Category Archives: Tourism

But, Where Are You Really From

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Most folks go through life without ever being asked “where are you really from”, but people from a minority ethnic background or mixed racial heritage are frequently subjected to the intrusive question. Here in North America this is an all to common … Continue reading →

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

Questions of Travel

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

There are too many waterfalls here; the crowded streams hurry too rapidly down to the sea, and the pressure of so many clouds on the mountaintops makes them spill over the sides in soft slow-motion, turning to waterfalls under our … Continue reading →

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Just One More Thing

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The photo above perfectly captured MRW I saw an image on a blog of a Peter Falk statue in Budapest, Hungary. Now, I’ve only been to Budapest one time, and only spent five days in the Hungarian capital, but somehow … Continue reading →

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Every Traveler Needs A Magic Backpack

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In the magical video below, actor/comedian/magician Michael Carbonaro demonstrates the extrordinary attributes of an amzing “Swiss Army’ backpack. I’m sure that once you see it you’ll want one too.  

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Happy To Chat

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across this project in Krakow, Poland known locally as Gaduławka, or happy to chat. It is an upgraded bench that encourages people to talk to each other. This simple nudge in the form of an inviting sign … Continue reading →

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Music by Miles

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across this wonderful video below featuring images by the late Saul Leiter accompanied by the sublime music of Miles Davis. It reminded me of an exhibition of Leiter’s photographs and painting that I happened to see the … Continue reading →

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There’s Nothing Funny About The Haunted Clown Motel

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have stayed at some sketchy motels over the years, but nothing quite equals the bizarre Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada. Located adjacent to and on top of an old west cemetary, the motel/roadside attraction offers spooky, and IMHO very creepy, accomodations … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Hotels, Tourism, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Actual Reality Without Silly Headsets

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love all things Iceland, including the country’s always clever tourism campaigns. The newest one satirically trolls Facebook’s recent name change to Meta and its VR-fueled metaverse dreams. “Introducing the Icelandverse” is a new campaign from Inspired by Iceland that … Continue reading →

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Van Gogh’s London

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

As I have previously mentioned, I have long been an enormous fan of London as a travel destination. In fact, during the previous century I even wrote a travel guidebook for budget travel to the British capital. But I was … Continue reading →

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Night Moves

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Many decades ago, when I first visited Europe it was possible to travel all over the continent by night train. As a low budget, backpacker, I often used night trains to save the cost of overnight accomodations by traveling at … Continue reading →

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