MapMuse Blog

Here at MapMuse, we’re always looking for unique opportunities to get away from the daily grind and experience the world from a different angle. Vacations come so far and few between that it seems a waste to spend them at run-of-the-mill rental homes and hotels. Why stay in a house when you can stay in a treehouse? Why stay in a hotel when you can stay in an ice hotel? If you’re interested in switching up the pace of your next trip a bit, check out one of the following unique vacation ideas:

Spend the night in a treehouse hotel.

Bundle up for a stay in an ice hotel.

Go ice fishing with an expert guide.

Splurge on “Glamping” (a portmanteau of Glamor + Camping).

Make like a nomad and bunk up in a yurt.

Whatever you decide, do make sure to leave a review of your experience on the accommodation’s MapMuse profile. We’d also love to post any pictures you take. Sharing is caring, intrepid vacationers! Show us your best.

Oktoberfest officially kicked off in Munich, Germany on Saturday. For those not in the know, Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day fair held annually in Bavria in late September and early October. It attracts around five million revelers, who come to celebrate German culture by consuming copious quantities of beer and bratwurst. Think of it as a 2+ week long Mardi Gras. Or, just check out an Oktoberfest for yourself. German restaurants and bars in America also celebrate the holiday, although to a lesser extent. We’ve mapped all of the Oktoberfest celebrations across the country; take a look to see if any are being thrown in your city.

September 14th, 1901 – President of the United States William McKinley dies after an assassination attempt on September 6th, and is succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt. President McKinley is one of four sitting Presidents to be killed by assassinations, the others being Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and John F. Kennedy. Although McKinley’s name doesn’t carry the same weight as Lincoln’s or Kennedy’s, his murder left at least one significant legacy: the 1901 reorganization of the Secret Service into a dedicated Presidential security agency.

US history buffs may want to check out our interactive map of Presidential Burial Sites, which, in addition to showing the locations of all current and planned Presidential gravesites, has some interesting facts about each one.

Whether at home, at school for the semester, away on vacation or visiting a friend, you can always have a fun activity at your finger tips with MapMuse’s laser tag app! From dedicated taggers to the casual fun-seeker, this app is great to help you stay entertained wherever you may be!

I have always felt that MapMuse has been under appreciated and not full understood. Until today. Lisa Handke of the Budget Travel Examiner wrote a very complimentary review of MapMuse.com. As I read I said to myself…finally! someone who clearly understand what MapMuse can do. I know some of the fault lies within MapMuse. It does require a visitor to spend sometime on the site to fully understand all that can be done on MapMuse.com. But I couldn’t have said it better. Lisa very nicely and succinctly highlighted all the key and powerful features of MapMuse. Thank you Lisa Handke!

Here is the link to her article.

My wife and I have fallen in love with Danish design. Several months ago we purchased a ranch home in Reston VA build in the 70’s and are having a great time furnishing the home and searching for Danish Modern bargains. Between Craigslist and Ebay we have found wonderful bargains of vintage Danish Modern furniture. We found a set of dining room chairs by Niels Moller and a pair of club chairs by Jens Risom! They were a bargain. It was helpful that we also found a great re-upholsterer who does great work at very affordable prices.

I have discovered that you must move extremely fast and be a bit lucky to find a treasure at a great price.
As an example a set of chairs popped up on Craigslist that looked very nice. The owner did not attribute the piece to any Danish designer. I immediately emailed him back. The owner called back in about an hour letting me know that I was one of the first to email and that he had dozens of responses wanting to buy the chairs site unseen (except for the photo on Craigslist). I got in my car and drove to the other side of DC and found his home which was a plantation house build in the 1700s. In fact it was on the National Historic Preservation list and was owned at one point by Martha Washington’s family and also one of the many places that George Washington slept!. Of course the house was finished in period antique. He showed me around a bit. It was quite a treat to just see his home and furnishings! We went upstairs to a refinished attic room and I helped him move the chairs down. They were even better looking in person and in perfect condition except for a couple of stains on the seats. The chairs belonged to his wife before he was married. That explained why he had them in a 1700’s period home.

