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

Kurt Thometz’s bookshop was not the norm. Harlem’s white-owned all-Black bookstore almost seemed like a glimpse into an alternate universe where blackness dictates the principle narrative of society. It was “provocative”, “dangerous” even, to be confronted by such an unfamiliar dynamic. Rare book collector, Kurt Thometz, opened Jumel Terrace Books on the lower ground floor…

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

Today’s edition was compiled with our hearts & minds vicariously marching with the Black Lives Matter Movement. 1. Fabulous in New York City, Summer of ’69 Vernon Merritt III/Time Life Pictures, found on Pinterest. 2. Where the term “Dreadlocks” came from The term “dreadlocks” comes from a movement of guerrilla warriors who vowed not to…

In Defence of Clutter: The American Castle of a Renaissance Hoarder

Forget the great and gaudy Hearst Castle – why don’t they talk about Fonthill Castle? Now that’s a house worth seeing. Some might call him America’s first hoarder, but for any aspiring collector or lover of eclectic arts, Pennsylvania’s most underrated treasure is an astonishing visual treat at every turn, telling the story of a…

Why NASA Set up Shop in Russia’s Forbidden Star City

Tucked in a Russian forest not terribly far from Moscow, you’ll find it: a veritable mini-city, populated entirely by space explorers and their kin for over half-a-century. This is “Star City,” and getting an invite here is a bit like making it into Wonka’s Chocolate Factory; it’s the world’s oldest habitation of its kind, a…

For Sale: The Victorian Butcher Shop You Never Knew You Needed

So generously preserved of its original features, you can almost imagine a portly butcher emerging from his back room to ask whether you want the Sirloin cut or Tenderloin. And yet this “rare survival” in North London has managed to find new life as a wonderful two-bedroom home with a kitchen and front room to…

If Ophelia Could Talk: The True Story of the Iconic Artist-Muse

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s to listen to the muse – she usually has the juiciest details behind some of history’s most iconic artworks and artists. Today, we travel to the gauzy, sun-dappled world of the romantic pre-Raphaelite painters and zoom in on their unsung queen, “Ophelia” in that iconic…

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

1. Restaurants using mannequins to make social distancing less awkward An American Michelin-starred restaurant, the Inn at Little Washington, hopes to make its dining room feel less empty once customers return at limited capacity…. From mannequins to stuffed animals to pool noodles you wear on your head, restaurants around the world are getting pretty “creative” in…

Under His Pen, Art Nouveau became delightfully Trippy

Re-discovering history’s rebellious and obscure artists is one of our favourite pastimes on the internet. When their brushtrokes indulge their inner ghoul and become mischievous à la Edward Gorey, King of American macabre, or Oscar Wilde’s fearless illustrator who shook up Victorian society. Today, let’s unroll the black carpet for Mr. Harry Clarke and revisit…

A Bucket List of Star Cities Scattered Across our Globe

Next to pasta primavera, star forts have to be one of the coolest things the Italians ever made. Dreamt up in the 15th century to withstand onslaught of a little something called cannonballs, today these hypnotic fortresses appeal to our contemporary imaginations like crossover creations of fantasy genres – Star Wars, but make it Medieval…

Before the Internet, there was the 1960s Dial-a-Poem Hotline

On any given night in 1970, a teen somewhere in rural America could dial a number and hear the radical wisdom of Patti Smith, John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Bourroughs – the list of poets was long, and painfully hip. One needed only the ten sacred digits of “Dial-a-Poem,” a revolutionary hotline that connected…