Travel Between The Pages

NYC : All Are Welcome

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

New York City’s official tourism and marketing agency—NYC & Company—has just launched a branding update for the world’s greatest city. The sweeping new visual identity incorporates custom typefaces, icons, a new website, neighborhood guides, and dozens of videos. There’s also a bold new color palette utilizing “taxi cab yellow”, “Statue of Liberty green”, “Staten Island Ferry orange”, and “Bowie purple”.

Visit the new website nycgo.com and check out the videos, updated tourist content, and insider guides to New York City neighborhoods.

Posted in apps, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged New York City, NYC | Leave a comment

Alternative Metro Mapping

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

The former lead designer for the Moscow Department of Transportation, Constantine Konovalov, and his team of graphic artists and animators at the Tetter-Totter-Tam Studio, has developed a brilliant alternative to RATP Paris’ official Metro map. After two and a half year’s work, and 800 separate map files, Konovalov has created a less confusing guide to public transport in Paris for visitors and residents alike. He has even managed to add icons for landmarks and tourist attractions. You can learn all about the project and download your own version right here.

The studio also produced this terrific hyperlapse visit to Paris in their spare time.

Posted in Europe, Maps, Public Transport, Tech, Tourism | Tagged Mapping, Metro, Paris | Leave a comment

Why I Smell So Good

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

I smell so good because I spend my days surrounded by antiquarian books. This video explains why that is the case. Okay, it’s just one man’s opinion.

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Libraries, Tech | Tagged Bookstores, vanillin | Leave a comment

In Shades

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always a pleasure to stumble upon a creative concept online that’s done well. In Shades is a new digital magazine created by Marina Esmeraldo (illustrator) and James Vincent (writer). Based in Barcelona, In Shades is a weekly magazine publishing stories with accompanying original artwork. I’ve especially enjoyed the “Six Word Story Project” each week. Check out the website, which has no ads, but is supported by sales of prints of the illustrations. You can even submit your own work for consideration.

Posted in Art, Europe, Writing | Tagged Barcelona, Illustration, Magazines, Short Stories | Leave a comment

The Path to Paradise

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Italian architect and illustrator Federico Babina has created this fabulous series of posters that imagine the houses of celebrated authors. Archiwriter covers many of the world’s greatest male writers. each poster incorporates a famous line and allusion to an appropriate architectural style. You can see more from Babina’s series, and purchase prints, at the artist’s website.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Writing | Tagged Dante, Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hermann Hesse, Italo Calvino, Paul Auster | 2 Comments

Steal This Book

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Vintage/Anchor Books recently tweeted this photo of a “Most Stolen Books” shelf from an unidentified bookstore. I’m not too surprised by the “popularity” of Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, or Henry Miller, but who risks getting arrested to steal a book by Bret Easton Ellis? And why isn’t anyone stealing books written by women?

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged Haruki Murakami, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Kurt Vonnegut | Leave a comment

Garden of Earthly Delights

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Each June since 2010, the waterways in the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch —aka Den Bosch—have been the venue for one of the Netherland’s most surreal and wonderful events. Inspired by the macabre work of local painter Hieronymus Bosch, local creatives from various disciplines—music, art, dance, theater, architecture—along with hundreds of volunteers build delightfully weird floats that are paraded through the city.

Beginning tonight, and again on Saturday and Sunday, the water-borne parade with thrill the crowds of spectators lining the River Dommel. Since Den Bosch is celebrating the 500th anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch’s death all this year, the parade is expected to be a lollapalooza. Here are some photos and a video from last year’s parade. The Bosch Parade website should have images and videos up by Sunday.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Music, Theater, Tourism | Tagged Den Bosch, Hieronymus Bosch, Netherlands, parades | 1 Comment

Happy Families Are All Alike

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Posted in Books, USA, Writing | Tagged Anna Karenina, Breakfast of Champions, Princess Bride, The Catcher in the Rye, the Hobbit | 2 Comments

Any Given Book

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Any Given Book is an exciting book art project which has brought together sculptors, street artists, photographers, cartoonists, and painters. Rome’s White Noise Gallery has curated the unusual show of book art. The participating artists have each brought an idiosyncratic take on book art. You can learn more about the exhibition, which runs through July 31, 2016, at the White Noise Gallery website.