vacation advice superthread

[red]

"The alcoholic beverage buying circle of life"

Norwegians go to Sweden to buy, the swedes go to Denmark, the danes go to Germany, the germans go to Poland and the polish rather do E.

sounds like something from catch-22.

[john11f]

Prague, Budapest, Istanbul, Nepal....

More realistically, I'm going to Guangzhou, China next month in time to watch Team USA vs. China in an exhibition match. Woohoo Lebron and Wade!!!

[odakyu]

to any one of the seven wonders of the world!!!!

[sybaritical]

Oh god; I can only aspire to be sucked dry in Norway..........

I concur. This would also make me very happy, oncve I had a few minor details worked out.

Vanuatu. Since 1998 I've wanted to go to Vanuatu. Don't know why. Mean, after the first five minutes of being in total complete and utter paradise I'd probably be bored stiff. But hell. You know? Sue me.

[junglejane]

I would love to go to American Samoa. Has anyone been? also i would love to go to japan and hong kong before I die. Nordic countries,too, but I would def go there in the summer as I am a creature of the sun.

[Cue]

next trip is thailand, cambodia, vietnam, laos, fiji then nz ... only ten weeks til i take off - can't wait

[sybaritical]

I would love to go to American Samoa. Has anyone been? also i would love to go to japan and hong kong before I die. Nordic countries,too, but I would def go there in the summer as I am a creature of the sun.

Jane - I'm happy to tell you that in my experience Japan, Hong Kong and the Nordic countries that I've visited are all highly arousing. American Samoa I'm not sure about, so whereas I'd be more than happy to explore it, my money's still on Vanuatu as the way forward

Cue! I'm studying in Thailand for three months, Sep - Jan. Where you going to be?

[(mjb)§0.41100]

I've heard Molvania has the most beautiful woman and the cheapest beer.

[Cue]

Jane - I'm happy to tell you that in my experience Japan, Hong Kong and the Nordic countries that I've visited are all highly arousing. American Samoa I'm not sure about, so whereas I'd be more than happy to explore it, my money's still on Vanuatu as the way forward

Cue! I'm studying in Thailand for three months, Sep - Jan. Where you going to be?

Been in and around SE Asia from three months from October ... so the same time fella

[englandmj7]

Jane - I'm happy to tell you that in my experience Japan, Hong Kong and the Nordic countries that I've visited are all highly arousing. American Samoa I'm not sure about, so whereas I'd be more than happy to explore it, my money's still on Vanuatu as the way forward

Cue! I'm studying in Thailand for three months, Sep - Jan. Where you going to be?

Syb -

I am going to be in Thailand in January as well, mostly in Pattaya. Where are you going to be?

[junglejane]

Jane - I'm happy to tell you that in my experience Japan, Hong Kong and the Nordic countries that I've visited are all highly arousing. American Samoa I'm not sure about, so whereas I'd be more than happy to explore it, my money's still on Vanuatu as the way forward

Cue! I'm studying in Thailand for three months, Sep - Jan. Where you going to be?

I'm coming back from SF on september and i'm gonna have tests for sure... so i'm probably gonna be in italy for fall/winter... maybe for easter i'll travel somewhere... hopefully!!

[homme.homme]

I'm going to all of these destinations early next year, a run down of what each city is good for in terms of shopping, nightclubs/bars, day spas and anything else of interest would be good.

I terms of shopping I want to do luxury stores - Gucci, LV, Dior Homme etc, designer streetwear & denim and also any interesting local brands that I can't get in Sydney. Possibly electronics too.

Nightlife i want to check out underground clubs - Indie Rock or Electro. If anyone is familiar with Sydney club nights something similar to bang gang, purple sneakers, kink and electric disco - anything thats not too commercial.

All suggestions appreciated!

[beast]

I'm going to all of these destinations early next year, a run down of what each city is good for in terms of shopping, nightclubs/bars, day spas and anything else of interest would be good.

I terms of shopping I want to do luxury stores - Gucci, LV, Dior Homme etc, designer streetwear & denim and also any interesting local brands that I can't get in Sydney. Possibly electronics too.

