Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Caution: NC 21. Must be at least 21 years of age to watch this video due to strong language and sexual singing... oh and public intoxication. GO EUROPE.

also, probably gonna delete this as soon as I get to the states. we still have to obtain jobs in life.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

How to NOT go to an AS Roma Game:


1)    A. Pre-pay for tickets online and DO NOT print them out (in Ari’s, Rosy’s and my case);
B. Pre-pay for tickets online and DO print them out (in Eric’s case);
C. Have a family friend leave tickets for you to pick up at the box office (in Jacinta’s and Marisa’s case).
2)    Pre-game the actual game with a homemade “family dinner” at a friend’s house: wine, Italian music, pasta, bread, wine…and more wine.
3)    Leave to go to the game close to two hours in advance to ensure that you get there on time.
4)    Stand for 45 minutes (or more) at the wrong bus stop waiting for the correct-numbered bus headed in the wrong direction.
5)    Watch as a correct-numbered bus headed in the right direction passes by the wrong bus stop, and as a group, make the executive decision that the bus that passed could not possibly be the correct-numbered bus headed in the right direction that would surely stop at the bus stop where you and your friends are still standing.
6)    Finally ask a bus driver on a different line to confirm that you’ve been standing at the wrong bus station waiting for the correct-numbered bus headed in the wrong direction for nearly an hour—then to point you in the direction of the right bus stop for the correct-numbered bus headed in the right direction.
7)    Walk to the right bus stop.
8)    Read the sign for the correct-numbered bus headed in the right direction that tells you that the buses on that line stopped running a half an hour earlier.
9)    Ask another bus driver how to get to the Stadio Olimpico in the cheapest and quickest way possible for the AS Roma game that begins in 45 minutes.
10)  Cheer and board his bus when he tells you that he can take you to the stop for the next bus that will take you to the stadium.
11)  Accept his invitation to guide you (on foot) to the bus stop and give you the correct number to go to the stadium, despite his workday being officially over.
12)  Stand at the bus stop waiting for the new bus for 20 minutes.
13)  Give up on waiting and call a cab to come pick you up to take you and your friends to the fĂștbol stadium.
14)  Immediately after hanging up with the cab driver, see the correct-numbered bus that you’ve been waiting for pull up to the bus stop.
15)  Get on.
16)  Explain to the cab driver when he calls you back to ask where you are that you decided to take the bus instead.
17)  Listen as he abruptly hangs-up.
18)  Get off the bus at the same stop where two Italian men holding AS Roma scarves get off.
19)  Inconspicuously follow the two Italians to the entrance of the stadium that is littered with empty bottles from the pre-match tailgate that you have obviously missed out on.
20)  Attempt to get into the stadium at the main entrance, despite five of the six people in your group not yet having their tickets because there is no box office in sight.
21)  Get turned away by the gate authorities and told (in Italian because they don’t speak English) to walk down the street to the box office somewhere to the right.
22)  Accept the vagueness of these directions and head right.
23)  Ask another gate-authority-woman and receive the same directions.
24)  Keep walking.
25)  Keep walking.
26)  Ask a third gate-authority-man where to pick up your tickets and receive similar directions to the first two.
27)  Pass what seems like thousands of Vespas and tiny Italian cars, a park surrounded by statues of epically proportioned Roman athletes, and keep walking.
28)  Arrive at the gate where the box office should be.
29)  See that the box office is not currently operating and inquire of yet another gate-authority-man as to why this might be.
30)  Wait as he runs to fetch a gate-authority-woman who speaks broken English.
31)  Listen as she explains that the box office closes at game-time (it is now half an hour past) and that you cannot enter the stadium without your printed tickets, which five of the six people in your group do not have.
32)  Show her the e-mail confirmation of your pre-paid, unprinted online tickets and BEG her to let you in.
33)  Listen to a spontaneous, deafening roar of the crowd from the stadium that is just 200 yards away from your imprisoned position behind the bars of the entrance gate.
34)  Consider assaulting the patient, kind and compassionate gate-authority-woman (6 v. 1) to gain entrance to the stadium.
35)  Decide that drowning your sorrows of rejection in two servings of the best gelato in town is a better idea. Turn and walk away butt-hurt. 

Friday, February 1, 2013

I forgot to mention there are choke orange trees in here. Rome is all about dem oranges.

Monday, January 28, 2013

ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA ROMA

Sunday, January 27, 2013

A Word of Advice From Some Veterans: Brendan Fung and Reed Tsuda


Both of us have friends who have either lived in or visited Rome, and who seem to love and to know the city well. To help in our journey toward world domination, Brendan Fung and Reed Tsuda wrote down some pointers --  mostly "do's," with a couple of "don't's" -- that may guide us during our semester abroad. 
Brendan’s Comprehensive Guide to Living Well in Europe
1. YOLO. Yeah, the phrase is obnoxious as shit and well past it’s prime, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Do anything and everything you want while abroad, cause it’s probably never going to happen again.
2. Mo money mo fun. Expect to come back to the United States with $0 in your bank account. Saving money and being an old fart can wait another couple years. For now, splurge on that delicious meal in Barcelona instead of McDonalds and buy that ticket to see Avicii tear up Rome, or you’ll regret it.
3. Plan your trips ASAP. Sit down in the first few weeks and map out the semester. Buy plane/train/bus tickets with a roommate and people will follow. This way, the cost is significantly less and guarantees that you won’t flake out on a cool experience.
*Cheap airlines are RyanAir and EasyJet. A piece of advice: when you think the plane is going down, relax. That’s part of their business model.
With that being said, I was given the opportunity to see so many cities and countries over the spring semester in Rome and summer in London.  Here’s what I gotta say:
1. Rome aka Roma aka City of fucking champs aka number 1 son
Ok, maybe I’m biased on this one, but this city is unlike any other in the world. It has immense amounts of history, art, food, and partying shoved into cobblestone street corners, sprawling parks, and seven famous hills.

Things to do:
Colosseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill and Museum – classic must see
Vatican City, Saint Peter’s Basilica (climb to the top), and Vatican Museum – again, must see
Pantheon - definitely go here around evening when the piazza is filled with young people drinking wine and messing around
Trevi Fountain – The best time to go here is at night when no one is around and the fountain is lit
Spanish StepsPASS. These are steps and that is all. No history, just a lot of gypsies
Villa Borghese – hands down my favorite museum (it’s actually a personal collection) in all of Europe. Look into getting tickets in advance, because they only let in 400 people per day
Gianicolo Hill - Climb to the top and get the best view of Rome. Bottles of wine and paninis encouraged.
Villa Doria Pamphili – explore back to front. It’s the largest public park in Italy and was our favorite place to hang out on a sunny day (Sam, this is the place to go running). I think I undersold this place, but go and get incredibly overwhelmed with awesomeness.
Capuchin Crypt – if you have time, visit this old crypt made out of the bones of dead monks. It’s really eerie but cool.
*Side note: from here on out I will refer to a place called Trastevere. It is an area of Rome south of the river, on the same side as the Vatican. It is BY FAR the best place to explore Rome outside of the main attractions and has the best food and bars. GO THERE OFTEN.

Food:
This is about as self-explanatory as it gets. Food anywhere in Rome is going to be insanely good and you probably won’t go wrong. But, these were my all time favorites.
Toni’s Ristorante in Trastevere – absolutely my number one favorite. I went here probably close to 20 times while abroad, taking friends who were visiting and even the Fung clan. Tony is the man, loves American college students and will more likely than not give you free bottles of wine at dinner.
Pizzeria Ai Marmi on Via Trastevere – wood fired pizza, cheap wine, awesome atmosphere...this place is the bomb.com and my favorite zza in Rome. The place is always packed but they move you in and out quickly so getting a table is no problem. Also, there is no name on the door of the restaurant so it’s easy to miss, but don’t give up looking.
La Boccaccia – this is your literal whole in the wall-mouth watering-I jizzed-pizza place. Again located in Trastevere, it can only be found by its signature glass door and is great for grabbing a slice and walking around Trastevere. Find it and enjoy around 12 different varieties of incredible flatbread pizza. I took Papa John here and he went back for thirds.
Apertivo – This isn’t a restaurant but more of a concept that a lot of bars take advantage of. Around 4 or 5 pm, bars and restaurants will have apertivo (essentially, appetizers or ‘tapas’), which is 5 euro buffet style all you can eat and usually a free or very cheap drink. Definitely an inexpensive and delicious way to get a wide variety of food.
Did I already mention Toni’s? Ok, just driving the point home.

Going out:
-As I already said, Trastevere is definitely the best place to go out at night. It has very authentic Italian bars with great locals. But, there are alternatives.
G-Bar – where to begin with G-bar. This was my local watering hole while abroad and encompasses a little bar and a little club action. It’s small and located in the heart of Trastevere and is usually packed with American college students. (disclaimer: things can get weird here...so go)
Harry Potter Bar – This isn’t actually the real name of the bar, but it is right next door to G-Bar and will be a great reprise from the crowd or just a place to get shot wasted before going out. Try the “Harry Potter” shot and make a friend take the “Dragon’s Breath” or “Ron Weasley” shot. Also available, “Hermoine Granger,” “Voldemort,” and “Hagrid.”  Accio wasted.
Piazza Campo de Fiori – This is essentially your main American college hangout. About 6 or 7 bars surround a piazza that is packed with young people circulating the bars. It always fun, so if you are an out-of-towner, definitely go here for a night. If you are living in Rome, don’t get your hopes up because ‘it gets old’ is an understatement.
A general warning about clubs: you must be able to make large tradeoffs for the night to work. Number one rule, get absolutely smashed before going because a) the drinks cost a ton of money and b) you will want to be blackout to let the griminess go unnoticed. With that being said, club nights have been some of the most entertaining and fun nights of my life.
No one club is “better” than the other. Where you go will depend mostly on the night of the week.
La Maison – mostly Italians, but also my most frequently visited
Shari Vari – mostly Americans and has a “guest list” so contact a club promoter beforehand to get on the list. I only went a few times and it was a blast...but it was also Paige’s favorite club so that has to say something.
Gilda – eh, but popular for some
Testaccio - this is an area with a bunch of clubs. I was never a fan, but again popular for a lot of people I knew
I miss this place like crazy, so take advantage of what it has to offer.

2. Florence aka Firenze aka a lesser Rome
This was my first trip out of Rome, so I had little experience in the ways of wanderlust.
Where I stayed:
Eurostudent Home: DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOSTEL. It was owned by a crackhead. Or I guess, do stay here if you want that “living on the edge...of literal life” vibe.
Things to do:
Duomo – a lot of people climb to the top of this, but I didn’t think anything special of it. For a better view, which includes the Duomo, go to Piazza Michelangelo
Piazza Michelangelo – this is a hike, but is absolutely worth it. Buy some wine and snacks and head to the top, where you will undoubtedly get the best panorama of Florence.
Michelangelo’s David – if you haven’t seen this before, I GUESS you should go. I was immeasurably underwhelmed by the statue and thought it was a waste of time and money.
Ponte Vecchio - the famous covered bridge. And that’s it.
Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens – we skipped the palace and just went to the gardens, which were very cool. They are huge and intricate with smaller “summer homes” and drip castle sand caves.
Food:
I don’t know, but it’s not as good as Rome.
Going out:
Well there are like 5 bars in all of Florence, so try those. The only place I can remember by name is a club called Space. It was ridiculous: gogo dancers, three floors, a drink card that costs 50 euros if you lose it, etc. (so don’t lose the drink card).

