Pepper Party 1

Out of the 3 types of baby pepper plants I brought to NYC from Papa Brock at home in Philly, the Cayenne has been the most productive. The first to bear fruit, it's also the first to be picked and used. You can, however, also see two little jalepenos on the left over there.

And what more could a guy ask for than to have his beautiful girlfriend then use that tasty pepper to make the most delicious heuvos rancheros ever?

I can't wait for the jalapeno.

Groundation

I always look forward to that annual appearance of Groundation on the East Cost. One our favorite reggae bands, my roommate Andy and I have seen them a good handful of times. Rich grooves, powerful lyrics and a refusal to sell out make them top on my list.

Check out some videos from last year when we saw them at Sullivan Hall as well.

Zion National Park

After the Colorado stint, I flew to Las Vegas, rented a car, and drove to Zion National Park to meet up with Andy. The canyons were quite the contrast to the mountains I had previously climbed, but amazing nonetheless...

Click here for the full collection of photos.

Colorado 2010

It was one of those architecture studio summer reunions, although this time there were only 3 of us. Dan offered a good base camp in Denver so that Graham could drive from St. Louis and I could fly from New York to meet up for 2 days and 2 nights of hiking and camping. The weather was amazing (hot and clear during the day with minimal clouds, and cold at night). We climbed a 14er the first day (Grays Peak) and explored abandoned gold mines the second. Both nights we camped at the base of the mountain with the peak as our backdrop.

Camp

View from Grays

Us 14,280 feet above sea level

A unique aspect of the trip was the premier use of my new Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. With minimal material, the shoes allow one to hike as if they were barefoot (without lacerating the bottom of your foot). I made the Grays hike up in them, then switched to the regular hiking shoes on the way down. They were great for grip, but you could feel everything you stepped on.

Here are the rest of the photos.

After I left Denver I flew to Vegas to rent a car to drive to Utah to meet Andy in Zion National Park...

The Beginning of the New

1st and 2nd Avenue are finally stepping into line with what ought to be standard for every avenue. Here is a preview of what 1st Ave will look like north of 72nd.

Personally, I'd rather hug the curb and float the parking, like what was just completed on 1st Avenue between Houston and 34th St (click here for video of my ride). There are several schemes for the 5+ miles stretch of 1st and 2nd that include both bike and new BRT lanes, as can be seen in the DOT plans.