Chill

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

I’m planning to visit the Arctic Circle this summer, but I don’t have any expectations for an Antarctica trip any time soon. This beautiful film by Swedish photographer Kalle Ljung will just have to do for now.

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Floating Islands

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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Way back in the last century I lived in Florida when the artist Christo created his Surrounded Islands project in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. So, I was pleased to hear about his new project called The Floating Piers. For sixteen days during June 2016, Christo will install 200,000 brightly covered, floating cubes to create a walkway around Italy’s Lago Iseo. The yellow fabric will also cover pedestrian streets in two lakeside towns. There’s more about The Floating Piers on the project website.

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The Pods Are Coming

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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Have you ever been between flights at an airport and just wanted a place to take a nap or chill for an hour or two in peace. Maybe you’ve had a long layover but not enough time to leave the airport and find a reasonably priced hotel for a few hours of shuteye. Well, the GoSleep Pods might be for you. The light and sound proof capsules are already available in Helsinki, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and soon will be popping up at international airports all over.

For the price of around 9€ per hour (less for long rentals) pod users get a safe refuge in a bath tube-sized cocoon with luggage storage and gadget charging. Pillows, blankets and other amenities are extra.

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What’s Cooking

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

The UK-based hotel booking site Hotels4U produced this amusing infographic that purports to identify the most popular dishes from 28 European countries. What do you think about the choice for your nation? Stroopwafel over pannenkoeken for the Netherlands, really?

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Lost

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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Regular followers of TBTP are aware of my fondness for old school, print travel magazines. So you won’t be surprised that I’m looking forward to seeing more from the new travel publication from China of all places.

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Shanghai-based LOST magazine focuses on traveling the world from a distinctly Chinese perspective. Published in English and Mandarin, the publication aims to bridge the East-West gap on travel and tourism. The 14 stories in its inaugural issue cover everything from visiting  Egypt during a period of civil unrest to the experience of having a translator interfere with the interpersonal communication between people with no language in common.

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The periodical’s mission statement reads: “LOST is a magazine about self-discovery through travel. It is a magazine that features real stories, personal reflections and epiphanies from people around the world. It believes that travel isn’t about fancy hotels or tourist destinations, but about immersing oneself in someplace entirely foreign to feel extremely uncomfortable so that one can learn from it. It believes that travel is a state of mind.”

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For now, the best way to get a copy is through the Lost website.

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Walking New York

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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The New York Times Magazine commissioned the French street artist known as JR to create this amazing cover for this week’s edition. JR painted an eye-popping 150-foot tall image of 20-year old Azerbaijani waiter Elmar Aliyev and then had it pasted onto the plaza in front of the iconic, landmark Flat Iron Building on Fifth Avenue.

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What’s in a name

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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It’s World Book Day !

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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I’m certain that all of you bibliophiles know that today is UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. Readers around the globe are celebrating with all manner of bookish events. My friends in the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) are honoring the occasion with pop-up book fairs and events in dozens of cities around the world. You can find one near you at this website.

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Here in the U.S. there will be bookfairs in NYC, Chicago,Seattle, Portland, Washington D.C., and in one of my favorite historic towns, New Castle, Delaware.

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Events in Europe will be held in at least a dozen cities. Some of the best events are at atmospheric locales, such as a barge on a canal in Amsterdam, the old Central rail station in Haarlem, at the new Museum of Literature in Vienna, in the ancient Tuscan walled city of Lucca, and at London’s historic Middle Temple Library.

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For a list of all of the international events, check out the UNESCO website for an interactive map.

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Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Libraries, Museums, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paris vs New York (animated)

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

First there was the blog, then the book, and now there’s the Paris vs New York video. Animated by the North Creative Collective studio, Vahram Muratyan’s cheeky illustrations always brighten the day.

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Tales from the Void

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

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Leave it to the ever creative crew at the Le Gun art collective to come up with a wonderful installation that celebrates Paris’ legendary Shakespeare and Company bookstore. The pop-up show, called “Tales from the Void”, is comprised of a series of faux titled, hand-painted wooden books. The book sculptures were then secreted among the book shelves of the iconic shop.

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