Category Archives: Canada

My Favorite Color Is Autumn

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

It may not technically be Autumn for three more weeks, however it’s never too soon to start thinking about where and when to view colorful Fall foliage. If you follow this link, it will guide you to an excellent interactive … Continue reading →

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Montreal : 18 Nuances De Gai

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Artist Claude Cormier created an amazing polychromatic canopy covering one kilometer of  Montreal’s central pedestrian street Boulevard Sainte-Catherine for the ongoing Aires Libres Festival. The rainbow installation celebrates the city’s LGBT community, the 10th anniversary of the festival, and the … Continue reading →

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Mother Tongues

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The National Geographic’s senior graphics editor Alberto Lucas López created this wonderful pie chart to illustrate the proportional representation of the world’s twenty three most spoken languages. López based the graphic on native speakers, with each language marked by black … Continue reading →

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Livres dans le metro

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Inspired by actress Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf project which anonymously distributes free books on subways in London, Paris, and New York City, Montreal bibliophile and YouTuber Audrée Archambault created Livres dan le Métro. For the last eight months she has been leaving French … Continue reading →

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Random Vintage Book Vending

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

You may remember a post a few years back about the Toronto secondhand bookshop’s Biblio-Mat book vending machine. Well, The Monkey’s Paw is back in the news with an update to the book-o-mat. Bookstore owner Stephen Fowler is now loading the machine with random … Continue reading →

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Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I recently had an email from a loyal TBTP reader who is planning an extensive trip around the U.S. and Canada. He was concerned about frequent media stories regarding the prevalence of dreaded bed bugs in hotels. While I assured … Continue reading →

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The Handmaid’s Tale

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The Folio Society has reissued its exceptional 2012 edition of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale. This volume contains a set of powerful illustrations by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Influenced by Soviet propaganda posters and constructivist art, the Italian twin artists … Continue reading →

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No More Leftovers

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

On my most recent international trip I visited three countries that all used different currencies. By the time I got home, I had a baggie full of miscellaneous coins and bills that may never get used. Now, all of that … Continue reading →

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All Aboard The Holiday Train

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Each year since 1998, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train has brightened up rail lines in Canada and the U.S. with a rolling light show. Along with holiday cheer, the neon-lit train also brings music and other live entertainment to stops … Continue reading →

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If TripAdvisor Says So, It Must Be True

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

The travel company Thomson Holidays pulled data from TripAdvisor to create this infographic for the top tourist attractions around the world. We may have our personal doubts about the choices, but who are we to quibble with TripAdvisor users. Here’s … Continue reading →

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