All I Can Say Is Wow…

I found this on another blog and I felt like I would post it as well because it is just ridiculous. I watched the video numerous times to see if the guy provoked the cop at all but I didn’t see anything. I have mixed emotions about Critical Mass. Sometimes its just some people out to make a fuss about cyclist rights and thats not the point. Critical mass is supposed to bring awareness to cyclist and be more of silent protest, much like the “sit ins” during the Civil Rights Movement. Much like any form of activism, it only takes a few assholes to turn a good thing bad. Anyway, I will step off my soap box and show the video. Roll it!

Police stripped a New York City officer of his badge and gun Monday after a video posted on YouTube showed him body-checking a bicyclist who was part of a Times Square demonstration.

The video was recorded Friday at the Critical Mass ride, a monthly protest of urban reliance on motor vehicles.

The video, posted anonymously, shows the officer standing in the street as bikes whiz past. He moves toward a cyclist and violently knocks him to the ground in front of crowds of people.
Source: miamiherald.com

I am happy about the fact that the cop lost his job. Not because he took out a cyclist, but because as a police officer he has to show some form of restraint. Just because you don’t believe in the same thing as someone else doesn’t mean you have to like it. As an officer of the law you have to put your own personal beliefs aside.

Charleston Alley CATastrophe

This weekend I took an adventure to Charleston, S.C. The town in itself is awesome. I mean what’s not to like about a town that has great food, lots of booze, and plenty of history to go around. What I didn’t know is that they have a really rad bike community.

When i got into town I took a stroll down to the local bike shop where one of the guys working told me about this fine little race. I figured why not, it seems like a good way to meet some local, like minded folk, and get to see the city. Plus I have never done an alley cat in a city that I haven’t lived in.

The course was pretty well laid out and spread throughout the city. They included all the challenges you would hope to expect from a good alley cat race. Salty tea, break dancing, potato sac racing, are among some of the check point challenges. My favorite was the break dancing on top of the Cooper River Bridge. The race ended with a much needed slip-n-slide.

Following the race there was an art show, skids and tricks portion, and an after party. I didn’t get to make it to the art show or the skids and tricks portion but I sure as hell made it to the after party. Let me tell you these kids do it right. I mean how can you not be happy with a house party that has two kegs and a freaking awesome D.J. And what do you expect when you mix 40 to 60 folks, The only thing that happened was everyone walked inside, kept it down for a bit, and continued drinking.

At the after party they gave out some prizes for placing and etc. Guess what?!? Yours truly walked out with some pretty dope shwag. One of the races sponsors, Earth Wind and Rider donated a really hot wool jersey that went home with me. All for my mad worm skills at the top of the Cooper River Bridge.

All in all I give some mad props to the cats out in Chucktown. They put on a great race and know how to get down. I personally had a fantastic time and I appreciate all of their hospitality. Good kids and good times, that all I need out of life.

Eastern Bloc #1

  For those of you who frequent the Atlanta scene you know or have heard the name Preston Craig. If you that name doesn’t ring a bell you should check your pulse because this man puts on some of the greatest events this town has to offer. You can check out his blog to see his up coming events, music, and inspiration. 

  I am relatively new to the dance scene and have never been one to want to go out to dance, until one faithful DSC (Decatur Social Club) not too long ago. The atmosphere draws you to the dance floor and you can’t help but move. Little did I know that not only did I enjoy dancing but I really didn’t give a crap what I looked like doing it. There is the Magic of a Preston Craig party. No one cares what you look like or how you dance, just get your ass out there and move it any way you know how. Soon after I feel in love with DSC I learned that it was to be no more. WHAT?!?!!1! But wait don’t fret, it only got bigger and better with Eastern Bloc.

  Eastern Bloc is held in my new found favorite place in Atlanta, East Atlanta Village. If you have never been, GO! Its a small neighborhood just off of Morland, on the south side of Interstate 20. It may be one of the most diverse areas of our fair city. Gay bar, lesbian bar, hip hop club, posh bar, indie rock bar, they have whatever your into. Good food, music, and people. But enough about East Atlanta, I will write more on that subject at a later date.

  Anyway, to start your evening out for the Eastern Bloc you look for this truck, the Bodega Nights ice cream truck. Typically the truck will be parked in front of The GraveyardThere you will find the wristbands for access to three bars where Eastern Bloc is held. Cost = $5! Its a steal of a deal, trust me. From there you can venture on to any of the three bars, all with different genres of music for whatever suits your taste.

More Info Here

  My night started and finished at The Graveyard. Preston put out some awesome music, the dance floor was packed, and the drinks were fairly priced. Needless to say I had a blast! Next time I will have to make it to some of the other places so I can get a taste of all that goes on with Eastern Bloc, even though I was more than pleased with The Graveyard locale. My only complaint is that I don’t think that the bar was properly staffed. I think that they were unaware exactly how big this event was going to be so it took some time to get a drink from the bar. Other than that awesome, awesome, awesome, just like everything Preston does. My thanks to you sir for doing what you do! Keep up the good work and keep on pushin’ man. You are a rockstar!

Bar Review – The Vortex

The Vortex midtown location is where I have been spending every Monday night for the past 4 weeks, and many weeks before hand. Monday night is trivia night and if you are in the area its a great way to start your week. Pete, the trivia D.J. and entertainment comes with a barrage of question ranging the pop culture world. As a side note, if you do come bring your A game because team “I wish this microphone were a penis” has placed in the top 3 every week with two 1st place finishes to date.
Anyway on to the nitty gritty. First off I will talk about the food. One word, scrumtruelesent. I have ordered three different burgers and each one has been amazing. I will have to note that I have gotten the black bean patty each time. Not because I am a vegetarian, because I’m not, but because they are so freaking good. Plus you can get tots with your burger. I mean seriously why are tots not an option everywhere?
The beer selection is also fantastic. They really don’t have a real wide selection of beer on draft. I take that back they do have a fairly wide selection with 38 different beers but there draft selection comes no where close to the number of beers that they have in a bottle, with 148 varieties. The price ranges from $2.50 for a PBR bottle to $10.00 for a lovely Lindman’s Lambic and the typical prices range is between $3.50 and $6.50. So basically what ever form of a brewed beverage you are looking for, The Vortex should be able to quench your thirst. They also have a good number of high gravity beers (even more than my beloved Taco Mac).
The atmosphere is fairly typical for a “famous” bar. There are autographed pictures all over the walls of the “famous” people that have come to eat and drink at there fine establishment. They have a long bar against one wall and on the opposing wall there are large, poster size photos of the girls in the burlesque show next door at the Laughing Skull Lounge, which is owned by The Vortex and connects to the restaurant via the hall to the bathroom. There is a smoking section as well. How, you may ask, in a Midtown bar and grille? Because its 18 and up ALL THE TIME! You have to be 18 to get into the place no matter what. Finally a place to go and eat and hang out without listening to screaming kids and out of control families. The service is pretty good, not the best but pretty good. Sometimes you get the feeling that some of the servers have the attitude of being too cool to work or seem to have better things to do besides come and make sure everything is okay but that just ads to the attitude of the establishment.
The Verdict:
Overall The Vortex is a happening place in both Midtown and Little 5 Points with great food and an ample beer selection. Its the type of place that I would start the evening out with but would not be the last stop. On top of trivia, The Vortex offers many other evening specials like weekly service industry night and monthly figure drawling classes at the Lounge next door, adding to the trendy and artistic allure of the place. Its the type of place that I can, have, and will make it a usual stop. Oh and when you make your way to The Vortex read the cover of both the food and drink menu. Coming from many years in the food service industry not only are the covers useful information but also pretty humorous. So with that I will leave you with a quote from the cover of the bar menu:

PAYING FOR YOUR DRINK
If you are ordering “cash & carry,” at the bar, have your
money ready. Fumbling for your wallet or purse prevents
the Bartender from waiting on other customers. Trying
to pay for a single drink with a credit card is really
pathetic, so if you don’t have cash, start a tab.

