and the grittier Orly. CDG has a sizable Laduree outpost - good for last minute souvenirs, and is definitely the ritzier option. Orly is a bit grayer and grubbier, but it gets the job done. I think the contrast reflects Paris accurately; there is so much beauty and grace in the city, but you can't forget how many people are hustling just to get by. Rippling under Paris's surface is the grind of working class life.
ten. How would you describe Paris to someone who has never been there before? Enchanting.
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