Category Archives: USA

Nirvana Is Not a Destination

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Regular readers of TBTP are well aware of my interest in the work of Charles Bukowski. So they won’t be surprised that I love this brilliant, melancholy film based on Bukowski’s poem “Nirvana”. The film, Nirvana, A Charles Bukowski Poem … Continue reading →

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Hometown TV

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Wherever I travel, I am constantly surprised by the popularity (and inescapable reach) of American television shows. But there often seems to be confusion about the actual geographic settings for American TV shows. Well, graphic artist James Chapman has created … Continue reading →

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Spanning the Globe for a Starbucks

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

It turns out that travel may be the perfect way to put a dent in that out of control Starbucks habit. According to this Wall Street Journal infographic (see below), that grande latte you can’t live with out will set … Continue reading →

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Drift Across America

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

This wonderful short video, titled “Drift”, is the work of Philadelphia-based cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Tim Sessler. The film is the result of a boring trip by air from San Francisco to Philadelphia. The match-up of Sessler’s black and white, … Continue reading →

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We Heart Boring Machines

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

If you have ever tried to negotiate the frustrating trip from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport via public transportation, this enormous public works project currently under construction in New York City will interest you. When it’s completed in about five … Continue reading →

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Performance Enhancing Drugs for Writers

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

You may have seen Grant Snider’s terrific “Ban This Book” comic created to “celebrate” Banned Book Week this year. You might also be familiar with his brilliant “Haruki Murakami Bingo” comic which appeared in the New York Times , or … Continue reading →

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Up In The Air (nearly)

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

I first discovered John Schabel’s melancholy and haunting photos years ago in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In his series entitled “Passengers”, each evocative image was taken during that uncertain limbo that occurs when passengers have been seated in … Continue reading →

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Literary Passports

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

A passport, with all of its stamps and visas, can reveal quite a bit about the bearer. How many travelers have played the where have you been game by passing passports around a train compartment or a hostel common room … Continue reading →

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New York Is A Trip

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

German film student Lena Steinkühler created the trippy little film below entitled “New York Biotopes”. It is a phantasmagoric take on how NYC might look if the infastructure began randomly morphing into surrealistic creatures—part organic and part mechanical. Take a … Continue reading →

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Neon Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Throughout the month of February, London-based artist Tracey Emin is warming the hearts of visitors to New York City’s chilly Times Square with her romanticaly themed project “I Promise to Love You”. Every night from 11:57 until midnight, forty large … Continue reading →

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