Four newish reasons to love Venice

I'm back in Venice for work. Venice is a good place for new thinking. For one thing, it's a beautiful man-made place being destroyed by nature, rather than the other way round. Though of course mankind is chipping in, destroying the city economically and socially with the negative aspects of tourism. But there are still new good things in Venice. For example:

1. The new Calatrava bridge which is stunning. The best way to see it is from the front right seat of a vaporetto coming from the train station to Piazzale Roma. That way you don't see the scaffolding where they're trying to retro-fit a wheelchair lift.
   
2. New restaurants. Contrary to what one might think, the best restaurants in Venice are not necessarily the longest established ones. Though the residential population of the island is lower than it has been since the plague, there are still lots of professional people who come to work every day in Venice, and thousands of students. New places are opening (and closing) all the time, and often come without the stuffiness of some of the older Osteria. Last night we ate in Ae Cravate, a sort of equivalent of an up markt gastropub. Very good
   
3. imob - venice now has a contactless smartcard based ticketing system for the vaporettos. It's baffling the locals but it makes sense. The old system was a joke.
   
4. Da Lele - the hole in the wall selling wine close to Piazzale Roma. An essential rendezvous point for all arrivals in Venice.