10 ILLUSTRATED TRAVEL GUIDES

I was discussing my SUMMER VACATIONS with Juhi Haria, my little sister in law when I realised its that time of the year...approaching .. Ohh Nostalgia !! When I was young, the final exams would be the hardest but the fastest to go by because there was the anticipation of the big trip here of a luxury holiday there. Oh how i miss that. No, I am not taking any big SUMMER HOLIDAYS. The only trip I am really looking forward to is my business trip to Kazaksthan. No, No.. not releated to blog. It's my real job which allows me very little time for this blog on one hand but on the other gives me enough time to follow my passion :)

I’ve had travel on the brain lately. A few weeks ago, I re-watched one of my all-time travel favorites – An Idiot Abroad (Not for everyone, but it appeals to my dry sense of humor). I got stuck in a bit of a travel show spiral and it made me excited to hit the road. My travel wish list is growing longer with every one of these books. But for now, the books are less expensive than a plane ticket. Happy armchair travels!  

Image above: One of our all-time favorite illustrators and lifelong New Yorker, Julia Rotham created an homage to her hometown. Filled with interesting historical tidbits, off-the-beaten path spots to visit, and interviews with locals, it’s the perfect book if you’ve been to the city a million times, live here or have it on your bucket list: Hello, New York: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Boroughs (out March 18, but available for pre-order).

Image above: Lisbon Travel guide written by Philip Kennedy, a writer for the Fox is Black. Bobby Solomon wrote a great review of the book right here.

Image above: Tokyo: A Very Brief Introduction: a tiny guide to Tokyo to help you learn how to navigate the city.

See more travel guides after the jump!

Image above: Monocle’s Illustrated Guide to Turkey in issue #59, the cover illustration was created by Satoshi Hashimoto.

Image above: Graphic USA: Miniguides to 25 Cities by 25 Top Designers – 25 independent designers from 25 U.S. cities captured the unique vibe of their city creating a witty, insider-y design guide.

Image above: City Cycling Europe – a box set of illustrated guides to biking through eight European cities – London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Milan and Antwerp/Ghent

Image above: Paris Line by Line

Image above: An Illustrated Journey: Inspiration From the Private Art Journals of Traveling Artists, Illustrators and Designers -If you’ve ever wanted a peek into the travel sketchbooks of artists and illustrators, this book is for you.

Image above: Meanwhile, in San Francisco: The City in its Own Words (available March 18, available for pre-order now) is like having an insider guide you around San Francisco. Wendy MacNaughton spent months getting to know neighborhoods in San Francisco and the book tells the story of neighborhoods in the city from the people who know it best.

Image above: from A Map of the World:The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers – a collection of more than 500 maps by artists, illustrators, and designers

From Books to Shelves

Why buy a shelf when you've got everything you need in your own home? The Book to Shelf project is a fantastic way to organize your bulky books without having to purchase huge pieces of furniture. Or better yet, use them to showcase special collections in your home! Wouldn't this be great for a kitchen by using a cookbook to display a cherished tea cup collection, or perhaps next to a vanity to hold vintage perfume bottles? The possibilities are endless! What do you think? This lovely DIY comes from May December.

See how others are using their books as shelves:

VIA Sweet Paul, Real Simple, SV Supply

Collective Soul

 i love a well-curated collection. whether it be a stunning art gallery like this one from the apartment, or a well-loved pile of books, when pulled together as a cohesive collection it’s perfection for me. like-objects grouped together as collections just work and look effortlessly stylish. these are some real good ones.

 a shop called all that is solid, via what she has found, above and below.

 floor to ceiling built-in bookcases, via elding oscarson.

 more marvelous built-in bookcases, via hege greenall-scholtz.

 perfect styling: sean fennessy photography; photographer hallie burton; and styling byamanda rodriguez.

 the perfect reading nook, via the apartment.

the exchange, and the guesthouse maison rika in amsterdam, via elle interior.

Carved Book Landscapes

For the better part of three decades multidisciplinary artist Guy Laramee has worked as a stage writer, director, composer, a fabricator of musical instruments, a singer, sculptor, painter and writer. Among his sculptural works are two incredible series of carved book landscapes and structures entitled Biblios and The Great Wall, where the dense pages of old books are excavated to reveal serene mountains, plateaus, and ancient structures.

