Design Destinations Magazine December 2023

December 2023

MEXICO CITY A Sleepless City

PORTO

More Than Just a Port

SINGAPORE

The Starting Point in Southeast Asia

72 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM A (Mostly) Spontaneous Adventure

LONDON’S Famous Icons

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LETTER FROM OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & FOUNDER

t’s hard to believe that we are at the end of 2023 and that a new year is about to begin. In 2023, we saw the rise of travel to almost the same levels as in 2019. People began to travel again, and the travel industry felt normal again.

In this issue, we feature articles on Singapore, a magnificent city full of excitement; London’s icons; 72 hours in Amsterdam by Andy Phillips; A beautiful work by photographer Ryan Forbes, who shares his artistic work of Cirque du Soleil Kurios. The Petersen Museum shares gorgeous images from their exhibit, We Are Porsche, featuring some famous Porsche vehicles.

We take this opportunity to thank all of our readers for their support and for taking the time to read our magazine. We wish everyone a beautiful, healthy, prosperous, and amazing 2024!

I hope you enjoy this issue, and as always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Franz E. Buchhalter Editor-in-Chief & Founder

DESIGN DESTINATIONS MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF & FOUNDER FRANZ E BUCHHALTER MANAGING EDITOR CYNTHIA P. HOWLAND

December 2023

CONTACT: BUCHHALTER INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC. 9121 SW 140TH STREET MIAMI, FL 33176 305 254 2128

MEXICO CITY A Sleepless City

PORTO

More Than Just a Port

INFO@BUCHHALTERIG.COM

SINGAPORE

The Starting Point in Southeast Asia

72 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM A (Mostly) Spontaneous Adventure

LONDON’S Famous Icons

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Cover: Kori Cull:Singapore Unsplash

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CIRQUE DO SOLEIL

KURIOS

By Ryan Forbes

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A THOUSAND SHADES OF BROWN

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PORTO

MORE THAN JUST A PORT

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ROLLER SKATING

A Second Revival

Roller skating rinks have been popping up throughout the world in parks, empty lots and people are strapping helmets and knee pads and pulling out those forgotten skates that probably were worn by their parents and were hiding in their closets for decades. The revival of a very popular activity is having a craze and for the looks of it it is not going anywhere. New York City’s Rockefeller Center hosted a roller rink this summer for the first time since 1940, advertising that it was “bringing the magic of the 1970s with it.”

The recently released Barbi movie, shows Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie cruise up and down Venice Beach in neon-yellow inline skates as Ken and Barbie. Roller skating is feature in many TikTok clips and popular singers are featuring roller skating in their videos.

The first recorded use of skates was in London in 1743 when theater productions affixed wheels to the actors footwear to mimic ice skating on the stage. John Joseph Merlin is credited for being the inventor of the roller skates, but it took almost 100 years to gain popularity when in 1863 James Plimpton from Massachusetts invented the “rocking” skate and used a four-wheel configuration for stability, and independent axles that turned by pressing to one side of the skate or the other when the skater wanted to create an edge. The improved design was easier to to use and became spread to Europe and around the world until the 1930’s when the roller skate saw a declined. IN 1950’s and 1960’s roller skating had a revival but it was not until the “Disco” era that the roller taking became popular again.

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72 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM A (MOSTLY) SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURE

BY ANDY PHILLIPS

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Iconic art, history, scenic views, quaint cafes, friendly Dutch people, packed into a small ancient metropolis. What’s not to love about Amsterdam? An opportunity came up for my first trip here to meet some American friends who were on a big European trip. Their Amsterdam stop coincided with Memorial Day weekend. I set three loose guidelines: don’t over plan, or overspend, and enjoy as many of the top historic spots as possible. With only three full days in one of the most visited places in all Europe, brimming with summer travelers, would it be a whirlwind win, or a frustrating flop?

I scheduled to arrive a day ahead of my friends to have Thursday all to myself. I had only three things booked in advance: a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter for me on Thursday; a walking tour of the Redlight District for Friday night, and the Van Gogh Museum for Saturday - both with the friends. The rest would be last minute options and good old intuition.

From Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia to The Netherlands, and one short train ride, I arrived in Amsterdam, checked in the hotel by Central Station and was headed out at 9:30 am. For me, a whole day all by myself in a new city is like getting a massive gift card to your favorite store and I am not wasting any of it! My walking tour was set for 2pm – I took a quick look at the map and spotted a Botanic Garden on the route. A fifteen-minute walk upriver led me to the Maritime Museum, it was open, and there was no line, so I gave it a go. Given the Dutch seafaring history, this did not disappoint. I spent about an hour appreciating the collection of artifacts and exhibits. I also had a very good strong cappuccino – as now the long day and night of traveling is beginning to hit me.

Close to noon, walking in the direction of the meeting point in front of The Jewish Museum, I stop to admire an interesting building. LUCKY FIND NUMBER ONE! Turns out it was one of the oldest bars in the city, De Druif, which means grape, the place opened in the 1500’s and was and is a distillery. I sipped a Belgian beer and chatted with the bartender soliciting her recommendation for a quick, cheap, bite near my next stop. There were only locals at the Surinamese sandwich counter she sent me to. I picked out something like an empanada, curried chicken in fried dough, and it was perfect. I was on time at the meeting point.

The walking tour of the Jewish Quarter was a definite highlight of my trip. I enjoy history as much as I do art. It’s a walk though Anne Frank’s neighborhood, and includes several locations that are relevant to the history of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam that lasted five years. Stops include The Portuguese Synagogue, The Dockworker statue by Dutch sculptor Mari Andriessen, which honors Amsterdam workers “ the everyman” who went on strike to protest against the Nazi treatment of the city’s Jews in February 1941. The Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names was inaugurated in 2021,

by American architect, artist and professor Daniel Libeskind. His parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors.

In Wertheim Park, on Anne Frank Street, we saw the longest standing tree, a majestic survivor with massive limbs shading the city’s oldest park. Somber fact: trees were cut down all over the city for firewood during the occupation.

We walked to Dam Square, the city center with a 22 meter tall peace monument portraying scenes of Dutch resistance fighters. We also walked past the house where Rembrandt Van Rijn lived, and ended the two plus hour walk outside the Anne Frank House. (I wasn’t able to tour the house as entry needs to be booked far in advance.)

Our guide was Dutch, knowledgeable, and very patient to let the group of eight of us, four Americans, two Canadians and a couple from Hong Kong, ask several questions. I was completely impressed with this tour.

In fact, just about everyone was friendly and courteous. I had one tram operator who was very annoyed that I didn’t know the process is to tap your credit card on entry and upon exit…and he practically shouted at me. The only negatives I experienced was the difficulty in finding a public restroom. Even the experienced tour guide couldn’t say for sure where we could use a toilet.

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I wound my way down several canals and peeking into shops, and I arrived at the hotel after 6 pm, I was positively delirious as this is past midnight in my reality. I had a meal at the hotel restaurant which I can barely recall, and called it a night, with absolutely aching feet. Cobblestone is not gentle no matter the suitable footwear employed and I walked nearly 9 miles that day. A very successful day!

Friday morning, I got up early-ish and I tried to get a ticket to the Anne Frank House, but it was sold out.

I also was interested in the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of The Netherlands, and home to the most Rembrandt works. This is another one you must have a ticket in advance, so I tried online, to no avail. I went down and asked the concierge and he was able to secure me an entrance for 10:30 am. I took the tram to Museum Park and had a glorious two hours immersing myself in the Dutch masters, as well as a lovely collection of Asian art. I don’t know if I saw everything – there are 6,000 pieces- but it was absolutely divine.

LUCKY FIND NUMBER TWO– I actually arrived 30 minutes early for my entry, and just to the side of the museum is a gate to an absolutely gorgeous garden to meander through, it is open and free to the public.

I had a few hours til my friends’ arrival, and was thinking where to grab lunch, when LUCKY FIND NUMBER THREE – I spot a supermarket! I picked up cheese, fruit, croissant and a small bottle of cabernet and found a bench in the shade for a perfect picnic for about 10 Euros.

