Category Archives: Architecture

It’s A Wonderful Banksy Life

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Banksy has confirmed that a two-sided mural on an out of the way garage in Port Talbot, Wales is his newest work. From one angle it appears to feature a child happily catching snow flakes. However, viewed from a slightly … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Amsterdam Illuminade

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

This year’s annual Amsterdam Light Festival is taking place for the 7th season from November 29, 2018 until January 20, 2019. With the theme “the medium is the message”, 30 illuminated artworks adorn the canal ring, the River Amstel, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Centre Pompidou has an identity crisis

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Whenever I am in Paris, I always make some time to visit the grand Centre Pompidou. After four decades, the modern art museum with its inside-out construction is looking less cutting-edge, but it still boasts one of Europe’s best contemporary … Continue reading →

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NYC: Word on (under) the street

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Brian D. Butler
Posted in Architecture, Art, Public Transport, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Ou est la petite bibliotheque gratuite ?

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

H/t to Cécile C. for the photo of this wonderful little free library in the town of  Relecq in Brittany, France.

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Art and History Are Everywhere In Berlin

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway network, commissioned artist and illustrator Christoph Niemann to create a pair of forty meter-long tile murals for a pedestrian tunnel at the Berlin Wannsee train station. Working with 10×10 cm tiles, Niemann designed two … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: London

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

When I first discovered London’s iconic Stanfords in 1986, Britain’s largest travel bookstore was already 133 years old. Located in a beautiful turn-of-the-century building on Long Acre in the heart of Covent Garden since 1901, the shop has one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Maps, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Release the kraken

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

British street artists Luke Egan and Pete Hamilton—aka Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellos—visited the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard this week and installed a gigantic inflatable sculpture in an abandoned warehouse on the Delaware River waterfront. The twenty purple, blue , … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare & Co. branches out

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

We had some very exciting bookstore news here in Philadelphia with the soft opening of the new Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in the heart of the city. Located in the ritzy Rittenhouse Square neighborhood on Walnut Street, the store occupies the former … Continue reading →

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Philadelphia Pulse

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Over the past few years, the once drab plaza around Philadelphia’s magnificent Second Empire-style 19th century City Hall has been transformed into a welcoming gathering place. Last month, the newest component of the Dilworth Park project was launched with the … Continue reading →

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