Where did I come from ?

So i was a child brought up by books, surrounded by books – Noddy, Famous Five, Nancy Drew and their likes. My real world was practically spending my lunch hour in the Library. My dream world consisted of Captain Planet and Swat Kats and running around with them. I don’t think I ever gave my existence too much of a thought. And today i came across this book and was rolling on the floor with the illustrations that i saw !!! Did you ever wonder as a child where you came from ??

Do what you Love

I used to eat my lunch box in the first quarter of my lunch break in school. Then i would walk into the library and head straight for that shelf where I would have hidden the book my eyes had caught fancy. I had got into the habit of reading some great works thanks to my mother – who still remains an avid reader. The few minutes in this library introduced me at first to the colourful world of Noddy and then the adventurous world of Nancy Drew, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Lewis Caroll and Famous Five. It was later that Rudyard Kipling caught onto to me. Through these times it was the Librarian Parsi aunty who chose my books and guided me through the authors.

Then came a lady who changed my life – My teacher, my friend, my philosopher and my guide... Naina Sanghavi. To most students she was a horror movie – but behind all that spankings and anger was a fine lady who wanted to bring out the craft in us. she taught me some real literature – Maupassant, Oscar Wilde Charles Dickens, Shakespear, . Through her story telling, she encouraged us to write. The topics discussed ranged from writing fiction to autobiographies, to short stories, poems. She literally got me into the habbit of not only reading but also helping me pen my thoughts. Today I owe a lot to her.

And then one by one, every person who recommended a book became my inspiration. For most of you who know me – I’m an all weather reader. I read just about anything. My cooking inspiration is my sister – Dhwani Doshi. Read her on http://dhwanidoshi.blogspot.com My fiction is dedicated to a big list of people. My love stories are from my younger cousin Aneri. I also like a lot of management and self help books for they inspire me to achieve my monetary purpose of life.
Dan Brown, Khalid Hooseni, Paulo cohelo, Leo Tolstoy, Mario Puzo, Eric Sehgal, Mitch Albom, Pinky virani... those whose writings inspire me strive for my creative passion.

But the whole reason I started blogging was because of this terrific blogger – her name is Amisha Gurbani. http://amishas-kitchen.blogspot.com i have never met her, but she has an amazingly cute daughter. She cooks from her heart, and fuels her blogs with some mouth watering receipes. It is from her that i have learnt how to love my blog.

Today, i got featured on www.blogchai.com It is where a list of celebrities are featured ! and to be amongst them is truly an honour. There is nothing more than a bloggist in me wants. And lastly all the followers, the non-follwers who read occasionally and send a message, email, tweet, BB, Facebook, Chance encounters - A Big big thank you to everyone

The SketchBook Project

Are you an Artist in your own right ? Do you want to be a part of the The Brooklyn Art Library. then here is what you should do. For $25 thou shall get a book. Every artist who completes their sketchbook and returns will have their book included in the tour. Your book will visit galleries and museums across the USA, putting your art in front of thousands of people. (Psst - this is a great way to add some new lines to your résumé.)

Your sketchbook will be given a barcode with a unique number - this allows you to keep track of your book and record who views it at every tour date and while it's in The Brooklyn Art Library. And after they catalog it, artists will be able to log-on and view realtime statistics about their book for years to come.
So if this is for you, log on to http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject/features

