This week is the Salone del Mobile in Milan (International Furniture Expo), which means that the whole city gets flooded with tourists from all kinds of design sectors – so much so that it’s often referred to as ‘Design Week’ in Milan. So I decided to test out my former city-girl ways and I headed up there for the first two nights of the craziness.

And craziness, it was. The sheer quantity of fighetto design gurus flitting about the streets of Brera and Zona Tortona, with glasses of Prosecco in their hands, maps of Fuorisalone events in their bags, and INCREDIBLY high heels on their feet, was nothing short of amazing.

Then there was me… in my hoodie and my comfortable walking shoes. So clearly a fashion-less American, it was almost painful.

But here’s my thinking on this subject: I’ve noticed that when I try – when I actually go through all the effort of dressing up and making sure all accessories are matching, etc – I get stared at WAY more than if I just surrender, give up, and admit fashion defeat. Seriously, these women are ultra competitive! I also find that it helps to cut through some of the bullshit that comes along with these kinds of expos. The sales pitches that I get, compared to the sales pitches that the pair of legs next to me gets, are quite different. And I would argue that mine are much more revealing. If a company is just about show, it comes off in the way they present themselves at these expos. The really interesting ones, however, tend to have much more to say about their product to people like me who express interest in more than the free snacks at their booth.

Anyway… Here’s a few shots from my walking around Milan. There’s a few shots of the Duomo in varying weather conditions, at the request of my mother. There’s the amazing poof of black fur that is Glenda’s cat (Glenda was my fantastic AirBnB hostess for the two nights I was in Milan). There’s a shot of my menu at the California Bakery, which lured me into the shop with bagels hanging from the ceiling (bagels!! I haven’t had bagels in months!!). There’s also the site of the best hamburger maybe in Italy, at the Indiana Post (see my post on this particular gastronomical attraction). Then a few more walking around shots. Enjoy!