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

1. Janis Joplin having an Eternal Summer in Copacabana, Brazil, 1970 Just months before her untimely death, Joplin headed to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro to have a few moments of R&R on the beach. She wasn’t nearly as well known in South America as she was in the States, and the images weren’t released until many…

Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Paris Catacombs

For our latest adventure on the Don’t be a Tourist in Paris web series, we go 30 feet beneath the city to discover the subculture of iconic midnight movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show just in time for Halloween. Below ground, we’re in the subterranean cinema of Alexander J E Bradley a photographer, filmmaker and catacomb-dweller (aka. cataphile).…

From Elizabeth Taylor to Adolph Hitler, Presenting History’s Greatest Decoys

First things first, we’re about to spill the contents of a very mixed bag of history’s greatest eccentrics. It’s one filled with impersonators, decoys, and body doubles throughout the 20th century who’ve got one thing in common: they’re really, really good at getting under someone else’s skin. From Andy Warhol to Adolf Hitler, some of…

Edgar Allan Poe’s Cottage Is Just Sitting There in the Bronx

Finding it there seems improbable. Absurd, even. Yet, on a sunny day in Sector G of the Bronx, amidst cheap Thai massage parlours and “99¢ Only” stores, stands the final home of the king of American macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. That the house stands after 221 years is a miracle alone. It’s been a quiet…

A Brief Compendium of the Iconic American Motel

Among my favourite things are mid-century kitsch and tiny houses. Put the two together and you basically send me into overload. I’m aware that the faded glamour of American motels is much more appealing to a European road-tripper like me who hasn’t stayed in enough of them yet to have encountered bed bugs. But what I wouldn’t give to go back…

The Night We Found ‘Sleepy Hollow’s’ Jack ‘O Lantern City

Every October in the woods not far from Sleepy Hollow, and yes, it’s a real place, jack ‘o lanterns spring up from the ground to form a whirling carousel and a herd of dinosaurs; a complete circus train a towering bridge — all made entirely of 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins. For locals, it’s just another year…

Uncovering Hollywood’s 1920s “Antichrist” Photo Shoots

Somewhere in a dark room almost a century ago, an image emerges of a woman with her skeleton lover. Beside it, another of a gyrating goblin, a pin-up worthy witch, or some other creature from the wonderfully twisted mind of photographer William Mortensen. Today, Mortensen is praised as a pioneer of his profession, a Tim…

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

1. A Wild West Ghost Town for Sale Located 40 minutes from Palm Springs, 20 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, and not far from Pioneertown– Stargazing Desert Retreat, is currently on the market for $1,495,000. Built by Hollywood moguls as a permanent Wild West set—the property includes a main house with over 3,000 square feet, four…

You’re invited to a Messy Nessy Manhattan Tea Party

Save the date! You’re invited to the MessyNessy Manhattan Tea Party fit for a Mad Hatter. Mark you calendar to meet us at a secret location on October 28th, 2018 in New York City. Yours truly (that’s me Nessy) will be your host for the afternoon gathering, a chance to bring together our unusual tribe in a beautiful…

5 Little-Known Chateaux to Visit Near Paris

‘Tis the season for chateaux hunting! Of course, you won’t find us fighting our way through the selfie sticks at Versailles, and I thought we should round up a few of our go-to castles for fall day tripping around Paris… 1. The Three Musketeers Hideaway A forty minute drive west of the Notre Dame cathedral…