JIYO ... Unscramble I & JOY

Someone asked me why are you always happy ? Here is a list of 100 Things to do before I can say you Pulled a DISHA ! By the time you get to the end of this page, tick marking it all – you would have lived a fun, loving, worth remembering life. So read on..
1. Have a voice – my blog - my form of expression
2. Post graduated in top 10 from a leading business school – Being successful in student life
3. Been the President of Rotaract Club of Bombay West
4. Came first all over the world in Trinity College of London Examinations
5. Met the King of Belgium
6. Gone BALD for Tirupati
7. Hitch-hiked from the middle of no-where
8. Thrown out of train somewhere in India and finding my way back home to Mumbai when I was 13 – ALL ALONE
9. Gone on a student exchange program to Belgium and lived there for a year
10. Travelled in less than 50,000 rupees in Europe for a month
11. Met the legendary Tooth Thiemann
12. Having lived in 3 different continents for a period more than 1 year
13. Touched a 100 Kilo’s +
14. Lost more than 20 kilo’s
15. Starting my own business at the age of 22.
16. Done bungy jumping
17. Having survived 3 rounds of chicken pox
18. Done scuba diving in Australia, Thailand, America
19. Done sky diving
20. Sat in a room with a Brazilian, Ecuadorian, American, German, Belgian, Italian, Canadian, Mexcian, South African, Australian, Ghanaian, Bostwanian, Bolivian, Columbian, Peruvian, Argentinean and British and make them listen to Folk Tales from India
21. Speak 3 international languages
22. Can swear in 25 different languages
23. Been to more than 50 manufacturing companies. Esp Toyota Japan
24. Assisted a Discovery Channel Photo shoot in Masai Mara, Kenya
25. Given medical help with the U.N. to children in Zambia
26. Been to Gangtok – frozen my fingers and had Maggie
27. Watched Les Miserables on Broadway
28. Partied at 5 different night club’s in New York
29. Wine Tasted from Nashik to Napa
30. Got drunk at Oktober Fest – Germany
31. Consumed 3000 calories in less than 3 hours at Cheese Cake Factory San Francisco
32. Attended Ski Camp in Switzerland
33. Lived in a palace of Rajasthan
34. Been published in a magazine
35. Stared in a Bollywood Film
36. Been on a reality show
37. Was stalked by people mistaking me for Chotti of Hum Panch
38. Caught a wanted thief
39. Having 30 pairs of shoes
40. Having my own Kofta receipe for Reliance industries
41. Made a complete fool of myself singing on stage
42. Been a star former at a Karaoke Bar
43. Collecting over 10,000 pictures of arts
44. Team member for a sport
45. Can play at least 3 musical instruments
46. Been on a cruise to the Bahamas
47. Danced at a strip club
48. Lost USD 1000 at Las Vegas
49. Write a Blog about spiritual guru www.letterstoppgurudev.blogspot.com
50. Shouted from the sun roof of a stretch Limo
51. Been in a army Helicopter
52. Been on a Defence Ship
53. Having more than 500 friends on Facebook – Do you want to Franship friends not allowed !
54. Been on the front page of a news paper
55. Won more than 50 prizes at drawing competitions
56. Started a gossip/ rumour
57. Dated 3 different nationalities
58. Ran Barefoot on the street
59. Know 5 different adult websites
60. Bought kinky lingerie
61. Being a teacher’s PET and she gifted you Tuesday’s with Morrie
62. Wore a wig
63. Walked around the mall shopping for kids stuff having stuffed t-shirt with cloth looking pregnant
64. Have a coffee named after you
65. Having a perfume exclusively for you
66. Completed all levels on Cake mania 4 !
67. Passed of for a mother when you are 15
68. Sang loudly from a rickshaw till you attracted enough attention
69. Been a part of a street play
70. Ran an NGO for street kids
71. Read tarot message every morning even though I don’t believe in it
72. Been to at least 10 amusement parks/ water parks
73. Proved someone known as the winner – WRONG
74. Posted a video on You-Tube
75. Been on a banana ride
76. Played Taboo when you are drunk
77. Kept a secret for more than 10 years
78. Passed off for a professional masseuse
79. Brought a waiters attention at missing items on the bill
80. Paid 10% of the bill and left
81. Paid for 1 movie and went inside the multiplex and watched another
82. Dressed as a punk for an entire day
83. Been admitted to the hospital for an illness
84. Never have a fracture
85. Having planted more than 100 trees to save the PLANET initiative
86. Scolded a 100 plus rickshaw drivers for spitting on the road
87. Caught a pick-pocketer red handed
88. Know what capoeira is – and tried this martial arts form
89. Been on the google search page no 1, item 1
90. Taught an English class for 1 year
91. Taught a French class for 1 year
92. Been a translator
93. Been the most sort after tourist guide
94. A Personal shopper – as a job !
95. Being a best friend to 3 people
96. Being a perfect daughter and grand daughter
97. Being excellent at my job
98. Being a cool sister and an aunt
99. Being an excellent topper student
100. Being a GOOD HUMAN BEING !

Book Ends

I came across some pretty cool bookends over the internet. Here are some idea's to make storing books easior as well as funky.