Bibliophile Diner

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Book lovers traveling on US I-84 between NYC and Boston will want to take a brief detour just before the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. Leave the Interstate at exit 74 and make a beeline for the humble Traveler Food and Books Restaurant in tiny Union, CT.

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The little wood-paneled, bookshelf-lined diner has been dishing out all-American road food for three decades, but the real travel treat is the prospect of free books. The original owner, Martin Doyle, started giving away his personal library to customers and began a tradition that has been continued by the current proprietors.

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Restaurant owners Art and Karen Murdoch estimate that Traveler Food and Books has shared more than two million books over the years. They manage to maintain the free book policy with donated books, library cast-offs and book sale purchases .

Be prepared to linger over that second cup of joe and a slice of homemade pie while you choose you free title.

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Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Interactive Rain

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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I’ve been a big fan of the anonymous Spanish artist collective luzinterruptus since I discovered them a few years ago—no surprise if you’re a regular visitor to TBTP. Last month the group carried-out another guerilla art installation in central Madrid‘s Campo de la Cebada to protest the city’s plan to yuppify the neighborhood.

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The project, called Lluvia Interactiva/Rain Interactive, was built around hundreds of water-filled condoms lit by LEDs. The widely popular installation had a brief life-span due to joyful piñata-like wacking by local kids.

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photos © Gustavo Sanabria

Posted in Art, Europe, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Land of Candles

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The Malta-based boutique ad and design agency BRND WGN has developed a sweet, entertaining stop-motion video advertisement for Air Malta. The ad was created by placing 434 colorful candles on a beach near Valletta at sunset. The individual candle were lit and extinguished to reveal symbols, words and images representing Malta, which has been marketing itself as “the Land of Candles”.

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Posted in Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Explore The World

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Here’s yet another opportunity to squander your valuable time down a web blackhole. The amazingly simple and dangerously addictive website GeoGuessr was creatred by Swedish IT consultant Anton Wallen to torture armchair travelers. Players can challenge themselves by putting their geographical knowledge and detective skills to the test. GeoGuessr uses randomly chosen Google Street View images to inspire educated guesses on locations around the globe. Give it a spin. Just don’t blame me if you can’t pull yourself away.

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Posted in Maps, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Vespalogy

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

If you have ever owned a classic Vespa scooter, or rented one on your travels, you will certainly be tickled by this marvelous animated history of the way cool two-wheelers. The retro graphic tribute to seventy years of Vespa was created by the folks at the Paris-based Nomoon Agency and the fitting musical accompaniment is by Supercarburant.

Posted in Animation, Europe, History, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Industrial Chic

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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During the past six weeks I’ve managed to stay in six different hotels, in five countries, on two continents. So, I’m feeling like a bit of an expert on hotel design and amenities. That’s why I took particular notice of the newly renovated Prahran Hotel in South Melbourne, Australia.

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This classy small hotel provides a primer in thoughtful use of industrial materials without the usual overkill. The standout element has to be the innovative utilization of concrete drainage piping to transform the hotel restuarant/bar. Take a peek:

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Posted in Architecture, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I’ve Been Everywhere (not)

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Created by California designer and illustrator Adrian Walsh, the Everywhere Project is a collaborative effort that pays tribute to the iconic folk song “I’ve Been Everywhere“. An invited group of artists have been contributing luggage labels representing the 92 locations named in the American version of the classic tune. You can see all of the completed labels at the project website.

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Posted in Art, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Know When To Fold Them

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Paris-based French artist Mademoiselle Maurice recently called upon hundreds of volunteers to help complete a pair of street art installations in Angers, France for the artaq 2013 festival. The colorful works along the Maine River and on the approach to the Montée St-Maurice Cathedral required more than 30,000 pieces of origami folded by school kids, senior citizens and other helpers.

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You can see more of her wonderful work here.

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Posted in Art, Europe | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Pulp Fictions

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Utah artist and illustrator Timothy Anderson has created a fantastic series of vintage pulp fiction-style book cover art for some of our favorite science fiction and animated films. Take a look and then visit his website, and consider purchasing a print. I’ve got my eye on the Blade Runner cover.

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Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Film, movies, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sleep Like an Egyptian

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Located at Egypt’s Siwa Oasis, just thirty miles from the Libyan border, the handsomely restored Adrere Amellal Hotel is an unlikely luxury eco-lodge. Set lakeside, the hotel was built at a site that has seen human habitation on and off for more than 10,000 years.

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The hotel itself has been constructed from a combination of ancient ruins, kershef ( a mix of mud and rock), stone, wood, masonry and plaster. All of the furnishings were handcrafted using traditional techniques.

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Lodgers forgo modern amenities such as electricity, a/c, phone service and even wifi. And all for the low price of about $500 US per night.

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Posted in Africa, Hotels, Middle East, Tourism | Tagged , , | 4 Comments