Michael Gillette was born and raised in Britain, where at the age of 5 he won a school art competition. It was a good start, and he kept at his craft, developing his own style. A little later on he went to art College in Taunton and Kinston. Quickly out of school he began doing artwork and illustrations for british pop magazines. He moved to San Francisco in ‘01, to continue his quirky and unique illustrations. His client list boasts folks like The Beastie Boys, Elastica, Greenpeace, and MTV. After doing a series of shirts for Levi’s premium, he decided it was time to do it himself, and do it right. Now he he has his own line of t-shirts. A chunk of the shirt sales go to P.E.T.A., it’s clear he is inspired by animals, and of course, music.

There is something be said for the feeling of being in a home like environment, even if it’s not your own. I’ve been in hotels for the past few weeks, and despite how nice each of them have been, they’re all very sterile in comparison to being in a home like setting. There’s a new tool out there for people who enjoy travelling, but would prefer to stay in a furnished apartment, instead. They’re generally less expensive, they have more space, and might feel a bit easier on you if you like to think wherever you go you have a “home”. Furnished Rentals, is a small site for finding rentals, it’s totally free, and just beginning to bloom.

I didn’t have to go far from my cocoon inHotel Q!, where I’m staying, to find good things in Berlin–Kurfüsten Damm is packed with stores, and more stores. Although a huge amount of the shops around this area are touristy and no different than any other city, there were a few gems in the mix. My pick of the day is Snea-Q. It’s easily the nicest, and most thorough sneaker store I have seen all trip. The shoes sit in front of a color changing backlit wall, on slates of thick glass. Other more exclusive models are in glass boxes. The selection was really awesome. As far as limited edition sneakers, they had everything from a series of laser cut Nikes, 96 Hours Puma, Y-3 goodies, and naturally tons of other Adidas, and Tiger models. If you can’t make it all the way to Berlin, they have an online shop, which is equally as beautiful as their flagship store.