#it would be like a concert in la and another one in san francisco basically

[ishikawayukis]

whenever artists tour latam and only add one date in one city in brazil i think that's just fucking insane because that country is huge and has over 200m people in it, like imagine them doing the same in the states you already have people throwing fits because they aren't going to cities near them, imagine them just going to la fucking wild

[strawberrielarrie]

Music Industry Stunts and why they happen

Stunts are a big part of the music industry, you may not know it, but they are.  The purpose of stunts is to push a certain narrative to the general public. Now this could mean many different things, PR relationship; coverups; or to peak the publics interest. Why? You may ask, why would the artist do this, why wouldn’t they just be truthful? Well, many don’t have a choice, the music industry is a place that I wish no one would have to be in, it is a cruel and awful place to be if you don’t know how to get around it, or if you don’t have the correct connections. In the past (and still now), many big brand music industries, such as Sony Music and Warner Music have controlled artists immensely.

George Michael

As a legend in the music industry, George Michael is a well-known name in the average household. From his time in the hit duo “Wham!”, Michael’s music was distributed through CBS, but in 1987 Sony took over and that’s when things went downhill. Michael reveled in the popularity of his hit album “Faith” in 1987, and so did Sony, because he was earning them money.

But that ended quickly with the news of his next album “Listen Without Prejudice” in 1990, Sony refused to promote the album and appear in the music videos for it. Michael in turn, disputed his contract with Sony, but he could not do close to anything, because Sony possessed the power of approval over everything that he put out. Meaning, George Michael could not release music without it going through the board of Sony, and if he did, he could get sued and fired.

(Sony is a whole other world of fucked up, they fucked MJ up so badly, Sony Kills)

During this whole time, George came clean, saying that the board of Sony, used many different homophobic slurs against him, and wouldn’t let him release any music that seemed to allude to the fact that he was gay.

George Michael brought Sony to court in 1993, claiming that between 1987-1992, he had made worldwide profits of £7.35 million ($9.8 million) compared to Sony making £52.45 million ($70 million). Ultimately, the case lasted till June 1994, and Michael had lost, the judge claiming that it was fair. Michael retaliated saying how Sony is “Professional Slavery”.

Suzanne Kessler, Entertainment attorney at Bone McAllester Norton and former in-house attorney at A&M Records and Universal Music Group stated, “There are two sides to this tale,” she said. “The music business is a relationship business, and he was uneasy with what was happening. A label often wants an artist to continue to trade on their established brand with the public. But after “Faith” Michael was trying for a new direction, to be taken more seriously as an artist instead of just as a pop star sex symbol.”

This brings me to my next point,

 Closeting in the Industry

(Now I could go on for day about closeting in the music industry, but I will only give you the basis and then I will link another post that goes further in depth.)

Closeting is not a rare thing in the music industry, it in fact happens more than you might think. Many different artists have come forward, saying how their management said they should remain closeted to the general public, in order to maintain the brand that has been established. A popular example of this would be Sam Smith, they were offered multiple times by their management to have a beard. More closeting in the industry comes from Colton Haynes, who has been open about how his management closeted him because he “could not be gay and work in the industry”.

Colton link

Beard: A woman or man who fake dates a person of the LQBTQ+ Community, to hide their real sexual orientation or identity

 The Types of Stunts and Stunt Songs

“Pap Pics”

Stunts are common, we all should know that. From the amount of staged paparazzi pictures and videos that get posted to twitter on the daily it is not surprising that stunts happen. One of the main reasons stunts happen is for publicity, I can tell you now, living in LA for as long as I did, the paparazzi aren’t at every corner just waiting for a celebrity to walk past. They are called to meet at a place where the celebrity is going to be, in order to get pictures. This call is made by the artists management normally, and many times it is done against the artists will.

“Relation-shit”

These types of stunts are the relationship stunts, normally it is two popular celebrities dating to gain publicity for a movie or song that they are doing. A popular reference to this would be Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, Joe was approached by a head of Disney, who asked him to date, at the time, co-star Demi Lovato. This stunt was to push the new Disney movie that both were starring in, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Now at the time Demi was unaware that Joe was approached to do this, so when Joe and hid dad approached her about it… wow that must have hurt.

Another example of a relation-shit would be Shawmilla. Now before you attack me for this, let’s look at all the facts. Everything that relationship has done has been staged, let’s look at the timeline.

 August 2015

-       the first time they publicly hung out (at the 2015 VMA’s), sparking rumors of them dating

September 2015

-       pictured together at the iHeart Radio Festival, sparking rumors of Camila branching off of Fifth Harmony

November 2015

-       “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was released and performed many different times, Camila was still in Fifth Harmony at the time

June 2016

-       Shawn and Camila win an award for IKWYDLS and accepted together

-       Camilla ultimately starts her solo career

December 2017

-       Shawn is pictured with Hailey Baldwin (Bieber)

February 2018

-       Camila is in a serious relationship with Matthew Hussey, confirmed by a trip to Mexico together

April 2018

-       Shawn and Hailey go to the Met Gala together (Iconic)

December 2018

-       Camila hints at music between her and Shawn on twitter (6 months before Senorita)

https://twitter.com/Camila_Cabello/status/1070381510740598785?s=20

May 2019

-       Matthew and Camila last spotted together, returning from a vacation in Italy

-       Met her family on May 14th

June 20th, 2019

-       Senorita is released, now this had been in the works for over 6 MONTHS, so this was all very planned out

-       On release day, the Senorita music video was also released, which is literally soft porn, I do not know how it is still on the internet, gross

-       But, Camila? Aren’t you still dating Matthew? Why would you release this very VERY touchy music video with Shawn, if you are still dating Matthew?

June 21st, 2019

-       Shawn and Camila in V Magazine, still very touchy

June 26th, 2019

-       Breakup articles about Matthew and Camilla, Weird since he met her family only a month before.

July 3rd, 2019

-       Staged photos of Shawn and Camila out and about

4th  

-       more staged pics

5th

-       Camila at Shawn’s Concert

6th

-       Shawn denies that him and Camila are dating

 https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1147700409919778816?s=20

7th  

-       Shawmila in San Francisco all day

12th

-       That god awful making out pics that shook the entire internet

-       More pics in SF

 Ok you get the point, they are pictured together only when one of them has music to promote, In this case its Senorita. Now for more recent proofs of this entire relationship being a sham. Shawn just released an album called “Wonder” and guess what we wonder Shawn? Why do you not post any pictures of Camila until you have an album to promote? And now you have a puppy? Pulling an Elounor are we?

Senorita is a total stunt song to “prove” to the public that they are together.

“Style”

Now this type of stunt gets its name from the queen of stunt songs herself, Ms. Taylor Swift. The notorious song Style, supposedly about “Ex” Harry Styles, is probably one of the most stunty stunt songs I have ever heard. Like come on! “James Dean Daydream look in your eyes” if you didn’t know, here is a short recap on the icon himself James Dean.

Taylor has time and time again written amazing songs, I would be lying if I did not call her one of the greatest lyricists on the 21st century, the woman can write extremely well. So why would she put a nod to James Dean, a famous actor, who was a closeted, RAGING bisexual in a song so clearly about Harry Styles? She knows what she is doing.

Talking more about the “Haylor” stunt, can we please end that? It was a 3-month PR stunt that happened 5 years ago, please just get over it, they never really dated. And to the hardcore Haylor fans, there is no chemistry between them.

Haylor; The Stunt

“I hate you because I’m getting paid to!”

Now I do not go into this one much, but basically it is when you see two artists publicly fighting and releasing diss tracks. A popular example of this would be, Machine Gun Kelley and Eminem, with their songs called “Rap Devil” and “Killshot”. Their “beef” was totally staged to boost views on both sides, its even more prominent because they have the same record label, INTERSCOPE.

Eminem v. MGK

 I will be adding to this the more things happens, but it you have and questions feel free to ask them!

[iamtheroger]

Sheer Heart Attack Tour of the USA

Back in the days Queen tours weren’t run as smoothly as in the 80s. It was after this tour Queen really set about building their own crew and everything else became more professional as well. Not the case yet, and with some other unforeseen circumstances thrown into the mix, this tour was quite an interesting ride.

5 Feb 1975 - Columbus, Ohio: Not much of note happened as far as I can tell.

6 Feb 1975 - Cincinnati, Ohio: This one got cancelled because the venue was deemed unsuitable for Queen. The 30 people or so that were there did get to see the support act (Mahogany Rush) for free! There’s more to it, but I’ll get to that soon.

7 Feb 1975 - Dayton, Ohio: Not much known here.

8 Feb 1975 - Cleveland, Ohio: The first of several double gigs were Queen played two gigs on the same day. These kind of shows would tear Freddie’s voice apart so on subsequent tours they didn’t happen anymore.