***Places Brendan Visited***
Spring Semester:
Florence, Italy
Krakow, Poland
Paris, France
Prague, Czech Republic
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Barcelona, Spain
Brussels, Belgium
Morocco
Sorrento, Italy
Cinque Terre, Italy
Munich, Germany
Summer:
London, England
Dublin, Ireland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Barce, Spain (again)
Rhodes, Greece


Reed Tsuda (Almost like Yoda) Says:
Please just message me whenever you have any questions about traveling in Italy; whether it's what to see, where to eat, where to go etc. This is just a short guide so I don't overwhelm you all at once.
ROME
 Restaurants:

Restaurant "433" - is a great cuz of it's lunch and wine specials! Located near Piazza Navona, some of the best arrabbiata i've ever had (but you don't like spicy so you should order something else haha)
Trastevere
- This is a neighborhood where Italians live. Go across the Tiber river (il Tevere) west-bound and you'll immediately hit the neighborhood. The BEST AUTHENTIC RESTAURANTS are in this area, not in the city center (il centro). I'll list some restaurants in Trastevere I really liked
·      "Pizzeria ai Marmi" in Trastevere is some of the best pizza i've had. The venue is loud, always crowded, very local, very casual, always busy. Go during dinner time, I'm not sure if it's open for lunch...
·      "Buchetto" in Trastevere has the best gnocchi I've EVER HAD and really good vodka sauce pasta. Small, homely restaurant with a really kind owner
·      "Augusto" in Trastevere is another very local restaurant (when I say that, I mean that you usually won't find foreigners). The owner is a hilarious man! When you go here, you'll try to order something from the menu, but he'll tell you to order something else. Food is delicious and the menu changes depending on the season!
Of course, food in Italy is just delicious in general, these are just some of my favorite restaurants in Italy that are well priced and well worth it.
Gelato:

In Rome, the famous Gelateria is called “Giolitti,” located north of the Pantheon and west of the Trevi fountain (you’ll get used to navigating the city by its landmarks) It’s one of the better ones, but my personal favorite is “Frigidarium,” which is near Piazza Navona. At Frigidarium, you can dip your gelato in dark or while chocolate so that it’s coated; molto delizioso!
Nightlife: Nightlife starts at 1 a.m. so don’t go out before then!
·      “Testaccio” is an area where it’s just a row of 20 or so clubs and bars. That place gets crazy.
·      “La Maison,” also near Piazza Navona, is another place I really like, a little more classy than Testaccio.
·      “Scholars” is the Irish pub that all the Americans go to…so if you miss Americans, they are here haha. There’s karaoke there
For drinks in general, try a caipiroska or caipirinha; they’re really good! You can also order absinthe shots lol, but those don’t taste good…
Sites:

…there are too many in Rome. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful. Of course you’ll go to the main ones like the:
·      Colosseum,
·      Trevi fountain,
·      Spanish Steps,
·      Pantheon,
·      Roman Forum,
·      St. Peter’s,
·      The Vatican Museums.
But be sure to visit the smaller sites too. Some of my favorite smaller ones are:
·      Il Gesu (the most beautiful church minus St. Peter’s),
·      Piazza Navona,
·      Villa Borghese (it’s like central park, there’s also one of the best museums there that you should book in advance),
·      San Luigi dei Francesi,
·      The Jewish Ghettos,
·      Piazza del Popolo,
·      Palazzo Barnerini,
·      San Carlo Alla Quattro Fontane,
·      Sant’Ignazio,
·      Santa Maria della Vittoria.
There are so much more to see. Just wandering around in Rome, you’re bound to find something interesting.
If you have time, you should also go to Ostia from Rome. It’s very nearby, you take a train from the station near the pyramid of cestius and you get off at Ostia, which is the beach area near Rome. There is an ancient preserved city there that is in better shape the Pompeii.
That is my shortened (but actually kinda long) guide for Rome. I have more stuff about other cities, but I’ll keep it to this for now

Saturday, January 26, 2013

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land

Friday, January 25, 2013

Sup

Sup world,
This is the chronicles of how Lucc and Tsuch are taking over. Step one: make a corny blog. Step 2: Go to Europe. Step 3: Watch and learn world. Step 4: we'll just figure out the rest as we go.
Ciao,
Lucc and Tsuch