Tuesday Bouillabaisse

Blog post Bouillabaisse! When I see something cool that I think might be blog worthy I drop the link in a folder fro safe keeping or until I have nothing to say then need to post about something. for some reason I just need to post sometimes. So here are a few items and thoughts that I have been sitting on over the past week. 

I'll start with a piece of gear I thought was worth passing on. The BrentBasket by Faris Elmasu. At first glance it looks like another piece of Swedish mod garbage but then I saw how well it held a six pack. It seems pretty versatile and stylish, but those are two things that probably don't add up to longevity, but who knows.

Speaking of beer, I was at The Royal Mile in Wheaton on Saturday to watch soccer when I happened upon Loose Cannon. A hoppy beer with hoppy flavor what has a hoppy finish that leaves you feeling hoppy, but not too hoppy. Seriously though, this beer tastes great and has a citrusy herby flavor going that is quite good. 

"wonderfully  drinkable" indeed

Next up is Camp Bacon. I read about this in USA TODAY and was stunned...  and hungry.

Camp Bacon is located in Ann Arbor Michigan and boasts tons of bacon related activities and games for today's bacon lover, and yes, there's a video.

Thinking about camp always takes me back to those warm summer days, not a care in the world, sitting in my house watching Meatballs over and over again. Ah...  the good ole days.



Just to make this blog bouillabaisse complete, here's a video that I can't stop watching.

via stevil

mmm... that's does smell good.

Silver Spring Farmer's Market: All Grown Up

Saturday the family went to the Silver Spring farmer's market to pick up some local veggies and play in the fountain. We used to only go the the farmer's market in Tacoma Park but this season the SS market seems to have caught up a bit. It was a good outing; we got to talk to and buy some goods from Charlie Koiner, who was recently the subject of a Silver Doc Short entitled "Corner Plot". Just one of many photo opps that I missed.

The bikes having a shnug while we play in the fountain and I test the waterproof properties of my GoPro Hero HD. Video to Come.

Click the image. It's bad ass.

This fully loaded Surly Big Dummy  was set up to carry two little girls and all the groceries home, making this father drool... some day It will be mine. I mean I'll buy one, I'm not going to find this guy's and take his. 

Lastly, I want to give a shout to Ari Natter who recognized me and the LHT (yeah you know...   me). He and his girl (who's name I forget) were off to bike to a party down the CCT. Good for you two, and thanks again.

Since I missed yet another photo opp I will represent Ari and his better half with the following image.

This is pretty much exactly what they looked like. I know right?

Layin' Down Some Beets - OR - Channeling Dwight Schrute

I harvested my beets last night and ended up with enough for the veggie course in a dinner for two. This was my first time growing beets and I think they came out pretty well. I planted the seeds as soon as the Snowpocalypse melted. They aren't that big and I'm sure it's my fault. I let my daughter disperse the seeds so they came up in a cluster that was packed way too tight. Many of the beets grew right up against their neighbors which made them smaller and flat on one side. I didn't do any research on what kind of soil they like either. They were delicious none the less and I'll try again next year for sure. Maybe by then the little one will be able to plant nice rows by then, although that's hardly the point. 

Thank You Landon Donovan!

That was a crazy match. The USA out played Algeria deserves to advance.

Try as they might the refs couldn't keep us out of round two!

USA! USA! USA!

Tour Divide: Leaderboard Check In

This is a reminder to check in with the Tour Divide Leaderboard.

You can also get the latest news as well as listen to rider's call-ins on the Tour Divide Blog.

Pub Review: In Philly Gettin' Silly

I was in Philadelphia on Saturday and happen to wander into The Standard Tap. An unflattering name for a pub in my opinion but none the less a very cool spot. The beer list was not huge but where it lacked in abundance it made up for in quality.  I didn't get a picture of the interior but just look at the photo above and imagine what you would expect the inside to look like and that's probably a pretty accurate picture. Lot's of worn in wood and brick, tattoos, beards, and the occasional chalk board adorned with food and beer lists. It's also pretty huge inside with two levels and a rooftop patio.

The food was good and the fact that most of it was local made it even better.

The folks inside seemed nice and the bar tenders were friendly. Let there be no doubt you'll be knee deep in hipsterland if you make it The Standard Tap. The tell tale signs were everywhere...

If the streets lined with fixed gears don't clue you in, the bike parking laced with a  freshly knitted cozy should be a dead giveaway.

