Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Tourists Suck

Last weekend, hundreds of moronic tourists invaded Playa Ostional near Sarara, Costa Rica. They came to “observe” the annual mass migration of sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. Brought to the national wildlife refuge by paid tour guides, … Continue reading

Posted in South America, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

London’s Secret Map

I love a good map, especially a cleverly designed useful transit network map. And, of course one of my favorites is the Harry Beck design classic London Tube map, with its clear cartography, straight lines and 45-degree rounded corners. But … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Maps, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Stories Told In Wood

Some of us are well and truly over the artisanal everything movement. If that includes you, please enjoy this hilarious little gem from Vancouver, BC.

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Heavenly Bookshop

Many years ago, while visiting the ancient walled town of Óbidos on the central coast of Portugal I was intrigued by a padlocked church in the heart of the old Roman town. Being the nosy tourist that I am, I … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, History, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Who You Calling A Soft Egg (NSFW)

If you are easily offended by salty language, please do not watch this video. But if you’re up for a good laugh, enjoy. One benefit of international travel is not understanding when you’re being insulted by a local. Although, I … Continue reading

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Urban Safari

The always cutting-edge French multimedia artist Julien Nonnon has created a marvelous new video-mapping street show in Paris. Called “Safari Urbain”, the pop-up projections of animals dressed as hipster poseurs is a wonderful, tongue in cheek commentary on both the … Continue reading

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No Surprise

Posted in Air Travel, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Be not inhospitable to strangers

For book lovers around the world, Shakespeare and Company in the heart of Paris is emblematic of the ideal independent bookshop. Even bibliophiles who have never been to Paris feel as though they know Shakespeare and Company. After all, it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Restaurants, Tourism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Van Gogh on parade

The folks in Zundert, Netherlands are crazy about flowers, Vincent Van Gogh and parades. On the first Sunday of every September they put on a wildly colorful festival to celebrate all three. The event honors the region’s horticultural industry, which specializes … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Europe, History, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Gimme an everything, hold the schmear

Those of us who were fortunate enough to be raised on authentic New York bagels (Google it) understand why artist Hanna Liden is celebrating the doughy gems with her pop-up sculpture project entitled “Everything”. For the next month, the Swedish … Continue reading

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