Holiday like Hemingway in Africa

I once read that it was the legendary writer Ernest Miller Hemingway who brought the Swahili word “safari” (meaning journey) into popular use in the English language. In 1935, a New York Times reporter reviewed Ernest Hemingway’s latest novel and wrote: “Even if you do not approve very strongly of men who go out and blast innocent rhinos into kingdom come you…

A Little Courtyard Book Party for “Don’t Be a Tourist in Paris”

To celebrate the launch of “Don’t Be a Tourist in Paris” I had a little courtyard book party and made a toast to you all! And of course we had the video camera rolling … So after seven years on the internet, I’ve entered the world of publishing with “Don’t be a Tourist in Paris”. With…

Private Island Complete with an Abandoned “Nazi” Castle for Sale

You know what this island is made for? Childhood adventure stories. Deserted in the turquoise Caribbean sea with a creepy abandoned castle, mermaid caves and mysterious tales of World War II German submarines– it’s Tintin meets Jack Sparrow; a place to let your imagination run riot … for $39,000,000. Darby Island in the Bahamas, part of…

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

1. Roald Dahl’s pocket-sized writing shed at the Roald Dahl’s museum in the UK Supposedly Roald Dahl‘s books continue to sell at the rate of 12 a minute every day of the year… Gipsy House in Great Missenden, England where the author lived from 1954 until his death in 1990 still remains in his family. So…

Time Capsules of Lake Como

It’s not often that you browse through real estate pages feeling a nostalgia rushing through your insides and tugging at your heart strings, but that’s exactly what happens when I find myself digging through the property inventory of Lionard (specialists in big empty Italian castles for sale). This can’t be right… I say to myself as I click through rooms with incredible art…

From the Batmobile to the Bath-mobile, He Built them All

Behold, the Bath buggy, built in 1970 for the World’s Fair in Osaka Japan, complete with a Ford Mustang engine, made by the same guy who pretty much created every cool ride that appeared on television screens during the 1960s and 70s. The Batmobile, the Flinstones car, David Hasslehoff’s car the Green Hornet car, The Munster’s car, the Monkee’s mobile–…

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

1. The Mansion where the Psychedelic ’60s took off Owned by one of America’s richest families, Millbrook in Upstate New York hosted Timothy Leary (and his followers), the infamous psychologist best known for advocating the exploration of the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs under controlled conditions. Along with the residents came a rotating cast of celebrities, thinkers…

The Cautionary Tale of the Harlem Hoarders

New York City fire fighters still use the term “a Collyer’s mansion situation” as code for a hoarder’s house fire. It usually means it’s not safe for them to enter the building. In 1947, it took police five hours to plough through the junk and find the first Collyer brother’s body. It took them three…

Wes Anderson could Probably Make his Next Movie in Singapore

When I put out my article “Location Scouting for Wes Anderson” a few weeks ago, I really didn’t expect it to echo across the internet like it did. And you know what? It’s kinda fantastic. For one, it gives more notoriety to an amazing filmmaker (you’ be surprised how many youngsters these days have never seen his movies). And two, I…

Overnight inside a Polar Bear’s Den

I feel a certain way about the zoo. I don’t go to the zoo because I don’t want to look at wild animals in confined boxes looking back at me with the pained eyes of a creature in captivity. But then someone showed me this photograph of a polar bear sharing his backyard with a beautiful log cabin…