9 Feb 1975 - South Bend, Indiana: As you can tell, the 6th concert in 5 days, which is very taxing on both band and roadies. Nowadays you won’t see more than two or three shows in a row.

10 Feb 1975 - Detroit, Michigan: 2nd cancelled concert this tour, unsuprisingly after doing so many in a row due to illness of one the band members (I think it was Brian). Kansas (the support act for most of the tour) played one song and then got booed of stage and that was it.

11 Feb 1975 - Toledo, Ohio: Still no day off. Apparently this concert was played to a whopping audience of 200 people! Not the first, last or only time those days Queen concerts didn’t sell very well, especially in an area where their music perhaps wasn’t played very much on the radio.

12 Feb 1975 - Cincinnati, Ohio: Apparently the earlier mentioned Cincinnati concert ended up being re-scheduled to what must have been this day. Not confirmed, but it does seem like that if you go by the stories. Of course, on such short notice not many had bought a ticket so it’s curious why they would have chosen to do that.

13 Feb 1975 - First real day off

14 Feb 1975 - Waterbury, Connecticut - Valentine's concert :P

15 Feb 1975 - Double gig in Boston. Apart three attempts, they finally get to play there! There was a party afterwards and there’s an article about that here: x

16 Feb 1975 - Double gig in New York. Four gigs in two days! The intended support act (Mahogany Rush again) couldn’t make it in time for the first gig, so they got some random young folk singer (John Quarn) to open for them for some reason 😅 It was a bit odd, apparently. Here’s an interesting article: x and above’s the poster from Queenconcerts.

17 Feb 1975 - Trenton, New Jersey. Dunno, it happened.

18 Feb 1975 - Day off. They went clubbing in New York apparently.

19 Feb 1975 - Lewiston, Maine. As happened in the gold ol’ days the fans ended up trashing the place. The local upstanding citizens weren’t happy about it... A photo can be found at the end. Read more here: x

20 Feb 1975 - Another day off

21 Feb 1975 - Passaic, New Jersey. Fucking Argent! They opened for Queen, got a technical problem that delayed the concert for hours, then dared to come back for an encore after being booed throughout. Queen only started playing 1 AM and finished at 2:30 AM! For the few young fans this wouldn’t have made their parents very happy. The theatre they played in was used as a porn theatre during the day btw 😁 

22 Feb 1975 - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ah, the famous Cow Shed in Harrisburg (dubbed the ‘State Farm Show Arena’), known for the venue were Brian May was drunk on stage after drinking with Joe Perry. You know what I’m talking about. Not a very glamorous place and dirty as well.

23 Feb 1975 - Double gig in Philly. The pic below is from the many radio interviews they did pre-gig in those days. This one’s at Radio Philadelphia 106.5 FM. Roger looks soft and cuddly. Freddie’s voice is gone by now, he would see a specialist tomorrow.

24 Feb 1975 - Washington, D.C. Freddie saw a specialist this day, who recommended him to rest his voice for three months because of nodules. This gig still needed to be played however and Freddie almost ended up missing it after being stuck in Baltimore because the train wouldn’t go any further and other means of transport weren’t available. He almost made it in time though, so the concert was only slightly delayed.

25 Feb 1975 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Freddie sees another specialist, who only suggests a couple of weeks off (he thinks it’s just swelling, the first one was right). Not wanting to cancel half the tour again, the band only cancels a week of concerts, risking Freddie’s voice in the process. This was probably that week Roger spent wasted in a hotel room with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith as what else would he have done?

26 Feb 1975 - Kutztown, Pennsylvania. I find the name of this town quite funny, but you’ll have to be Dutch for that (it would basically mean Shit Town here).

27 Feb 1975 - Buffalo, New York

28 Feb 1975 - Toronto, Canada

1 Mar 1975 - Kitchener, Canada

2 Mar 1975 - London, Canada. It’s twice in a row cancellation for the fans in London and Toronto. Bad luck for them, Queen would never come to London in the end (unlike Toronto of course).

3 Mar 1975 - This was a day off already.

4 Mar 1975 - Davenport, Iowa.

5 Mar 1975 - La Crosse, Wisconsin. First concert in a week.

6 Mar 1975 - Madison, Wisconsin. This concert Queen played as a support act for REO Speedwagon, probably because the venue was too big for Queen to sell out at this point (most Queen gigs on this tour were played in venues up to 3000, but this gig had an audience of 8500).

7 Mar 1975 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For a comparison, this gig sold out, but was only played in a 1700 capacity venue.

8 Mar 1975 - Chicago, Illinois. Another sold-out show. Queen’s fortunes seem to have turned a bit.

9 Mar 1975 - St Louis, Missouri. No idea.

10 Mar 1975 - Fort Wayne, Indiana. Idem dito.

11 Mar 1975 - Another day off after playing 6 days in a row.

12 Mar 1975 - Atlanta, Georgia. Little is known.

13 Mar 1975 - Charleston, South Carolina. There are in the south by now, a place that took a bit longer to warm up to Queen and the first to drop them in the 80s.

14 Mar 1975 - Day off, marks the first time they’ve been in Miami.

15 Mar 1975 - Miami, Florida. Outdoor concert, got cancelled due to rain and rescheduled to the 17th.

16 Mar 1975 - Day off.

17 Mar 1975 - Miami, Florida. The rescheduled concert. Quite neat they managed to reschedule it on such a short notice.

18 Mar 1975 - New Orleans, Louisiana. One of their favourite places. The concert didn’t take place in NOLA itself, but in some town called St Bernard, on the outskirts. During the 70s would frequently play in small towns in the outskirts of big cities.

19 Mar 1975 - Day off, spend in NOLA probably.

20 Mar 1975 - San Antonio, Texas. You can find an interestin fan story from this gig here: x. The place wasn’t very full during the concert. There was a Texan band opening for them, which could have both helped and harmed them in connecting with the audience.

21 Mar 1975 - Day off. By this point in the tour day offs were more frequent as the distances between gigs were getting bigger.

22 Mar 1975 - Dallas, Texas. Another concert that wasn’t sold out, evens at 2400 capacity. However, this fan got to meet the band as he went to the soundcheck: x. Read it! It shows the differences between the 70s and now at concerts really well.

23 Mar 1975 - Day off. This was originally the date of the Dallas gig.

24 Mar 1975 - Another day off.

25 Mar 1975 - Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not the first place you’d expect Queen to play.

26/27/28 Mar 1975 - All days off. On the 27th they went to see Led Zeppelin at the Forum, a place they would often play later on. This was the first time they were in LA. The band would also play spontaneously at the famous Rainbow Bar, which really impressed Roger at that point in time.

29 Mar 1975 - Santa Monica, California, double gig. For now though they were playing the smaller venues. This is the gig Deaky split his trousers. Article here: x

30 Mar 1975 - San Francisco. Initially to be played on the 28th.

1 Apr 1975 - Day off.

2 Apr 1975 - Edmonton, Canada. A really popular sold-out gig at 5000. Played at a sport centre.

3 Apr 1975 - Calgary, Canada. Just another gig.

4 Apr 1975 - Day off.

5 Apr 1975 - Vancouver, Canada. With the Japan Tour ahead some more gigs get cancelled to save Freddie’s voice. In total 12 concerts would be cancelled during the whole tour, the most after the previous tour.

6 Apr 1975 - Seattle, Washington. The last concert of this tour. Queen and Kansas would do an extensive set together (maybe not the best idea for Freddie, but he survived!)

7 Apr 1975 - Portland, Oregon. Cancelled. The band would go off to Hawaii instead for a short family holiday.

Thanks to Queenlive & Queenconcerts. I hope anyone likes it!

[jeremystrele]

A Stylist’s Guide To Downtown Los Angeles

A Stylist’s Guide To Downtown Los Angeles

Travel

Sarah Ellison

A travel guide to Downtown LA from stylist Sarah Ellison. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The iconic ‘Jesus Saves’ sign in LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Golden hour. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Local style! Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Taco stands abound in LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

$1.50 roadside tacos. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Sarah’s first trip to LA was to visit the sole stockist for her line of furniture and homewares. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

As a self confessed longtime lover of ‘Cali cool’ interiors‘, this was surprisingly my first trip to Los Angeles! With the opportunity to launch my brand with luxury homewares and lifestyle retailer Hawkins NY, I found myself based in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) in close proximity to the Arts District, where their LA store is located. Here I discovered a different side of LA – a raw and gritty version of the California experience that was eye-opening, interesting and at times confronting.

