Category Archives: History

Paris For Free

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Every time that I visit Paris, I go to the Louvre. In fact, on some trips I have gone twice in a week. It doesn’t look as though I’ll be popping in to France’s most iconic museum for quite a while. … Continue reading →

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Time Travel Is Possible

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Although I hide it well, I have been a little obsessed with London for decades. I don’t know why, maybe it was my love for British Invasion music from the 60s or a childhood crush on Marianne Faithfull . Who … Continue reading →

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A Strange Case

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

New York City’s amazing Morgan Library has scanned the entire handwritten manuscript to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  and it’s now available for paging through and reading online. The manuscript of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella “The Strange … Continue reading →

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Will the museum deserve an Oscar

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Film lovers won’t be able to visit in-person until the doors open to the public on  September 30, 2021, but new the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures  programming will soon be available online. The pre-opening program includes a screening of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Architecture, Art, Film, History, Museums, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

in America when the sun goes down

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Last Friday would have been Jack Kerouac’s 99th birthday. One of the online commemorations linked to this extraordinary clip from a 1959 television appearance on the Steve Allen Show. Kerouac reads from On the Road while Allen plays some bluesy jazz … Continue reading →

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NYC’s Tiniest Tourist Attraction

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

At the corner of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue South in the West Village, in front of the iconic Village Cigars store, lies this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mosaic embedded in the sidewalk. The  triangle’s enigmatic message: “Property of the Hess Estate Which Has … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, History, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Banksy and Bob

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

By now, you have likely seen photos of Banksy ‘s latest work painted on the wall of a historic British prison. The elusive street artist officially owned the piece by posting some footage of Bob Ross narration from The Joy … Continue reading →

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Vintage is better

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across a treasure trove of vintage Japanese travel posters from the early 20th century. As you know, I’m a little bit obsessed with travel related advertising, but I think that early travel posters managed to do a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, History, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The feeling of communion in the libraries

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Most English speakers are familiar with the American author E.B. White from his contributions to the iconic writing guide The Elements of Style or through his classic children’s books such as Charlotte’s Web. During World War II, he received a request … Continue reading →

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Welcome to Mars

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 On February 9th, the United Arab Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope Probe entered the Red Planet’s orbit. To commemorate the historic moment the UAE government has given visitors to the country a piece of space. Arrivals to Dubai airport on February … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Middle East, Public Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment