ImagineNations globes.

How fun are these?




ImagineNations

(Thanks for the tip, Claire!)

animals on the underground.

In honor of my upcoming trip...




animals on the underground

(Thanks, czelticgirl!)

Land Carpet.

Being in full-on, jump-on-an-airplane-and-fly-away mode, I'm loving these rugs.




Florian Pucher

(hat tip to the fabulous function key)

Spoiler Alert.

Spoiler Alert • Jason Eppink's Catalogue of Creative Triumphs

22 Incredible Photos of Faraway Places.

This is my hands-down fave.


22 Incredible Photos of Faraway Places - My Modern Metropolis

(via yay!everyday)

The Wish Tree (Washington D.C.)

Every autumn, sometime in November, the leaves fall off and the tree becomes a whispering tree. Rather than hang their wishes from the tree on small strips of paper, as they do during the warmer months, visitors are encouraged to snuggle up to the tree and whisper their wishes to it.

But, come June, the tree buds again and the Hirshhorn provides pencils and little tags to write with and to hang on the tree.

Each day exhibit staff and intern volunteers pluck the tags from the tree.

“We harvest the wishes and send them to the Yoko Ono Peace Tower in Iceland where they become part of a larger collection of wishes that the artist has amassed,” Hirshhorn communications director Gabriel Riera told me in an e-mail.

When You Wish Upon a Tree at the Hirshhorn | Around The Mall

The Pantone Hotel.

Yes, please.


Pantone Hotel in Brussels Centre – Belgium

Rue de Boba Fette.

Not ONLY is he a local boy AND create one of my favorite TV shows, he's got awesome infographic superpowers.

Twitter / Dan Harmon

London bus print.

I just love this graphic.



London Bus Print

Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk.

Steamer trunks have always intrigued me. And this is like a tiny room in a giant steamer trunk. So cool.





Restoration Hardware: Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk

(I apologize to whomever posted this in a newsletter yesterday. I've lost the source.)

Kulula Airlines' infographic airplane.

I'm such an infographic geek that, if I owned an airline, the planes would look something like this.


Cool Infographics :: Infographic Airplane! from Kulula Airlines

Back from Paris!

Hello again, kids! I'm back after my lovely trip with my mom. So much to see and eat and drink and absorb and so very little time. I'll definitely be going back...

People really do win travel contests.

I say this from personal experience – I'm leaving for Paris today, courtesy of Corbis Image's "Storied" twitter contest. Less than 2 seconds of my life spent re-tweeting a message won me a trip for two to France. CRAZY.


So things may be quiet around here until next week when I get back. I've got some very important business to attend to.



(FYI - because I'm a contest addict, I've started a sweepstakes & travel contests page on Facebook, if you're interested.)

A bientôt! Je vais à Paris! Merci bien, Corbis!*

*Yes, I totally used Google Translate for that.

(Top image: Shari Elf)

Swiss Cheese Makers.

This one's going out to my long-distance roommate.



The Book about Swiss Cheese Makers began as an editorial project for a journalist friend. "I expected this to be an agricultural trip, meeting people who make a living through the production of cheese in a more or less industrial way," Scheffold confesses" But far from it: I met unorthodox lateral thinkers, visionary fellows, modest canny and successful people living and working in some of the most spectacular landscapes of Switzerland. Some sell their products abroad, inventing a new cheese every other month, some work exactly as they have learned from their fathers, now sometimes just selling to hikers visiting their remote location by chance. But all of them seemed to follow an individual vision they are not willing to betray for growth and money."

See more here: ZOOM :: Swiss Cheese Makers by Fabian Scheffold & István Vizner

Pentagram's War Memorial for the London Science Museum.

With the adulation Pentagram's receives, I always expect to find them mailing it in on a project. I click, then sit back in my chair with my arms folded, like, "Okay, this is it. You're finally going to disappoint me." Yet, they never do. I always find their designs (like that below) thoughtful, beautiful, interesting and inspiring. If history doesn't treat them as a major design force of the late 20th/early 21st century, it will be a shock and a shame.




The wall-mounted war memorial designed by Harry Pearce for the London Science Museum is a reverential and sober tribute to those employees of the Museum that fell in the First and Second World Wars. The plaque is made from a single piece of cast iron layered with typographic interventions that are powerful in their simplicity. Each layer represents a world war with ‘19’ serving as a link between the two sets of dates ‘14-18’ and ‘39-45’. A single cross is cut through both layers.

New Work: War Memorial for the London Science Museum | New at Pentagram | Pentagram

(via @cunabula)

NYC Metro Cuff.

Nice AND practical.




Functional bracelets feature map of NYC subway - Springwise

Hotel gift certificates.

Stumped about what to get someone for a wedding, birthday or shower present?

Let me offer this tip: Hotel gift certificates.

I just bought some from Kimpton, good for any of their boutique hotels all over the US. Very cool.


Kimpton Hotels: Boutique Hotels, Luxury Travel and Chef-Driven Gourmet Restaurants

(Go to "Promotions" in the upper nav, then "Gift Certificates" in the dropdown menu.)

Roar & Snore - Taronga Conservation Society Australia

I've never had a burning desire to go to Sydney -- until now.




Taronga Zoo's unique accommodation experience, Roar & Snore, has been re-launched. You can now spend the night camping out with the animals, in the comfort of purpose built safari tents, while looking out over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The chance to preview this unforgettable experience is truly once in a lifetime opportunity.

The ‘new' Roar & Snore is now a fully hosted experience which includes architecturally designed tents, a sumptuous roast feast, drinks in the main tent, up-close animal encounters and the only opportunity to camp overnight with the views of Sydney Harbour and the city on one side and lions, leopards and Meerkats on the other.

The tents are literally just a few steps away from the harbour view and include fully dressed double and single beds, all linen is provided and you also have the chance to shower while you enjoy the world famous views from Taronga Zoo. The only thing that you now need to bring to this new experience is a sense of fun and adventure.

Wake the next morning to the roar of the lions or an elephant's trumpet as you prepare to experience the zoo before the crowds. Feed a giraffe or pat a seal as you go ‘behind the scenes' to learn about the secrets of this famous and fascinating zoo.

Enjoy the sunrise, sunset or both from this exclusive location, contemplating the scene before you. A night a Taronga Zoo's new Roar & Snore is an experience that you will treasure for a lifetime.

Roar & Snore - Taronga Conservation Society Australia

(via lost at e minor)

shopSCAD: Wings by Clifton Henri.

I'm completely in love with this photo.



Shop SCAD :: Clifton Henri

BTW - If you're ever lucky enough to tool around Savannah, be sure to stop at the shopSCAD store on Bull St. One word of caution: don't expect low prices just because the artwork is by students. Most of the artwork was well out my my price range, but still worth browsing and enjoying.

Best U.S. Cupcake Bakeries.

I follow the lovely @Marilyn_Res, a chief researcher for National Geographic Traveler magazine, on Twitter. This was but one of her posts that made me smile this week.




Best Cupcake Bakeries - National Geographic Traveler