I meandered around the museum area, then took the tram back to Central to greet my friends. Once all settled in it was off to the meeting point for a walking tour of the Red-light District and Coffeehouse. This was not a great tour, we didn’t have a great guide, but as LUCKY FIND NUMBER FOUR would have it, the meeting point was next to an Irish Pub called Molly Malone’s (this plays out later.)

I didn’t enjoy the Red-light district, for a lot of reasons, including the aforementioned guide, but mainly because it was Friday night and it was literally wall to wall people, including bachelor parties that were going full steam. I saw some things I won’t soon forget. Fortunately, we did this tour early- 1800 startand we made the call and ditched the tour guide. We did a stop at a Coffeehouse, because, “when in Rome.” Then ate dinner at my first Hot Pot experience ( no pun intended), in China town, which was a fun, sit down meal.

The walk towards hotel led us passed more and more rowdy groups and crowded bars, straight to Molly Malone’s, with live music, and an even livelier crowd. Gotta love an Irish Pub! We sang along for several songs and at midnight went back to the hotel, wiped out after logging nearly 9 miles for the second day.

Last day, Saturday, tickets for Van Gogh are set for 2pm. We set out at 9 am and took the tram to the Alfred Cuypmarket, this is the largest open market in Amsterdam, that runs several blocks on one street, and it was wonderful. We had to try the hot sticky local treat- a stroopwafel – which was delicious! The market is really vibrant and interesting with all sorts of vendors to browse through. We stayed in the Pijps neighborhood at an outside table and enjoyed a good lunch of sandwiches and mimosas. A sunny 60 degree day seemed to have the entire city population out, and it was superb people watching.

The Van Gogh Museum is not to be missed. I would go again! The audio tour is only 3.50 Euro and it was excellent, as is the layout of this museum. If you only like art you will love it, if you love art, you will be in pure heaven, as I was. I think I could stare at Sunflowers forever. Just remember Starry Night is not here, it’s in New York. Vincent, oh, Vincent.

Because no trip to Amsterdam is complete without it we booked a canal cruise. Ours departed at 7pm at the docks across from Central Station, aboard on the Flagship Amsterdam. There are LOTS of canal cruises on boats of many sizes, all day. This one held about 16 guests, and for 30 Euros each it was all the wine and cheese you wanted, with two very fun crew members providing some historic and fun cultural commentary. Happy hour indeed!

Continuing the theme, we went for drinks at De Druif for a bit, as my friends needed to see this place too. Then because cheese alone did not suffice, we looked for dinner nearby. This bar is not in the touristy area, and all the restaurants had closed. FINAL LUCKY FIND a ‘snack shop’ counter service with an interesting assortment of food. It was like a WaWa perhaps, without the gas pumps. Was better than no dinner at all!

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WE ARE PORSCHE CELEBRATING THE MARQUE’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY The Petersen Museum honors Porsche in a Wonderfull exhibit

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1948 2018 Porsche 356

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM WE ARE PORSCHE EXHIBIT

Porsche, one of the world’s most iconic car brands, marks its 75th anniversary with a once-in-a-lifetime collection of vehicles at the Petersen Automotive Museum. In collaboration with Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) “We Are Porsche” opened to the public on April 16 and focuses on how influential figures in the U.S. helped transform Porsche from a builder of niche sports cars to a cultural phenomenon over the past 75 years.

In all, the exhibit comprises of more than 40 exceptional vehicles on the museum’s first and second floor, including: The 1953 550 Spyder raced by Betty Shutes and Ken Miles. The 1958 Carrera GT Speedster raced

by Bruce Jennings, which became the winningest Carrera GT Speedster in history. The original "Outlaw Porsche," Dean Jeffries’ custom 1957 356 Carrera.

