5 Best Fake Cities in the World

Hogeweyk Village

Fake cities exist for many reasons:  training, propaganda, subterfuge, filming, tourism.  Few are meant to be 100% realistic, but some are definitely more realistic than others.  Here are our top most realistic fake cities, current and past.  Fake cities designed to pull in tourists are left off this list (except for one notable exception in… Continue reading 5 Best Fake Cities in the World

Create a 100% Authentic 1960 Vintage Tiki Decor Home and Backyard

Trader Vics Postcard

In July 1960, Los Angeles’ World’s Fair Market (not to be confused with today’s World Market) advertised a complete luau themed tiki set.  “The World’s Fair has created a Hawaiian atmosphere complete with all the tropical settings of the South Seas,” said the ad, listing twelve items that you could place in your own backyard and… Continue reading Create a 100% Authentic 1960 Vintage Tiki Decor Home and Backyard

Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design

Planet of the Apes 1968 Concept Sketch of Forbidden Zone - Mentor Huebner

Depicting a harsh and dystopian world (at least for the humans), “Planet of the Apes” has become an unlikely film franchise spanning over half a century.  The original “Apes” from 1968 has some of the most fantastical, caveman-chic sets of any of the films.  Art Directors William Creber and Jack Martin Smith were charged with… Continue reading Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design

Tiki Torch: See How This Icon of Mid-Century Polynesian Pop Culture Started

Mad Men Season 6 In Hawaii

The Tiki Torch is both older and newer than you might think.  It’s newer in the sense that the tiki torch–or let’s use the brand name, Tiki Torch–burning in your backyard, the bamboo kind with a reservoir filled with petroleum-based fuel, has no basis in true Polynesian history.  It’s older in the sense that those… Continue reading Tiki Torch: See How This Icon of Mid-Century Polynesian Pop Culture Started

Dan Bell, Chronicler of Dark Spaces

Dan Bell, or This Is Dan Bell, as his YouTube channel is called, has now been added to the annals of greatness that I am always stockpiling in my mind. Start with the basic information.  Maryland resident Dan Bell films himself walking through and, post-production, narrating his strolls through commercial buildings such as resorts, hotels,… Continue reading Dan Bell, Chronicler of Dark Spaces