Try Vienna on for size – you’ll look and feel sharp in it
There’s something deeply moving about Austria to begin with, and Vienna in particular. It truly does something magical to you.
It’s like the scene in the movie The Family Man. Through divine intervention, Nicolas Cage’s rich, single character gets a glimpse, George Bailey-like, into a financially strapped married-with-kids life he once rejected. At one point, missing his money badly, he tries on a ridiculously expensive suit at the mall. When challenged by his frugal wife, he argues that “Wearing this suit actually makes me feel like a better person.”
Putting Vienna on feels the same way.
It has been at the crossroads of civilizations since civilization began, and it’s palpable. The architecture is a tangible time capsule. The music – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and more – is eternal. The pastries are to die for, as are the Sachertortes and other desserts. The statues, seemingly on everything that doesn’t move and on some things that do, are haunting bits of heritage and history.
The scarred, yet stately St. Stephen’s Cathedral – the ribbon-cutting for which was in the year 1160 – is ground zero for it all, and now towers over a modern magnetic mecca of outdoor shops and restaurants.
Then there’s the Belvedere Art Museum – the upper and lower, separated by a garden fit for a royal. It’s a treasure trove of Austrian and Western art, including the shimmering PG-13-rated Gustav Klimt.
Though I was there for business, it sure didn’t feel that way, an attitude helped along by a very touristy but thoroughly delightful Mozart concert. (My friend Roger and I even got to sit on stage next to the orchestra!)
Even the city cemetery is worth a visit, with ornate made-for-selfie gravesites of the best-known music masters. The public transportation, including streetcar and subway, is among the best anywhere.
Vienna’s art, architecture and music alone represent humanity’s best ever.
Here’s a resident’s summation of what to do in Vienna. Try the city on. Caress the civilizing touch of its grand attire.
It may make you feel like a better person.
