Despite my teen’s long list of things he wants (top of the list – a CAR!), I actually find him pretty difficult to shop for. I usually wind up with the safe choice of gift cards to his favorite three stores (because I can NOT be trusted to pick out the “right” hoodie or pants.) So it’s pretty rare to come across something and think: THAT would make the perfect present for Josh.
But it happened when Jake, the owner of The Camera Graphic, contacted me about this really cool concept he came up with. Jake takes the subway maps of major cities and turns them into beautiful works of art in what he calls “minimalist transit maps”.
So you might remember that Josh and I took a trip to Boston last summer with Marriott. Since I had lived in Boston during my college years, Josh had heard many of my stories about riding the T and was anxious to check it out for himself. Since we were in Boston for five days, I figured it was a great time for him to learn how to navigate the MBTA himself with me there for a little guidance if needed.
Josh mastered the T in record time – much faster than I had back in my college days. He quickly learned which lines went to which parts of the city and the difference between “inbound” and “outbound” trains. He also mastered changing trains to hop on a different line.
While we grabbed a few souvenirs while in Boston, there weren’t really any that commemorated our MBTA adventures. So when I saw Jake’s artwork and saw that he could create one from the MBTA system in Boston, I was really excited.
Jake did not disappoint. He created the print and framed it to match the other artwork in Josh’s room.
Josh absolutely loved it and I was thrilled to have found such a unique and meaningful souvenir of our time in Boston. It looks incredibly classy and would fit so well in a variety of settings besides a teen’s room!
Jake can also create a minimalist transit map of your favorite city (as long as it has a transit system, of course). He has three pages of cities to choose from over on The Camera Graphic. In addition to transit maps, you can find all kinds of gorgeous prints that would make a great accent to any office, nursery, living room or any other room in your home. You can purchase just a print ot have Jake frame it for you.
*I received the framed print to facilitate my review however all opinions are my own.
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