These are true words to live by.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Across the Universe

Ok so last night I went to go and see Across the Universe and I have to say it was a very good film. The entire time I had to bite my lip to keep myself from singing along with the movie but that is a good thing. Now I will not be like a lot of reviews that I have read in saying that it was one of the best films of all time. The film was good but really its the same movie we have seen before. Guy meets girl, they fall in love, guy looses girl, and finally guy does whatever it takes to get the girl back. And why is it that the guy always has to go to extremes and shout his love from the mountain top, or building, in order to get the girls attention. What I really found enjoying was how the film seemed to follow the style of the Beatles as their carrier progressed. And its a progression that I am not sure if everyone will catch. As most of us are aware the Beatles started out kinda pop rock of the day then progressively became more experimental and trippy with their music. That artistic illusion was probably one of my favorite parts of the movie and I feel as though it may be over looked. One other thing that this movie did is when I left I had the amazing drive to do something artistic. I just wanted to go home and draw, paint, and make music until the sun came up. Once again I am not sure if everyone got the same feeling as I did but lord I hope so. I come from an artistic background (I went to art school for graphic design) and I have had a hard time trying to get creative again after being in school where I was forced to be creative all the time. That takes a lot out of your creative flow let me tell you. But this movie made me want to create again. THANK YOU! Honestly I did not stay up all night and paint but I spent the majority of the day painting still life’s, which a few months ago would seem like a chore. I feel better now thank you Across the Universe.

Bar Review – The Local

Here we go first bar review.

Ok so I am new in town, and I am a few friends that I knew before I left and went off to college. So I meet up with a friend at an old watering hole Taco Mac. As a side note I love Taco Mac, I use to work at one back in the day and it is the shit. The food is good, especially the wings, and they have a great beer selection. Anyway I have been there done that and we decide to go and hit up some Midtown action for a couple more drinks and some dancing at MJQ.

We get there early and they are not open yet so my friend makes the decision to have a drink at The Local. Whatever I am always down for something to drink. So we walk up to this place with a nice front porch with a shit ton of people there, especially for a Wednesday. Outside there are a couple of fixed bikes locked to the post, this place is looking up so far. Of course there is a door man, I think its necessary. I still have an Alabama ID so anywhere that doesn’t hassle me about my ID is a big plus, they don’t. NO COVER, my type of place, cover sucks. Anyway from the bikes out front and all the people on the porch this place is totally a hipster bar.

Little history on me, I didn’t know what a hipster was until about 3 weeks ago. I mean we had “hipsters” in Auburn we just didn’t call them that. We were just the art school kids, the IND kids, and the kids that hung out with us. Well all them and the kids that worked at the coffee shop. Anyway we had a “hipster” bar in auburn, its called Roosters, but it was always known as where the grundgie kids went to hang, who knew we were hipsters.

And back to the subject at hand, after we walk in I see probably the greatest thing I have seen at a bar in a long time, 24 oz. PBR’s. I mean it i the hipster life blood I should have expected it. Go to the bar and order two large nectar of the gods, $7.00. Are you serious? That is amazing, $3.50 for a 24 oz. beer in midtown. For you non math majors out there thats like paying $1.75 a beer, you will be hard pressed to find that sort of price in a college bar much less in Midtown. So not only is this a place I can go to grab a beer but if I wanted to I could get pretty drunk here and not break the bank. So like I said earlier, I really don’t know many people here but wouldn’t you know I ran into someone I actually knew. Of course its a friend from the Art Department at Auburn but its someone I know.

At this point I realize how small the place really is. I mean its a decent size but its fairly small compared to other restaurants and bars. The interior is rustic but nice. Most everyone is in a booth hanging out with there own group but there are a few people up and walking around. I think the most interesting part about this place is the people. i mean there was a guy in a vintage tux in the corner and in the other corner theres a dude in a wife beater and a full round hat. Its the type of place I could make a regular outing and be comfortable.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
What else can you want; relaxed atmosphere, cheep beer, midtown location, and a good crowd. We finish our beers and move on to MJQ because dancing is the main objective of the evening but I will say that my short lived trip to The Local will not be my last. In fact I can see many a trip down to that bar for a few 24 oz. PBR’s and some relaxed good times.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

Here We Are…

Ok so this is what I am going to write about, basically whatever pops in my head at that time. Most likely it will relate to what I am interested in so cycling, running, art, beer, bars, hiking, and camping. I think that I am going to have my bar review for the local Atlanta bars as well as the bars that I venture to throughout this wonderful world. So sit back and enjoy, actually I really don’t care if you enjoy this or not because I am not doing it for you I am doing it for me…