It’s easy to imagine the glamour of Los Angeles. The one that we have grown up seeing in movies and TV, and we certainly experienced this as we worked through our list of things to do in LA. Gentrification and dilapidation in equal measure is the best way to describe DTLA. It’s a city of juxtapositions – culturally rich but with some serious social issues, with homelessness being the most confronting of these. Breathtaking Deco architecture, in some cases transformed into abandoned parking lots, exists on the same block as new boutique hotels. A thriving global food scene with some of the best cuisine I have ever experienced is alongside $1.50 tacos on street corners. European designer fashion brands open their retail spaces next to pawn shops, a proximity that would be unimaginable in most major cities around the world.

If you’re looking for more of a travel experience than just your standard holiday, then add a few days in DTLA to your trip. Rather than get caught in traffic visiting on day trips, I would suggest staying here to really soak in the full experience.

Stylist Sarah Ellison in Downtown LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The iconic Orpheum Theatre. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Downtown LA Theatre District

Stretching between 3rd and 9th on Broadway, the Theatre District houses 12 theatres built between 1910 and 1931. What struck me most about this area was the incredibly ornate Art Deco architecture. The glamorous facades that once welcomed Hollywood royalty are set against the now raw and gritty streets of DTLA.

There was some serious Marquee sign appreciation going down making it feel a bit like the set of a movie!

DTLA Theatre District Between 3rd and 9th on Broadway 

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Another diamond in the rough, the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by revered architect Frank Gehry was a gift to the city of Los Angeles from Lillian B Disney. Located at the corner of First Street and Grand Avenue, the concert hall is recognised as an architectural and acoustic masterpiece that has forever changed the musical landscape of Los Angeles. If this city had a heart, this is it! It has revitalised the area socially and is an exciting architectural statement built in Gehry’s signature ‘silver sails’ style. Well worth a visit.

Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 

A street mural on Sunset. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

San Francisco export Tartine bakery is internationally acclaimed. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Tartine

In short this place is basically ‘bread porn’. I mean, who doesn’t love a good bakery!

The Tartine team are some of the most influential bakers in the US. Opening first in San Francisco in 2002, they recently opened their newest manufactory at ROW DTLA (a smattering of retail spaces, pop-up shops, restaurants and offices) where they bake the most wonderful selection of wood-fired artisanal bread and pastries, pizza and ice cream.

Set within an elegant open plan industrial building, the venue transitions between bakery to restaurant, bar and marketplace where they sell cute local ceramics, cookbooks and charcuterie. With its pink facade and elegant, relaxed interior brightened by loads of natural light filtering through large warehouse windows, Tartine ticked the interiors and culinary boxes simultaneously!

Tartine ‘The Manufactory’ 757 Alameda St, Suite 160 Los Angeles, CA 90021

Outside Bestia. Photo – Sierra Prescott.

Left: An LA streetscape. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor. Right: Fresh pasta at Bestia is the best Sarah has ever eaten! Photo – Sierra Prescott.

Bestia

Bestia is literally, the BEST Italian I have ever eaten! This restaurant is a must-visit and all about the food, but you will definitely need to make a booking a couple of weeks in advance to get the time you want. Our setting was at 9.30pm, but hey! We were on LA time.

Located in the Arts District, you kind of feel like your Uber driver doesn’t know where he is going when you drive around the industrial streets. All of a sudden, you arrive to find a thriving eatery with as many staff as customers. The industrial space was the kind we dream about in the Australian property market but can seldom find anymore. We ordered a shared-style menu of antipasti, pizza, pasta and meat and then proceeded to eat way more than was necessary! Of course.

The service was impeccable and the vibe was loud and exhilarating. The most memorable part for me was the hand made pasta – I had never experienced pasta that fresh and tender. A foodie’s heaven!

Bestia 2121 E 7th Pl Los Angeles, CA 

The Firehouse Hotel is housed in – you guessed it – an old firehouse. Photo – Laure Joliet.

The bar at the Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

An interior space at The Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

A room at the Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

Firehouse Hotel

Situated in LA’s Arts District, The Firehouse Hotel is as the name suggests – a boutique hotel built within an old Firehouse. With just nine rooms and an adjoining restaurant, it has a warm and laid-back feeling to it. The interiors are trendy, unexpected and fun, celebrating local designers with each room themed a different colour.

We had two lovely meals at the indoor/outdoor restaurant which focuses on American style dishes. A great place to enjoy a cocktail in a cool and relaxed setting. It feels kinda local.

Firehouse Hotel 710 S Santa Fe Ave Los Angeles, CA

The Gothic facade of the Ace Hotel in Downtown LA was inspired by the Segrada Familia in Barcelona. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Ace Hotel

The most exciting thing about the Ace Hotel DTLA for me was the 13 storey Gothic architectural icon in which it is housed! Built in 1927 as a film studio founded by Charlie Chaplin the building was inspired by La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Such a pleasant surprise, particularly once I learnt about its history.

The rooms feel like you are staying at your ‘cool LA artist friend’s’ apartment. With a vintage/industrial aesthetic, they are small but cosy with a moody colour scheme, concrete columns and chipboard walls. All the little details that make you realise you are staying somewhere that has real vision for the styling and art direction.

On the rooftop, there’s a very busy plunge pool and Insta-worthy rooftop bar, situated high-up within the Gothic facade of the building. You’ll enjoy panoramic views out over the city. It’s is definitely a must-visit at sunset for a cocktail.

Ace Hotel 929 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA

ROWDTLA is a curated shopping experience. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Hawkins NY is the sole US stockist of Sarah Ellison’s furniture. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Shopping at Hawkins NY. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

ROW DTLA

A creative district thoughtfully re-imagined for creative spaces, retail and art. The antithesis to the American Mall, ROW is a conceptual shopping experience, located within an architecturally impressive row of former industrial buildings. The businesses here have been carefully curated as a unique shopping experience full of exciting young creative brands in fashion, interiors and art, as well as great cafes, restaurants and bars. You can take a ceramics class, do yoga or even get a facial!

Well known sneaker store Bodega is worth a visit, hidden behind a ‘fruit market’ facade which pays homage to the former produce factory the store is located within. It’s a hidden gem.

Hot tip! If you go on a Sunday you can also experience Smorgasburg LA. An artisanal local LA food market, that is adjacent to ROW.

ROW DTLA 777 Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA

Hawkins NY @ ROW DTLA

Hawkins NY is the exclusive retailer for my brand in the US – so I may be biased – but they really are one of my favourite homewares stores, which is why we ended up there! Offering a beautifully curated collection of ethically sourced, high-quality pieces at reasonable prices. Originally from New York, Hawkins are famous for their gorgeous bed linens in earthy tones, which they merchandise impeccably alongside local lighting design and handmade glassware.

When it comes to homewares stores in LA this is one of the best. You will certainly find something to bring back in your suitcase. My credit card statement is proof of that!

Hawkins NY 767 South Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA

[junker-town]

The 3 best and 3 worst relocations in NFL history

Moving the Browns to Baltimore was great! For the Ravens specifically and not at all the Browns.

Loyalty is a rarity in the NFL. Players, coaches, and executives change homes every year after either exhausting their usefulness in one location or searching for greener pastures. And that ever-shifting landscape isn’t limited to people.

In the past three years, we’ve seen the Rams and Chargers leave St. Louis and San Diego, respectively, for the chance to share a $2 billion venue in Los Angeles. The Raiders will put Oakland in their rear view after the coming season to move to Las Vegas.

They join a long list of displaced teams. The Houston Oilers moved from Memphis and then to Nashville, becoming the Tennessee Titans along the way. The league briefly snuffed out the Browns’ existence at the insistence of owner Art Modell, turning them into the Baltimore Ravens and giving Cleveland’s former franchise its only consecutive non-losing seasons since 1989 in the process.

Some of these moves have made sense; they gave football-starved cities the chance to revitalize a franchise and establish a new string of traditions. Others deprived loyal fans of their beloved teams and dropped them into disinterested markets. And a third category moved teams to different locations within the same basic area, either making home games more accessible to fans or moving out of a city center and into the suburbs.

So who did it right? And which moved failed to generate the newfound traction overreaching owners were hoping to gain?

The good relocations

The Dallas Texans become the Kansas City Chiefs

In 1960, two professional football teams descended upon Dallas: the NFL’s Cowboys and the AFL’s Texans. The Texans were great; they went 25-17 in their first three seasons and won the AFL title in ‘62. The Cowboys were not; they won nine games in three years and, despite a potent offense, were still years away from contention.

But Lamar Hunt didn’t see enough of a market in the heart of Texas to support two pro teams, so he started looking for a new home for his AFL club. When Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle — a man with quite possibly the most “1960s politician” name ever to exist — guaranteed to triple Hunt’s number of season ticket holders, the Texans became the Chiefs.

