The City of Arts and Sciences is probably the most photographed object in Valencia. I haven been to Las Ciencias numerous times for jogging, to show it off to visitors, ATP Open 500 Tennis, the science museum, the Oceanographic, the IMAX in the Hemisferic but never had a big urge to take tons of pictures. But the sunset yesterday truly inspired me and couldn’t hold myself back from tacking ton pictures of the CAC.

– Bed and Breakfast Valencia

It won’t be news to any of our US-based readers, but 1983’s beloved and massively successful science fiction miniseries V is currently being given an update.

V is about a race of aliens (the “Visitors”) arriving to Earth with possibly nefarious intentions, and how humanity interacts with them. The Visitors have gigantic spaceships, the interiors of which contain mind-blowingly futuristic architecture.

Mind-blowingly futuristic architecture? Where to turn, other than Valencia’s Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias?! Calatrava’s tiled white creations have always looked like something designed by an alien race, so it might not be too surprising to see them pop up in the new series.

Pretty sweet! Though I’m in the States, I missed the series premiere. It got good reviews across the board, as intelligent sci-fiction, packed with smart ideas. Spain has to wait until December.

[via Levante-EMV]

- Restaurant Recommendations Valencia

I’ve been visiting family in Ohio for about 2 weeks now, which is time enough to reflect on some of the differences & similarities between my adopted and birth homes… here are 8 things which have been on my mind.

1) Nobody in Ohio walks! I was on Main Street of Springfield, Ohio. Granted, not the most cosmopolitan of America’s cities, but still: Main Street. I walked two blocks, and passed a grand total of two other pedestrians: (a) a scraggly old homeless woman and (b) a “sport walking”-walker. Apparently walking is only done for fitness anymore.

2) I would rather shop at a Spanish supermarket than an American one. No one needs a 100-meter aisle of cereal choices.

3) If Americans have heard of Valencia, it tends to be because of the City of Arts & Sciences. But not many have heard of Valencia. Everyone asks me where it is in relation to Barcelona.

4) Autumn usually brings out the rainy worst in Valencia, but Ohio is never more beautiful. (Though, Juergen reports nothing but sunny skies in VLC this October!)

5) Americans are much more courteous, patient drivers than Spaniards. The wave-to-honk ratio is drastically better.

6) They’ve actually begun showing Champions League highlights on Sportscenter. This might sound trivial, but is truly a huge step forward. Soccer exists in the average American consciousness in a way that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago. When a friend from high school recently asked me how Chelsea was doing, I almost spit out my beer.

7) Why, exactly, do toilets in the USA hold so much water? I had never thought about it before, but now it’s freaking me out. My poop does not need a huge pool to swim around in.

8) Fast food is a way of life here. I miss menú del días, but I can’t deny the giddy, shameful pleasure of ordering a menu at Taco Bell.

… any other expats out there have similar observations to share? Spaniards and Ohioans have a lot more in common than most would probably assume, but the differences are more fun!

- Valencia Hotel: Vincci Palace

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Finally back in Valencia, and happy to be here. The autumn in Midwest America is beautiful — colorful trees, and crisp refreshing weather — but nothing can compare to the beautiful climate of Valencia!

I took some cool pictures during the flight from Madrid to Valencia. The plains can be boring to drive through, but are remarkable from the air.  I especially love the pics of the mist hanging over the hills, and the weird patterns in the ground.  At times, the landscape feels almost alien.

Enjoy the pics!

P.S. Does anyone know someone with an airplane or helicopter in Valencia. Would love to take some pictures of Valencia from above with my real camera.

- Flights to Valencia and Spain

The inaugural event for Calatrava’s Agora is the ATP Open 500 tennis tournament, which is on right now until November 8th. I went to see Alberto Martin play Andy Ram but was mostly interested in the brand new Calatrava building. The Agora is stunning but on the second look it’s apparent that the tennis event snuck up fast on the organizers. On a closer look things seemed unfinished and compromised. Hopefully, this will change after more time has passed by.

Altogether, the Agora is breathtaking from the inside and out. The interior feels very organic and reminds me of Noah’s Ark. Kind of like the Marriott hotel in Atlanta.

