Tags: bikes
vanilla bicycles is a speciality hand made bike shop. their commuter bikes (which is really what i want) require a 5 year wait to get on the wait list! in fact, they do not even accept orders for them now.
based on the recommendation of an audiophile customer, turned a good friend and design advisor, i ordered a bike while ago. it was supposed to have been ready around four months ago but i am still waiting patiently. so now i know what bikes and audio products have in common: delays.
handmade bikes, tonearms, mechanical watches, fountain pens – seems like most of us in one vice, carry at least one other vice in common.
chicago seems to be a hot dog town. a few weeks ago i drove by a place with about a couple of hundred people in line. turned out to be a hot dog place called hot doug’s. i went there about 1:30 pm yesterday hoping the line won’t be long. after one hour and 15 minutes of wait, i ordered two hot dogs: elk with garlic bacon, and duck with fois gras.
on saturday, a fellow audiophile, turned a good friend and i went to smoque bbq restaurant. very good. but as always, i ordered way too much and i still feel the weight of the food.
Tags: chicago
violet hour, in the wicker park/bucktown area of chicago is one of the best bars i have been to in america. mainly because it does not look like a bar and you can have a nice conversation there. the drinks are innovative to say the least. from outside, it looks like a building with a lot of graffiti on the (outer) walls. feels like inside you would find skin heads. well, you do. after all, i have no hair. gravity. inside, it is a very elegant place like some of the better bars in amsterdam or tokyo. labor intensive drinks, and munchies like fried reese peanut butters.
Tags: chicago
mehran and his iphone dined at schwa restaurant tonight. chef michael carlson is one of the most innovative chefs i know of. tonight’s desert was frozen fois gras (yes), pound cake, strawberry gell, and strong black pepper ice cream. so good. the second desert course was beet ice cream with the essence of bitter bacon made by a barman from violet hour. i know this writing does not sound appetizing. blame it on me. once you see and taste the food, you will love it. the setting is unpretentious and intimate (13 small tables), and it takes about two to three months to get in (after the initial few weeks it takes them to return your call). thanks michael and the crew.
attached please find a link to steve job’s stanford commencement speech in 2005. this is one of the best speeches i have ever heard. motivating, to the point, and enjoyable. steve jobs at his best. well, almost.