I’ve only had high tea a handful of times, as I’m not much of a tea-drinker. But high tea at a grand hotel is something entirely different. It’s not just tea or sweets; it’s a way of slowing oneself down and savoring the moment. On a Sunday, after a symphony concert at Benaroya Hall, we… Continue reading High Tea at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle
Author: Lee Wallender
Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.
Years and Years of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, Free and Online
In all their glorious beauty, well over a century of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics covers. And all the pages following the covers, too. It always seemed like the covers were the main thing–blimps, subs, nuclear-powered trains, rotating houses, and all sorts of wonders that we would soon experience. Truly, these things make me wish… Continue reading Years and Years of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, Free and Online
True: Beverly Hilton Pocket Knife Surgery and Near-Resurrection of Harry “Parkyakarkus” Parke
A comedian who delivers “the most hilarious speech of his career” in front of 1,000 fellow celebrities at The Beverly Hilton, then collapses. An emcee who shouts for a doctor and “five physicians immediately run to the dais.” And then–get this–they cut open his chest with a pocket knife. And then–well, ya just gotta hear the… Continue reading True: Beverly Hilton Pocket Knife Surgery and Near-Resurrection of Harry “Parkyakarkus” Parke
1:1 Scale VW Camper Van Tent Keeps You Dry and Groovy
Want to make all the other kids jealous at the next summer music festival? Ditch your Coleman Elite for something far cooler–a tent modeled in the shape and size of a 1965 VW Camper van (Microbus*). This tent is officially licensed (whew – I was worried about that) and has doors on the side where… Continue reading 1:1 Scale VW Camper Van Tent Keeps You Dry and Groovy
Aerial Trolley: Burbank’s Monorail From 1910 is 100% Real
In 1906, a farmers J.W. and E.C. Fawkes formed the Aerial Trolley Company Co., Inc. and put a monorail-like trolley in their Burbank farm. Is this real-life steampunk? I believe so. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the utter coolness of even the company name, Aerial Trolley Company Co., Inc. It’s like something… Continue reading Aerial Trolley: Burbank’s Monorail From 1910 is 100% Real