hey
i sent the below to a bunch of people on my email list, and now i'm coming after you. read below, and then look at my wishlist for my LJ peeps. sorry to be so brusque about it, but i'm late for shopping for dinner!
tex - can you email me to get the lowdown?
alan partlow - i'd love to hear a photog-related travel story from you, your choice.
irish girl in abq - your take on america would be a really interesting addition, i think.
stacy - your thoughts on the whole berlin thing - WANT IT PLEASE.
cwebb - your trip here, including paris, would be a part of a larger montpel thing that i would like to build.
if anyone else has any stories that you think would be a good match, let me know, ok?
email me at cantera at the g mail dot com.
______________________
This summer, I've been working on a project that I'm really excited about, and now I am at the point where I need your help with a HUGE favor.
Everyone is always after me to write about my travel stories, and I admit I have some good ones. But, I am only a small part of my stories - I have been so fortunate to have a group of amazing friends and family who share my fascination with all things foreign, and who constantly crave information, anecdotes, pictures and interesting facts about worlds other than their own.
I have done a lot of online research on travel-related sites and blogs, and much of it bores me - I'm tired of top ten hotel lists, ultimate 3-day excursions, and endless tips and tricks that anyone with half a brain could think of. I am also tired of smug, condescending tales of enchanted silver olive trees and precious yet ignorant locals. Being in the perfect place at the perfect time can be magical, and experienced by anyone and everyone - as those of you who have visited me can attest to.
There doesn't seem to be a site for all those people like me, who know how to travel, who love to travel, and who know what it's really like to live for traveling.
To this end, I have started a website that I am hoping will be a travel-themed mix of some of my favorite sites, like mcsweeneys.net, boingboing.com and moleskinecity.com. I want to inspire people to get up and go - even for a long weekend - and live, if just for a while, the life they dream of. I will send along the link once I get more up on the site.
I have many plans for all the elements of the site, which I hope will make it interesting and unique. One element of the site will be stories about places - and this is where you come in.
I want to hear from you about a specific place and your relationship to it. I thought of you for this part of the site based on hearing about something from you myself, or some phrase or image that has always stayed with me and made me want to have been in your pocket when you were experiencing it.
I've compiled a dream wish list below of the stories I love, and would love to read about, but you can choose another if you wish, or write more than one - it is completely up to you, as I only want to hear about what inspires you. It doesn't have to be wildly creative, or smashingly brilliant. If you're stuck, I'd be happy to interview you to get the ball rolling, and compile it myself. Your entry can be written, or you can use photos or video, or even paint something and take a picture of it, or link to something that describes it better than you could - anything at all. If you have your own blog, or flickr account, or any other link that you' like to have included in your entry, please let me know.
It can be any length, and you can of course have your name withheld or use fake names. I'll edit them and post them on the site as I get them, so there is no deadline - but, you know… don't take forever.
I want to be there with you when I read it - if you're shy about writing, just pretend like you're telling me over a glass of wine, "um"s and "like"s and all. The food, the smells, the oddities, things that weren't as you imagined, bad times, awful experiences, anything at all that makes your experience unique. You can write it as a list of moments, or one interesting moment that summarizes an entire experience for you, or a full-blown story, or captions under photographs, or a memorable meal, even random phrases you overheard. ANYTHING.
I know for some of you, the things I am asking you to write about are tied to extremely personal emotions, and you'd rather not go there. If you feel you cannot write about the experience without baring too much of yourself, or if you would rather not participate, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND; just let me know so I don't keep hounding you for your entry. OK?
I'm really excited about this, and I hope that my site becomes a much-loved daily destination for people like us!
tex - can you email me to get the lowdown?
alan partlow - i'd love to hear a photog-related travel story from you, your choice.
irish girl in abq - your take on america would be a really interesting addition, i think.
stacy - your thoughts on the whole berlin thing - WANT IT PLEASE.
cwebb - your trip here, including paris, would be a part of a larger montpel thing that i would like to build.
if anyone else has any stories that you think would be a good match, let me know, ok?
email me at cantera at the g mail dot com.
______________________
This summer, I've been working on a project that I'm really excited about, and now I am at the point where I need your help with a HUGE favor.
Everyone is always after me to write about my travel stories, and I admit I have some good ones. But, I am only a small part of my stories - I have been so fortunate to have a group of amazing friends and family who share my fascination with all things foreign, and who constantly crave information, anecdotes, pictures and interesting facts about worlds other than their own.
I have done a lot of online research on travel-related sites and blogs, and much of it bores me - I'm tired of top ten hotel lists, ultimate 3-day excursions, and endless tips and tricks that anyone with half a brain could think of. I am also tired of smug, condescending tales of enchanted silver olive trees and precious yet ignorant locals. Being in the perfect place at the perfect time can be magical, and experienced by anyone and everyone - as those of you who have visited me can attest to.
There doesn't seem to be a site for all those people like me, who know how to travel, who love to travel, and who know what it's really like to live for traveling.
To this end, I have started a website that I am hoping will be a travel-themed mix of some of my favorite sites, like mcsweeneys.net, boingboing.com and moleskinecity.com. I want to inspire people to get up and go - even for a long weekend - and live, if just for a while, the life they dream of. I will send along the link once I get more up on the site.
I have many plans for all the elements of the site, which I hope will make it interesting and unique. One element of the site will be stories about places - and this is where you come in.
I want to hear from you about a specific place and your relationship to it. I thought of you for this part of the site based on hearing about something from you myself, or some phrase or image that has always stayed with me and made me want to have been in your pocket when you were experiencing it.
I've compiled a dream wish list below of the stories I love, and would love to read about, but you can choose another if you wish, or write more than one - it is completely up to you, as I only want to hear about what inspires you. It doesn't have to be wildly creative, or smashingly brilliant. If you're stuck, I'd be happy to interview you to get the ball rolling, and compile it myself. Your entry can be written, or you can use photos or video, or even paint something and take a picture of it, or link to something that describes it better than you could - anything at all. If you have your own blog, or flickr account, or any other link that you' like to have included in your entry, please let me know.
It can be any length, and you can of course have your name withheld or use fake names. I'll edit them and post them on the site as I get them, so there is no deadline - but, you know… don't take forever.
I want to be there with you when I read it - if you're shy about writing, just pretend like you're telling me over a glass of wine, "um"s and "like"s and all. The food, the smells, the oddities, things that weren't as you imagined, bad times, awful experiences, anything at all that makes your experience unique. You can write it as a list of moments, or one interesting moment that summarizes an entire experience for you, or a full-blown story, or captions under photographs, or a memorable meal, even random phrases you overheard. ANYTHING.
I know for some of you, the things I am asking you to write about are tied to extremely personal emotions, and you'd rather not go there. If you feel you cannot write about the experience without baring too much of yourself, or if you would rather not participate, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND; just let me know so I don't keep hounding you for your entry. OK?
I'm really excited about this, and I hope that my site becomes a much-loved daily destination for people like us!