Cartographic Illusions

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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“Civilized Landscapes” is an amazing series of paper sculptures by Beijing-based artist/photographer/printmaker Ji Zhou. He recycles old books and maps by hand-sculpting imaginary topographic landscapes.

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Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Maps | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Welcome to Britain

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Everyone’s favorite Brit Stephen Fry is starring in a just released little “welcome to the U.K.” video created by London’s Heathrow Airport. The short film is calculated to introduce foreign visitors to some of the quirks of British culture. Appropriately filmed inside of a pub, the three minute video covers particularly British cultural clichés from conversations about queing, social etiquette, talking weather, and the “after you; after you” loop.

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Buds and Breakfast

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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As more and more destinations legalize marijuana use, travelers who indulge are searching for accommodations that are amenable to cannabis use by guests. It’s no surprise that new services are popping up to meet the needs of this travel niche. Based in the state of Colorado, Bud and Breakfast is one of the more successful Airbnb-like, peer-to-peer accommodation sites.

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The web site offers a wide range of lodgings from traditional hotels and motels to mountainside teepees and rustic cabins. Most of the accommodations are in U.S. states with legal marijuana, but there are listings as far afield as Uruguay, Jamaica, Portugal and the Netherlands.

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Posted in Canada, Europe, Hotels, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A veritable travel bucket list

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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London-based, Italian illustrator and graphic designer Daniele Simonelli created the charming poster below of fifteen cities with their iconic landmarks for the travel app Great Little Place. You can see more of his terrific work here and you can check out the nifty app here.

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Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Everyday Berlin

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Filmmaker Alex Soloviev directed, filmed and edited this wonderful visual poem to Berlin. Using handheld cameras, he followed locals and tourists alike to create a charming slice-of-life ode to Germany’s exciting capital.

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Posted in Europe, Film, Tourism | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Are We There Yet ?

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Way back in 2015, a neat old map detailing how long it took to travel from London to diverse destinations in 1914 was all over the internet. Now, the helpful Australian travel search engine Rome2rio has created a companion map that shows how long the same journeys take today by sorting data from 750,000 travel routes to 144 countries. The big surprise is how long it still takes to get some places even with jet travel.

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Posted in Air Travel, Asia, Canada, Europe, Maps, Middle East, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Egypt and Its Monuments

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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A book buyer just requested some images from this fantastic 1908 edition of Egypt And Its Monuments by Robert Hichens with illustrations by Jules Guérin so I thought I’d share them here as well. Over the years, I’ve bought and sold at least ten copies of this amazing title. It’s a popular title with collectors, but I always hate to part with the books. Guerin’s wonderful illustrations stand alone as fine art. He traveled extensively in Egypt and Israel with Hichens in the early 20th century and collaborated with the writer on a number of book and magazine projects.

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Posted in Africa, Art, Books, History, Middle East, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Coffee & Comics

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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We have a thriving, diverse coffeehouse culture here in the Philadelphia area, but it just got even more interesting and diverse with the opening of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in the Kensington section of Philly. Owned and managed by Ariell R. Johnson, the new, crowd-funded shop is the first comic book store in the region run by an African-American woman.

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Johnson told the local press that “I got the idea for the shop when I was attending Temple University…I would buy my books at Fat Jack’s, go across the street to Crimson Moon, and read everything I bought.” She plans to use Amalgam to host book signings, film screenings, community nights, and diverse workshops.

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If you’re in Philly and want to check out the store, it’s located at 2578 Frankford Avenue and is open Monday through Saturday.

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Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Restaurants, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Reading Is Good For You

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Posted in Books, Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Much Better Use

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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I’m always pleased to discover an abandoned ecclesiastical building that has been transformed for a higher purpose. In this case, the 16th century former Convento de San Augustin in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán Mexico was restored and turned into a public library. Dedicated to the 19th century independence leader Gertrudis Bocanegra , the library also houses an extraordinary fresco mural by Irish-Mexican artist and architect Juan O’Gorman.

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Completed in 1942, and ironically funded by American entrepreneur E.J. Kaufmann, the 46 by 42 foot mural tells the history of the indigenous Purépechao people from pre-Colonial days until independence.

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Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment