Cool Tool: Dwell Walking Tour Podcasts

I don't know about your bank account, but between the current economic meltdown and my woeful underemployment as a freelance writer, ours isn't exactly overflowing. So any kind of travel that involves more than a tank of gas and a picnic basket is pretty much out of the question right now (and with gas prices, even that doesn't come cheaply).

But my thirst to explore different parts of the country and the world -- and even to discover some hidden corners of my own figurative backyard -- hasn't diminished. I find that I'm ripping travel articles out of magazines like never before and relishing TV shows that provide a glimpse into other places and other lives. (Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and HGTV's House Hunters International are two current faves. After a recent episode of HHI, for instance, Nick and I became convinced that a move to Buenos Aires -- where one can apparently score a gorgeous apartment in the most exclusive sector of the city for as little as $130,000 -- was in our future.)

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon the podcast walking tours on Dwell magazine's website. Although they're intended to be listened to on an MP3 while actually hoofing it through the various areas featured, I've found that they're nearly as effective as brief armchair escapes that can be enjoyed from the comfort of one's own couch.

Hosted by local experts, the podcast tours highlight attractions that won't be found in your standard guidebook: The strange, exotic foods available on San Francisco's Clement Street; Manhattan's best design-focused bookstores and newsstands; Brooklyn's cutting-edge home shops; Berlin's architectural curiosities.

Other virtual destinations include New York's Soho, Chicago, Venice Beach, Prague, and Southern Italy. There are even podcast tours of major museum exhibitions and designers' ateliers. Photo slideshows accompany many of the tours, too, so you listen and scroll simultaneously while you imagine yourself wandering through some delightful, faraway place.

So, yeah, I'm not likely to board a plane anytime soon -- but there's nothing to stop me from dowloading and dreaming, right?

Check out all of Dwell's podcasts right here.

Object of Lust: The Motherlamp

How amazing would this gigantic, wood-veneer pendant light look hung in a voluminous open loft, or over a circular table in a high-ceilinged dining room?

You'd have to have a lot of decorating confidence -- not to mention a lot of cash ($2,800, to be exact) -- to pull it off. But boy, talk about a bold statement.

Take a gander at the Motherlamp on ModernTots.

(Via the Dwell Modern Market.)

Sound Off: What's Your Favorite "Little" Magazine?

Sure, everyone in the design blogosphere is drooling over Domino and buggin' about Blueprint, and I love those magazines, too. (On the other hand, Dwell, which my fellow design junkies all seem to worship, leaves me utterly cold. And while I like ReadyMade in theory, I don't have a crafty bone in my body.)

But the home magazine I live for is the U.K.'s Living, Etc. I have been known to drive across town in search of the latest issue, and to happily fork over close to ten bucks -- damn that exchange rate! -- for it. (I really ought to look into subscribing ... )

And I'm just loving the new-ish, Birmingham, Alabama-based Cottage Living (which, despite the name's shabby-chic connotations, is actually really fresh and even modern). I appreciate the fact that the homes featured are not in New York or L.A., as well -- who knew that the South was so stylish?

I'm really digging Canadian House & Home, too -- it's full of stuff that's different from the things you see in every American home mag, but that's still "get-able" (both literally and figuratively) for those of us not living in the Great White North. That's actually how I discovered Vancouver's One + Only Custom Headboards, which I blogged yesterday. I recently bit the bullet and subscribed, which wasn't cheap -- but I think it's worth it.

Now I want to hear from you guys: What lesser-known shelter magazines do you think are worth seeking out? Please post a comment and let me know!

(Photo: "Nice Rack," by flickr member vw-busman.)

Mark Your Calendar: Modern Economy Sample Sale

If you're in the Bay Area, don't miss the Modern Economy Sample Sale this Saturday, July 28, at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. (Modern Economy organizes regular West Coast events where indie designers and shops sell samples, post-season items, and overstock at up to 70 percent off retail prices.)

A sampling of the incredible designers who'll be hawking their wares at this Saturday's sale:

Balanced Design

Deadly Squire

Dwell

Emma Gardner

Henry Road

Inhabit

Perch Ceramics

Plush Living

Rae Dunn Ceramics

Relish at Home

Thomas Paul

Tikoli

Variegated

I am so there. (Thanks to Anh-Minh for the heads' up!)