Not sure about clubbing, but if you are into genuine luxury goods, best skip Shanghai & Beijing though I heard Gucci just opened a 9 storey flagship in Shanghai I think.

If you are into fake luxury goods, try Shanghai & Beijing where fakes are classified in categories and the more you can pay, the better the quality. Needless to say, you need a local to bring you to these covert shops & to get you the best price.

If you want those brands, best try Hong Kong because their selection is much better and they have tons of branches for Gucci, Prada, LV etc etc. The problem is going to which branch if you are looking for a particular item like menswear or ladies bag etc etc.

Also, the consumer culture is much superior in HK. Just compare the shops: LV's flagship in HK Central is a 4 storey ode to luxury. Singapore's flagship is a one storey shop.

Dior Homme in HK TST is typical Dior design. Black tiles & chrome & its newly opened. Singapore only has one small corner in Club 21 Men selling some of Dior Homme stuff.

Not sure which is HK's Gucci flagship store but Singapore has a store similar to the size of Singapore's LV flagship & they do not carry the full range of menswear as told to me by the sales assistants.

What are the other designer streetwear & denim you are looking for?

Lastly, your time there will probably coincide with their year end sale. So knock yourself out!

[homme.homme]

Great advice, thanks!

I'm not after the fakes.

I'm not really after any other brands in particular but would love to get some good local labels!

I'm going in March so i think i will miss the sale period??

[beast]

Great advice, thanks!

I'm not after the fakes.

I'm not really after any other brands in particular but would love to get some good local labels!

I'm going in March so i think i will miss the sale period??

March would probably be too late.

If you are after discounted stuff, you would have to keep a close ear to the ground for sample sales. You can go to those shops that sells consignment bags etc etc for bags from those brands but your guess is as good as mine as to their authencity.

Pricewise, I am not sure whether there is a disparity in prices in Singapore and Hong Kong for those items during non sale season, but definitelty its cheaper to get those goods there other than Beijing and Shanghai.

Not sure about Sydney but when I went to other parts of Australia years back, their selection of big name branded goods from Europe are scarce and expensive. In fact even worse than in USA.

As for local brands, only one I can think of for mens designer wear in that luxury category in Singapore is Woods and Woods but they are pricey!

[xcoldricex]

ok. babyface, guandii, windows all get thumbs down. especially for what you're looking for.

you're not going to find much of an indie rock / electro scene. but there's some people pushing more progressive music. you can check out smartshanghai.com for some events...

things that might interest you:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=54375903

http://www.myspace.com/pauseparty

http://myspace.com/shanghaibananas

check out tanghui- they usually have something interesting going on.

don't shop in shanghai, especially for imported luxury labels. save that for hong kong. beijing has stuff but again, more expensive than hong kong. hong kong for electronics too.

one label in shanghai does their own denim that is supposedly produced pretty well and is about $100 US. the name escapes me right now... but it's on the street one block north of huaihai rd., changle rd. (i suggest you check out the shops here).

how much is woods and woods? i was just looking at the stuff today.

[xcoldricex]

for beijing...

you'll have to find the place yugong yishan (across from worker's stadium). they have random shit but it's usually good.

it's been awhile since i've been in beijing and the scene turns over pretty fast and the a bunch of new clubs opened.... so i can't really help. but you can ask here:

http://forum.smartchina.com/board/20/page=1

shopping wise... you can go to xidan and go through the 3 malls (one underground, two separate buildings above ground) with a bunch of stalls- you'll have to dig for nicer stuff, but its there- just hidden.amongst a lot of junk.

[homme.homme]

Im not so much after local LUXURY brands just nice local stuff - streetwear, whatever...

thanks for the myspaces - i will check them out.

[beast]

how much is woods and woods? i was just looking at the stuff today.

Think it was about US$200.00 for a shirt but it was made of a special paper blend.

Yup you read it right, paper.

They have a small selection at www.frontrowsingapore.com.

Understand Woods & Woods are primero stuff in Europe.

Anyway how did your Hong Kong trip go? Yield any good bargains?

