For Sale: Legendary Pre-Ban Absinthe Bottles of the Belle Epoque

When Parisians used to call it “la fée verte” (the green fairy), the custom of drinking absinthe had became so popular in bars, bistros, cafés, and cabarets that, by the 1860s, the hour of 5 p.m. was called l’heure verte (“the green hour”). It was a green and ghoulish drink traditionally served by placing a sugar cube on a…

How Batman Obsessively Labelled his Gadgets in the 1960s

If you thought Bruce Wayne was doing anything other than clearly labelling all of his Bat possessions in between his and Robins crime-busting escapades during the 1960s, you’d be very mistaken… Batman had convenient little labels on absolutely everything when he was on television between 1966 and 1968. Even his arch enemies were super meticulous about indicating…

A Thoughtful Family Gift Guide

The way to put smiles on your family members’ faces when it comes to opening presents on Christmas morning is by showing that you’ve thought about who they are and what they get up to on a daily basis; that you’ve listened to the things they’ve talked about and noticed what they like to surround themselves with. Being…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CXLXVII)

1. Enjoying a round of mini-golf on the roof of the Seneca Hotel, 1930 The Seneca, 200 E Chestnut,Chicago, is now an apartment building. Found on Calumet 412. 2. This is how Jeeps were shipped during WW2 (Some assembly required). Some great additional reading found here, images found on Reddit and this forum, and…

That Christmas When Parisians Ate the Zoo

As a Parisian, I’ve learned a lot about the second time the German army occupied the French capital during the Nazi invasion of WWII. But what about the first time the Germans took hold of the city of Paris? One forgets they managed it twice. The winter of 1870-1871 was a traumatic time for Parisians, an ordeal that…

Keeping up with a Time-Travelling Victorian Couple

I‘ve just come across Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman, a couple of neo-Victorians living in Port Townsend, Washington. I found them on the internet of course, via their own website, which raises the question: just how serious about living as Victorians are they? After trawling through their seemingly endless website and reading a few interviews they’ve done…

10 Hotels for Acting out your Favourite Movie

Because why not choose your next getaway so that life can be just like it is in the movies?! 1. James Bond & Octopussy’s Indian Island Palace Bond swam up to the floating palace disguised as a crocodile, but the Taj Lake Hotel conveniently welcomes its guests by boat in real life. The dreamy hotel…

The Vault

Little Syria, NYC

There was once a vibrant neighbourhood in Manhattan known for its stores signs and newspapers written in Arabic, the smell of fresh Baklava wafting from cafés, mothers wearing veils watching their children from the stoop playing in the street. Little Syria existed just south of the current location of the World Trade Center, roughly in present-day Tribeca;…

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13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CXLXVI)

1. This used to be the richest silver mine in the world Silver Islet refers to both a small rocky island and a small community located at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula in northwestern Ontario, Canada. A rich vein of pure silver was discovered on this small island in 1868 by the Montreal Mining Company. The islet…

Greetings from Africa’s Premier Ski Resort

Ski season is upon us, but unlike our other vacations, where we strive to find the less beaten path, challenge ourselves to try different off-grid adventures and wander across lust-worthy unknown lands, why do we always feel the need to go to the same old ski resorts that first taught us how to snow plough down the…