Sunday in the City: Unicorn Hunting

Every first Sunday I've taken it upon myself to take full advantage of the fact that national museums in Paris are free. While free does not necessarily equal free of lines or crowds, in getting off the beaten track, you not only get away from masses of people, but I've not only discovered a few hidden gems. In the process I've also managed to become a unicorn hunter. While a bit of an inside joke amongst friends that started with Charlie the Unicorn, my new Parisian quest for free culture has resulted in the added bonus of new unicorn discoveries. In each of my first three free visits, discovering unicorns in unlikely places was that added bit of excitement to an already free visit.
My most recent unicorn discoveries came from the Musée Gustave Moreau, Moreau's former apartment that's been converted into the intimate museum in the 9th arrondisement. The top unicorn really came "alive" by the light fixture reflected in the glass frame. The second unicorn was a discovery from opening one of the hidden files. Have you ever visited a museum in search of something other than the artwork?
At the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in the heart of the Marais (pictured above and below) there is an entire room devoted to "licorne" (unicorns). Other rooms are devoted to birds, warthogs or any number of animals in a beautiful celebration of hunting, which surprisingly became one of my unexpected favorite museums in the city. Have you encountered any museums that surprised you on your travels?
Finally, the Musée du Moyen Age (also known as the Cluny Museum) in the Latin Quarter is a trip back in time. Once on the second floor you're transported into a room devoted to stunning embroidered tapestries telling the stories of unicorns. Where should I head next in search of unicorns in Paris?
Don't forget this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month! Click here for the complete list of free museums.

50 and 50: Designer's Atas

What happens when you take something from the past and ask designers to give it a fresh spin? 50 and 50 is a project dreamed up by illustrator Dan Cassaro which is an attempt to take a new look at the US through the eyes of fifty designers representing the 50 states and re-imaging their state motto in a new visual form. The idea is to create something steeped in history, but with a modern spin in a unique kind of "designer's atlas." You can view all 50 states in the gallery here. {thanks to Miss Dale Marie for this awesome find!}
Speaking of States, check out John Holcomb's The United Plates of America, in case you missed it the first go.

{Images via 50 and 50}

Collaborative Storytelling - Pictory

Before design, photography was my thing (and how I overcame my shyness), but somehow I got turned off a bit when the world went digital and everyone started carrying a camera (that, or I couldn't keep up with uploading all my pictures!). My favorite class in college was an Enthnophotography class in the Anthropology department - it was an intimate class that met weekly in the home of my professor, and the final assignment was to create an 18-picture photo essay (days of film, darkroom and developing your own prints). My photo essay on the UVA Men's Crew team won Best of Show that year. The project was a lot of work, and a lot of time spent alone in the darkroom; more self-reflective than collaborative. But that's why I love the new concept of Pictory Mag, a collaborative effort to tell a story through images that don't just live in a scrapbook, but are shared with others as a curated collective telling of a story.
The idea is simple. First, observe the community and see how people are telling their stories. You need not be a professional to participate. Then select one of your eye catching photos and submit it with an informative caption.
Next, pick one of the weekly themes on the site for your work to be considered for (limit one entry per theme).
Finally, see if the site editors selected your photograph to be part of the 20-40 image photo essays. You can see the latest stories here.

{images via PictoryMag, discovered via KateConsumption}

10 Days in Paris, in 45 Seconds

10 Days in Paris, in 45 seconds from Paul L'Heureux.

There's a great episode of The Office where Michael, the boss, goes on vacation to Jamaica and gets back to work and no one asks him about his trip. Travel is tricky like that, figuring out how to share your experience without boring people, or yourself, trying to remember everything you accomplished while away. Recently my friend Paul, a graphic and motion designer for Fiction Media Group was in town and came up with a great solution to share everything that happened during his 10 day, non-stop adventure. He decided to put all his images together in warp speed, in 10 Days in Paris in 45 Seconds. His 661 photos pass through at a rate of 15 shots per second, making for a really dynamic story of his family trip to Paris. You can check out a slowed down version on his fantastic photos on Flickr (look out for Leo!).

Meanwhile, Paul's mom Anne was working with a digital camera, which despite a broken back screen, still worked. I have yet to see the photos that came out of that camera, but I love the idea of covering up the back screen of a digital camera and not looking at any of your pictures until a trip is over – like back in the day.

Boarding Pass - Yah-Leng Yu of Foreign Policy Design

Today's Boarding Pass takes us to Singapore, home of Foreign Policy Design, a design strategy, design thinking & ideas bureau. I discovered their work thanks to Pooja of Notabilia who made sure I was aware of the awesome work they had done for the Wanderlust Hotel. Yah-Leng Yu takes on the role of Creative Director for the agency. I love her eye, and as someone who spent a couple years of my life designing signage, I particular love her attention to the mundane, typography and signs. All this creativity has me wanting to head back to Singapore stat... Thanks, Yah-Leng!

{Foreign Policy Design work for Wanderlust Hotel, Singapore}

last trip taken:
Do I count business trips? Nanjing/Shanghai, China. Otherwise, Tokyo, Japan.

{Berlin}

next trip on deck:
Nanjing, China

{Japan}

one place you would go back to again and again:
Tokyo, Japan. Such a vibrant city with the future and history within, never been able to finish the entire city in 2 weeks. I love to explore each neighborhood thoroughly, usually I spend 2 weeks in one neighborhood and I don't stay at the same place whenever I am in town. I like to take my time to check out each nook and cranny carefully.

