Up In The Air

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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New York-based photographer Jeffrey Milstein recently showed a captivating series of aerial photos of American airports. Most of us rarely get more than a fleeting glimpse during take-off or landing. Milstein’s photos provide an opportunity to see airports in a new way.

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Milstein describes his photos as revealing “the patterns, layering and complexity of cities, and circulation patterns for travel, such as waterways, roads, and airports that grow organically over time much like a living organism.”

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all images ©Jeffrey Milstein

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Book Design: Just Like Underwear

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

In this charming short video (below) by Michael Bierut of Pentagram, the legendary Italian book designer Massimo Vignelli explains his personal design process and why he enjoys being the “director and cinematographer” of book projects. You’ll also discover why his book design grid is like underwear—really.

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Better Know Middle Earth

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books since I discovered the world of Middle Earth at about twelve. So, I’m always tickled to find ways in which obsessed readers help others grasp the complexity of the stories.

Emil Johansson of the Lord of the Rings Project has created an amazing “periodic table of Middle Earth” to assist readers and viewers in tracking the myriad of characters. Arranged according to race, each of the characters has a symbol, birth and death date, as well as other pertinent information. Take a look:

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How Orwellian

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Some perplexing news out of India this week reporting that George Orwell’s birthplace in Motari, Bihar is being developed into a memorial site—but to Mahatma Gandhi not Eric Blair.

The little bungalow, where Orwell was born and lived until he moved to England as a young child, has been in decrepit condition for decades. Five years ago the Bihar state government promised to repair the property, but never followed through.

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Local residents formed a committee dedicated to establishing a George Orwell memorial as a tourist attraction and  have protested the surprising move to build another Gandhi memorial at the house. They have even created a website to promote their competing plan.

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Free Paris Walking Tour

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Well, now that I’ve grabbed your attention, I have to admit that the title of this post is a little misleading. The” walking tour” is just a 50 minute long video (see below) filmed on a week-long visit to Paris during late December 2011. Hence the Santa Claus at 1:46. The video is by someone who goes by the handle of Globe TrotterAlpha on his YouTube channel.

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Manhattan, A Love Story

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Becky Copoper walked the streets and boulevards of New York City’s borough of manhattan from end to end. Along the way she handed-out blank maps to ordinary New Yorkers and asked them to map their personal Manhattan and mail the map in to her.

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The project resulted in hundreds of maps by “amateur cartographers” and a charming book titled Manhattan A Love Story that compiles 75 of the maps. Cooper’s book, published by Abrams Image, is packed with “accidental autobiographies” that are entertaining and sometimes achingly personal.

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Little Free Libraries

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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In the winter of 2013, PEN, alongside the Architectural League of New York and IDEAS CITY Festival, commissioned ten emerging architects to design their take on the idea of the Little Free Library. On May 4, the ten little libraries will be built and “planted” in neighborhoods across downtown New York City. Each will be an outdoor public library in miniature, tailored to serve the community they represent, holding about twenty books, lending on the honor-system, and inspiring curiosity, learning, and good will.

Artist Marcelo Ertoteguy’s yellow library pod  (pictured above) will be installed outside of NYC’s landmark St. Patrick’s Cathedral .

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On May 4, between 1-5 pm, book lovers are invited to celebrate the opening of each Little Free Library/NYC by picking up a free map at The Architectural League of New York and Brent Birnbaum Bureau of Apology’s booth at the IDEAS CITY street festival, and begin a walking tour of the libraries.

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You can support Little Free Library/NYC here.

The walking tour is free and self-guided.

 

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Venice, City of Readers

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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A group of 100 authors in Italy have organized as Venice, City of Readers and have issued a manifesto protesting the disappearance of Venice’s bookstores. The writers, including Italian and international authors, gathered at the historic Salone della Libreria Sansoviniana in Venice to call upon city government, the Italian legislature, private foundations and the Venice Biennale to take action to support surviving bookshops.

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The organizers also created a map of “living, dying and dead” bookshops in Venice. The group has suggested that the city support the creation of a book market for multiple booksellers in the Arsenale. You can read the entire manifesto of Venice, City of Readers here.

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

Can’t Ask for A Better Hotel

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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We all know by now that a significant percentage of online travel reviews are bogus, but a group of pranksters in the UK have raised some serious doubts about TripAdvisor‘s screening process.

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Last week an unidentified group of jokesters posted glowing reviews for the “Belgrove Hotel” in Glasgow, Scotland resulting in the property’s ranking in the city’s top ten on TripAdvisor. Turns out that the Belgrove is actually a men’s homeless shelter. When they became aware of the spoof, TA promptly removed the property.

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One Day One Artist

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Les Bains, the once popular and now defunct nightclub, has been empty since 2010. But while it awaits renovation, the owner Jean-Pierre Marois has allowed dozens of street artists to turn the 19th century building into an art gallery.

The project—titled Un Jour Un Artiste—features the work of well known artist like Seth, VHILS, Mesnger, Sambre and Futura. Unforunately, their work will disappear when construction starts this summer. Meanwhile, you can see some of it here and below:

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