[xcoldricex]

hk.

basically there's a mall everywhere you go. you can check out joyce, joyce warehouse, IT, and lane crawford. for denim you can go for Take 5 for japanese denim, hidehiko yamane for japanese denim made in china, and there's a bunch of stores that sell RMC if you're into that. for streetwear you can check out juice, safehouse, 8five2. also do a search it's been talked about before.

[xcoldricex]

Think it was about US$200.00 for a shirt but it was made of a special paper blend.

Yup you read it right, paper.

They have a small selection at www.frontrow.com. No discount though.

Understand Woods & Woods are primero stuff in Europe.

Anyway how did your Hong Kong trip go? Yield any good bargains?

oh i'll be in hong kong for a few days in dec... probably won't do much shopping though.

[tm]

coldrice, are you from HK ?

but yeah pretty much any major subway station you go, you'll see a mall in HK.

luxery or not, CAUSEWAY BAY-CENTRAL is where you'll find most of your stuff in HK island. IFC, SOGO, TIMES SQUARE, etc. check the main site for maps and such.

Kowloon Island, Mong Kwok for streetwear/sneakers and Tsim Sha Tsui for luxery stuff and whatnot.

Joyce and I.T. carries various brands that you'll be interested in.

i'll be back in Dec as well.

[Swych]

Hong Kong- I haven't been back for since last January but here's my take. (I'm from there but go to school abroad).

Shopping:

Japanese Denim in Take 5, Tsim Sa Tsui (theres an MTR station there). If you're in the area, check out Rise shopping centre (if you asked the guys at Take 5 they'd know- they have a store there too and could probably point you as its 30 seconds away) Rise is a local small mall with little gimmicks and cheap imported pieces/ local designer boutiques. There's also Silvercord mall in Tsim Sa Tsui which carries alot of street stuff.

If you want designer brands, check out Lane Crawford (in Central area, IFC mall and Admiralty area, Pacific Place mall). The IFC store carries more tailored goods and italian designers, whereas the Pacific Place one is more street orientated, targeting denim wear with shit like Z-Brand, Rag and Bone, Edun etc.

In Landmark shopping centre, Central, you'll also find the flagship stores of all the designer brands like Lindeberg, Dries van Noten, Paul Smith, Bottega, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Jimmy Choo blah blah you know the deal. But there's also Harvey Nichol's, the British department store that carries slightly more obscure tailored goods like Cloak. They also carry a casual line in the style of Diesel, Morphine Generation, Juicy Couture. Its worth a visit IMO, though the stuff is overpriced.

The general designer wear store is I.T. There are 2 in Causeway Bay that have more or less everything, yet again, one for street, one for all the other stuff. There's an APC close to those shops too.

Anyway those are my fave spots. As for electronics... shit i have to find the name, but theres a 12 storey high lil office building in Mong Kok, next to the MTR station's Exit E, right on the left as you walk into the street, that sells electronics. Each floor is basically owned by a different store so theres mad competition within the building.

Clubs:

Its hard to find an electro/ rock club. If there are, well, I just haven't found them

Yum La off Lyndhurst Terrace seems to be playing some interesting music thats different from the mainstream HK clubs. Everywehre seems to be pumping out generic hip hop.

The most exclusive/ swanky ones are Dragon-I and Volar last time I checked, both in Lan Kwai Fong area. Wednesday nights in Dragon-I is model night and well worth a visit (if you can get yourself in). My personal favourite spot is Drop, the best place I know in Hong Kong that doesnt play commercial hip hop (Actually Drop plays the best House music I know in HK). FINDS (which stands for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden) is a Scandivian bar in Lan Kwai Fong Tower that serves good cocktails and has an icey turquoise interior. If you want the best view of Hong Kong, there are good drinks in Aqua, in Tsim Sa Tsui that overlooks the Hong Kong harbour. I really don't know any rock clubs there because everywhere is swamped with mainstream hip hop.

hope htat helps.

[xcoldricex]

no i just lived there for 2 months or so.

never followed the indie/electro scene in HK. probably not much of one. but the guys at yumla might be able to direct you http://yumla.com/ as they do something different from most of the clubs in HK.

fringe sometimes has some music http://www.hkfringe.com.hk/

holy shit they're having

EX-IT

Funk & Fusion

John Scofield, Medeski Martin, WoodSoulive, Jamiroquai, Mike Yip, Siuming, Vic Tsui and Gin

10:30pm Saturday, November 18, 2006

Fringe Gallery

Non member: $80 include one standard drink

Member: Free Admission

The members of this hot new funk and fusion group come from various established local bands, and have distinctly different musical backgrounds, with influences ranging from John Scofield to Medeski Martin and Wood (MMW), Soulive and Jamiroquai. The guys are Mike Yip (guitar), Siuming (bass), Vic Tsui (drums/percussion) and Gin (piano/keyboards) – all well-known musos in jazz/blues venues around town.

if you're into that.

[Swych]

Yeah if you want something other than mainstream stuff, the jazz scene is much bigger than the rock/ electro.

no i just lived there for 2 months or so.

never followed the indie/electro scene in HK. probably not much of one. but the guys at yumla might be able to direct you http://yumla.com/ as they do something different from most of the clubs in HK.

fringe sometimes has some music http://www.hkfringe.com.hk/

holy shit they're having

EX-IT

Funk & Fusion

John Scofield, Medeski Martin, WoodSoulive, Jamiroquai, Mike Yip, Siuming, Vic Tsui and Gin

10:30pm Saturday, November 18, 2006

Fringe Gallery

Non member: $80 include one standard drink

Member: Free Admission

The members of this hot new funk and fusion group come from various established local bands, and have distinctly different musical backgrounds, with influences ranging from John Scofield to Medeski Martin and Wood (MMW), Soulive and Jamiroquai. The guys are Mike Yip (guitar), Siuming (bass), Vic Tsui (drums/percussion) and Gin (piano/keyboards) – all well-known musos in jazz/blues venues around town.

if you're into that.

[tm]

yeah for electronics

def. hit the building Swych mentioned located in MK.

I don't recall the name of the building either but it's near "sneaker street", snoop around and ask some people they should know.

just to reiterate, good prices since theres mad competition there and they're "water goods" product so I guess they dont need to pay tax to import it in ?

lol don't really know how to explain "water good" but def. cheaper than retail chains like Fortress, Broadway, etc. which is only better since they provide better warrenty/services but you are leaving the country so fuck that, don't bother buying from those places. rarely do they have cheaper prices.

[beast]

yeah for electronics

def. hit the building Swych mentioned located in MK.

I don't recall the name of the building either but it's near "sneaker street", snoop around and ask some people they should know.

just to reiterate, good prices since theres mad competition there and they're "water goods" product so I guess they dont need to pay tax to import it in ?

lol don't really know how to explain "water good" but def. cheaper than retail chains like Fortress, Broadway, etc. which is only better since they provide better warrenty/services but you are leaving the country so fuck that, don't bother buying from those places. rarely do they have cheaper prices.

'water goods' are so called parallel import, where the retailer from Hong Kong imports from an overseas retailer where the manufacturer, say Pioneer in Japan only sell to their recognised or authorised agents.

The problem is it does not comes with warranty, which would not matter if the country you bring it to, ie USA have an international warranty or policy that they will service the products regardless where it comes from.

[homme.homme]

Thanks to everyone. You have definately pointed me in the right direction! any other recommendations? I'm doing all these cities +2 more in China all in approx 3 weeks so i have to plan ahead so i dont miss anything.

[fndmybetterhalf]

so i'm highly considering taking a nice trip somewhere for spring break...and me and myr oomate have come upw ith three places so far. San Fran, NYC, LA. But LA i went during the summer so i'm kinda crossin that out. But basically i wanna go somewhere where i can shop my ass off for things i cant buy in Seattle where i live. Any other ideas? I'm thinking i might wanna stay within 250-350 for plane tickets...so let me know!

[samsikle]

when i got my tickets for ny (from sf to ny) they were only 298. idk how much they'll be for spring but try jet blue that's what we're taking. sf has a lot of good places, but i guess it depends on what you want to shop your ass off for. i'll let you know how ny goes ;D