Category Archives: Tourism

Hashtag Tourism

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The always inventive urban transit cartographer Jug Cerovic has teamed up with graphic designer Andrea Rohner and software engineer David Goldwich to create a new travel website featuring metropolitan transit maps labeled with popular Instagram hashtags rather than subway stations. … Continue reading →

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Don’t Be Like These Tourists (Warning: Intense Images)

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Many years ago, I chose to cut short my visit to the Terezín Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic due to the obnoxious behavior of groups of adolescents who laughed, joked, and generally clowned around with total disregard for the … Continue reading →

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Taking It to the Streets

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Most tourists who visit Paris take some sort of souvenir home. Many choose the cliché mini Eiffel Tower or even spring for some gourmet treats from Fauchon. Now travelers truly smitten with France’s capital can own an actual piece of … Continue reading →

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Europe on $5 a Day

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The notion of traveling around Europe on $5 a day seems preposterous in 2017, but back in 1957 it was a reality for frugal savvy travelers. This year the guidebook, which came before Let’s Go Europe, Lonely Planet, or Rick Steves Guides, is celebrating … Continue reading →

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Pure Aesthetic Enjoyment

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I have only visited Alaska during the early days of autumn, but after seeing this stunning video I’m reconsidering a winter time trip. Filmed by London-based cinematographer Tom Welsh during a week long visit this New Year by train, plane, … Continue reading →

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Sunshine Express

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The new Florida intercity passenger rail system is called the Brightline, but I would have called it the Sunshine Express. Just my opinion, however I did live in the Sunshine State for most of my 20s and I just don’t get “Brightline”; it sounds like a … Continue reading →

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No Porn Involved

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

When I was in Amsterdam a few months ago, I got to spend some time in the rapidly evolving NDSM-werf section of Noord Amsterdam. Not long ago, this area, which once was home to an enormous shipbuilding and warehousing complex, … Continue reading →

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A Landmark Day For Landmarks

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

If you are the type of traveler who believes that visiting local historic sites offers unique and essential ways to experience and understand a place, then you will applaud this week’s announcement of the addition of twenty-four newly designated historic … 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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New York, New York

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

When Israeli director/animator/filmmaker Ynon Lan visited New York City for the first time, he recorded his impression in over 3,000 photographs. He then used 330 of the images of people, taxis, brownstones, and Starbucks to create a stop-motion film called Still … Continue reading →

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