The Chiefs posted a 5-7-2 record in their first season in Missouri, then put together a 10-year streak of non-losing seasons. This stretch included four playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one title — laying the foundation for one of the most passionate (and loud) fanbases in the NFL.

As for Dallas, the loss of the Texans in 1962 pushed fans in the Lone Star State to the city’s NFL holdover, where young coach Tom Landry was slowly building an empire. While the Cowboys lacked the initial Super Bowl success of the team that left town, they wound up serving as a pretty solid consolation prize for Texas — they’d be a mainstay in the NFC title race by the 1970s.

The Decatur Staleys become the Chicago Bears

Decatur, located smack dab in the middle of Illinois, had a population of nearly 44,000 in 1920, the first season the Staleys played in the fledgling AFPA. With a 10-1-2 record, they had more wins than anyone else in the league and a bigger local population than rival franchises in cities like Hammond, Ind., Muncie, Ind., and Rock Island, Ill.

Even if that boded well for the regional nature of the game at the time, George Halas had bigger ideas. He bought the team — then a company team representing the A.E. Staley Food Starch Co. — and moved it north to Chicago after only two seasons in Decatur.

The Windy City already had a team — two of them, in fact — but the dissolution of the Chicago Tigers in 1921 made the Cardinals and Staleys the only game in town. For nearly four decades, the city would be host to the Cardinals and the club that, in 1922, would become the Bears. Then the Bears effectively ran a near-bankruptcy Cardinals team out of town in 1960.

The Staleys/Bears would win eight NFL championships in the years between the move in 1921 and 1963 while appearing in four other title games. And though the years since have been a desert brought rain mostly by the Super Bowl Shufflin’ team of 1985, the Bears are one of only two original franchises to have survived the tumultuous early era of the NFL to stand tall in 2019.

The Cleveland Browns become the Baltimore Ravens (and then resume their existence four years later)

First things first: this was a terrible move for Cleveland, who went three seasons without an NFL franchise and was then forced to deal with the Members Mark version of their former team over the past two decades. Art Modell righted the wrong of the Colts’ mad dash out of Maryland by doing pretty much the same thing to Cleveland, a city with a similarly impressive historical resume but limited recent success.

And, as long as you don’t look back at the Browns, this move was a rousing success. After three seasons of shaking off their just-moved malaise, the Ravens were a .500 team by 1999 — beating a revived Cleveland team twice that season — and a Super Bowl champion after the 2000 season. Baltimore was, unsurprisingly, stoked about this. Fans bought out the Ravens’ season ticket supply by 2004, and in 2016 the season ticket waiting list was a queue that would take an estimated 20 years to wind through.

Oh, and while the Browns have yet to make it to a Super Bowl, the Ravens have been twice in approximately one-third the time — and won them both.

And the relocations that failed to help

The Cleveland Browns become the Baltimore Ravens

In the 20 seasons since being revived, the Browns have had two winning seasons. They had nine in the final two decades in their original incarnation. They had eight playoff appearances and five division titles from 1975 to 1994, and have had only one postseason game and zero AFC North crowns in the years since — though they have finished dead last in the division 15 times since then.

Meanwhile, the Ravens won a Super Bowl five years after leaving Cleveland, have been to the postseason 11 times, and are 30-10 against their former selves all time.

So, not a great deal for northeast Ohio.

The Chargers move from San Diego to ... Carson City, California?

There’s still time to turn this move around, but the most notable aspects of Dean Spanos’ move up the 10 have been:

a temporary residence in a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, and

the bulk of those 27,000 seats being occupied by opposing fans.

Time for another game of "Spot the Los Angeles Chargers fans in an image of a Los Angeles Chargers home game" pic.twitter.com/9g1t7cBMeF

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 30, 2018

The former problem will be remedied when the team moves into the brand new, $2 billion stadium it will share with the Rams, but the latter might not ever truly go away. Los Angeles has struggled to support one single team in the past, and now the Chargers are running into a situation where they could wind up playing second fiddle to LA’s other team — especially with the Rams ascendant behind a young quarterback and Philip Rivers sliding into the twilight of his career.

But hey, Spanos got the heavily subsidized stadium he wanted. And if he really fared about keeping fans happy, he could have just left his team home in San Diego.

The 49ers move from San Francisco to Santa Clara

While not an official relocation, the Niners left behind their blustery waterfront home at Candlestick Park in order to christen a $1.3 billion stadium in Santa Clara, some 40 miles away. In mild traffic, that’s about an hour’s drive from San Francisco, and that combination of that long commute, high prices, and uninspiring play have combined to sap the club’s homefield advantage in their new confines.

Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014 with the highest average ticket prices in the league, which wasn’t especially surprising given its location in one of the most expensive places to live in the world. The problem was that for elite prices, fans had the opportunity to wade through horrible traffic and watch a team that’s averaged five wins per year in its Santa Clara tenure.

Levi’s issues stretch beyond expensive seats and an uncomfortable commute. The stadium’s positioning and lack of shade means fans get roasted under a hotly reflected California sun in a problem executives have no idea how to fix. The turf condition ranges from mediocre to “terrible.” Officials once kicked out a Girl Scout celebration event to hold a more profitable concert, only to reverse course once EVERYONE IN THE WORLD told them what a bad idea this would be.

In short, Levi’s Stadium is garbage. Long live the frigid bay winds of Candlestick.

[finelineoutro]

Rules: you must answer the questions till the end and then tag another 10 harrie blogs to do the same! you can use videos/links/gifs/photos to answer the questions.

i was tagged by @harrysart​ thank u for tagging me !!!

uH i tag @darkharries​ @floristharry​ @packersbeanie​ @androgynoustyles​ @actorharry2k17​ @bleachelas​ @yeshaddyido​ @softgleaux​ and idK anyone else who wants to do it !! sorry if you have already been tagged love u

Favourite look:

it’s a tie between 

and

note that the neon green running shoes completed the look above and i apologizE that it’s not in the gif

Favourite tweet: 

The sun is the same, in a relative way, but you're older.

Favorite Interview (Why?) :

I’m thinking any of the interviews with Liam during Four promo

Favorite Stage Moment: 

there’s two, and they’re both from otra san diego lol. when he tripped and fell and said, “physically i’m fine, emotionally i’m bruised” ahjgbsahgb, and also from otra san diego...the best moment i have witnessed with my own eyes...while they did spaces live, and harry had that big note toward the end, he like just...does something with his hand i have no idea how to explain it but i thiNK ABOUT IT EVERY DAMN DAY. here you can see for yourself at 3:00 minutes

Favorite Hair Style:  

for a fairly long while this was my favorite hair:

but i’m beginning to think his current hair might take the cake

Favorite Family Member: 

i don’t really have a favorite! maybe gemma

Favorite 1D Bromance: 

i love them aLL so much but probably lirry . (or zarry, if it was still alive, rip)

Favorite Celebrity + Harry: 

UM probably that whole nyc crew he hangs out with (i say nyc because they’re always in nyc but like ?? half of them are british) but like alexa chung, matt hitt, waseem cheema ! do they count as celebrities ? lol. 

Favorite Tattoo: 

Favorite Quote: 

“I don't think I've found anything that feels as good as performing. It'd be fun to try and find it.”

Favorite Instagram Post: 

the one of the golden gate bridge with the caption “cool bridge” that he got from google so that everyone would think he was in san francisco but he was in la . I HATE HIS ASS

Favorite Music Video: 

best song ever...the zarry scene

Favorite Another Man pic:

Your name: 

samantha! or sam

Your Age: 

20

Where you live: 

i live in nyc for half the year and la for the other half . #collegelife

Have you ever saw Harry live in concerts or met him?

i saw him in concert during uan, tmh, wwa (x2), otra (x2). never met him but i like to think we’ve crossed paths before. for example, one time i was eating sprinkles icecream at like 11pm, when i got home there were pics of harry leaving a bar on santa monica blvd, where sprinkles is on !! it’s a long road, obviously, but lil instances like that...i like to think maaaaybe we drove by each other, or something

What’s your favorite thing on Harry? 

i like harry’s lips, and i don’t mean that in a sexual way. i also really like his hands

What is your favorite line/lyric of Harry’s on 1D album? 

because i’m forever a sucker for over again, probably “again we take the same road / two days in the same clothes / and i know just what she’ll say if i can make all this pain go / can we stop this for a minute / you know i can tell that your heart isn’t in it / or with it.” 

but if we’re talking something he wrote, then probably “i think i might give up everything just ask me to”

What is the song that reminds you the most of Harry? 

green eyes by coldplay was literally written about harry. but right now, this will be our year by the zombies always makes me think of 2017 harry, because it’s his year !!!!!!!!!!

