Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Whiskey War

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Since 1933, Canada and Denmark have been waging a quiet cold war over a desolate island in the far Arctic—really. The grim, barren 1.2 square kilometer rock has no apparent resources or value. But Hans Island is situated smack in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Europe, History, Maps | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Sometimes Paris can seem like one enormous movie set. Apparences is a beautiful, if somewhat surreal, video experiment directed by French duo Clarice et Maxine,who morphed iconic attractions and street scenes into a massive Potemkin Village.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Film, movies, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Vice Travels Well

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Last month, VICE released the inaugural episode in its new series of Vice City Guides videos. The first episode focuses on Brooklyn, New York (of course), with shows to follow soon on Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cartographic Illusions

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

“Civilized Landscapes” is an amazing series of paper sculptures by Beijing-based artist/photographer/printmaker Ji Zhou. He recycles old books and maps by hand-sculpting imaginary topographic landscapes.

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Maps | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Welcome to Britain

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Everyone’s favorite Brit Stephen Fry is starring in a just released little “welcome to the U.K.” video created by London’s Heathrow Airport. The short film is calculated to introduce foreign visitors to some of the quirks of British culture. Appropriately filmed inside … Continue reading →

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Buds and Breakfast

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

As more and more destinations legalize marijuana use, travelers who indulge are searching for accommodations that are amenable to cannabis use by guests. It’s no surprise that new services are popping up to meet the needs of this travel niche. … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Europe, Hotels, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A veritable travel bucket list

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

London-based, Italian illustrator and graphic designer Daniele Simonelli created the charming poster below of fifteen cities with their iconic landmarks for the travel app Great Little Place. You can see more of his terrific work here and you can check … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Everyday Berlin

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Filmmaker Alex Soloviev directed, filmed and edited this wonderful visual poem to Berlin. Using handheld cameras, he followed locals and tourists alike to create a charming slice-of-life ode to Germany’s exciting capital.

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

Are We There Yet ?

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Way back in 2015, a neat old map detailing how long it took to travel from London to diverse destinations in 1914 was all over the internet. Now, the helpful Australian travel search engine Rome2rio has created a companion map … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Asia, Canada, Europe, Maps, Middle East, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Egypt and Its Monuments

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

A book buyer just requested some images from this fantastic 1908 edition of Egypt And Its Monuments by Robert Hichens with illustrations by Jules Guérin so I thought I’d share them here as well. Over the years, I’ve bought and … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art, Books, History, Middle East, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments