wish list - I sell myself :)

MILAN - McLaren MP4-12C, better silver colour. McLaren drivers are both English and both fans of Oasis (see also the video on the column), Hamilton plays guitar and was even born in the place, Stevenage, where they performed their biggest concert, Knebworth. 
You know I "talk straight" :) as them and I say everything.
I've seen there are some bitches (lol), also famous bitches, who put their "wish list" of gifts they would like to receive (also on websites as Amazon, etc.). Thinking bad of people is a sin, but most of the times you're right... so I can imagine that "in exchange" of those gifts, they give themselves...

I absolutely must create my wish list.
(lol)
Life is one, and everything and everybody has a price. 

Well, women always want to be "the same" as men, the "gender equality", so here I want to be the same as them :)

I blame it on (not the changing of the seasons, as Oasis' Roll It Over :), on the financial crisis.
There must be some rich women who would buy me :D ...I can be their Italian gigolo ahaha.

Or maybe some Manchester City's sheikhs, I can work in their garden :)
Now, seriously, this is my wish list for you to remember for my birthday :), 9 June, that is also the fashion line Pretty Green birthday, Lewis Hamilton is a fan.

Sometimes there are people who offer me money for advertisements (you know, banners, those things) on some of my websites. That's also why I'm posting this.

this is for you Liam... the Pretty Green blue cashmere pullover is beautiful, thanks. Stop trying to delete Noel's final statement on the official site, leave him alone. Keep on visiting Oasisblues.

Liam Gallagher driving. "God" Noel has no driving license... changing a bit the title of a song by Liam: guess God thinks Noel's not able

as car, I always liked the English Jaguar or the English Lotus, and of course the English McLaren.
Jaguar as my first girlfriend's car.
"She looked just like a star in a Jaguar, she needs to lighten her load" (Oasis, Step out)
"I'm gonna get me a motor car, maybe a Jaguar, maybe a plane or a day of fame" (Oasis, Going nowhere)

it's sad to say but often when you're rich or have a great car, you "automatically" have a beautiful woman.
It's the power of what we like, cars.

But if it's a woman buying me (lol), she would be probably older. I always say "love has no age" and it's true.

Since I was a kid I always liked that girl who would have become Liam's wife for some time (Patsy Kensit), this is the Dutch model Karen Mulder, I always liked her elegant beauty (both of them were born in 1968, so yes, they're really older)

Liam on his Milano mod Lambretta. Italian scooter also in Pretty Green stores and @ nights

a red, acoustic guitar (this is a Gibson Hummingbird)

what else? ...hmm I could have some of these and other things, not all of them are impossible. Anyway, the "little things they make me so happy, all I wanna do is live by the sea" (It's good to be free) could still be nice, but I should sell one of our houses. Someday. Photo: (and you're singing) Shangri-La, in my "Brit" island Minorca, where McLaren used to test the cars.

countdown to the new McLaren

WOKING - And new 2012 teamwear, the silver is back... the t-shirts are white this year. Good, 'cause last year the black ones were difficult to wear in the sun in Italy :) (I told them) - click here

home-made Vodafone McLaren steering wheel and pedals... I must confess my "weakness": I can't resist training reflexes even at home. Useful for when I'll drive on Monza circuit again and again

Button to be the first one testing and to have the number 3

MONZA - Preparing the circuit... as every year, here's the winter version photo. Different year, different speeding circuit. Apparently. Beautiful sun in Milan, but Monza circuit now looks a bit different from the one where a few months ago we burnt ourselves in the sun...
This year will be special (again) 'cause it's Monza race 90th year (1922->2012).
Button will be the first one testing the new McLaren, he should also have the number 3 (ring F1 circus :), not 4 (Hamilton), 'cause he was second in the championship, and he said we need a clear number one to win.

Photo above: this is (Parabolica) where last year Mark Webber went off track, lol. We were laughing, he didn't even realise that he had his car VERY damaged for a whole lap (incident with Massa), that's why then he lost control. Amazing also how nobody told him. It was even shocking when we saw the broken car passing and he went off... there was me climbing on the net, shouting and indicating him to the people (also, nice metaphor eh). I should have told him too.

Today's Jenson's birthday. He will be the first driver to sample the new McLaren MP4-27 at next month's Jerez test. McLaren has confirmed that Jenson will take the wheel on February 7 for the first run of the car at the Spanish track.

Monza tickets and advices

MILAN - To get tickets for Monza GP, click here. Usually, people prefer to already own a ticket, of course, but there are also some ways to have a ticket paying before and getting it the day you arrive there. Formula 1 is a very expensive sport, but it's worth.
If you're coming from far, of course you want to stay the whole weekend, but for the people who live closer, even if they are big fans, 3-4 days of Formula One could be very tiring (because of the sun, walking, traffic, people, etc.), so for them it's better just 1 or 2.

For some things you should spend more, for other things you should spend less. Here are my advices from our experiences.

TRAVELLING TO ITALY

if you're coming from abroad, foreign countries, you probably have to take a plane, that is not expensive, especially if you book some time before, at least one month. There are 3 main airports around Milan: Malpensa (very far but there's a nice train arriving to Milan's Cadorna station), Linate (closer, the bus number 73 takes you to the centre) and Orio al Serio (quite far, you'll have to take a train).

So when you're here you probably don't have a car (unless you rent one), but it's better to go around without a car, as traffic is a problem and it also would be difficult for you without knowing the places. And, you would have to spend a lot of money for fuel and car parkings for whole days. It's also more adventurous to go around and meet people.

STAYING

cheap hotels, hostels, campings, are not very popular in Milan, you could find them but they could be far and not very nice (you know, Milan is quite an expensive city), I remember also some English girls told me about them. Well, if you like camping, I remember a Hungarian girl choosing that option, there's one "inside" the circuit (it is so inside that last year we laughed because when we were going to the circuit I went inside the camping and a girl working there tried to stop me, and I said: no autographs, please, lol. I was sure it wasn't a camping so I could go inside :).

But I think it's better if you spend just a little bit more for this and stay in a normal hotel, so you can also easily visit Milano. Usually, people say to avoid hotels around Stazione Centrale (the main station), 'cause it's a bit dangerous.
I know some people prefer to stay in a hotel outside the city, I think it's a bad choice, you could get lost. Not even the people living here know so well all the places.
The Ferrari crew stay in one of the most central hotels, just right behind the Duomo cathedral (there's also their shop near there) and of course it's very expensive. But drivers usually sleep inside the circuit in their rooms. Jenson Button and Jessica Michibata usually stay @ a luxury hotel by Como lake (not very far from the circuit), same hotel where former Oasis Liam Gallagher-speeding Beady Eye often come. I know some people stay @ same hotels of celebrities to be sure to meet them, but it's a risk, you could spend a lot of money in vain. And I tell you, there's nothing to go crazy for famous people.

If you're an attractive girl, there's no problem for anything, and you can stay by us, lol.

My sister sometimes has a job on the circuit on the grid as "umbrella girl", now she's more a chief for the girls working.

MILAN -> MONZA
(distance: about 15 kms, =10 miles, but the total is about 20 kilometres to the circuit)

when you're in Milan and you have to go to the circuit, the best way is: 

a taxi, but it could cost too much, and you wouldn't meet other fans="tifosi", as Schumacher says.

If you don't want to take a taxi, first take a train (about 2 €uros or so, usually towards direction Chiasso) from Garibaldi station (green line metro stop), not from Stazione Centrale station, because there are less trains to go to Monza.

In a few minutes you arrive in Monza, the city (but it doesn't mean that you're already at the circuit, not yet).

Here, outside Monza station, you can walk a tunnel to go out on the right side of the station, there's a free bus (called "linea nera", black line), from 7:30 am, from Friday to Sunday of the Formula 1 weekend (there isn't on Thursday, if you have to go there to meet the drivers for the "walk about"). But my advice is to avoid this bus, because although it's good that you don't have to pay and you will be with a lot of fans, the traffic is the same and then you realise why it's free: sometimes a long time to wait and it leaves you inside the big park of Monza and you'll have to walk a VERY long road to arrive at the circuit, it will take a lot of time. The same when you have to go away (and you'll also ask yourself: where the fuck is the bus station? :)

So (flashback :), when you are at Monza station, it's better to take bus tickets (a few €uros) at the tobacconist's and go outside on the left side, there's a small garden, a few stairs and a road above ("corso Milano" street). I can see it could be a little complicated at this point, we can go together :), but many people ask me so I have to choose which ones :). When you get this bus (number 221), there could be the same traffic (really annoying, especially when you come back), but it will leave you to a comfortable place, Biassono, near one of the circuit entrances (you will see a landmark with the circuit shape in a little square, there's also a small wall to photograph, with photos and autographs of past and present drivers).
When you have to come back, step off the bus when you see a McDonald's in "corso Milano" street, that is near Monza station.

On Sunday ONLY, there's also a free train from Milan, Stazione Centrale, that even arrives to the circuit (so, no buses at all), but then you realise why it's free: again, the little problem is that it leaves you at Lesmo entrance so you will have to walk a lot, depending on where you're staying in the circuit. Anyway, this train could be good to go there, but my advice is that you avoid it when you have to come back on Sunday afternoon, because you'll find yourself blocked among literally thousands of people trying to use these free trains and you'll have to spend a lot of time in a huge crowd under the sun, you could go mad, also because tired for the long weekend.

FOOD

prices are a bit high inside the circuit, you know, because they also have to pay Ecclestone :) and the quality is a bit "standard", let's say, classic hot dogs, "salamella" sausage and similar stuff. Also, you'll have to deal with long queues of big-belly hungry Germans, lol.

If you want to eat better things and spend less, here's my trick, when you're on the "final" bus just before arriving at that little square of the autographs wall, step off the bus (Vedano stop, you can also ask the driver) and go to this little town called Vedano al Lambro (the Milano river giving the name to Lambretta), there's a nice "rosticceria" to buy food, and then you're still close to a circuit entrance.
To always have very cold water the whole day, you should put a bottle in the freezer the night before, so it's frozen and it melts slowly during the day.

Remember also to bring a suntan lotion cream, 'cause even if it's September, usually it's still really hot and last year we got tanned more in 4 days than in 2 months of holidays.
Also, avoid those foreign people playing with boxes or cards inside the circuit: they try to get money from you but they're actors (whole families) and when the police comes, they run away.

For other questions, contact us marco@miamilan.com