I consistently spend a lot of time here. It's the most relaxing place in the city.

Getting in this sushi restaurant is like entering a Kioto street from a minimalist perspective. The interior design by Masquespacio Studio is inspired by the japanese architecture of traditional houses and streets, recreated with the presence of wooden structures. An impressive origami flowers installation hangs from the ceiling, reminding the visitors the look of the japanese traditional sakura trees. The contrast between wood, concrete and paper, and the ambient lighting create a very warm and cozy ambient. Besides the excellent menu, it is not surprising that Nozomi has been considered one of the 10 most beautiful restaurants worldwide on 2015.

Cute little French Café with beautiful croissants. Thanks for the reco, Kim!

Massimo De Carlo gallery was founded in Milano in 1987. Since the beginning Massimo De Carlo gallery program included young and prominent artists such as, among others, Alighiero Boetti, Rudolf Stingel, Maurizio Cattelan, and Yan Pei-Ming. The global affirmation of these and the other artists of the gallery has favoured its on-going success. For 30 years Massimo De Carlo has been playing a fundamental role in bringing the most interesting voices of international art to the Italian scene, and Italian artists into the global arena. This contributed to the promotion and establishment of a vital dialogue between the artists and national and international institutions, encouraging relationships between galleries, critics, curators, and collectors. Throughout the years, the gallery’s artists have been shown in international museums and biennials, and thus obtained an outstanding place into important public and private art collections. Since 2019 Galleria Massimo De Carlo's new headquarters are located at Casa Corbellini-Wassermann, situated in Viale Lombardia 17, which was built in the early 1930s (1934-1936) by the renowned Italian architect Piero Portaluppi.

The „Kirche am Steinhof“  church is located off the beaten tourist path in the 14th district in the Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital (yes, you heard it right). The interior of the church is beautiful and designed to the tiniest detail by the famous Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner. He used new construction techniques and combined them with the necessities of the patients. For example the seating was designed so that there were no sharp edges.  The bus 48A takes you there directly.

If you can get past the bourgie factor and/or you work down the street like I do, you will come to love this place. It has some of the best food in the city, a Blue Bottle coffee, and an observation deck from which you can watch the ferries come and go, emitting their weird beeps and disgorging tourists. The people who work here are great too (whether or not I dated a baker from the Acme Bread kiosk because of a Craigslist missed connection will be left to history).

You've heard of Disneyland, but you must see the Abraham Lincoln animatronic at the end of Main Street near the entrance. He gives a super life-like impassioned speech about America that is very timely. 

Paul Rothe n Son has been there 120 years, bang in the middle of town. Hard to find a proper old-school deli in central London nowadays, n none more proper than this place. Great jacket potatoes, soup, sandwiches. It looks the part too. And the service is always great. Try and avoid the lunch queue.

Milk Toast has the best muffins in Melbourne, they often sell out before 9:30am. My favourite is raspberry and chocolate if I can get one in time.

Seasonal British food at its BEST !

I spend many hours in the bookshops along this stretch, namely Henry Pordes for second hand books and new discounted titles (pile on left of photo), as well as Koenig Books for new art books with lots of great discounts in the basement. (photo right). In 2001 the rents for much of this strip were increased to align them closer to market value but thanks to public support they were reduced again. Unfortunately some bookshops still closed down; Koenig replaced the beloved Zwemmers - a real institution - but thankfully still provide great books, although others are no longer bookshops at all.

As a dog owner, naturalist, and freelance illustrator, escaping my home office and exploring beautiful (and dog-friendly) hiking trails is high on my list. I’m lucky to live in an area surrounded by incredible, diverse landscapes that I can get to in under 20 minutes. One of my favorites is the Serpentine Prairie Trail in the Redwood Regional Park. I love going an hour or two before sunset when the light is golden and the prairie practically glows. In April, I visited at this golden hour and was delighted to see an explosion of California poppies. The view here is spectacular--in one direction, I can see the tops of the coastal redwoods, mixed evergreen forest, chaparral, and grassland. In the other direction, where the sun is setting, is the bustling city of Oakland down below, but all I can hear is the wind through the grass and the croaking of ravens.