October 2009
Today I took the G out to Smith Street in Brooklyn. Smith Street station is the tallest station in all of the boroughs and also falling apart. Apparently they have a upgrade slated for next year and it's truly in dire need of one -I said a prayer during my lengthy decent down the crumbling staircase.
I hiked around Red Hook and Ikea's odd park and boardwalk area, quite pretty, but the whole idea of Ikea making parks was a little weird. Plus the store is like a giant blue and yellow supervisor breathing down your back at all times. IKEA IKEA IKEA -I think I've been brainwashed. Must go buy Lingonberry sauce and bookshelf...
I hiked around Red Hook and Ikea's odd park and boardwalk area, quite pretty, but the whole idea of Ikea making parks was a little weird. Plus the store is like a giant blue and yellow supervisor breathing down your back at all times. IKEA IKEA IKEA -I think I've been brainwashed. Must go buy Lingonberry sauce and bookshelf...
I used Alton’s recipe for overnight cinnamon buns and I must admit they were a great success! There is no better companion for chewy, soft, yeasty rolls than cinnamon, sugar and cream cheese frosting. And as always, espresso is served with everything at our house.
The Crooked Tree: Crepes and a Sunday afternoon in the village
Posted October 25, 2009 in
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With a mission to find crepes, we set out the long way through the east village to The Crooked Tree on St. Marks Place. It was nice to spend a Sunday –that wasn’t pouring, not riding and just out enjoying the city. The village was lively as always, with its daytime crowd of posh families and aesthetically pleasing foreigners.
The Crooked Tree stayed true to the rumors that it is the best crepe place around. We had a prosciutto and mozzarella crepe to satisfy our savory cravings then moved on to a banana, honey, peanut butter and strawberry in addition to a lemon and sugar crepe; washed down with a carafe of sunny Sunday bellini.
The Crooked Tree stayed true to the rumors that it is the best crepe place around. We had a prosciutto and mozzarella crepe to satisfy our savory cravings then moved on to a banana, honey, peanut butter and strawberry in addition to a lemon and sugar crepe; washed down with a carafe of sunny Sunday bellini.
In today’s complex culture there are seemingly endless subcultures one might choose to identify themselves through. And while these subcategories might more precisely represent you as a person; they simultaneous move you away from a relatable norm from which others may find common grounds to relate to you on.In “Chicks on Bikes” Christina Shook explores, through pictures and well chosen words, my favorite aspect of motorcycles: how one common bond unites persons from all walks of life and societal classification.
Shook explores the extraordinary relationships of not only a female and her mechanical, two-wheeled companion, but also the relationships brought about with other females who share the same enthusiasm for the ride. I’ve always loved meeting new motorcycles ladies, like meeting a person from your tiny home town in a far away and foreign land, we are brought together and fascinated by our minuscule commonality within the ocean of societal barriers. Shook vividly reveals this relationship of woman, machine and society; and introduces the motorcycle as a means for not only nurturing relationships between women riders, but also a catalyst for forging other realms within our society which are prohibited to females.
The book mainly focuses on lady rider in the Bay Area of California and I was amazed by the breadth personalities and begin to wonder if there was something about bikes which truly calls out to spectacular ladies; ladies who not only conquer a man’s sport, in a man’s world, but also practice that avant-garde mentality in other aspect of their life. Each woman seemed to have pioneered a space beyond bikes, or cultivated new ideas with a graceful and feminine touch. I guess in the lives of revolutionary women a motorcycle is a reassurance of sorts, to remind us in moments of weakness, that our dreams are within reach despite all the societal intimidation.“Chick on Bikes” is an interesting and entertaining read and a great reminder of our worth and uniqueness; to sit reassuringly on ones coffee table, for the rainy days we are away from our two wheeled companion. You can order one at ChicksOnBikes.us.
The guys from Bmore Xtreme are stunting in a TRP video and I will definitely say I was blown away with the production quality and awesome representation of stunting in the video. Normally stunting in videos is a super crazy and wild side show, but the B4ltim0re video portrays it as a simple way of life, and it’s refreshing to see the less-glamorous truth.
Stunters are always an entertaining crowd. Something about the type of personality which seeks a sport that involves a lot of crashing, usually means there is something very unique about that person. We normally congregate in large open spaces (ideal for those who don't like to conform to societal norms), but tonight we came together in a small garage and what a scene it was. Extracting of busted screws, power tools, hammering gas tanks and lots of stories, made for a hilarious night of stunt-maintenance fun.
Jorian: The French sensation responsible for redefining the Euro-style of riding.
Krazy Kyle: SoCal’s prodigy and one of the most natural riders I have ever seen.
Jorian and Krazy Kyle’s trip to NY was an ironic example of both how far stunting has come and how very far it has to go on a path towards legitimization. Jorian has been co-producing a film on his career and stunting around the globe which will be an amazing portrayal of the eclectic journey of a professional rider in a non-professional sport.
As soon as news hit the streets of NY the scene was scrambling to do as usual: find a spot on the earth to host an orphan community. Finding a stunt spot is balancing act of locating a flat, empty, concrete space, far from traffic and residences, immune from the law and accessible to tons of riders, their bikes, trucks and fans. Once a spot is located, it’s revered as holy land, location and specifics must be protected with vengeance and invitations released only to those deemed “appropriate” with both skill and advanced understanding of stunt spot etiquette. No matter how invisible the planning of a session is, the day rolls around and the underground phenomenon begins; riders from MA, NJ, NY, CT, PA, MD, SC, and FL flock to a parking lot, in the middle of a corn field and if only for the day, stunters have a patch of earth to call their own.
And during the Jorian and Krazy Kyle sessions, stunters definitely owned the spots.
Krazy Kyle: SoCal’s prodigy and one of the most natural riders I have ever seen.
Jorian and Krazy Kyle’s trip to NY was an ironic example of both how far stunting has come and how very far it has to go on a path towards legitimization. Jorian has been co-producing a film on his career and stunting around the globe which will be an amazing portrayal of the eclectic journey of a professional rider in a non-professional sport.
As soon as news hit the streets of NY the scene was scrambling to do as usual: find a spot on the earth to host an orphan community. Finding a stunt spot is balancing act of locating a flat, empty, concrete space, far from traffic and residences, immune from the law and accessible to tons of riders, their bikes, trucks and fans. Once a spot is located, it’s revered as holy land, location and specifics must be protected with vengeance and invitations released only to those deemed “appropriate” with both skill and advanced understanding of stunt spot etiquette. No matter how invisible the planning of a session is, the day rolls around and the underground phenomenon begins; riders from MA, NJ, NY, CT, PA, MD, SC, and FL flock to a parking lot, in the middle of a corn field and if only for the day, stunters have a patch of earth to call their own.
And during the Jorian and Krazy Kyle sessions, stunters definitely owned the spots.
This week my sister came into town. We bummed around NYC then headed upstate for the weekend to visit the parental units. Check out my gallery from our upstate photo excursion.