Porsche's first and only Formula 1 racer, Dan Gurney’s 1962 Porsche 804, which claimed Porsche's only two Formula 1 victories.The Herbert Brundage/Brumos 1973 911 2.8 RSR driven by Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood, which won both the IMSA and Trans Am championships. The 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder driven

by Mark Donohue, one of the most powerful and

successful race cars of its era Steve McQueen’s 1976 911 Turbo. And Porsches showcased in Hollywood blockbusters “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and beginning in October, “Cars” The exhibit will also highlight the stories of people who have contributed to Porsche’s pervasive popularity, including the likes of Patrick Dempsey, Steve McQueen, Dan Gurney, Hurley Haywood, Ken Miles, "The Spyder Women" (Betty Shutes, Ruth Levy and Denise McCluggage), Patrick Long, Rod Emory and Daniel Arsham.

“We Are Porsche,” which runs through April 2024, will feature a rotation of vehicles during its tenure and a variety of events and activations at the Petersen.

For more information about “We Are Porsche,” visit petersen.org/porsche.

About Petersen Automotive Museum The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity. The museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, 90036. visit www.petersen.org

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1959 1964 Porche 356

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1949 Porsche 356

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1949 Porsche 356 Gmünd Coupe

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1954 Porsche 550 Spider

1958 Porsche 356 Carrera GT Speedster 60

1959 Porsche 718 RSK

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1964 Porsche 356 Emory Special 62

1964 Porsche 904 GTS 63

1956 Porsche 356A “World Rally”

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1967 Porsche 911 65

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MEXICO CITY A Sleepless City

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73 Photo by Rostilav-Artov - Unsplash

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Photo by Franz Buchhalter

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Photo by Hristo Sahatchi - Unsplash

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SINGAPORE The Starting Point in Southeast Asia

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SINGAPORE The Starting Point in Southeast Asia

By Franz Buchhalter It is modern, iconic, and the perfect point to begin your Southeast Asia adventure. By now, everyone has seen the movie Crazy Rich Asians. The 2018 successful movie follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. During the film, the audience is introduced to Singapore's famous iconic sites, including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino, the CHIJMES Hall, Gardens by the Bay, Newton Food Centre, Changi Airport, Merlion Park, Bukit Paso Road, Sentosa Island and more.

I recently visited Singapore for the first time and tried to visit all the spots shown in the movie, and I did all except Sentosa Island I left this for a future visit. From the moment I arrived at Shangi Airport to the time I reached my hotel (The historical and iconic InterContinental Singapore), I was very impressed with the city.

From the city's design to the cleanliness to Chinatown, everywhere I looked, there was a new spot to discover - and the food - an actual culinary city.

My stop in Singapore was my first point of entrance to Southeast Asia as there are more direct flights from the US to Singapore than any other country in the region, making Singapore the ideal starting point.

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LONDON’S ICONS

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LONDON’S ICONS London has some of the most recognizable icons in the world. Who doesn’t know the Big Ben, or the Red Phone Booth, or the Double-Decker Bus? These are just a few of London’s Icons.

The Big Ben An imposing feature of London’s skyline, Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. Opened in 1859 Double-Decker Bus The double-decker bus is an icon to the sightseeing industry. While they are used all over the world, the most famous is the bright red buses in London. In the 1920s, the first engine-powered version of the double-decker bus made its debut in London society. With a growing population, there was a desperate need for more buses, sparking competition amongst the many companies in the city. By the mid-1920s there were about 20 different companies with buses driving all over the city.

The Red Telephone Box (Booth) The red telephone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880- 1960) and, along with the red post box and

the red London bus, is an instantly recognizable symbols of Britain. Scott's design of the K2 cast iron telephone kiosk won a Post Office sponsored competition in 1924.

The red K2 telephone box was introduced to the streets of London in 1926. Today about 2,000 red telephone boxes were declared listed buildings and remain in place.

London’s Black Cab Following the Second World War taxi cabs were almost exclusively sold in black, giving rise to the nickname 'black cab'. A new major revolution took place in 1958, when the most popular model of all time was introduced – the Austin FX4. For almost 40 years it remained the most recognizable taxi cab in London.

Buckingham Palace George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 from the Duke of Buckingham for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a comfortable family home close to St James's Palace, where many court functions were held.

