The naughty postcard museum

The British have always been famous for their humor, both dry wit and the naughtier brand. One man who combined the two is being celebrated in a new museum that opened in Ryde in the Isle if Wight yesterday.

Donald McGill, Britain’s “king of vulgarity”, illustrated thousands of postcards over an almost sixty-year career. He was best known for simple double-entedres like the one pictured to the right. He also has the distinction of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most sales of an individual postcard–one featuring a bookish man and an attractive young woman sitting under a tree. The guy peers over a volume and asks the girl, “Do you like Kipling?” to which she replies, “I don’t know, you naughty boy, I’ve never kippled!” That sold more than six million copies.

One of his most popular, and most controversial, shows two men admiring an attractive woman as one says to the other, “She’s a nice girl. Doesn’t drink or smoke, and only swears when it slips out!”

In the age of Internet pornography these barely qualify for a PG rating, but in Britain before the Sixties they shocked stogy traditional sensibilities. In 1953 many local jurisdictions raided the shops selling his postcards and burned any they found. The next year at the age of 79, McGill had to face what the museum’s curator called a “show trial” for obscenity. He got off with a fine, but the ruling almost killed the saucy postcard industry.

The Donald McGill Museum website is still under construction but shows some more examples of McGill’s work.


Photo courtesy Donald McGill via Wikimedia Commons.

Holiday Inn opens NYC hotel made entirely of key cards

As part of an effort to build buzz around the relaunch of 1200 Holiday Inn hotels this month, the lodging chain has opened a very special hotel in New York. It’s not your average hotel though. It’s made entirely of hotel key cards.

The “Key Card Hotel” was built by Guinness World Record holder Byran Berg, who first broke the record for “World’s Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards” in 1992 at the tender age of 17. Since then, he’s broken the record 10 times. Now he’s created a life-size (though small at 400 square feet) hotel made of key cards. Visitors can’t actually stay in the “hotel” (and would you really want to sleep on a bed of plastic?), but they can come marvel at Berg’s creation, which is made of 200,000 cards and weighs two tons, tour the lobby, guest room, and bathroom, and learn about the Holiday Inn’s “Keys to Change” promotion and the many improvements that will be taking place at the brand’s properties. By the end of 2010, over 3000 hotels in the chain will be updated, at a cost of $1 billion, making it the “largest relaunch in the history of the hospitality industry”.

As part of the promotion, guests can enter to win free nights at one of the relaunched Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express locations around the world. One grand prize winner will also receive a 3-day, 2-night trip to any Holiday Inn hotel in the world, including round-trip air transportation. To enter, just sign up on the promotion’s website.

The Key Card Hotel will be open at New York’s South Street Seaport from now until September 21. During the promotion, Berg will also create a 9-foot tall replica of the Statue of Liberty using playing cards in the lobby. The online contest runs until October 22nd.

Take a beer trip around the world in Washington DC

I love beer. For me, beer is also a drink that goes hand-in-hand with travel. It’s available just about everywhere from Asia to America to Africa, yet no two places are alike when it comes to the preferred local brand. One of the first things I do when I arrive in a new place is try out the local beer. My reaction is usually a good sign of things to come. Is the beer watered-down and tasteless? Not a good sign for the rest of my trip.

Thankfully this past weekend I found myself in Washington DC, home of the beer paradise that is The Brickskeller. This beer institution in our nation’s capital has one of the most extensive beer lists anywhere in the world, boasting a place in the Guinness Book of World Records with over 1,000 offerings in-house. Ever tried a smoked beer from Germany? Take a pick from their numerous list. Wonder what beer from Ecuador tastes like? Not good. Looking for a classic Belgian Trappist beer? The Brickskeller has got you covered there too. There are so many beer choices at The Brickskeller that you’ll be full (or drunk) before you even scratch the surface.

If you find yourself absorbing some culture in Washington this summer, head up to the city’s DuPont Circle neighborhood and sample a few bottles of your favorite domestic or foreign brew. And make sure to try a few you’ve never heard of – it’s sure to impress your globetrotting friends.

Looking for more spots to quench your thirst? Check out this previous Gadling list of the best places for beer.

Danny Boy marathon aims to break Guinness Book of World Records

There are high hopes in Ferndale, Michigan. Opposite to Shaun Clancy of Foley’s Pub and Restaurant in Manhattan who is loathe to hear “Danny Boy” in March, A.J. O’Neil, owner of A.J. Café, has been hustling to get enough folks together to break the Guinness Book of World Records in a “Danny Boy” singing/playing the song marathon for a St. Patrick Day first.

Here’s how it will work. Starting at 3 p.m. today, various musicians will take turns belting out the lyrics or playing the tune “Danny Boy.” The goal is to have the singing and playing go non-stop for 50 hours. The end point is March 17 at about 5 p.m. [see article] The marathon is also a fundraiser. Gleaners Community Food Bank, Ferndale Youth Assistance, St. Patrick Senior Center in Detroit and Detroit Together Men’s Chorus will benefit from the proceeds. Ah, creativity at its finest.

A few days ago, 600 people had signed up to participate but a few hundred more were needed. Folks can rap, sing, play an instrument, whistle, hum, whatever it takes to keep the song going over and over and over again.

I hope Mr. O’Neil still likes “Danny Boy” once this marathon is over. I’m sure he’ll know the words. Let’s hope he has the luck of the Irish and gets the record for his efforts.

Round the world by bike: Scotsman does it in 195 days

Some people travel around the world on airplanes, some on horseback and others on bicycle. Mark Beaumont is one of the latter. On Friday February 16, the Scotsman arrived in Paris, completing his round the world bicycle journey of 18,000 miles which took him exactly 195 days and six hours. Mike’s not the only one to attempt to bike around the world, but he certainly is the fastest. The 25 year old vegetarian — he had to eat 6,000 calories a day in order to keep up his energy — beat out the previous record by 81 days.

So what’s on the packing list when whizzing around the world on two wheels? 80 kg of gear, a very expensive bike, and probably a little bit of motivation thanks to trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records; he is expected to enter the famous book once his journey is verified. Add to that a little common sense — he changed his route to avoid the insurgency in southern Thailand when crossing to Malaysia — and you have the ingredients for the finest, and toughest, of world travelers.

What were some of his global lessons? There’s too much fast food in America and Australia, you can cycle across Holland in four hours, you never know when your wallet is going to be stolen by crack addicts, and Istanbul provides for the scariest cycling. Sounds like the beginnings of a great travel book if you ask me, so for his adventurous spirit, I think Mark deserves a nice round of virtual applause.