He told me about all the emails he had received and commented that he probably charged to little. If I remember correctly I think it was $150 for 6 chairs, 2 of which were arm chairs. When I got home I researched the Danish Modern chairs through the markings on the bottom of the chairs and found out that they were designed by Niel Moller. They are still manufactured to this day and his designs can be found at

http://www.jlm.dk/

Here is photo of the arm chair

Niels Moller designed "Style 64 armchair"

I also came across a wonderful blog that very succinctly explains the recent popularity of Danish Modern Design; Clean lines, great craftsmanship, comfortable, rich woods, and simplicity. I’m not sure why this style is not more popular although as mentioned in this article it is becoming a very hot market.

The link to the article is
http://jcamillieri.wordpress.com/about/danish-modern-like-a-clean-black-dress/

In our search for Antique stores that sell Danish Modern I have added Antique stores that specialize in Danish Modern and Mid-Century Modern to the MapMuse website .

The direct link to that page is:
http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/danish-modern-antique-stores

If you know of a store we are missing please add it. When traveling I am anxious to visit these stores.

Let me know if you have recently discovered the beauty of Danish Modern Design. I would love to read about why you became attracted and any collection stories you may have.

Do you want to notified when MapMuse launches new topics? Keep track of Mapmuse activites on Twitter. Go to twitter.com/mapmuse and sign up to receive MapMuse tweets!

It is true that conventional fuel is quite expensive. The rising costs of traditional fuels are causing a hole in the pockets of fuel users. On the other hand, biodiesel can be produced quite easily. You don’t need to invest a lot to establish the setup. People with fair idea and information can themselves follow the processes involved in it and get enough amount of gas in order to fulfill their requirements. The added advantage is the zero impact on the environment.

Alternative fuel is in discussion all over. For many people, bio fuels are the only way to save the future and control the consequences caused by foreign oil. Opponents of this view argue that excess of bio fuels may create serious food crunch in the world. They feel that these fuel options may lead to food scarcity in many parts of the world. Also, they believe that it may prove bad for the fossil fuels as well.

For more details on Biodiesel Gas Stations Locations in USA, please visit Mapmuse’s bio-diesel gas stations or biodiesel fuel stations section.

Who doesn’t love at least some part of the County Fair….food, rides, animals, agriculture. There is something for everyone. In addition to County Fairs there are also State Fairs and many local community fairs as well. They start in the summer and usually go through the fall. To help you find fairs in your area MapMuse has scoured the web searching for information about Fairs and there location. Use the link below to find County Fairs, State Fairs and local Community Fairs in your area or where you are traveling. Have fun!

http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/county-fairs

Various European and American countries are successfully in using alternative natural fuels. The tendency to restrict the usage of fuel-driven vehicles is considered an effective way to control the harmful impacts of gasoline residue. Several reasons are contributing for popularizing of alternative fuels. The sudden upsurge in the prices of traditional fuel options and higher taxation rates has compelled people to move away from the use of traditional fuelsl. In addition, the awareness of the adverse effect of gasoline on the environment has raised questions. As a result, many people are using alternative fuel vehicles these days. Here, alternative fuel vehicle are automobiles or vehicles that do not use petroleum or diesel to run. With the increasing technology, several hybrid vehicles can be seen running on roads. Most hybrid vehicles make use of internal combustion and electric power to run.

Alternative fuels are available in different forms. Battery electric cars use rechargeable batteries, which store the chemical energy and cause zero emission. Biodiesel is another great alternative fuel and it is predominantly popular in the rural areas by farmers. Nowadays, air cars are emerging as a compatible option as they cause zero emission and thus, there is absolutely no maintenance cost. CNG stations are another source of natural gas which is becoming extremely popular.