Virtual Venice

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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When it’s overrun by cruise ship passengers and daytrippers, Venice can seem more like an Italian Disney World than the true gem that it is to those who love the city. But if you visit out of season, or just wander away from the throngs around Piazza San Marco, Venice remains a magical and enchanting place.

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Google Street View is now making it possible to take a virtual tour of La Serenissima, even offering floating views via Google Trekker technology. Now wherever you are it’s possible to vicariously explore one of the world’s great treasures.

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Paris is so cliche

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Designed by Paris-based illustrator Simon Sek of the design collective LesAnimals, Cliché-sun-Seine is a very clever series of twenty graphic works based one common clichéd element for each Paris arrondissement. Native Parisians, or even regular visitors may quibble with Sek’s choice of clichés, but the posters are certainly fun.

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Not Just Hapsburgs

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

This Spring, I made it back to Vienna (Wien) after a very long absence and immediately wondered why it took me so long to return. It’s a stunningly beautiful and historic city that is well worth a visit. Whether you’ve had the pleasure of spending time in this extraordinary place or not, you’re bound to enjoy this timelapse tour of the highlights that was filmed this Summer. Take a look:

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Books Not Blogs

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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According to the World Travel Market 2013 Industry Report, British travelers still prefer old-school print travel guide books to online sources for trip planning and vacation research. The report, based on a survey of 1001 travelers, showed that 59% of travelers used a print version of a guide book—40% buying a new book and 18% borrowing from a friend or relative—while just 27% of British travelers favored web travel sites such as TripAdvisor™. And just 3% of survey respondents reported that social media and blogs were favored travel information sources.

Maybe I should go back to writing guidebooks after all. First I’ll forward a copy of the report to the hotshot lit agent who let my contract lapse.

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F. Scott Redesigned

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The release of Baz Luhrman’s bastardized film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s masterpiece The Great Gatsby this year stirred renewed interest in the iconic Jazz Age author’s novels. And, of course, we saw a number of new print editions of Fitzgerald’s books, including some neglected titles.

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So, I was chuffed to run across these new Orion editions with brilliantly reimagined covers by artist, illustrator and designer Sinem Erkas . Her marvelous Deco-referenced typographic covers manage to avoid the often mawkish and clichéd versions we’ve seen all too much of this year.

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You can see more of her terrific work on her website

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The 24 Hour Library Is Coming

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The library system in Norman, Oklahoma has recently introduced a library vending machine that offers library patrons 24 hour access to a selection of books and other media. The machine allows library members to scan a card and choose from about 400 books, audiobooks and DVDs. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin library system also announced last month that it will install a similar machine at a local housing project this year.

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The Art of Travel

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The Setouchi Triennale is a three times per year (Spring, Summer, Fall) art festival that takes place each year around the twelve islands of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. This year’s Fall festival features a unique piece of art in motion by the infamous Tokyo artist and photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, who is better known for his outrageous art work and celebrity photos. The “Araki Train” is running between Takamatsu and Kanonji for the course of the festival.

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Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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I was happy to hear the news that the New York Public Library has partnered with the Grammy Museum in L.A. to stage a new multimedia exhibition called “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles !” . Timed to commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first visit to New York City in February 1964, the show will run from February 6 to May 10, 2014. Here’s a bit of the press release:

“The exhibition – a traveling show that will debut at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center – will focus on the early years of The Beatles in the U.S., and the tremendous impact that the Fab Four had on American society. On display will be original Beatles materials including memorabilia, records, photographs, tour artifacts, videos, and more.”

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Europe, It’s Just Nextdoor

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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To promote its travel services, France’s rail company SNCF placed colorful, interactive doors around Paris that allow pedestrians to experience other European cities. When the doors are opened, screens display real-time happenings in cities around the continent.

TBWA Paris, the ad agency that created the campaign writes “These interactive fun experiences not only create multicultural links among Europeans, but also enable us all to realize at the end of the day, Europe, it’s just next door.”

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Coming Soon: Boston’s Literary District

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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It’s been a rollercoaster of a year in Boston, filled with both tragedy and triumph. Now the historic city’s literary community is developing what they are calling the first planned literary district in the United States. Led by the brilliant folks at Grub Street, Boston’s fantastic independent center for creative writing, the literary cultural district project aims to capitalize on the city’s prominent literary heritage and be in place by 2015.

They are still working on the boundaries of a loosely defined literary map, but the literary district will definitely include the amazing Boston Athenæum, Beacon Hill, the Boston Public Library and Copley Square, Washington Street and historic buildings related to Boston’s famous literary figures such as Louisa May Alcott, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sylvia Plath.

The literary district project will include walking tours, book festivals, special exhibitions, literary-related street art, interactive installations and, of course, the obligatory apps. I’m game. What about the rest of you bibliophiles?

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