Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Course des Cafés

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

My very first encounter with a Parisian waiter reinforced every stereotypes of French restaurants. To be fair, it was an early morning visit to a railway station café after a night train from Amsterdam. My traveling companions included three other … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Restaurants, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Cultural Connections

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I hesitate to promote apps because so many turn out to be disappointing. However, I really like the Bloomberg Connects app which offers access to exhibitions, collections and renowned artists at over 350 museums and other cultural organizations. Bloomberg Philanthropies … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Architecture, Art, Asia, Canada, Europe, Libraries, Museums, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ghostwriter

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Designer Arvind Sanjeev has designed Ghostwriter , a smartly named answer machine that uses Open AI’s ChatGPT language model to answer queries manually entered by users, based on a modified old Brother typewriter. Tradition meets modernity. The Ghostwriter is a poetic intervention that allows us … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Art, Tech, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Stages

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

Posted in Books, ebooks, Writing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Not all those who wander are lost

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Each year on March 25th fans of J.R.R. Tolkien celebrate Tolkien Reading Day.  Around the world folks reread the books, discuss them with friends, and participate in Middle Earth related literary events. The Tolkien Society established Tolkien Reading Day in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Film, Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

New York State of Mind

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Both branches of my family emigrated to New York City from Eastern Europe during the late 19th century. So, it’s natural that I’ve always viewed New York as the center of the known universe. Back in the 19th century, marketers … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Architecture, Art, History, Museums, Photography, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How big was it

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Growing up in and around New York City I have always been fascinated by the process of urbanization. So the animation (below) by Ollie Bye intrigued me. The examination of the growth of the world’s largest cities from 3000 BCE … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, Film, History, Maps, Middle East, South America, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Bookstore Tourism : Paris

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The Anti Public Library is a blend of record shop and book store combined with a bar set in Paris’ always hip Le Marais district. Created by artist Henri Levy, founder and creative director of the avant-garde brand Enfants Riches … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Photography, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Coffee Stories

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to Travel Between The Pages know that I am passionate about both travel and coffee. So, I fell bigtime for the wonderful blog project called Coffee Receipt Stories. Four years ago, Japan-based Odding Wang was sitting in a cafe, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Middle East, Restaurants, South America, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How could they leave it out

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, the Atlantic magazine published a list of great American novels — 136 of them. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve only read 60 or so novels on the list. However, when I took a closer look at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments