Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Always Something Interesting…

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

There’s always something interesting at Shorpy.com the vintage photo blog featuring thousands of images from the 1850s to 1950s.

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America’s Beautiful Libraries

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

                   

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Do you believe in retronautics ?

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Chris Wild’s amazing website, How to be a Retronaut, is a virtual time machine with astonishing retro-posts that will transport you in time . A recent series by Dutch historian Jo Teeuwisse chronicals World War II  and contemporay Amsterdam with … Continue reading →

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Just Sublime

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

British artist Jason de Caires Taylor creates extraordinary life-sized cement sculptures of people in a variety of poses and then submerges them in the sea off of the Mexican Yucatan and in the Caribbean Sea off of Grenada. Eventually, the … Continue reading →

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A Christmas Miracle (Almost)

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

The Guardian newspaper has reported a holiday story with a “twist” in “true Dickensian style”. While the staff of the Dickens House Museum in Clerkenwell, London, were preparing their Christmas decorations, news arrived of a minor Christmas miracle. No, Ebenezer … Continue reading →

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Is This Your “Streetview” ?

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Montreal artist Jon Rafman obsessively reviews tens of thousands of Google Maps Streetview images and compiles an intriguing ongoing world tour. A selection of his culled photos is currently on view at NYC’s New Museum in a show sponsored by … Continue reading →

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Just Your Typical NYC Station

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

The old City Hall Station, built in 1904 and decommissioned in 1945, is unlike any other New York City subway station. Filled with beautifully tiled vaults and arches, skylights, brass fittings and stained glass, it was once the terminus of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, History, Tourism, USA | Tagged | 3 Comments

What A Great Idea

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Take Your Child To A Bookstore Day

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, USA | 1 Comment

ROA…Street Art

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Based in Ghent, Belgium, ROA is a street artist who is gaining international acclaim for his giant animals. ROA got his start painting bridges, walls and abandoned buildings throughout Belgium. Since then, his work has popped-up afar afield as Warsaw, … Continue reading →

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Reader’s Choice: Bookshop Porn III

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

The Libreria El Ateneo Grand Splendid occupies a spectacular 1920s theater in downtown Buenos Aires. El Ateneo has retained the sumptuous theatrical decor, while adding bookshelves and turning the private boxes into intimate reading rooms. Best of all, this literary … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Bookstore Tourism, South America | Tagged , | 1 Comment