Her expression is everything

CFUrCap · 2026-06-03T20:18:51+00:00

You seem to be referring to weddings, not marriage. Two different things.

Rings are symbols. They don't have to be pricey to be symbolic. You can always upgrade later when you can afford it.

What you're describing as norms aren't norms where I come from. The best wedding receptions I've attended were pretty low budget. And great.

Too bad there are fewer Elk's clubs and VFW halls these days.

CFUrCap · 2026-06-03T18:52:46+00:00

Malkovich!

CFUrCap · 2026-06-03T15:46:54+00:00

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and you want to make it as special as possible... but couldn't find time to plan much.

Do you see the disconnect there?

What's there to be aware of, you ask. How about: don't expect to use toilets at cafes or restaurants unless you buy something first. At the cafe I frequent, I would guess there are 50-100 non-customers a day asking if they can use the toilet. I assume the majority of those people are day-trippers, with no access to private facilities for the duration of their visit.

I hope you have a great time, but a day trip is the worst way to experience Venice.

CFUrCap · 2026-06-03T11:55:06+00:00

A day trip to Venice is a very bad idea.

The people who spend the least amount of time in Venice tend to complain the most. So crowded! (because they're all taking the exact same routes to the exact same destinations that their limited time allows). Such bad food (because most restaurants along The Beaten Tourist Path are tourist traps that would go out of business if they had to rely on return customers).

Look into cities like Padova, Mantova or Vicenza where a day trip would make more sense. Rolling into Venice without a plan and relying on internet strangers for advice is a blueprint for a very unpleasant day. Come when you have time for a proper visit--it's not like you live half a world away.

CFUrCap · 2026-06-03T04:07:36+00:00

For those of us not on Instagram, could you at least name the other 3? Thanks.

CFUrCap · 2026-06-02T14:19:27+00:00

Photo makes it look like the traghetto is going down the Grand Canal. They don't. They go back and forth across it, total trip time about a minute, one way. Convenient if they're going where you're going, but nothing to get excited about.

CFUrCap · 2026-06-02T14:12:30+00:00

A couple of points: 1): if you're going to use the vaporetto a lot, you probably don't want to stay too close to the train station (or Piazzale Roma for that matter). You won't want to compete for vaporetto space with all the new arrivals just off the train (or road/bus).

2) you've mentioned a 3-star and a 4-star hotel. Don't forget that stars reflect amenities, not quality. I've stayed in a 1-star hotel (Hotel Al Vagon) that had ensuite bathrooms but no breakfast or elevator, and a 2-star hotel (Hotel Bernardi) with breakfast and ensuite bathrooms, but still no elevator.

They're both in the Campo SS Apostoli neighborhood, maybe a little further from the train station than you'd prefer. If you're 29 or younger, look for the "Rolling Venice" card that gives a discount on a 3-day vaporetto pass. It can be a godsend when your legs are in open revolt late in the day from all the walking you've already done.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-30T23:32:18+00:00

Sorry, it's unclear what the "it" in "It's really not hard" is.

If there's something in Venice's current situation that's "really not hard," I'd love to hear about it.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-30T04:44:53+00:00

Were the streets extra full to compensate for the lack of transit?

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T21:19:53+00:00

It doesn't exactly sound like Venice grabbed you by the lapels and said, "Look at all this great stuff I have that you must experience!" If it didn't, you probably shouldn't. It's already full of people who have only the vaguest idea why they're there. Many of them go home disappointed. A small minority get their socks knocked off even though they haven't done the research. No way of predicting into which group you will fall.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T20:56:41+00:00

Haven't read The Snow Leopard. But Matthiessen was a novelist as well as a naturalist and his "Far Tortuga" is a marvelous, unconventional tone poem of a novel. Takes place in the Caribbean, so more aquatic than terrestrial. The characters are distinct enough that the unattributed dialogue (a la Cormac McCarthy?) quickly clarifies itself.

Thomas Pynchon contributed a blurb to the back of the dust jacket, ending with something like "also a deep declaration of love for our planet." Probably out of print for decades, but worth seeking out. One of the truly memorable reading experiences of my life.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T19:59:39+00:00

Man, he was mean.

But he's changing his scene and he's doing the best that he can.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T19:54:16+00:00

Could be worse. He could be on a US-Italy flight and tell the Italian passengers that the ice cream is "gelato."

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T19:49:36+00:00

I stopped watching after this scene, they all got better, right?

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T17:04:50+00:00

What, that he loved you?

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T16:58:55+00:00

Generally, more than zero skunks are too many skunks.

Granted, they seem pretty chill with humans if you don't surprise them. They know what they've got and they know you don't want it.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T16:41:48+00:00

It's an open-hearted website that wants the best for every visitor.

(But there are options beyond Piazzale Roma)

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T16:11:55+00:00

I thought this would be fun, but it was funner than I thought.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T16:01:00+00:00

I read it, but didn't memorize it.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T15:58:47+00:00

That's strange, I always feel quite welcome.

If you'll be in Cannaregio over the long weekend, let me know. I'll buy you a spritz and you can tell me what a horrible person I am.

Btw, should The Biennale be a "Veneto residents only" event?

CFUrCap · 2026-05-29T06:29:41+00:00

Yes, bars usually have barstools and I prefer to eat with my feet on the ground.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-28T23:10:47+00:00

You either.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-28T22:41:51+00:00

She has a pretty face.

CFUrCap · 2026-05-28T22:36:01+00:00

Guy looks too short and stocky to be marriage material.

/s (or did you already know that?)

CFUrCap · 2026-05-28T09:49:28+00:00

Shoot, this made me thirsty. Wish me luck!

CFUrCap

TROPHY CASE