I came across this stack of old Wallpaper city guides while reorganizing a few things over the weekend (because that's what happens on the weekends now). They are pretty beat up and color faded from travel. It looks like these guides are still being published by Phaidon (along with an app), but it's been well over a decade since I bought one.
I know the exact time period of the above books because I used to do really nerdy things like date and location stamp them when I got them. The Rome book was July 2007 and I picked it up in Dublin, while I was there working for a real estate developer before the global financial crisis. I also discovered old phone numbers and email addresses written inside of them. Usually it was a Hotmail address.
What I liked about these guides is that they were fairly condensed -- good for a long weekend -- and they were generally design-focused -- perfect for architecture nerds like me. Their restaurant, bar, and club selections were also just fine as a jumping off point. After that it was up to you to make your own adventure.
I sent this photo to my friend Alex Feldman over the weekend -- he also went without any sleep in Berlin -- and he reminded me what it was like at this time. This was 2007. The first iPhone was just being released. Its map functionality was nowhere near what it is today (or didn't exist). And I certainly didn't have one. I had a Blackberry with a plastic wheel on the side. It was basically a giant pager.
To navigate a city at this time meant using a physical map. It also meant getting repeatedly lost and having to ask real people where to go. Alex also reminded me that I made him wander all around Berlin so that I could buy a new pair of glasses. What can I say, this was pre-laser Brandon and I needed cool architect glasses. They ended up being red.
As frustrating as this must have been at times, there's something nice about traveling without knowing each and every step and without being able to summon an Uber at any point in time to take you exactly where you want to go. In fact, this is probably the central ingredient of all good travel: you need to allow yourself to be open to new experiences.
One of the great lessons of Anthony Bourdain was that you have to get out of your comfort zone. Cities have both highs and lows, but there's real value and authenticity in the lows if you're willing to engage beneath the surface. Perhaps that is the irony of old fashioned guide books in the pre-smartphone era. They were supposed to tell you exactly where to go, but they actually helped you find the opposite.
The only city that I never actually got around to visiting from the above stack is São Paulo. As you can tell, Brazil has been on my list for many years. I did make it to Rio de Janeiro a few years ago and São Paulo was supposed to be October 2020. But I'm pretty sure that trip will need to wait. Maybe I should leave my phone at home.
I am still a young guy, but already I find people of my vintage starting to hate on some of the things that even younger people are into.
I hear people say that they’re not into Snapchat because it’s for teenagers. What’s the point?
I hear people say that they don’t get why anyone would want to rent an urban shoebox. It’s so small. Do you have to hang from the ceiling like a bat when you sleep?
I hear people say that they don’t get how that new app will ever make money and turn into a business. It’s just a toy.
It’s so easy to fall into this mentality, where you think that you’re right and everyone else is wrong. But it can be toxic.
Because what is crazy and fringe today could very well become mainstream tomorrow. And the earlier you can recognize that shift, the easier it is to stay ahead of the curve in business and in life.
I’m not suggesting that we all try and predict the future. Instead I am suggesting that we all try and remain as open as we can so we recognize the shifts earlier.
I think there can be a natural tendency to close up over time – unless you deliberately fight it. We start to believe that there’s a certain way that things should be done. We get busy and don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I find myself falling into that trap sometimes and then I try and fight it. This must be why Steve Jobs told us to “stay foolish.”
In an information and attention economy where the best new ideas win, it pays to keep an open mind.
(This post was written on my phone which is why it’s void of links.)
I just got home from Christmas dinner and I am so full that I can barely keep my eyes open. So rather than attempt to write something insightful, I am going to share a 2 minute interview with designer Marcel Wanders.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w78Bjfscii0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
It’s a short piece, but he covers some interesting topics such as his office culture and the value of Amsterdam for their creative process (specifically the city’s openness and tolerance).
Regular scheduled programming will resume tomorrow.
And sometime before the end of the year I’m going to do a summary of 2015 on ATC and make some predictions for 2016. I haven’t really done the prediction part before, but I think it would be a good practice to start.