What is the movie that reminds you the most of Harry? 

any cute romantic movie. like love actually, stuck in love, crazy stupid love, etc. 

For how long you’ve been a Harrie? 

i guess technically since more recently. louis was my fav for a while, but harry was pretty much tied w him for my fav..i used to have a thing for not wanting to like the most popular member of the band lmaO. so like, i’ve been solely a harrie since like, 2015? 

Where you were when Dunkirk first trailer came out? 

i’m almost positive i was in my psychology class lol, because i remember watching it on mute and freaking out

What do you expect for HS1? 

i really think it will be pop rock !! obviously we’ve been told it has influence from 70′s british rock (which i am ecstatic for) but i don’t think harry would completely stray from pop, 

What are your tags for Harry on tumblr?

besides like standard ones i have hi mick!! which is basically my harry looks like mick jagger tag, king of yellow, drunk harry, winter harry, solo harry vibes, harold - which is basically just quotes that make me think of harry

Who is your favorite Harry blog?: 

my bub @floristharry  obv

[our21stcenturyodyssey]

Magmarvelous Nicaragua

Itinerary:

Day 1: Land in Managua, transfer via private driver to Granada

Day 2: Walking tour of Granada and evening tour of Masaya Volcano

Day 3: Isletas boat tour and visit to chocolate museum

Day 4: Transfer back to Mangua for flight

Our Odyssey:

Nicaragua was our second trip as part of our winter escapes to Central America (our first was Belize, back in January and our third, to Guatemala, is coming up next weekend!), and even though Belize and Nicaragua are very geographically close, we found the countries to be surprisingly different from one another! Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America, and, though it is also the safest, it looks and feels a bit rougher than Belize. Nicaragua is also predominantly Spanish-speaking, while Belize is English-speaking.

Nicaragua was also much, much cheaper -  for $80 per night in Caye Caulker, Belize, we got a small apartment with one bathroom, one bedroom, and a living room. For about the same price per night in Granada, Nicaragua, we got what was essentially a mansion - several bedrooms, each with a bathroom, an expansive living room with vaulted ceilings, an open air courtyard area served as the kitchen, and in the center was a pool (yes, a pool in the kitchen). Upstairs we had a terrace with a garden and views over the city and nearby Mombacho volcano. Basically, we were living like royalty, and while we loved getting out and exploring the city and surrounds, we also really loved hanging out in our lavish apartment.

Yep, that’s a swimming pool in our apartment!

We got in late Thursday night to Managua, the country's capital and home to the major international airport. From there we had a transfer to our apartment in Granada that our Airbnb host arranged for us. We stayed up for a bit exploring our new digs and settling in, then picked one of the bedrooms to sleep in.

The next morning, we naturally woke up early and decided to venture out for a walk around the city and a bite to eat. We walked to the Central Park, where the famous Granada Cathedral is located. One thing most people don't know about this park is that it actually used to be a cemetery, and all the bodies were moved across town. I wonder if it's haunted…

Nicaragua Cathedral

Being out just as the city was waking up for the day was so peaceful and lovely - something we would later see is a stark contrast to the city at night. We found a lovely little restaurant with fresh juice and a big traditional breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, cheese, plantains, bread and fresh coffee. We fell in love with Granada just sitting there people-watching, eating, and loving on the cute stray dog nearby.

After breakfast, we headed back to our apartment, where a guide would be meeting us at 9:30am for a tour of the city. Normally, I like to find self-guided walking tours for cities we visit, but being only $20/person for several hours, and not having a guidebook to the lead the way, hiring a guide for the morning was the best way to make use of our brief time in Granada.

Open air courtyards in the middle of colonial homes in Granada were (and still are) an important way to keep cool air circulating within the homes.

Our tour started at the Xalteva Cathedral, a colonial-era church that sits across from a lovely park that used to be the site of one of the early markets. We visited a second church - the Iglesia la Merced, which dates to the 1500s but has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since. The church has a bell tower that visitors can climb up, affording a fantastic view over the city, from the volcano to the iconic Granada Cathedral.

Xalteva Church

Iglesia la Merced

Atop the bell tower of Iglesia la Merced

We then proceeded to the Central Park and Granada Cathedral, already much busier than it had been earlier. During our tour we also learned about some of Nicaragua's post-colonial history where the US engaged in some not-so-kind behavior (backing cruel and corrupt dictatorships, invading and occupying for several years, for example). Our tour also took us to a museum at the Convento San Francisco (an old monastery). We were really happy to have a guide with us at the museum, since there was not a ton of information available in English.

After the museum visit, we had a bit of a surprise - a horse-drawn carriage was waiting for us outside the museum. This wasn't great for us, since I feel uncomfortable using animals this way, and Tim is allergic to horses. But we got on, because what else could we do? We rode around the city and got to see the old fortress, train station and the second hospital in Granada (which is dilapidated and being renovated for another purpose). Horse-drawn carriages are very popular with tourists in this city - you can find them lined up waiting all around the Central Park. But they are also used by locals for transportation and carrying farming materials. I had conflicting feelings about this - somehow, it felt okay to me to use these horses as part of the livelihood and transportation for a family, but exploitation by tourists felt frivolous and excessive. But at the same time, the people who earn a living giving these rides to tourists are as reliant on it for their livelihood as those for whom this is their main transportation. I saw contradictory emotions within myself on this topic, and they are feelings I haven't yet resolved.

After the tour we had some downtime to go to the grocery store and grab items to make lunch. It was a leisurely afternoon lounging in our apartment before being picked up for the most adventurous part of our weekend - visiting the very active Masaya Volcano.

Volcanic haze 

The volcano was about 40 minutes away, and due to its popularity, visitors are permitted up to the rim of the caldera in groups and are allowed to stay for up to 15 minutes before departing to make room for the next group. Though we had to share space with many others overlooking into the caldera, it was one of the most memorable and mesmerizing sights I've ever witnessed. It is second only to the northern lights. From 400 meters above the surface of the lava river, we could witness the powerful sight, smell and odor of red, gurgling magma. I love our photos from this experience, but have to admit they don't do it justice.

Me and Tim at the Masaya volcano

Later that evening, our throats were scratchy and chests congested - we realized that just 15 minutes breathing in those toxic fumes had us feeling pretty ill - I can only imagine how this impacts the rangers at the national park who stand up there daily for hours.

Upon returning to our apartment and showering up, we ventured out for dinner. There was a free concert going on in Central Park, which we stopped to watch for a few moments before heading down the main street towards Lake Nicaragua. Near the end of this road, too, was another free concert. It was really exciting to see this city coming alive with free art events for the community.

We ended up stopping for dinner at the same place we had had breakfast - breakfast had been so delicious, we felt it was a safe bet. Unfortunately, the peaceful, serene scene of the morning had given way to the chaos and crowds of the night. What was worse, though, were the young boys who came up to our table asking for a bite of our food. We'd been casually tossing scraps to the dog we had met earlier that morning, and I felt awful sitting there with more food than we could heat and saying no to giving any to the young boys. I was overwhelmed - while Tim and I had been in impoverished countries before, it had been a while since we had been confronted with this level of begging from children. We'd read that the humanitarian groups in the area discourage giving the beggars food, since in most cases they are being exploited by adults. Sure enough, we later saw one of our begging boys taking something intravenously with a group of young men. My heart broke for this poor boy and the awful situation he's in. I knew then that it wasn't mere food that he needed, but instead a total way out of his current situation.

My mood was pretty low after this experience, so Tim and I went back to our apartment (we also had an early morning the next day).

At 6am on Saturday, a bus arrived to drive us to a ferry where we cross part of Lake Nicaragua to reach Ometepe Island. After about an hour on the road, however, our guide told us that due to strong winds, the ferry was not going to be running and that the tour would be canceled. We were disappointed but weren't going to let it ruin our time, so we inquired about other tours they could offer us for that day instead. Once back in Granada, we were signed up for a late-morning motor boat cruise of the isletas of Lake Nicaragua - small islands off the coast of Granada that were formed when the Mombacho volcano blew off most of its cone thousands of years ago. There are 365 of them, most privately owned, many converted into Swiss Family Robinson style jungle homes.

During our ride, we saw many species of birds, including one resourceful egret who was riding on a bull's back along the shore of the lake. We also saw a very sweet, active monkey, and were heartbroken to see he was tethered to a leash. Again, I was confronted with my discomfort of seeing animals used for human entertainment, but at the same time could not succeed in reconciling my discomfort in this situation with my relative comfort with seeing dogs on leashes. We did, however, come upon a "Monkey Island" which is home to many spider monkeys. Our guide gave us each a small cookie to feed them, which, yet again, made me wary. With the number of tourists coming through each day offering these wild monkeys manmade food, it must not be good for them. Tim and I opted against feeding cookies to the monkeys, but did enjoy getting close with our boat to observe their sweet faces and swinging bodies through the tree branches.

