No Reservation in Venice

[Ericandblueboy]

Venice is a beautiful city. We were just there for 4 days and we did not manage to see all the sights.

Bourdain manages to squeeze in a segment on tug-boats and a talk with a Bristish artist.

No Titian, no Tintoretto, no Tiepolo....

[ferret]

He also went to Egypt and purposely avoided the pyramids -- he's not trying to be Samantha Brown.

[tofuburrito]

I thought it was another solid episode. The Italian grandma seems very popular on TV these days.

[MrsT]

He does specify that he's not doing anything "touristy." I believe he said he wanted to eat where the locals eat. He even asked what who are the "worst $%#ing tourists". I think that is what I like mostly like about his show, he makes it more about the people who live there and the food.

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

I went to Venice about 8 years ago and while it was very beautiful to me it felt like adult Disney world. I was only there for one night and we were stuck in an area exclusively frequented by tourists. To me it didn't feel like a real city. Everything that existed was there to cater to tourists. Everyone you passed on the street was some shlub wearing a fanny pack. So for me last nights episode was exactly what I felt was missing from my trip. I knew there was a real Venice out there and it was great to finally see it. Now when I go back I'll know how to do it the right way. Plenty of travel shows and guide books cover the hot spots. The great thing about No Reservations is you learn about the culture. I don't travel to see museums. I travel to experience the culture. Perhaps that is what I love so much about the show. I honestly never get tired of it.

[Ruth Lafler]

I spent eight days in Venice a couple of years ago -- we rented a flat so we could live in a real neighborhood, not tourist central (it's also a lot cheaper), and it was fun shopping in the local markets (like our local produce boat, pictured below). I also saw some sea critters I'd never seen before at a street fish stall. Still, Venice is a tourist city -- it's so expensive that most of the people who work there can't afford to live there. I was told one reason restaurants close much earlier than they do in other major European cities is that the staff all have to catch the last transportation back to Mestre.

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

I really like your style of traveling. Renting a place is a great way to really get the experience of living in a particular city. Also if you think about it as people who like to cook buying food and cooking in a new city should be part of the agenda. You can't do that in a hotel. I hope to get back to Venice soon and do it the right way. Thanks for sharing.

[Ruth Lafler]

Renting is surprisingly affordable, especially places like Venice where the hotels are sky high -- in addition to saving on hotels, you're also of course saving on food, since you don't have to eat every meal out. I also rented a place in Rome on that same trip and had a blast shopping like a local. The museums and monuments in Venice are fabulous and worth seeing, but wandering through the back streets and canals is a unique experience.

BTW, I figured out toward the end of the trip why Venice feels so much like Disneyland. In addition to the tourist aspect, the Grand Canal for much of its length has no "sidewalks" -- the water comes right up to the building facades, which gives them a very two-dimensional "stage set" kind of feel and means all the people are on the boats, not going in and around the buildings. So you feel like you're on a boat ride through a staged scene -- like Pirates of the Caribbean!

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

Yes, and my Disneyland comment is also because all the stores you pass are tourist oriented. Even the buildings seemed like a facade. Like everything there existed just to service the tourists. Obviously I know the history of the buildings but that's the feel I got.

[ferret]

This is moving to a tangent, but homeaway.com is an excellent site for vacation rentals worldwide (flats, homes, even houseboats on the Seine). I have family in Europe and they've used it several times.

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

thanks I appreciate it.