Barrel Room

"Its ok, I have all seasons on it"

There's something great about super cars being driven in the snow. While many would claim that it shows the owner has a total lack of respect for their vehicle, I think it shows that they have respect for driving. Cars are built to be driven, and while it it is amazing to see vintage cars that have been stored in almost new condition and driven only a couple of 100 miles per year, I think its better to see cars that have been put through their paces. I guess I would rather enjoy a car behind the wheel instead of looking at it in my driveway. But then again its a pretty hard to justify driving a hundred thousand dollars of car in the dead of winter.

Top Shelf Flea Tomorrow

The second Top Shelf Flea will be held tomorrow just outside of Davis square in Somerville, at 371 Summer St. from 10-4pm. Definitely stop by and check out all the great stuff that will be for sale from some of Bostons coolest second hand and vintage stores. Doesn't hurt that there will also be a cash bar open all day. So even if you cant afford to buy any tweed blazers, Hawaiian shirts, art deco furniture, or classic vinyl definitely stop by and have a drink.

Beautiful Losers

Beautiful Losers the amazing documentary of street art and the burgeoning poster scene is finally available to watch online. Its also available on neftlix instant for those wanting to watch it in higher quality. Definitely worth a watch.

"Beautiful Losers follows a loose-knit group of like-minded and creative outsiders in the 1990s who found common ground at a little NYC storefront art gallery. Rooted in the do-it-yourself subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip-hop and graffiti, these individuals created art that reflected the lifestyles they led. The documentary speaks to the collective memory of the 1990s and sheds new light on those that were unbeknownst to mainstream America, but in the end, left an indelible mark on the worlds of fashion, music, art, design, film and ironically, sports"

Story of the 550 Spyder

One of the most iconic cars of all time, for good and bad.

San Francisco Fire Ladders

The San Francisco Fire Department is one of the last remaining departments that still uses wooden ladders in all of its operations. It is also the only city department that builds its own ladders. Wooden ladders are used for a number of reasons. The main reason being that wooden ladders don't conduct electricity, which is very important when your has lots of exposed high voltage power lines. Wooden ladders are also heavier, making them more stable in the heavy San Fran winds. They also handle heat better and don't fail catastrophically like aluminum ladders can. Wood may be much more expensive than aluminum, but the city actually saves money using the wooden ladders, because unlike metal ones they can easily be repaired, something the department also does in house. Some ladders that are still in use date back to as early as 1919.

Ladder Shop for SFFD from AdamKaplan on Vimeo.

Boombox

Wiki Says: A Boombox, also known as a ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette is capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music, usually at a relatively high volume.

I was born a little late for the boombox trend, but I do remember one of my friends older brothers having an amazing one that I was always jealous of. I also remember hanging out at the skate park in my town before any of my friends could drive. One of my friends would lug around a terrible sounding Sony boombox all day at school so we could have music to skate too. I'm pretty sure I was with him when he picked it up at a yard sale for 2 bucks, and thought he had got the deal of a lifetime until he went to go purchase the 10 D batteries it needed.

Pictures from the amazing Ghettoblaster Pool

Train on the Brain

Alison Murray was born in Nova Scotia, at 15 she ran away to live in England. Years later she embarked on a trip across Canada and the United States, hopping trains the whole way. This is her Journey.

Train On The Brain from Bob Billy on Vimeo.

Beer Trays

Growing up, whenever I ate anything outside of the kitchen, be it dinner or a snack, it was served on an old beer tray from the now defunct Diehl Brewery. My family had two of them, which were almost always reserved for use by my sister and I. Through my highschool years and up until today whenever I'm home as soon as I try and bring any food out of the kitchen I am kindly reminded to "Put it on a tray!" Even as a child I remember the tray's being in pretty rough shape, but years of cereal and ants on a log have reduced the pair to nothing more than black paint, oxidation, and rust.

I am surprised that the tradition of brewing companies making trays has stopped for the most part, it seems like a great way to advertise along with the rest of the branded items given to pubs such as glassware and coasters. For many breweries that are no longer around, beer trays seem to be one of the most permanent reminders of their existence. Adorning the walls up pubs long after the glassware has been broken, coasters have been discarded, and the breweries themselves torn down.