Spider monkey

Our boat also stopped at an old Spanish colonial fort on San Pablo island which was  built in 1789 to protect against pirate attacks. Now, since the island is in a large lake, you might be wondering how the pirates were getting there. There is actually a river that connects the Atlantic Ocean with Lake Nicaragua, so pirates would sail in that way.

Mombacho volcano as seen from Lake Nicaragua 

It was a nice, easy-going tour and we were back at our apartment by the early afternoon. After lounging around, playing card games and watching some TV for a few hours, we decided to venture out on one last Granada walk. We looked at Trip Advisor to see any places that would be interesting to us that we hadn't already done yet that were also open, and saw that there was a chocolate museum near the main square!

We walked to the museum and were greeted by a very enthusiastic young man who worked there. He said he could give us a free tour of the museum that would include free samples at the end and we could just pay a tip. Although the shop was going to be closing in about an hour, this man did not have the waning energy of someone who had been working all day. He was so excited to tell us about chocolate in Central America!

After the tour, we had samples (the best part) - a chocolate tea (we bought two bags), a brownie (we bought one of those too), and about 5 shots of various chocolate liquors (we bought a chocolate mixed drink and a chocolate beer). From the free samples plus the two drinks we bought, we were pretty tipsy by the end! Admittedly, we did not expect to spend our time at the chocolate museum getting drunk!

Goodies at the chocolate museum! 

That evening, back at our apartment, we cooked dinner and relaxed- the next morning would be back to the airport and onward to Atlanta and the normal work week!

[joycey4]

Southeast Washington State – Back in Summer of either 2003 or 2004, a friend of mine I decided to pack up my car and head south along the coast. We didn’t really know where we’d end up going only that were going to follow the Pacific Highway as far as we could go until we either ran out of time or money.

Highway 1

Photo ©: Jimmy Emerson, DVM & Derek Helt

Eager to get on the road, we left home the evening before and stopped an hour and change away in Goldendale, WA. There we spent the night at her grandparents 15-room house in the woods. Purchased in 1983, they’d been working on the house bit-by-bit. Y2K wasn’t going to catch them off guard. Each of the room had a different theme and could sleep a family. Most of them had direct access to the center piece of the home, which was a large indoor pool. Most pools you see are surrounded by concrete. This one had pretty cobblestone. It looked like something you’d find in a lodge at ski resort in the Colorado Rockies.

Through the glass paneled wall, which looked out onto the surrounding evergreen trees,  their tailless pet peacock in its metallic blue and green brilliance could be spotted strutting about. We were told that it had been spooked by something and left its backside behind as it ran. I didn’t want to laugh, but the way it was carrying about, you’d swear it would tell you a different story. “You should see the other guy” was written all over it’s proud, avian face; Whether a town fair or a festival, I can’t remember, but we spent a whimsical evening in town before turning in.

The stop in Goldendale set the tone for the rest of the trip. My pal Bean couldn’t drive stick (manual) so I drove it all for us. We continued through the Columbia River Gorge (taking a break at the Gardens in Portland), with overnight stops at the Redwood National Park, CA; San Francisco, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Anaheim, CA; and a Rosarito, Mexico. Rosarito was as far as we made it when both time and funds ran short. During the trip we camped, hosteled, hoteled and homestayed and then car slept on the way back. On our return, we took the major interstate routes outside the major cities through Sacramento all the way back. All this to say:  I’ve never made to the city.*

The opportunity was there, but we got stuck in traffic along the way. After balancing gears for two+ hours, I’d had enough and we decided to book a hotel in Anaheim and hit up California Adventure instead. I don’t know that that actually counts. Either way the experience left a bad impression. From that brief encounter, I had no desire to visit Hell-a.

The City Angels

Between the trip to Copenhagen and December 2017, I’d managed to bank my holidays and a couple weeks of overtime. Having moved last August to save some dough, I decided this year to use some of it and live my best life.  Rather than take holiday with everyone else, I held out for the end of January to take advantage of lower fares and less tourists. A perk of a child-less traveller. The original plan was to spend a proper winter at home in Washington State, but we wouldn’t be able to do much. Better saved for July.  Instead I’d opted for So Cal and Vegas before heading south.

——————————

The North American leg of the trip was sort of my first solo trip and I. LOVED. IT. My entire life was got. Before I get to the highlights, a very public shout out to my tía (aunt) Vi. not only for hosting me the week I was there, but also for having me drive around town in style as the Angelinos do.

I didn’t actually stay in LA, but in Riverside. I heard from mom (who flew down for a couple days as I flew to Vegas) that it’s a very nice place:

Photo ©: Mom

I have a lot of exploring to do next time. From my own time there, these were the highlights:

My Summer do (hairdo).  Technically this was just before the trip, but I’m counting it. Heat, humidity and I are not friends. I don’t know what to do with myself. In the run up to Sydney summer, I had my hairdresser (Rumbi & Co) do as she wished; anything to make dealing with my hair in the wet heat manageable. This is what she did. Also peep the new specs the guys at Vedi Optik (Copenhagen, DK) picked out for me. In the end it came down to the exact frame in two colors: obviously cool and interesting. I went with interesting.

Day 1: Was really just me landing and knocking out a list of things I had to do (including updating my phone). Nothing special, but I was immediately reminded the nation’s customer service prowess. I miss it.

  Day 2: Disneyland. Having been before (Disney World in the late 80s and Disneyland Tokyo in 2000) I was surprised by how excited I was about to go.  It👏🏾 was👏🏾 FUN👏🏾! Largely because I didn’t have to answer to anyone. Also because it was A) Low season (= less people) and B) single rider lines. The longest wait I had  (10-15 minutes roughly) was for the Haunted Mansion, which I only went to because I’d gotten my portrait done and the paint needed time to dry. I regretted going to it immediately after the doors shut. #notforme

After the ride and picking my picture, I bought my self some funnel cake mindlessly wandered over to a cluster of people standing around and joined them. Seemed like a good thing to do and it turned out it be so. Not only did I meet a lovely older couple from Spokane, WA, but it was the prime standing zone for the evening firework show. Spectacle? Whatever you’d call it, it was pretty cool and I enjoyed watching it.

Faves: The Bayou/Pirates ride (the Bayou was so pretty!), funnel cake and spotting Mary & Bert (in the photo above on the left). Regrets: The shoes I wore. Although flat, they had no arch support. By the end of the spectacular show, my dogs were howling. Who knew you could drunk-girl-in-heels walk entirely sober in flat shoes? I struggle-walked back to the shuttle and barely made it to the car.

Day 3: Universal Studios. I had no intention of visiting UP at all. Figured a day or two at Disney would be good. But the couple from Spokane convinced me it was worth the trip and I’m glad that they did. We hoped to meet up again at the Three Broomsticks, but this was not meant to be.

Like Disney, it was a good time to visit. Since I’d only be there one day, I opted for an Unlimited Express pass (includes unlimited express access to each ride, attraction and seated shows). At $220USD (for general admission + pass), it makes a dent, but I could not have been happier with my decision. Rather than spend most of my day there waiting in queues (the Studio Tour was at least 30 mins, Harry Potter & Jurassic Park more like a hour) I was able to hit up every ride** and most the shows. I don’t know that that was a good thing as I was began feeling my age a few rides in, but no barfing. A slight headache yes, but I imagine it was because at all the virtual simulation.

Newbie tip: Amex has a lounge in the park that’s open to card members! Though small, it’s clean, air-conditioned, cosy, quiet and empty (when I was there anyway). Free to take were a selection of beverages and light snacks. Note that you have to purchase your entry ticket with your Amex card in order to access the space. I didn’t know this. But, since I was alone and there was only one family in there, they let me in. It was a welcomed break from all the walking and all the noise.

Photo ©: Universal Studios

Favorites: In second place, the Special Effects show. The top spot goes to Harry Potter World. I’d seen the movies but never read the books prior to going. Every part of me was blown away by the attention to detail and imagination of Hogsmede. I wanted to live there. It’s how I imagine my tiny house in the woods would look minus the wildflowers if that stonework wasn’t so expensive. Twice I hung out there, upon arrival and after I’d seen everything else, and enjoyed some Butterbeer (like a butterscotch soda). My souvenir? Harry’s knitted sweater. The Sydney Opera House has been running an HP in Concert series and I was able to debut the jumper.