Buckingham House became known as the Queen's House, and 14 of George III's 15 children were born there. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

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The Tower Bridge The Tower Bridget or London Bridge, as we know it today, was opened to traffic by The Late Queen Elizabeth II on 16 March 1973. Now made of concrete and steel, it replaced a 19th century stone arched bridge designed by Scottish civil engineer John Rennie, which in turn succeeded a 600year-old stone-built structure.

Londons Tube The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system.

Beefeaters Henry VII's personal guards were the first 'Beefeaters', so named as they were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King's table, and Henry VIII decreed that some of them would stay and guard the Tower permanently.

The Kings Guards Bearskin caps were introduced by the British Army following the Battle of Waterloo (June 1815). The idea was to make the soldiers appear taller and more intimidating when in combat. Today, five of the British Army's foot guard regiments wear bearskin caps.

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An American legend

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was Bolivian and was American. Raquel became an International sex symbol after her movie One Million Years B.C. in 1966.

She later starred in Bedazzled (1967), Bandolero!

(1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), Hannie Caulder (1971), Kansas City Bomber (1972), The Last of Sheila (1973), The Wild Party (1975), and Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976). Raquel won a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture Actress in a Miscall or Comedy in 1974 for her performance in The Three Musketeers. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Television Film for her performance in the film Right to Die (1987). Her final film was How to Be a Latin Lover (2017). In 1995, Welch was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History". Playboy ranked Welch No. 3 on their "100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century" list.

Photo Credits

Kurios by Cirque du Soleil - Page 6-13

Ryan Forbes for Avablu

Ryan Forbes for Avablu

Ryan Forbes for Avablu Ryan Forbes for Avablu

Ryan Forbes for Avablu

Ryan Forbes for Avablu

Meric Dagli *

Ricardo Gomez *

Alisa Anton *

Josh Hild e Cell *

Chastagner Thierry *

Jure Tufekcic *

Marina Maliutina *

Daniela Cht1NZGuGxE *

Linda Gerbec *

Ricardo Resende *

Luca Dugaro *

Lukas Schroeder *

Ty Feague *

A Thousand Shades of Brown - Page 14-19

Fred Russo *

Daniel Schwarz *

Porto More Than Just a Port - Page 20-35

Pitua Sutanto *

Diogo Palhais *

Pedro Costa *

Ivo Rainha *

Roller Skating - A Second Revival - Page 36-39

Jana Bemol *

Charlotte Conerybeer *

Daniel Lincoln *

* Unsplash

72 Hours in Amsterdam, A (Mostly) Spontaneous Adventure - Page 40-49

Unsplash *

Gaurav Jain *

Javier M *

Oscar Reygo *

Carlos Aranda *

Mathias Mullie *

David Klein *

Tomas Martinez*

Hari Nandakumar *

Redcharlie *

Matheo Jet Krazk *

Claudia Lorusso *

Nick Scheerbart *

Mexico City, A Sleepless City - Page 50-67

Luis Dominguez *

Oscar Reygo *

Javier Santos Guzman *

Tomas Martinez *

Carlos Aguilar *

Pablo Garcia *

* Unsplash

Singapore, The Starting Point in Southeast Asia- Page 82-95

Hu Chen *

Coleen Rivas *

Pan Yuhau *

Jack Krier *

Simone Fischer *

Karl Anthony *

Getty Images*

Getty Images*

Girth Ninchaikovit *

Getty Images *

Meric Dagil*

Victor *

Nick Fewings*

Lili Banse*

Franz Buchhalter

Franz Buchhalter

Franz Buchhalter

Franz Buchhalter

Franz Buchhalter

Franz Buchhalter

Mike Enerio*

London’s Icons- Page 96-103

Marko Pekic *

Nick van Denberg *

Mark de Jong*

Luke Stachpoole*

Charles postiaux *

David Henderson *

Shashbk Sahay *

Sung SHin *

Luke Ow *

* Unsplash

On behalf of Buchhalter International Group, we wish for the new year to bring you success and happiness and that you travel and explore the world.

Happy 2024!

Design Destinations Magazine is a quarterly publication produced by Buchhalter International Group

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