Where the Twin Towers used to be...

About half a block down from the Engagement Party is the Promenade. It's a beautiful open walkway that skirts the Brooklyn waterfront offering up the best views of Manhattan.
Up top is the latest citywide art project (Think "The Gates") all these huge waterfalls in random spots. Of course, this one is mooning Brooklyn.
Below is the skyline of where the Twin Towers used to be, and a photo bolted to the fence so you can get an idea of how it used to look.

My Sister's Engagement Party

So the best part of all of this, is we had it at the Heights Casino, this really WASPy tennis and squash club in Brooklyn Heights where, get this, they actually filmed a scene from Trading Places (the 80's movie with Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy, not the stupid cable show where they fix up houses) It's the scene where Dan Akroyd, dressed like a pimp, tries to relink with his fiance and pals, after getting arrested for drug dealing. His old crew are serenading their ladies while people play crappy tennis in the background, THIS IS THE SPOT!

Cal and his Victrola

Cal's wife, Phoebe, got him a present of a Victrola. My sister and I inherited somewhere around 5,000 78's (Very old records) from my dad. Put the two together and I get to hear some of my dad's collection...

Speaking of Cribs... Deity

My buddy Cal, a great photographer by the way, check out his site: CalCrary.com was doing a scouting mission for an upcoing shoot, and took me with him into this place, called Deity. Basically, these people bought an old Synagogue, turned the street level and basement into a nightclub, the next two floors into two apartments, and a full on roman bath on the roof (As in inlaid, surrounded by stone, 12 foot by twelve foot, heated with bubbles, not a hot tub, but full on Roman Bath). Yeah. Like that.

Going back to Brooklyn

Ah yes, went back to Brooklyn for my little sister's engagement party. Stopped off in the old neighborhoods like here-


My very first loft- ooohhh, how bohemian. Actually this is the gentrified Luxry Condo Loft they put up after they kicked us all out of the two story paper factory it used to be, and built this, this, I don't even know what the hell it is. What boggles my mind is that they still haven't managed to powerwash off the stupid battleship grey they painted all the buildings these particular slumlords owned. Halfway up into the Navy yard, there are tons of these shitty grey buildings. It used to be a beautiful exposed brick paper factory all filled with dingy artistic dreams when I moved in. Now it's huge and silvery and has a doorman. Oh well.


And my childhood pad. Walking along the promenade, I started to think about all the Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope kids that would refer to their parents multi-million dollar brownstone as their "Crib". Oh, funny shit.

Sprinkles

Personally, I hate the concept of lines. I don't know what it is, maybe some feeling of entitlement, or shame. Somehow the New Yorker in me always equates standing on line, with the Bridge and Tunnel idiots from New Jersey who beg and plead to be let into some stupid club in Manhattan that's just filled with Bridge and tunnel idiots from New Jersey anyway. Yet I digress. Aimlessly strolling through Beverly Hills, as I'm wont to do from time to time, we came across Sprinkles, a cup cake shop.
What? A cup cake shop, do I hear you say? Yeah. A cup cake shop. But not just any cup cake shop, a cup cake shop with a fucking line out front.
So Brandy begs and pleads to wait on this line so we can get cup cakes. Ugggghhhhh. This was no small line, mind you. I've got to try and paint the picture correctly here first. I don't have a standard issue with all lines in general-the bank, the movies, stuff like that, inevitable and understandable. But waiting in line for a fucking cup cake just really gets to me. I just hate it.
Also noteable here, is the styrofoam cup in Brandy's hand, yes that's right, styrofoam, with SODA in it. Moded.

The Ladies on Parade

It was Carrie's big day to be lauded as Queen of the parade, so her court got all gussied up and piled into a really sweet ride. Always up for ridiculousness, I put on a crown and joined in. Definitely one of those "why the hell not" moments.
Oh, and unfortunately not prominent in the picture, is the costume on the wiener dog, but take my word for it, it was a doozy.

Advance Party for Cafe Noir

I've been helping my friend Mike with some of the preperations for the new wine bar he'll be opening in Pasadena. Friday night, I poured, and tasted, my way through a pretty damn fine line up. Some of the highlights including, 06 Sea Smoke Southing, P2, 97 Williams Selyem, 04 Marsannay, and a 2000 Pommard. Also of note, a Marsanne/ Roussanne blend by Peay Vineyards. We did have one corked bottle, and I even got to hotly debate the subject. I poured some for Mike and he agreed, but I had to battle a wall of naysayers. They said I was wrong, just imagining things, but I KNOW I was right. Final verdict: I was right.

Indoor Rock Climbing

El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.



A climbing map of El Capitan.



Me climbing indoors. Not the same thing.

Brandy's B-Day Celebration

Here she is, posing with some of her crew.



Defending herself from one of the many skirt lifts attempted on her that evening. Looking over the photo, I notice that after I took heat for taking a picture of it, one of her best friends, Page, is clearly laughing, camera in hand.



Brandy's Arch Skirt lifting nemesis... also conveniently named Brandy.

Some sunset, somewhere

I don't even know where this was, but one side of the sky was pink, and the other side was purple. Lots of little beautiful surprises like this while we were on our trip.

Nika and Yosemite

Nika chilling in her car seat, surrounded with pillows, rocking my shades, and her homeboy, Yosemite the Bear.

Ice Cream

More River Swimming

River swimming was definitely the preferred activity on hot afternoons.

Yosemite

We camped out for three nights in Yosemite and had an amazing time.




A great picture Nika took of Chani and me.

Harlan

Chani, through some of her contacts was able to get us into Harlan. She asked me about it when she got here. "Have you heard of a Vineyard called Harlan? I might be able to get us in, would you like to go?"

Havens Vineyard

No trip to San Fran would be complete, of course, without a stop in Napa.



Here, a stop at Havens Vineyard, where I learned something about Havens. The first bottling of Black and Blue was at the request of Manifred Krankl (Sine Qua Non) for his LA restaurant Campanille. Krankl even did the artwok for the label.

San Francisco

Stopping to take a break.

Feeding the Birds in Santa Cruz

Nika would throw some bread, and then climb in after it, chase the birds around and throw some more. Sometimes, she'd grab it back and eat it. That last maneuver did not delight her mom.

Swimming in the River

I went for a swim in the VERY COLD river and Nika decided she wanted to come too. I figured she'd change her mind when she got in a little ways, but she loved it. She was a real trooper, I kept dipping her in with me and she'd scream, and then as soon as we came up, say, "Do it again!"

Post Hugging

With all the beautiful redwoods around, Nika was introduced to the concept of tree hugging.


She got a little carried away.