Category Archives: Tourism

What could be better than a hotel/library

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve visited Amsterdam more often than any other city outside of North America and I only just discovered the Hotel Library. Situated in a beautiful 18th century canal house in the heart of the city on Prins Hendrikkade, the hotel … Continue reading →

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A NYC Culinary Mystery

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered a tasty mystery in New York City’s East Village neighborhood. When you enter Surprise Scoop  it’s quickly obvious that this ice cream shop isn’t like the others. There are no employees in sight and no ice cream … Continue reading →

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Tokyo High Line

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Tokyo is planning to follow New York City’s lead and create its own version of the hugely popular High Line. The city will be shutting down a two kilometer stretch of expressway in the heart of Tokyo later this week … Continue reading →

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Actual Pictures of Atlantis and more

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Depictions of Atlantis in retro science fiction art. OK, so they’re not actual pictures of Atlantis. It is actually April Fools’ Day. “SomaFM is an independent Internet-only streaming multi-channel radio station, supported entirely with donations from listeners. SomaFM originally started broadcasting out of founder … Continue reading →

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You too can be a travel cat

Posted on March 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

If you like travel, and you like cats, then you will enjoy the game Travel Cat, TripGeo’s playful flight-sim exploration game allows you to explore over 11,000 cities worldwide from the comfort of a feline piloted golden monoplane. “Welcome to … Continue reading →

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The Wonky House of Windsor

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

No, I’m not referencing the British royal family—although they are a shambolic mess—I’m referring to a lovely, rickety looking building a historic Windsor, England. If you have every visited the tourist town, you have likely had a peep at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, History, Restaurants, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A really, really nice tunnel

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently spotted the video below about Bergen, Norway’s amazing bike tunnel. And, I had two thoughts. First, wow, this is a wonderful piece of transit engineering. Second, I haven’t been in Bergen in more than 40 years. Even if … Continue reading →

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Deep Fry Everything

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

As I may have mentioned 20 or 30 times, I’ve been planning a trip to Japan and keep falling down Japan related rabbit holes. Like any sane person, I love Japanese cuisine, but as a vegetarian it’s sometimes difficult to … Continue reading →

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Travel Trash

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Lately, I’ve been reading travelers’ tales about the difficulty in locating someplace to drop-off trash and recycling while visiting Japan. So, I found this short piece by writer and long-time Japan resident Craig Mod on our cultural impulse to immediately … Continue reading →

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Not your typical cat videos

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

National Geographic wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Iwago Mitsuaki, presents a charming collection of cat footage from diverse locations around Japan. On this unique trip he discovers the lesser-known charms and customs of regions through the eyes of cats. The selection … Continue reading →

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