Elsewhere

Host/Hostess Gifts: check out VL products on Fox 19, courtesy of Carolyn, owner of our favorite Over-the-Rhine boutique, MiCA 12/v!

Shop Small This Christmas: Cincinnati Favorites: an awesome round-up of local stores and makers, including yours truly.

An Indie Guide to Cincinnati During the Holidays: tons of pop-up markets and special events in OTR and downtown Cincy this month.

‘Ghost Signs’ Haunt Clarksville: a town in Tennessee is considering restoring or preserving its ghost sign history.

Las Vegas: The Once and Future Downtown Project: thwarted urban revitalization ambitions in Vegas.

A Horrible Brooklyn Love Story: involving secret tunnels and ghosts.

Saving Neon Signs One Flash at a Time: in Sacramento and beyond, an effort to preserve old neon signs.

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Travel Agency Ghost Sign in NYC

Just down the street from the New York Times HQ is this massive ghost sign for a travel agency called P-something. Sea, air, and then places: Las Vegas, LA, Mexico, Miami, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mediterranean, Middle East, and Greek Island Cruises. Do travel agents even exist anymore?

VisuaLingual Seed Bomb Favors in Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine

Guin and Eric recently got married in Las Vegas, and a photo of the seed bomb favors we’d created for their guests appears in the Best in Swag roundup in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine.

Looking Back: Best VL Posts of 2012

2012 was an awesome year for us: VL work kept us busy, but we were able to take a few amazing trips. The Great American Road Trip was the highlight of the year, and it took us from Cincinnati through the Southwest, and all the way to San Diego. On the way, we camped in Joshua Tree National Park. Mind blown, and self humbled.

Map Sculptures by Matthew Picton

London 1666 by Matthew Picton

Plenty of artists use books in their work or create maps as their practice. London-born, Oregon-based Matthew Picton has found a way to do both by using books and other textual materials that reference a city in a moment in time. Above, London 1666 is constructed out of book covers for The Plague Years by Daniel Defoe.

The Las Vegas Strip

Our Great American Road Trip included an obligatory stop in Las Vegas, where we had to check out the Fremont Street Experience and, of course, the famous Strip, starting with New York, New York Hotel & Casino.

Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas

The Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas is the historical heart of that city, famous for its elaborate neon signs and lights which have earned it the nickname “Glitter Gulch.” It’s been closed to vehicular traffic since 1994, and the pedestrian mall now features an LED-covered covered canopy.

The Ambassador East Ghost Sign in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is in a constant state of rebirth, so there are ghost signs next to construction sites next to brand-new buildings. Some businesses and city services just move down the street, and some ghost signs advertise demolished businesses, like the Ambassador East at 916 Fremont St. downtown. For more information, check out Classic Las Vegas.

An Open Letter to the Western Half of the United States

This is specifically to the fine states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, California, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma — thank you all so much for your hospitality over the past couple of weeks. We had a fine time on your roads, from interstates to dirt roads to a bit of Route 66. Your natural wonders are amazing, and your cities are as varied as your terrain. We’ll definitely be back, though we probably won’t visit all of you again.

Lightscapes Project by James Reeve

Gulf of Thailand 1 by James Reeve

Photographer James Reeve was born in London and now lives in Marseille. His series Lightscapes Project explores the landscape at night, focusing on graphic patterns of light in lieu of architecture and infrastructure, in cities including London, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.