ACITW Members Featured in NY Times Travel Section!

After our run-in with New York Times Photographer, Heidi Schumann, during our 'Sunday In The City' blog session at Park Life,  we found ourselves (Cassie & Thomas) in a couple of the photos featured in the New York Times' write up about Park Life in the Travel Section:


(photo by Heidi Schumann for the New York Times)

Heidi is a documentary photographer for the Times working remotely in San Francisco after living in New York. She has done some remarkable work in Iraq and the Congo, focusing on human rights issues through her documentation. Check out more of Heidi's work at www.hsfoto.com

Live Blogging the Atlas Cafe and Gallery - Mission Dist. San Francisco

The Atlas Cafe has not only a great menu - breakfast lunch, din, cool staff and a dog friendly seating area outside, but an amazing local artist gallery. Right now they are featuring one of their own employees, Josh Farrell.

Josh's work is a veriety of imagery collaged together often with a subtle or subconscious homoerotic undertone to question strucures and beliefs of his and our own sexuality.

Portrait of the artist

Blogged by Thomas

Learning to Skid on a Fixie

Skream and Benga @ 103 Harriet

Skream & Benga tearing it up at 103 Harriet on Friday night. Filled the house.





(photos by Thomas Frongillo)

DIRTY ROTTEN FRIDAYS CONTINUE! -TONIGHT-!!

TONIGHT! The Hacksaw boys are back at it again with the new and improved DIRTY ROTTEN DANCE PARTY @ Madrone Lounge (500 Divisidero @ Fell).

Come check out the new stage setup, get yo'self a cucumber cocktail or shot of infused vodka, and get down to the beats of DJ Morale and Shane King!

$5 @ The Door
21+

New Product from Delicious Drips - SKULLYBONE iPod Speakers for bikers/skaters

Vinyl toy makers, Delicious Drips, are in the process of producing a new product aimed at the bike/skate culture of SF. The "Skullybone" is a uniquely designed vinyl skull portable audio system that attaches easily to a belt and allows you to listen to music from your iPod while you ride.


(Thomas Frongillo, local fixie mogul, sports the prototype while doing tricks at The Islands in the Embarcadero).

We spoke to Lief, one of the cohorts of this rad creation while out riding The Islands this weekend. Thomas took the prototype for a test-ride, blasting Pretty Lights, "Who Loves Me," while busting wheelies, bunny-hops and Keo-spins.



Lief told us that the final product will be much more compact, and about 40% louder than the prototype that already packed a decent punch for its size. He also said that there will be some customizable design options so that you can personalize your Skullybone to suit your style.

To keep informed about the upcoming Skullybone and other Delicious Drips products, check out their website at deliciousdrips.com, or follow them on facebook by joining their facebook page.

SUNDAY IN THE CITY: Park Life (Retail & Gallery)

In a city like San Francisco, which boasts a prominent and diverse art scene, Park Life is a beacon of inspiration waiting to be found by artists and art "fans" alike.




Started in 2006 by SF-based artist, Jamie Alexander, and Derek Song, this 1400 square-foot space houses a wide array of retail items fit to feed the art-junkie's craving for inspiration.

(Co-owner, Derek Song)

Featuring primarily contemporary art-based inventory, Park Life prides itself on carrying rare, hard to find, limited edition, and out of print artwork, books, magazines, jewelry, modern design objects, gifts and clothing (including their household brand of Park Life T's and Hoodies printed on 100% cotton American Apparel gear).


(Park Life Interior)


(T-shirt wall)


(


(Thomas checking out the T-shirts **they have both Men's & Women's**)


(Park Life features tons of hard to find art magazines)

In the back of the retail store is the Park Life gallery which features work by local modern artists that are hand-picked by Gallery Director, Jamie Alexander. Most exhibits stage for roughly a month, giving the artist ample time to showcase their work as the crowds of local and tourist art collectors and artists pass through the store.


(Thomas checking out this month's featured artist, Chris Johanson, in the gallery)


(Chris's latest published book, featuring artwork being shown currently at Park Life)

Unlike most stores of its kind, Park Life leaves all pretense at the door. Considering the depth of knowledge the owners have, and the refined taste that goes into selecting both artists and merchandise as high a caliber as Park Life has, one would usually expect to be confronted with a disregarding eye-roll when asked if they have a copy of Nan Goldin's out-of-print "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency," (a cult classic, but predictable and amateur request). On the contrary, the humble employees are not only quick to help you find whatever it is you're looking for (however obscure or obvious it may be), but even on their busiest day (like the Sunday we were there) will engage with you in genuine conversation.


(Derek mingling with a customer)



(Jewelry and other goods at the front counter)


(My personal favorite...)

