Nearly 50 Years On, a Forbidden Seaside Ghost Town is about to Re-Open

Imagine a millionaire’s resort; one to rival St. Tropez, Italy’s Portofino, or Miami’s South Beach – abandoned overnight. Imagine the luxury hotels suddenly emptied of their guests and left to slowly decay, the boutiques, bars and nightclubs reclaimed by nature, sunbathers replaced by sea turtles nesting on the deserted beaches and the once vibrant holiday…

An Arctic Seaside Town they call “The Paris of the North”

As the mainstream media continues to ask if this is “the end of tourism”, wondering how they’ll reinvent an industry that does so much damage, we thought we’d just pick up where we left off before the pandemic; pointing to off-beat destinations and sticking by our longtime motto: Don’t be a Tourist. Today, we’re pointing…

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Paris Summer Events & Inspiration Guide

Just when we thought we’d be spending the summer of 2020 suntanning from our windowsills, life has returned to the streets once again and Paris has been liberated. While social distancing measures remain in place for the safety of all Parisians, our beloved restaurants, bars, and museums have been given the go-ahead to reopen. For…

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A Brief Compendium of Amazing African Architecture

You can probably clearly picture the architecture of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and India – but can you say the same for Africa? For thousands of years, Africa helped shape our modern world and yet, so much of it is underrepresented. We spent the day getting to know its architecture better, discovering just how…

Signed with Love: The Hand Painted Posters of NYC’S Cevallos Brothers

Sometimes, you just need a sign. Preferably: one crawling with brilliant fonts, memories of your favourite childhood foods and a few brujas on broomsticks. Such are the delightful creations of NYC’s local legends, the “Cevallos Brothers,” who for almost half-a-century have been hand painting the town’s streets, tortas trucks, bars, and more with our favourite…

An Introductory Guide to Black Paris

The Black Lives Matter movement has opened our eyes in so many ways. It plays a crucial role in upholding the living history of a different side of Paris. This week, Keyholders joined me on Zoom for an introductory Black History Tour through Paris, – one that belonged to Black America’s own “Lost Generation” of…

Wish You Were Here! The Golden Age of Holidays at Home on the English Riviera

Picture the scene: tricolour flags line the yacht-filled harbour, art-deco hotels dazzle the streets at night, celebrities flurry to villas hidden along the hillside that overlook lanes filled with chic cafés, where colourful tourists sip wine and smoke cigarettes at small bistro tables, while vintage cars are judged during the annual concours d’élégance and beautiful…

How Black Cowboys Built the American West: A Living History

You may hear it, before you see it. The gentle trotting of hooves backdropped by the sounds of New York City’s JFK Expressway. Even locals do a double take when they cross paths with a member of the Federation of Black Cowboys. When they ride, they tell the true story of the Wild, Wild West:…

She Was a Black Librarian Who Could Equal America’s Most Powerful Man

Today, we meet a heroine by the name of Belle da Costa Greene. Under the honey-hued lights of Manhattan’s Morgan Library, she became the guardian of the world’s greatest cultural treasures: not one but three Gutenberg bibles, illuminated manuscripts, originals by Da Vinci, Mozart, Michelangelo, and others – the list goes on (in its very own…

An Educational Haven at Harlem’s Little Black Book Shop turned B&B

A foreword from the founder of Messy Nessy Chic: “I’m so tired,” are words that stand out to me in all of this. I’ve heard them uttered repeatedly from members of the African American community in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, which has sent shockwaves throughout the world. What those…