Around Los Angeles

Inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry...

Hitchcock in LA - black birds congregate on the power lines downtown.

In Como

Sorry girls, I have no George Clooney sighting to report in Como - the star famously owns a villa in this beautiful and posh little town. I did however see things of great beauty, such as the Duomo, with its extraordinary, ornate facade.

In the tiny little streets, every single building seems to have remarkable ancient features (such as that carved woman's face, below, spotted in a private courtyard) and sheer elegant lines - isn't that wood door fantastic? I also shopped and treated myself to something very, very nice. Visit Aurea again this week to check it out!

Doors To Burgundy

On our way back from Italy, we stopped in Burgundy and visited the magical village of Châteauneuf. Both the medieval castle, complete with moats and towers, and the 16th century church are beautifully preserved. I took tons of pictures but thought I'd share the ones featuring doors... This post is dedicated, with love, to my sister Céline, who kind of collects door postcards and images.

Makeovers

The Museum of Natural History, a few blocks away from my New York abode, has undergone a serious makeover. Like many old art institutions around the world (the Louvre in Paris and the Covent Garden opera house in London come to mind), the building has a new appendage, in the form of a metal and steel structure. That is where visitors now enter and discover the solar system floating around, as they go up a spiraling, upwards walkway flooded with sunlight.

My ancient Mini iPod has also been revamped, with products from DCI. With those fun earphones, no more need for diamond studs from Tiffany's... As for that tiny cube, it's actually a speaker that allows me to listen to some music and NPR podcasts in my little room.

On my playlist: NPR's Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Bookworm, and music by Björk, Debussy, Bach. What are you listening to?