This last one I was able to convince Als to join me. Unimpressed with the basic pics we ended up with, I had my way with them and came up with the much better pics below. Als looked too put together and pretty in her pic so I gave her greasy streaks, teardrop tatts and a chipped tooth. 😂😂😂

  Day 4: The Downtown Street Fest. What’s not to love about a block party in someone else’s neighborhood? It was a pity not to have been able to stay longer, and that there wasn’t better dance music on the open spots (although large CPH’s Distortion it is not), but it was meeting up with a friend from Chicago (he and I met working at a comedy theater) and his wife.

Day 5: Oxy, my Ukranian sista, and I went shopping. 

We studied together in Michigan. It had been a minute. The last time I saw was just after my graduation when she and two other friends came to Chi-town to hit up the zoo with me for my birthday. That was over ten years ago already…

  Chicago Zoo 2008

Chicago Zoo 2008

Chicago Zoo 2008

Chicago Zoo 2008

Chicago Zoo 2008

Photo ©: Rich Beckermeyer

I wasn’t expecting to see her. I shouldn’t have. Something was wrong with her car. A burning smell or smoke. I told her not to risk it, but as I made my way to the Desert Hills Outlet Mall, a text came in on my phone. She was on her way. My friend drove a questionable vehicle 2 hours (4 hours round trip) to see me. Oxy. We spent the next four hour strolling about, catching up and constantly leaving our items behind. In all I made two purchases, which she approved of but wasn’t impressed with. “My dear, these are not sexy. How are we going to find you a man? You need to show more skin!” Oxy.

Next up: Vegas

————————————————

*Somewhere the physical photos for this trip exists. If I find them, I’ll share them.

** The downside of these parks this time of the year is that a few of the rides are closed. At Disneyland it was Matterhorn and It’s a Small World. Think there was another. At Universal Studios, the Water World section was closed.

Los Angeles...in which I catch up with friends, hit some amusement parks and reminisce about a road-trip I took many moons ago. La ciudad de los angeles gets two thumbs up from me. Southeast Washington State – Back in Summer of either 2003 or 2004, a friend of mine I decided to pack up my car and head south along the coast.

[davedimartino]

NEW THIS WEEK 10.28.08

Holy smokes! Usually when I spotlight new album releases each week, there are three or four major albums of interest, a few more that seem promising, and one or two with nice covers!

But this week there's simply too much great stuff!

And of course if I were to simply say that every new album was great, what sort of critic would I be?

Give up?

Tall!

P!nk: Funhouse (La Face/Zomba) It's hard not to admire P!nk for her sheer ability, sense of fun and daring, and literal ownership of a part of the color spectrum! Her new album features the single "So What" and includes a heady batch of collaborators including Max Martin, Butch Walker and Billy Mann, among others. It's kind of neat! As always, P!nk skirts the outer limits of danger here--but perhaps wisely has avoided the tempting trap of following her previous album I'm Not Dead with one called Oops, Now I Am for kicks! In sum, any woman who knows full well that by calling herself "P!nk" she will force any potential male fan to utter the words "I like Pink" is OK by me!

Toby Keith: That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy (Show Dog Nashville) Getting a new album by Toby Keith is always cause for celebration in my house, especially when we all try to interpret the meanings of his great songs! In this case, I’m kind of bowled over by the title track, which as far as I can tell was the result of his getting an overdue notice from his local library for keeping If I Ran The Zoo and Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus well past their due date! Dude, I'm sure all of us agree that you've got a lot on your plate, and having an overdue library book is much less of a big deal than, say, not telling your cable company that you're getting extra channels you're not paying for! They're all winners, but "You Already Love Me" may be the most gripping track!

 Queen + Paul Rodgers: The Cosmos Rocks (Hollywood) It's difficult to argue with the title of this, the first new album to bear the Queen name since Freddie Mercury's death, since by all indications, the Cosmos does rock! But though "Queen" comes first, it's the vocal talent of Paul Rodgers--formerly of Free, Bad Company and the Firm--that's up-front and center on most of these recordings! Fans of Rodgers' singular talent will be overjoyed by what they hear here, but those who admired the multi-tracked excesses of Queen at their best might find much of this more basic than they'd hoped for. But as many have noted, had the band called themselves "King," "Prince" or even "Rex"--as some were hoping--more than a few German Shepherds might have taken offense!

  John Legend: Evolver (G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia) I’m a big fan of John Legend and think he's one of the most talented musicians playing music at the moment, and I'm pleased to report that this album yet another step upward for the man. Featuring such talents as the marvelous Estelle, Andre 3000, and Kanye West--whom I'm told is quite good--this is polished, well-played music that bears the stamp of sophistication in the figurative sense and approaches the perfection of the Beatles' Revolver in the alphabetical sense! Plus, you've got to figure a guy named "Legend" who makes records for a label called "Good Music" can't be bad or there'd be a lawsuit!

Snow Patrol: A Hundred Million Suns (Polydor/Fiction) Though one-hit wonders come and go, bands like Snow Patrol--who've really been at it for some time now--continue to show increased strength with each and every new record they make. This, their fifth--which doesn't even count singer Gary Lightbody's work with the Reindeer Section--is packed to the brim with wonderfully textured, melodic songs that carry with them a sort of understated sense of drive that truly makes them unique. Plus, after hearing about this album for several months, many longtime fans are pleased to discover that "Suns" is actually spelled with a "U." They may be more famous than ever, but using an "O" would've been unseemly!

 Lady Gaga: The Fame (Interscope) I’m a bit taken with Lady Gaga, whose blend of pop, dance and R&B carries with it a high level of sophistication both in terms of influence and application. Plus, she's hot! Though her bio mentions such names as Peggy Bundy and Donatella Versace--whose albums, I must admit, I've never heard--and her album contains tracks like "Boys Boys Boys"--which, candidly, you should be careful listening to when driving around with your windows open--she's accessible in the very best sense and often wears sunglasses! Marry her!

 The Cure: 4:13 Dream (Suretone) Having been a fan of the Cure from the get-go, I was a bit puzzled when I found no need to listen to the many singles that preceded the release of this album! Had I grown tired of this great band after all this time? Had in fact the mixture of melody and subtlety that marked all of their early, best work up to, say, The Head On The Door slowly and inexorably faded, leaving nothing but a meager, thrashing husk of what once was? Nope, I was just fixated on the first three Hawkwind albums! I’m over it now and plan to get into this new album as soon as this movie's over!

 Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads (Universal) Though I've always given the Kaiser Chiefs credit for being a brash and catchy, popular newish Brit band, I've never quite made the leap to total fandom, But this new disc gets top marks for the enormously catchy track "Addicted To Drugs," which boasts the compelling lyrical couplet "You might as well face it / You're addicted to drugs" and repeats it gloriously, interminably, and, in all, quite admirably. It's catchy!

Various Artists: A Technicolor Dream (DVD)  Anyone hip to the UK underground scene of the '60s will enjoy this documentary, which details the events leading up the near-legendary "musical happening" which took place at London's Alexandra Palace on April 29, 1967. Contemporary interviews with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and Nick Mason, the Soft Machine's Kevin Ayers and the Pretty Things' Phil May and several influential Brit writer types mix with historic footage and lay down a history that's admirably thorough--especially for Americans, who were more enmeshed with the San Francisco music scene at the time, for the most part. Though there's a scarcity of live footage from the concert itself--which had one of the most incredible lineups in pop history--there's plenty of interesting early Pink Floyd performances and a significant emphasis on former Floyd leader Syd Barrett. Highly recommended.

 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology (Lost Highway) Today's new Adams album seems a bit better than yesterday's, but not as good as last Friday's! Word is, though, that this Thursday's is really going to be hot! This is getting great!

[artcenterstories]

Joshua Paul (BFA 97 Photography and Imaging)

Joshua Paul: My first car was a 1976 BMW 2002. I was inspired  to buy that car because my dad had a 1973 2002 TII which I kind of became  obsessed with when I was 14 or 15. My parents gave us a budget, each one of us, a budget of $4,000 for a car. That fit right in that frame of about $3,600.

ArtCenter: How did you find it?

Joshua Paul: Well, I lived in Fresno, so of course I went right to the papers, the Fresno Beat to the classified sections. And unfortunately I bought the first car I saw. As you do when you're 16, you just can't wait to  get a car and I bought a bit of a... it needed a lot of work! It hadn't been taken care of very well so it required about $200 every 3-5 months. But I kept it, stuck with it -- it became my car. 

ArtCenter: Was it a great car? Did you become attached to it? How did it work out for you?

Joshua Paul: I absolutely became attached to it, it was my first car. It was cool, it was a hip car and no one had one. I wasn't into muscle cars, I kind of wanted this, I was into European cars and it fit the budget. Everyone loved it, it was popular. Wasn't the fastest car, it was very heavy but it was durable and, I loved the car. I'm absolutely attached to it.