It seems the welcoming vibe of the place flows over to their patrons...the day we were in shopping, Heidi Schumann, a photographer for the New York Times, was in shooting for an article on the store as well. Holding her Canon 5D Mark II in hand (the same camera I shoot with), she politely asked us if we minded if she took pictures of us for her article for the Times...to which we facetiously said "only if you dont mind us taking pictures of you for our blog." Needless to say, both parties complied.


(Check out her work at www.hsphoto.com)

Friendly and well-educated employees, free art exhibits, plenty of interesting/humorous/obscene merchandise to keep you occupied, hard to find magazines and books, and dozens of T-shirts and hoodies....what more could you ask for on a foggy Sunday in SF?!

Park Life is located in the inner-Richmond district of SF at:
220 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA 94118

Come in and say hi.

They usually close at 8, but if it's 7:55 and you decided that you DO want that awesome purple hoodie that you had on hold and you're 15 min away, they'll stay open just for you. :)


www.parklifestore.com

Love this image.

As seen in the latest issue of Paper Magazine. Check out their featured article, "Rebranding America," featuring artwork by art world moguls like Shepard Fairey, Jonathan Horowitz, and Alex Bogusky (who did this piece of, Obama wearing a Chè wearing a "Hope" Obama shirt).

www.papermag.com

NYC: Day One - Planes, Trains and Fast Food

"Next time, we're flying direct." -Thomas






Southwest to Chicago (home of some of the unhealthiest people in the world).

Seriously, though. No hating, but we were shocked at how many people at Chicago Midway opted for Mickey D's over the hordes of other cuisine choices available...

Upon suggestion from my little brother (who was born in Chi-town), we grabbed a gyro at Pegasus.





(we were happy with the suggestion)

-----------------------------------



After landing in Long Island, hopping the LIRR to Penn Station, and fumbling our way through the subway system to finally arrive at Spring St. in Soho, we finally surfaced and were chaperoned to The Red Bench (107 Sullivan St.), a higher-end dive bar with a bartender who could do the splits.

Perhaps the highlight of the night, however, was our late night run to Kool Bloo, a burger stand that prides itself on providing healthy fast-food options, but that realistically serves killer greasy burgers. What you order is what you get. I ordered a pineapple burger, and that's just what I got...a patty with a slice of pineapple between two buns, but let me tell you...it was one of the best burgers I've ever had. A must for late-night indulgences if you're in the hood.







(Tastes way better than it looks)

The perfect end to a long day of traveling.

SUNDAY (well, a whole week, really) IN THE CITY: New York

Thomas and I headed to NYC for a week to get a taste of some REAL summer weather and explore the OTHER greatest city in the US. We sought out the best food, shopping, art and local culture in the Big Apple, both from asking locals and coming across our own accidental discoveries as a result of wandering or getting lost. Here's what we found....

SUNDAY IN THE CITY: Mollusk Surf Shop

Located on the corner of Irving and 46th, the Mollusk Surf Shop is an inviting welcome in from the foggy, windy SF coastline.


Greeted by one of a few friendly surfer dudes, we walked in to find ourselves faced with large blocks of colorful folded T-shirts, featuring unique brands designed by illustrative artsits such as Sprout, Ando & Friends, Warriors of Radness, and the house brand, Mollusk.




While the selection of clothing alone could set this surf shop apart from the thousands of others that dot the CA coastline, perhaps the most notable quality of Mollusk is the sense of community and creative embracing that seems to be consistent throughout the city of San Francisco.

Thomas, a local SF artist, immediately approaches the guy at the register to ask about the price of a small piece of paper with a drawing on it by transient musician and visual artist, Kyle Field (aka "Little Wings"). The guy squints his eyes to get a better look at the piece, and then politely offers to make a phone call to find out...



...he returns a few minutes later and leads Thomas to a "secret" drawer housing an array of Field's work. As he sifts through the loose papers of line drawings, he casually mentions that Field is in NY, as he had just recently gotten kicked out of his previous residence...a tree-house-looking "attic," as he calls it, located directly above the front entrance to the store.



The entire store, in fact, could be qualified as a piece of art in and of itself. Aside from featuring framed pieces by local Bay Area artists, most of whom are somehow linked to the surf community, both on the store walls and in the small gallery located in the back, there also appear mixed-media sculptures hanging from ceiling and wall panels that give the store a comforting "artist's wonderland" feel.



As I perused the store while Thomas looked at boards and tried on shoes, I couldn't help but notice the familiar surf video, "Wet & Wreckless," by our beloved local surfers/party-planners, San Franpsycho.



Whether you're a die-hard surfer mogul, a tourist looking for a unique SF surf-culture souvenir, an artist looking to purchase or display art, or a local who happened to be strolling through the neighborhood and felt like stopping in to sit on the comfy, worn-out vintage couch to chat with the clerks, there is something for everyone at Mollusk.




Check out the other Mollusk stores in LA & NY, or visit their online store at www.mollusksurfshop.com