Monthly Archives: August 2012

Best Tour Bus Ever

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

By now, we are all too familiar with the ubiquitous double-decker tour buses that clog the streets of every significant tourist destination around the world. But these neat Parisian models from 1950 actually look like fun to ride. Built on … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Book Too Far

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Irish novelist John Banville has been contracted to write a new novel about Raymond Chandler‘s iconic private detective, Philip Marlowe. Henry Holt will publish the book in 2013 under Banville’s pen name, Benjamin Black. Banville promises to create a “slightly surreal, … Continue reading →

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Urbanauts: Staying Local in Vienna

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The Vienna, Austria based Urbanauts have started a movement that they have dubbed Das Horizontale Hotel. This project is converting vacant neighborhood storefront shops around Vienna into single-room hotels. Their first mini-hotel is housed in a former tailor shop near … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What’s Your Type

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Next month, Gotham Books is releasing the paperback edition of its very entertaining title Just My Type by Simon Garfield. To promote the release, Gotham Books has posted this cool poster of “The Periodic Table of Typeface”. Here’s what Garfield … Continue reading →

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How They Do That

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Do you ever pass some amazing street art and wonder how it was created? Well, even if you never thought about it, here are some examples of amazing street art that has been popping-up around the globe in recent months. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Film, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Sometimes Paris

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Sometimes Paris feels just like this…

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The Joy of Maps

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

lorenagarcia.es biancatschaiker.com Juan Martin Rojas phillippedebongnie.be johngibsonNY.com Nadia Guillemin James Orndorf roughshelter.com abigaldaker.com janedixon.com

Posted in Art, Europe, Maps, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cruising Biblical Style

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Last year the blogosphere was all abuzz with reports that Dutchman Johan Huibers was building a replica of Noah’s Ark and that he planned to sail it to London for the Olympics. Well, the Olympics have arrived, but the Ark … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, Tourism | 2 Comments

Literature By The Pound

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

When I was in Madrid earlier this year, I visited many antiquarian and secondhand book stores, but some how I missed La Casqueria, Libros al Peso. Situated in the recently renovated Mercado de San Fernando in the up and coming … Continue reading →

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aMAZEme London

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Inspired by a mutual love for the work of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, Brazilian artists Marcos Saboya and Gualter Pupo have created aMAZEme at London’s Southbank Centre. Constructed with more than 250,000 books by dozens of volunteers, the labyrinth, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments