http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20276 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20276 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19645 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19645 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17808 and advanced students of all ages at two of the city's top design schools. Courses last two or four weeks and cover the areas of fashion, graphics, interior and product design from a fascinating Milanese point of view with many guest speakers - a great place to network for contacts as well. Book a place online for this July.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17808 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17680 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17680 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16609
This area houses the Hilton Lexington Green suites hotel. All rooms have an attractive bedroom, and adjoining living area.
The hotel is one of the few in the city to offer an outdoor pool (though it's small and open in summer only). But it does overlook a small man-made lake, and is right beside the city's best book shop, a multiplex cinema that claims to be 'arthouse', and the city's most popular seafood restaurant (Regatta's) that often has live music on its patio area.

In addition to this, you are just a five-minute walk from Fayette Mall, the city's best shopping complex that houses Macy's, Dillards, and many stores much loved by the fashion-conscious. The Mall also has some attractive restaurants including P F Changs, a trendy chain featuring quality Chinese dishes. A 10 minute drive away you can find the discreetly located, Guiseppe's, renowned for its excellent Italian food, service, and jazz nights.

Lexington is also home to Keaneland racing track. A visit to the track is enjoyable, and the track has its main annual meeting in October of each year. Lexington is very much a city dominated by a University – the University of Kentucky – but despite the large population of young students, the downtown area lacks the vitality one might thus expect.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16609 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15427
They also have retro mugs and posters. Worth popping in anyway, as it's on nan luo gu xiang which is a really fun place to walk around and see all the old hu tongs. There's a great Korean restaurant nearby too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15427 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14510 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14510 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13455
Eno creates limited edition products: t-shirts, hoodies, long sleeves, bags, shoes.

Also very much worth visiting are their two monthly in store events called enoise with chinese and foreign bands performing in a relaxed atmosphere. ]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13454
Eno creates limited edition products: T-shirts, hoodies, long sleeves, bags, shoes.

Also very much worth visiting are their two monthly instore events called enoise with Chinese and foreign bands performing in a relaxed atmosphere.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13454 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12790 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12790 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12066 If you'd like to see some beautiful old villas wonder in the suburbs of Herne Bay, Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Parnell and Mt. Eden. All these places offer a great mix of clothes' shops and cafes especially Ponsonby Road and Jervois Road.

Around Auckland:
If it's a fine day, get on the ferry to Waiheke island [only takes 20 minutes], and visit some of the famous vineyards [Stoneridge is one of my favourites]. Have lunch at spectacular Te Whau restaurant.

On a weekend, head North of Auckland and visit Warkworth, Matakana and Leigh. There is a farmers' market in Matakana on Saturday mornings from 8am - 1pm and plenty of small vineyards producing excellent wine. Stop and eat at the Sawmill Cafe in Leigh and burn it all off afterwards with a long walk on breathtakingly beautiful Pakiri beach.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12066 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9340
Fridays and Saturdays are packed out with Singapore's best and brightest and the queue often extends toward the York Hotel.
The house band are a unique Asian experience which some Western travellers may not like, but there is also a DJ who caters to most tastes. The staff are friendly and the owners are extremely hospitable.

Oh, and Saturday night is model night and you can find the smallish Singapore fashion scene getting smashed there most weekends]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9340 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7226
Venture from the main strip to the tree-lined back streets and you’ll find some great boutiques. There are also plenty of chic cafes and restaurants for when you are shopped-out. And keep an eye out for celebs. I saw Britney Spears (pre-baby, of course). Don't drive though: parking is a nightmare. Take the bus.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7226 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6797 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6797 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5503
With the help of a local tailor, she put together a simple uniform that borrowed from the boyish fashion trends sweeping the US, and – hey presto! – one of Japan’s most enduring images was born. The original design is used at the school to this day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5503 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5137
That said, a little advice picked up from the experts in the business might be useful.

When looking for carpets, be sure to look around and compare before committing (a little home study before arriving is great too). Try to look for shops with serious tradition (family-owned is a good sign) and an attested reputation; such firms are keen to keep up their business and good name and enjoy repeat business- another good indicator.

Further, you'll be wise to demand Turkish rugs only, with certification. The last few years have seen a proliferation of cheap, mass-produced carpets from Afghanistan and Pakistan passed off as the real thing.

Third, avoid the touts and well-attired persuaders strategically located nearby the prime tourist sites; they are working on commission and not particularly scrupulous.

Now that you know what to look out for, where to go?

The Grand Bazaar is of course the prime place for shoppers (though not the only), teeming with over 4,000 shops of all kinds. Although there are many excellent carpet dealers, one unique and rather hip one is Ethnicon, a small but now quite well known outlet offering unique “fusion” rugs and wall hangings, or "kilims."

The vision of the company was to cater to an emerging market (the modern urban interior of varying degrees of minimalism) while at the same time addressing an acute need: the increasing scarcity of antique carpets coming from Anatolian family collections, which have gone from a flood to a trickle over the past 20 years.

To get around this lack, Ethnicon decided to use what was to be found from damaged antique partial carpets, nomad tent coverings, soft casings, scraps and so on, patching them all together through a 15-step process. The result is alluring rugs and wall decorations that combine old ingredients with modern deco tastes. With widespread media attention, the Ethnicon style has become a brand in its own right.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5137