Elsewhere

In Michigan, Hamtramck Pleads for a Bankruptcy Option: oh, boy, tough times for Hamtramck, the funky little city within Detroit. News Building: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York checks out a gorgeous office building lobby. Joy to the World’s Ugliest Houses; Here are Five of Them!: yikes, my eyes are bleeding. The Conquest: Harry Potter and the [...]

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2853 Tile in Cincinnati

I never tire of tile — here’s a street number in an entryway on Colerain Ave. in Camp Washington, Cincinnati. Note the triangular tile in the diagonal parts of the numbers, and the double notches in the number 8.

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Los Angeles Break-Up Billboards by Jon Jackson

LOL! Designer Jon Jackson is leaving LA for a new job in NYC, so he designed a series of billboards publicly saying goodbye to the fair city of Los Angeles. Methinks he should make a similarly bold statement to introduce himself to Brooklyn, his new home.

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Map Cuffs by Fugudesigns

Lisa York of Chicago-based Fugudesigns creates map-inspired jewelry. These chunky copper cuffs feature old maps of Chicago and Detroit; the last one shown here uses an old streetcar route from New Orleans.

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Shad Crossing by Ming Fay

More mosaic! Shanghai-born artist Ming Fay designed this series of vivid mosaics for the Delancey Street station in NYC, depicting giant shad crossing a river, which represent the travel of immigrants across the ocean as well as commuters’ travels across the Williamsburg Bridge.

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Elsewhere

End of Line for Oakley Station: aww, hell no… The EV Grieve Last-Minute Gift Guide: from “gentrify this” to “my parents met at Superdive,” EV Grieve has some East Village-centric gift ideas. Wigilia: some history and a sample menu for a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner. Yum! Shakedown Street: what if streets were closed to [...]

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Seed Bombs in Berkeley

Ellington & French is a home furnishings store in Berkeley, CA whose offerings range from Victorian antiques to Modern classics, and now also seed bombs! The charming boutique is located at 2942 Domingo Ave., at the corner of Domingo and Ashby.

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Downtown Cincinnati Holiday Display at the Netherland Plaza

This holiday season, the Netherland Plaza in downtown Cincinnati has a cute gingerbread display of downtown landmarks, including the Procter & Gamble headquarters above.

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Crumpled City Maps by Emanuele Pizzolorusso

How cool is this? Designed by Berlin-based Emanuele Pizzolorusso for Palomar, Crumpled City Maps are soft, yet hard-wearing, waterproof and meant to be creased and crumpled. Unlike traditional paper maps which can be awkward to deal with, these maps can easily be crammed into your pocket or the special carrying pouch, without having to worry [...]

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Over-the-Rhine Christmas Tree Ornaments by the Losantiville Design Group

Here at VL HQ, we don’t put ornaments on our Christmas tree but, if we were to, we’d start with these limited-edition laser-etched ornaments depicting buildings in Over-the-Rhine. Designed by Chris Heckman of the Losantiville Design Group, they are available at MiCA 12/v; a portion of the proceeds benefits the Over-the-Rhine Foundation.

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