Scratching your bike every time you lock it up does suck. I thought this was a very thoughtful gesture on the part of the neighborhood.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.
Go there if you like good beer, good food, good people, and you give a damn about local food.
Don't Go there if there was too long of a wait at the Applebee's and you've got a hankerin' for a Wedge Salad.

USA vs. Slovenia: As Seen From Ireland

Having missed the first USA world cup match due to an unfortunately scheduled unbelievably cool social event I made sure my calendar was cleared for this morning's USA vs. Slovenia match. McGinty's in Silver Spring was holding a fundraiser breakfast to benefit Catholic University's men's soccer team.

I was running a little late but I made it to McGinty's, locked up my bike and ordered breakfast just before game time. It was 10am and I was ready to dig into my Irish breakfast.

For the first half of the game USA looked like crap. Slovenia scored twice and the mood in the bar was low.

The second half was dominated by the USA who managed to equalize with enough time to win it. Here is a video I shot of what should have been the game winning 3rd. Note the mood change as the ref makes a ridiculous off sides call. 

Slightly pissed and full of calories, I stepped out into the sunlight and made my way to my LHT (yeah you know me) only to find that in my haste to make it to the game on time I did this.

A tie game that should have been a win is aggravating, but a bike to ride that should have been stolen makes everything better.

Have a good weekend everybody.

Mount Pleasant Swap Meet: Who Does Runs Bartertown?

This little guy does.

Yesterday I was stumbling through the bike section on craigslist and I found a post with the image above, a link, and a question...   "Who runs Bartertown?"

Now it's common knowledge that two men enter and one man leaves but I can't really say who's running the show over in Bartertown. I guess I'm going to have to show up this Saturday from 2pm-5pm at Lamont Park in Mt. Pleasant to find out. "Ben" has proposed a bike swap meet over there, maybe there will be something good, maybe I'll bring something good.


http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/bik/1795255342.html

Last bike swap of the summer. Sorry for the short notice. The bike elves have been very busy, but they are eager to enjoy the summer weather and want one last chance to get great deals on parts, frames, gear.

Saturday the 19th of June, 2pm-5pm. Lamont Park, Mt. Pleasant DC.

Everyone bring something to swap, keep prices low, clear out your closets of things you aren't using and bring them down for people who might.

Thus far:

29" single speed mountain bike

Gold Modolo Speedy's Brakes and levers.

Crow bars x2

"Hold Fast" Toe Clip Straps.

Cross laced track wheels

Campgnolo 170mm track cranks

two IRO track bikes white, 53cm

Full campy gruppo, 1977

Specialized Rockhopper, cherry red, 20" great condition, with slicks this would be an ideal city ride or foundation for touring or tow bike.

Trek 970, black, 20" Same as above. Though this one has a rigid fork. Deore XT

Bianchi Track bike, 1986, Chromed lugs, damaged frame

Leather saddles, various manufacturers and conditions.

Track hubs, racing hubs,

Campy track hubs, Sew-up wheels, 1976

Level Hub/velocity rim, front wheel.

White replacement forks. threadless, road/track, drilled.

Several fixer upper project bikes, mountain, road, etc.

Send me your list of wares to be included here.

-Ben

16th and U's Induction Into The Cycling World

It was years ago I was reading a blog about Portland that I first learned about the bike box. A very cool concept that I thought would never show up in DC. if you read this blog with any regularity you'll agree, I'm wrong quite often. Last month DC got it's first bike box on Pennsylvania Ave and now there are plans to add bike boxes to the intersection of 16th and U street NW. This is surreal, I always here about new plans for more bike lanes and cycling infrastructure but this one seems to drive it home for me. I used to live in The Envoy, one block up the hill from this intersection and have fond memories of my morning blast down 16th street, and bobbing and weaving my way onto New Hampshire. Now the intersections is going to have bike lanes and boxes painted green with dedicated  induction coils to trigger lights for cyclists.  

via Greater Greater Washington

I could make a prediction about the effectiveness of this plan once implemented but I'd probably get it wrong. 

Seersucker Socialized

The Dandies & Quaintrelles answer to their ever popular DC Tweed Ride was this weekend's Seersucker Social at the Hillwood Estate and Gardens.  As expected it was a smashingly good time in an ideal setting.  There was something surreal about watching DC socialites in their finest seersucker, sipping gin drinks and playing badminton or croquet on the lawn of the Hillwood Estate. I would move that all future D& Q socials be held there. The only thing lacking was the ability to shut down Dupont Circle during the ride.


I was sporting my $11.45 Brook Brothers Seersucker suit which I had converted into shorts to combat the DC humidity. I would like to note that the Clark Gable mustache was not an easy feat and hurt like hell to achieve... but hey, I'm an achiever.


The Sweat Pea was sporting a cute little seersucker dress which was a crowd favorite.


I was delighted that my pants had a watch pocket which allowed me to rock my 95 year old pocket watch thanks to my great uncle Herschel.

Hendrick's Gin was the perfect match as a sponsor as they have a very unique marketing flavor that suits both seersucker and tweed. I was very happy because Hendrick's happens to be my gin of choice.

The Hendrick's custom Pashley was making most onlookers drool.

The Hendrick's custom cucumber something-or-other was making most onlookers drunk.

And then of course were the people:

Keith, (on the left) was responsible for the ample bike parking seen above.

Sadly I didn't have time to take many bike photos but I did snap a shot of a nicely de-decaled LHT. Does anyone know what kind of rack that is? 

A job well done to the folks at Dandies and Quaintrelles for hosting another outstanding event.

Cheers!

UPDATE:
Here is a nice little video from mdmerino95:

So Much To See: World Cup / Tour Divide

There is a lot going on right now. The World Cup is right around the corner with plenty of decisions to be made about which games to come in late to work for, take a long lunch for, or just play hooky for. Then you've got to decide where to watch the games you played hooky for. There are tons of options all over town.

There's also another ginormous sporting event that also starts June 11th. The Tour Divide, a 2,745 mile solo mountain bike race that runs the from Banff, Alberta (that's in Canada...) to Antelope Wells, New Mexico (that's in America) along the continental divide. Yeah you're a big wuss bag... and so am I, and most likely so is everyone we've ever met unless they've tackled this monster.



The cool thing about this race it's amazingly spectator friendly as you can watch the race progress via the official leader board Google mash-up. Odds are the racer you are watching has a blog too. This year I'm following Kent Peterson, mainly because he has a decent blog and Jill Homer isn't competing.

Please let me know if I am forgetting any major sporting events.

Seersucker Score!

I bought my tickets to this weekends Seersucker Social and just scored a Brooks Brothers seersucker suit for $11.45. Thank god for Bethesda thrift stores. This means I am close to being fully prepared.

If you can't tell I'm pretty excited. Such excitement can only be expressed though artwork like the following masterpiece by my buddy Clay Yount.


My money's on the freaky Horse / Narwhal hybrid thing.


UPDATE:
Anyone know anyone who can make me a cycling cap if I provide the material?

Hit me up quick if you do.

Seersucker Silliness

There has been some buzz about The Seersucker Social brewing for a while and I have neglected to blog about it for two reasons: laziness and I couldn't make to the event. I just found out there is a good chance I'll be able to attend so here's the post. I know, I'm selfish.



The good folks at Dandies and Quaintrelles are putting on a Seersucker Social next Saturday at the beautiful Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. I would imagine it'll live up to the hugely successful DC Tweed Ride they put on last November. If I can find the right jacket I'll be there for sure.

Blowing My Cover: USA TODAY Spot

It's no secret I'm a big fan of the Bike To Work Day message. I usually take the day off and ride to the Bethesda pit stop with my daughter. This BTWD was no different except for one small detail. I had Mia Shimabuku of USA TODAY show up at my house at 6:30 am to film my morning process for a spot they were doing on the lifestyle of bike commuting.

I like that this piece focuses on the positive effects bike commuting has on your lifestyle and not just about how much everyone else sucks.



I am impressed with the editing of this piece. Mia had what seemed like an hour of footage of me blathering like an idiot and yelling to my daughter to stay out of traffic.

Worried that I wasn't giving Mia anything useful I hooked her up with Jo Doyle, a car free cyclist also in Silver Spring who I had met the previous week. Being car free in Silver Spring seemed like something in need of national recognition to me.

To me the real highlight of the piece is my daughter's unquestionable high-five and fist bumping abilities. Let there be no doubt of her mastery of these two vital skill sets.

Lastly, I'm very proud that I got my LHT (yeah you know me) it's 15 seconds. Give it up Surly people.



UPDATE:
A quick thanks to everyone who posted this video.
Gwadzilla
EcoVelo
TheWashCycle
Rat Trap Press
BikeCommuters.com
Bikes and the City
Bike Blog NYC


And tweets from: dont_be_scurred, bjsmith, Area45, DealerOn