I’m going again for the final on the 8th, but might cover some other events. I would love to see Ferrer but don’t see anywhere when he is playing.

There are still tickets available, even for the final. So if you are interested in going yourself act fast.

More info & Tickets: Open Tennis 500

More pictures:

- Bed and Breakfast Valencia / Hostels / Hotels

We’re more than a few days late on this news, but no bother — we’ll have a whole year to get to know María Pilar Giménez and Ariadna Galán: the new Fallera Mayor and Fallera Mayor Infantil of Valencia.

Source: fallasvalencia.es

First thought: Ariadna has a name that is just begging to be misspelled.

María Pilar represents the Fallera commission of Santa Cruz, and is a 21 year-old student of Negotiation and Public Administration. And, of course, is a hottie. Congratulations to both girls! Get ready for a lot of appearances on this blog.

- What is Fallas?

This morning, I hauled out my jacket out of the closet for the first time this year. A sad annual milestone. Still, it’s mid-October, so I shouldn’t be complaining.

It feels like the cold spell which set in yesterday marks the end of summer. As good a time as any to get the hell out of dodge!

We’re going to be in the USA for the next couple weeks, visiting friends and family. We’ll still be blogging, but only in between trips to Taco Bell and Chili’s. I expect we’ll come back to Valencia a good 15 pounds heavier.

Habitual readers of the blog will remember the burning and subsequent destruction of the Teatro Princesa in the middle of the city. It was big news for us, because the theater was adjacent to our apartment building.

Now, more than 6 months after the fire, we know what will be done with the theater’s lot. The theater won’t be reconstructed, nor will there be a park, as the foolishly optimistic residents of the neighborhood had hoped. Nope. Instead, the lot is being converted into a parking lot for trucks. Trucks for the Mercado Central. Loud, stinky trucks that will arrive bright and early every single morning.

First off, I would just like to say… THANK GOD WE MOVED.

How well does this work out for the property owners? They left their theater in disrepair for 25 years, refusing multiple offers to sell it to the city. They let it rot and be occupied by vagrants. Then, surprise, one day it burns to the ground. Months later, once the initial outrage has died down, they sell it as a truck parking lot. Charming. It’s straight out of the Asshole Playbook.

I’m a little angry about it, so pardon my tone, but the owners should not be allowed to profit in any way. By allowing the theater to rot and be occupied, and refusing to sell it to a more responsible custodian, they put the lives of a lot of people in danger, ours included. And now they turn it into a truck parking lot and probably make a tidy profit. Sickening.

Unfortunately, that’s often the way the world works. Too bad for the honest residents of Calle Murillo and Calle Moro Zeit.

- Car Hire Valencia

This past Friday, Valencia celebrated one of its most important holidays — Nou d’Octubre, the Day of the Valencian Community. We drank plenty of coffee in the morning and put on comfortable sneakers… it was going to be a long, eventful day.

Things started at noon, with the lowering of the senyera (Valencia’s flag) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The civil procession which followed was a little subdued, mostly notable for the appearance of the beleaguered Francisco Camps. Honestly, while the procession was going on, I saw a breaking news alert that Camps was set to announce the firing of Ricardo Costa, his second in command. I can only imagine what was going on in “Paco’s” head, while he was smiling and waving at the crowd.

After the procession and the 2pm mascletà, we took a lunch break at 100 Montaditos, then went to the Plaza de la Virgen for an hour of folk dancing. One of the dancers looked wasted, and we had a lot of fun watching his partner grow increasingly agitated.

Immediately after the dancing ended, the entrance of Moors and Christians began. Besides one ridiculously enthusiastic participant in devil makeup, this parade left us unimpressed. Maybe Moors & Christians has been ruined, after our experience in Alcoy — nothing will ever compare to that!

We took a pass on the 2nd of the day’s mascletàs and went home to crash. How did you all experience the Nou d’Octubre?

Pictures of the events:

- Valencia Photo Group

It has been awhile since our last Mascletà. And this one was worth the wait! Fallas 2010… already looking forward to it.

-Hostels in Valencia, B&Bs, Holiday Rentals