ArtCenter: What did you love about it. 

Joshua Paul: It was rock solid and the door, just when it closed, it went “ka-chunk.” The windows didn't have frames around them. So when the doors open it was just wide open. You could put your arm out the window without being obstructed with the frame. It had big comfortable seats. I mean it was just, I think it was more just remembered what my dad had and wanting to be cool. 

ArtCenter: What did you love about your dad's car?

Joshua Paul: My dad, my parents were divorced when my brother was 2, I was 4, my sister was six. They both bought sports cars, and he bought a '73  2002 TII because his friend was going to buy one. So we went into the dealership, his friend bought a green one and my dad bought a red one. And the car was, we knew it was a cool car. It was small and sporty. It was fast, had a sunroof, had black leather interior. We knew that it was a special car.  Everyone, whenever we stopped the car in a parking lot somebody asked "What is that? Where'd you get it? What year is it?" So there's always a dialogue around the car.

ArtCenter: Because it was already kind of a vintage, like a classic at that point right?

Joshua Paul: It was 2002, was becoming, it wasn't imported until about maybe 1972 or 3 I think. So it was still a rare car and in fact when he sold it, people offered him more than I think a thousand dollars more than he asked for. He made more money than he paid for it.

ArtCenter: Wow.

Joshua Paul: Someone came from LA to buy it, they bought it sight unseen. Said, "I want your car" and that was it. Someone came and picked it up on a truck.

ArtCenter: What color was it?

Joshua Paul: Red. Beautiful red car.

ArtCenter: That is my favorite car by the way.

Joshua Paul: Are you serious? Okay, so I bought a brown one. I just wish I, it's always you know, hindsight is 20/20 but I just bought the first car I saw. I wanted it and I wanted it on Monday you know. No regrets of course but still, I wish I'd had the other body style, the other, just a  sexier car. It's a more svelte, had better lines and the engine was, I think, much better 

ArtCenter: How did it impact your life? Good or bad? At that point.

Joshua Paul: My car or my dad's car?

ArtCenter: Your car.

Joshua Paul: Oh my god, well it's, I mean a car gives you freedom. I grew up in Fresno California so we were on our bikes or skateboards up until that point. We were playing sports because we had nothing else to do. We'd finish school, and go play sports and take the bus home. Or bike or skateboard. Once you have a car you kind of lose interest in sports. You start meeting girls, you have independence, you can start going out and come home a little bit later, get into a bit of trouble. But you're also free to go to the coasts. I was from Fresno so we'd go to San Luis Obispo or Santa Cruz. Or we'd go see concert in San Francisco. So we really were free.

ArtCenter: What's like your most vivid memory involving the car?

Joshua Paul: My most vivid memory of the 2002 was, I took auto shop  in high school, I think I was in 11th grade. And part of the problem was the car was always costing $200 to fix this or that. I mean the car was a bit of a lemon. Again, I wish I'd waited a little longer to pick a car. But I decided to, I think change the brake pads myself. And so I went to BMW, I ordered the parts, had the instructor help me fix the, take off the rotors, change the rotors, and get the brake pads, and fit the brake pads, and adjust  the brake pads.

And then I couldn't find the cotter pin anywhere in auto shop. So I thought, I'll just use a nail, not understanding that metal isn't just metal. So anyway, put the car back together, go out for a drive. And as I'm going down Highway 41 at about 60 miles per hour, suddenly the rear end, left rear drops. The wheel passed me on the left. And I just sprang a tail, a rooster tail of sparks down the freeway. I love that I gained control of the  car, we pulled the car over, I had to run out into the center median and chase this tire which was coming, just picking up speed. Finally got my wheel, brought the tire back to the car. Called the tow truck. And that was the last time I worked on that car. And of course it was a $500 repair so we  saved no money in that do-it-yourself auto shop class. 

ArtCenter: That was like an action hero moment. Did you get another car after that or did you, were you carless for a while?

Joshua Paul: No we fixed it. But my second car was a Honda Accord, and basically my parents said, "You know you have to sell this thing.  It's too expensive." Every month it cost $200. So I was convinced to  take a Honda Accord that my grandparents bought. And because they could no  longer drive it was this brand new car with maybe 10,000 miles on it. And  what I sold the car for we just exchanged the price, the money over to them.  But as my friend said to me, he said, "You made the biggest mistake ever  because this car's never going to die and you're going to have it  forever." And it was a baby blue Honda Accord LX, and it was like the  least sexy car I ever had in my entire life. But the heat works and the  defroster works and it always started. And it was a penniless car, the tires  lasted well over 50,000 miles. Great gas mileage. Very expensive. But it was  terrible for my image.

And not only that, I was hit by a motorcycle at a stop  light and it dents the rear bumper. And so we settled the payment, it was  about a $700 repair. But I couldn't justify spending $700 on the bumper, so I  kept the money. But I had a dented light blue Honda Accord. So again, just  not sexy.

ArtCenter: Did you keep it for a while? Was it sorta like an  albatross, like it kept working and that was kinda the problem?

Joshua Paul: Oh absolutely, there was no logic to getting rid of that  car. It was perfect. It lasted forever, it drove well. It was comfortable,  the heat worked, everything worked. It always worked. But luckily I finally,  my mom bought a new car. My mom had BMW 535I, an '85. And she had very few  miles on the car and she upgraded to a 548 and sold me that car. And that was  right after I finished Art Center. So now I was cool again. Was a  photographer, had a cool car. And that again, it makes a big difference. It  changes the way you feel about yourself. And especially being in LA, where  everyone had a great car. And I was again in this light blue Honda Accord. Which,  no one wanted to ride in my car, so.

ArtCenter: So it changed your social options when you were in LA?

Joshua Paul: Well I think a good car, I think a cool car gives you  confidence. I think it's like wearing a great coat, or wearing great shoes,  or wearing fitted jeans. And if you think you fit that car, which I think I  did, I mean it wasn't brand new. It was still kinda the older style car. Had  great power to weight ratio. It was a sexy cool car. It was charcoal gray,  had a sunroof, tan leather interior. I loved it.

ArtCenter: Tell us about the cars in your life now.

Joshua Paul: I can't tell you everything because things are happening in such a strange way. So I started a magazine called Lollipop, it's about Formula One and it's only Formula One. And it happened by chance where I was heading to Europe, a friend of mine just became an editor at Road and Track, so I asked him if I could shoot the race for them. And he helped me get the  accreditations which is very difficult. And we wrote letters and we sent a portfolio and we sent links to my website. And only a few days before I got  to the race was I approved to shoot the race. I asked the head of the FIA which is the governing body of Formula One, they had looked at my website and liked my work and liked my sensibility and what I was doing. And he invited me back to more races.

ArtCenter: Did you feel like the kind of stuff you were photographing has shifted this time, now that you're more invited into the inner fold?

Joshua Paul: No, I'm trying not to do that. When I got into Formula  One I simply asked to shoot a race and asked for try to help me accreditation. And I thought this would be so cool, I'm on holiday in  Barcelona, I'll shoot a race that would be really great. And when I got there  I was invited back. And the reason they said, I mean they wanted, they invited me back because they thought I shot things a little bit differently. And when I shot the race I kinda just treated it like a travel story, and shot big environmental landscapes. So I was at the Spanish Grand Prix and the hills are brown and there's a tree in the distance and clouds over there. So shooting with a wide-angle lens, just a big landscape, with the Ferraris kind of driving through the frame. And I just did that.

ArtCenter: What car do you fixate on now? Is there one car where you think, “that is the most beautiful machine on four wheel?”

Joshua Paul: I'll give you two. I'm obsessed with a late 80′s Porsche 911 Carrera. I think it's a perfect car. Like an '88, '89, with the G50 transmission, it's perfect. It's small, it's sexy, it's just meant to drive. You can hear the engine, it's so distinctive, the sound. I grew up with those cars and a lot of my parent's dads had those cars. And I never  drove in one, we just went and looked at them, or they'd let us wash their cars. Seriously. We'd roll the out and we'd wash them and we'd roll the back  in. They wouldn't even let us start them up. So I've always been obsessed with having a Carrera. Even when I live in New York I'll justify finding a parking place and find nice roads for it.

But the car that changed my life about 15 years ago was the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. And I think it's the most beautiful car ever  made. And I'm sure many other people think the same thing. It's just this  incredibly gorgeous, long, sexy car that has a rough edge which it's riveted.  It's two side of the cars are riveted together down the center of the car. So  it gives it almost a three inch fin with rivets. Yet the windows are rounded,  it's wood interior and leather inside. And it just, I think it has six black  matte tailpipes out the back. It's just so sexy.