{Japan}

{Japan}

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Can I recommend two places? Berlin and New York

{Berlin | Japan}
{Berlin}

preferred method of transportation:
By foot, on bicycle or by public transportation -- it's a great way to see the city and live like the locals.

{Hong Kong}
{Japan}

place you've never been but dying to go:
Kazakhstan and North Korea

{Costa Rica}

place you'd never go back:
Vietnam, basically I od-ed after numerous trips out there...

{Paris}

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
Costa Rica. Three best friends taking over Central America! Sipping local Imperial beer, hilariously trying to pass by with our crudest Español, scaring ourselves silly in the pitch darkness of the tropical jungle.

{Costa Rica}
{Korea}

how do you prepare for a trip?
I usually like to do some research about the place - print some information off the web, or the library to check out a guide book. I like to travel light so I pack as little as possible but usually I still have [more] than I need.

{Paris}

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Camera, pencil+moleskin notebook, and now iphone - facebook/twitter

{Japan - Paris}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Signage, buildings, food and people in their environment

{Paris}
{Berlin | Korea}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
2500+ average, I just can't stop snapping...

{Paris}
{Paris}

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
Sony nex-5, iphone with all the lomo and hipstamatic apps, moleskine - I still love the analog way of documenting.

{Hong Kong}

{Hong Kong}

{Hong Kong}

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
Either flickr or facebook, but definitely downloading to iPhoto within a few days of when I get back usually.

{Cambodia}

{Safety manuals}

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
maps, tickets, labels

{Paris}

LINKS

• website: foreignpolicydesign.com
• blog: create YU
• on flickr
• @yahlengyu on twitter

Boarding Pass is a weekly column exploring the creative ways people travel.

Designtripper {design + travel}

Beyond the 1970s-style Holiday Inns my family stay would at when I was a kid (indoor swimming pool was a must, and ping pong table was a mega bonus), most of my hotel stays during my life are unmemorable to say the least. These days that seems to be changing as there's a greater interest in creating more interesting choices from intimate apartments to exciting new design hotels. It brings me such joy to see the way that travel and design are merging, and creating new travel experiences at the same time.

{Stay in this Loft Yes, please!}

Meghan McEwen is the mind behind Designtripper, a beautiful site curating the most interesting places to stay around the world. As the "intersection of travel and design with genuine curiosity and good taste," the places and spaces featured on the site range from indie/boutique/design or family-run hotels to tricked-out tents and campervans, ryokans and apartment rentals. You may just plan your next trip based on a place you see here, or you can always search the site to see what's out there for your next destination, as everything is swoon-worthy (this post took me at least three times as long as it should have because I got caught up dreaming of where to stay next).

Currently Meghan and her husband, along with their toddlers in tow, are off road tripping from Detroit to New Orleans in their continued quest for authenticity and good design in unexpected places. En route they are recording their adventures here, and finding some interesting places to visit and stay. (As a side note, I like seeing a car company - Lincoln - teaming up with a creative mind to encourage travel).

Recently Meghan invited me to contribute a Paris post to Designtripper. There are a handful of chic sleeps in the city, but I went with Hotel Amour a boutique hotel in the 9th (my neighborhood). You can get the full report here, with a sneak peek inside their gorgeous rooms designed by various French designers. And the other great thing about Designtripper is that beyond being more interesting than your "typical" hotel, most of their finds are more affordable too!

{Top 3 images via DesignTripper; bottom 2 by PAV}

Mapping Europe

I've always been a fan of maps. The show you where you've been and where you're going. And I love that maps are becoming an art form these days, and are able to share ideas and without necessarily be a literal translation of the place. A few years ago I took a map making workshop at MICA, where I made my own map of all the places I have been, and after Grace posted these fantastic Europa Touring maps by Jen and Omar of These Are Things yesterday, I'm itching to figure out a new, creative way to map my travels. Have you seen any interesting or inspiring maps lately?

P.S. Grace is running a contest through the end of the day today where you can win one of these beauties by leaving a travel story in the comments section of Design*Sponge!

My Heart Wanders

Last summer in Amsterdam I was sitting outside sipping beers on a perfect summer day with Pia Jane Bijkerk and new friends after a long day at the Urban Arts Festival. Pia mentioned the latest project she was working on, My Heart Wanders. Then it seemed like still a dream, so I can hardly believe it has all come together already. With the sub-headline "a celebration of taking risks, letting go and making a home wherever you are" this book is by far her most personal project yet – after Paris Made by Hand and Amsterdam Made by Hand. The topic of this book struck a chord with me as a foreigner in a foreign land myself, and trying to find my way. Pia, a native Australian left Sydney for Paris, followed by adventures on a houseboat in Amsterdam. Only now, just in time for the release of her new book has she returned to Sydney as her home again. I definitely feel my heart is starting to wander, and plan on using this beautiful book to help guide my way. While only folks down-under are lucky enough to pick up a copy now, the worldwide release date is set for June (or pre-order here). Stay tuned to Pia's beautiful blog for all the latest events and sneak peeks inside, and view the book on her website for the best look!

{What would happen if one day you decided to follow your heart?}

{Where would it take you?}

Don't miss Pia on BOARDING PASS (I love her soundscapes as well!).

{all images via Pia Jane Bijkerk}