Until tomorrow 😴
I came across this stack of old Wallpaper city guides while reorganizing a few things over the weekend (because that's what happens on the weekends now). They are pretty beat up and color faded from travel. It looks like these guides are still being published by Phaidon (along with an app), but it's been well over a decade since I bought one.
I know the exact time period of the above books because I used to do really nerdy things like date and location stamp them when I got them. The Rome book was July 2007 and I picked it up in Dublin, while I was there working for a real estate developer before the global financial crisis. I also discovered old phone numbers and email addresses written inside of them. Usually it was a Hotmail address.
What I liked about these guides is that they were fairly condensed -- good for a long weekend -- and they were generally design-focused -- perfect for architecture nerds like me. Their restaurant, bar, and club selections were also just fine as a jumping off point. After that it was up to you to make your own adventure.
I sent this photo to my friend Alex Feldman over the weekend -- he also went without any sleep in Berlin -- and he reminded me what it was like at this time. This was 2007. The first iPhone was just being released. Its map functionality was nowhere near what it is today (or didn't exist). And I certainly didn't have one. I had a Blackberry with a plastic wheel on the side. It was basically a giant pager.
To navigate a city at this time meant using a physical map. It also meant getting repeatedly lost and having to ask real people where to go. Alex also reminded me that I made him wander all around Berlin so that I could buy a new pair of glasses. What can I say, this was pre-laser Brandon and I needed cool architect glasses. They ended up being red.
As frustrating as this must have been at times, there's something nice about traveling without knowing each and every step and without being able to summon an Uber at any point in time to take you exactly where you want to go. In fact, this is probably the central ingredient of all good travel: you need to allow yourself to be open to new experiences.
One of the great lessons of Anthony Bourdain was that you have to get out of your comfort zone. Cities have both highs and lows, but there's real value and authenticity in the lows if you're willing to engage beneath the surface. Perhaps that is the irony of old fashioned guide books in the pre-smartphone era. They were supposed to tell you exactly where to go, but they actually helped you find the opposite.
The only city that I never actually got around to visiting from the above stack is São Paulo. As you can tell, Brazil has been on my list for many years. I did make it to Rio de Janeiro a few years ago and São Paulo was supposed to be October 2020. But I'm pretty sure that trip will need to wait. Maybe I should leave my phone at home.
I am still a young guy, but already I find people of my vintage starting to hate on some of the things that even younger people are into.
I hear people say that they’re not into Snapchat because it’s for teenagers. What’s the point?
I hear people say that they don’t get why anyone would want to rent an urban shoebox. It’s so small. Do you have to hang from the ceiling like a bat when you sleep?
I hear people say that they don’t get how that new app will ever make money and turn into a business. It’s just a toy.
It’s so easy to fall into this mentality, where you think that you’re right and everyone else is wrong. But it can be toxic.
Because what is crazy and fringe today could very well become mainstream tomorrow. And the earlier you can recognize that shift, the easier it is to stay ahead of the curve in business and in life.
I’m not suggesting that we all try and predict the future. Instead I am suggesting that we all try and remain as open as we can so we recognize the shifts earlier.
I think there can be a natural tendency to close up over time – unless you deliberately fight it. We start to believe that there’s a certain way that things should be done. We get busy and don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I find myself falling into that trap sometimes and then I try and fight it. This must be why Steve Jobs told us to “stay foolish.”
In an information and attention economy where the best new ideas win, it pays to keep an open mind.
(This post was written on my phone which is why it’s void of links.)
I just got home from Christmas dinner and I am so full that I can barely keep my eyes open. So rather than attempt to write something insightful, I am going to share a 2 minute interview with designer Marcel Wanders.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w78Bjfscii0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
It’s a short piece, but he covers some interesting topics such as his office culture and the value of Amsterdam for their creative process (specifically the city’s openness and tolerance).
Regular scheduled programming will resume tomorrow.
And sometime before the end of the year I’m going to do a summary of 2015 on ATC and make some predictions for 2016. I haven’t really done the prediction part before, but I think it would be a good practice to start.
Until tomorrow 😴
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