Jenny Beorkrem is a 24-year old Chicago designer who launched typographic neighborhood "maps," Ork Posters, in November of last year, and quickly sold out. Here's a look at her San Francisco map:
[The image is slightly pixelated here, but a real life print has sharp, clean edges to it.]
Jenny's Boston, New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco maps cost $27 each as screen prints, a little less as posters.
For cool maps from other sources, see this blog post by Prêt à Voyager.
EARLIER
A great idea: Celebrating teachers
Ithaca has come up with a clever idea that other cities should copy. The town of about 30,000 residents in central New York state is throwing a party for teachers Feb. 16-24—which is when hundreds of thousands of teachers are on break for "Winter Recess." A teacher can receive discounts on dining (such as 15 percent off a meal at the famous Moosewood restaurant) and lodging (such as an $89 a night rate at the downtown Holiday Inn, which is 40 percent off the standard rate). "Bring your school ID, your union membership, or a note from your principal, and you're in," says IthacaLovesTeachers.com. Here's a photo of Newfield, N.Y., teacher Lisa Miller riding a mechanical bull at last year's Winter Recess teachers fest. The ID tag she's wearing is the V.I.T. (Very Important Teacher) pass that can be used to get discounts around the city. This year, concerts include Taj Mahal and Lyle Lovett. (Teachers can get free beer and wine at the concession stand. It could get crazy!) There are educational events, too, such as a reading by novelist Denis Johnson, winner of the 2007 National Book Award. Food will be a big theme at the party. Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than New York City... The town's emphasis is on organic and gourmet food. I recommend that you grab a latte at one of the Gimme Coffee shops, or try a dish of shrimp and grits at Maxie's Supper Club (which offers surprisingly good Southern comfort food for a Yankee restaurant). During "Winter Recess" week, both of these places have buy-one-get-one free offers for teachers. When Ithaca first launched this promotion a year ago, officials claimed that it was the first citywide festival for state public school teachers. Here's hoping that other cities copy the concept—especially some cities in warm weather destinations. More details at IthacaLovesTeachers.com [Of course, you don't have to be a teacher to enjoy many of the events. For example, many parents may want to take advantage of winter recess to scout higher education options for their kids, such as at Ithaca's Cornell University and and Ithaca College. Each school has well-regarded programs in hospitality and culinary training, in case any of you have children interested in joining those parts of the travel industry.]
Beijing "Water Cube" opens for the Olympics
Today, Beijing officially unveiled its National Aquatics Center, dubbed the "Water Cube." This is the building where Americans will hopefully win some gold medals during the swimming competitions of the Summer Olympics. The building has a bubbly surface, made of transparent cushions. Here's a close-up of the surface, shot by Tony Law for BudgetTravel.com. According to Reuters, "The building will perhaps be at its best at night when an LED system with 16.7 million tones will turn the arena into a vibrant kaleidoscope of color both inside and out." For more details on this and other new attractions in Beijing, see our Web-exclusive coverage.
Trailing Dostoevsky in St. Petersburg
Russian literature got its start in St. Petersburg, and Elaine Blair's new pocket-size book, Literary St. Petersburg, pays tribute to 15 writers—from Alexander Pushkin to Joseph Brodsky—whose lives and stories are indelibly linked to the city. We've reprinted a chapter on Fyodor Dostoevsky that includes the spectacular blue-domed cathedral where he married, the site of his mock execution, and the garret apartment that housed Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Crime and Punishment. Click here for the book excerpt and city map. IMAGE: The book cover depicts a view of the Neva and the Admiralteyskaya Embankment by Moonlight, 1882, by Aleksandr Karlovich Beggrov (cover designed by Louise Fili Ltd; image courtesy of Stage Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia/The Bridgeman Art Library). MORE LITERARY TRAVEL: Basilica: A Walking Tour of Papal Rome, Golden Boy: Growing Up in 1950s Hong Kong, and A Late Dinner: Culinary Travels in Catalonia.
Contest: Ever nearly break up while traveling?
You can win a DVD of 2 Days in Paris—the compelling story of how a couple (played by Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg) hit the rocks in their relationship during a visit to her hometown of Paris. Have you ever broken up—or nearly broken up—while traveling? Then post your story as a comment below. The ten best stories will win a DVD of 2 Days in Paris. If you've posted a winning story, we'll contact you by February 14, 2008 (using the email address you provide when you post). The movie is both funny and sad. The characters of Marion's parents are played by Delpy's real-life French parents. One of the funniest parts of the movie is a recurring encounter with a pixie-like Frenchman, played by Daniel Brühl, who likes to blow up restaurants that serve genetically-modified foods. Credit: ‘Fox Home Entertainment.’ EXPERT ADVICE Eight couples share ideas on how to make the most of traveling together—and avoid big fights on the road. CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO POSTED A STORY. Winning entries can be found in our story, 10 Amazing Fights Between Lovers on the Road
