Introducing Oamaru
Nothing moves very fast in Oamaru: tourists saunter, locals languish and penguins waddle. Even the chosen forms of transportation – penny-farthings and steam trains – reflect an unhurried pace. For travellers, the town focuses mostly on penguins and the historic district, but eccentric gems such as the South Island’s yummiest cheese factory, cool galleries and a peculiar live-music venue are other distractions.
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A questionably glamorous history of refrigerated-meat shipping made Oamaru prosperous enough in the 19th century to build the imposing limestone buildings that grace the town today. Oamaru also has an affinity with the arts that may well be rooted in its claim to Janet Frame, but extends to a lively arty and crafty community today, including Donna Dementé, whose works can be seen at the Grainstore Gallery.
Last updated: Sep 22, 2008
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Architecture Disrespect in Santiago and beyond
Blog: Bearshapedsphere - 10 August 2010
Architecture disrespect is a term I coined one day when I uploaded this photo to my flickr stream. It's a picada, or sort of a snackbar at the corner of the Alameda (that's Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins to you) and calle dieciocho (thus the nubmer 18 on the sign). What we have is a beautiful piece of architecture, beautifully tooled and detailed that's been turned into an afterthought, a hat, if you will for a place to eat greasy sandwiches, wipe your fingers on waxed-paper napkins and drink a liter of beer at one sitting.
