December 11, 2021
It’s my intention to visit all relevant tiki bars across the states… the vintage ones, born in the late 1950’s. With some stops nearby, I knew getting to Kowloon in Saugus, Massachusetts would be a priority. I didn’t know it’d be swarmed with partygoers, making it challenging to embrace the Read more…
December 1, 2021
Another jam-packed year proceeds to its 12th month… December… 2021. Along with the usual confusion of “How is it December already?!” my beloved holiday decorations welcome the wonder, twinkling with a love and appreciation of those who blessed my year and reflecting an enduring hope for continued adventure in the Read more…
November 7, 2021
As long as I can remember I’ve tried to find the best parts of Long Island. From when I barreled down the parkway eastbound in search of wonder in my Chevy Citation as a teenager to now, uncovering shenanigans with a Brooklyn expat who shares my same adventurous spirit, one Read more…
July 6, 2021
The last day of the desert adventure… before I would spend hours in the air waiting for New York City storms to clear the atmosphere before landing in Buffalo to refuel and finally seeing my bed in Brooklyn at 2:00 am as opposed to 8:00 pm as originally scheduled. It Read more…
July 5, 2021
Fremont Street is where the Old strip used to be, where vintage neon harkens back to less grandiose times. Of course this was always my favorite part of Vegas to visit. But now The Fremont Experience embodies a whole different time of vibe… dot dot dot Let’s just say it Read more…
A reigning Favorite Thing, I go nuts for tiki bars. Vintage decor, kitsch, seediness, decorative and impactful cocktails,,, and in the case of the legendary Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas–gambling, smoking, and lots of couples making out. Ah, a fantastic energy that is so nostalgic to me.
May 28, 2021
My latest photography love is taking pictures that could be from a different time, a time that leaves all of the worst of the now in its own frame, blurred by an airbrushed filter, adds bunny ears and whiskers and then deletes it with harsh alert tone that jars you Read more…
March 19, 2021
Easter candy was always my favorite. Maybe because my Mom made the best Easter baskets. It was the Cadbury Eggs, which I veganized last year, and Peeps that were my absolute favorite. I knew I’d have to tackle an attempt to recreate these very special treats at some point. Traveling Read more…
December 14, 2020
The vegan options at Copiague Bakery are the kind of vegan options I love. Unpretentious and unlikely vegan options that seem available quite randomly. I arrived thinking I’d get a simple cupcake and be on my way… but their sweets grabbed me by the hand in a stroll down memory Read more…
December 5, 2020
Though I am not finished with dressing up my apartment for the holidays, I am delighted by my progress thus far in creating a mid century modern holiday wonderland. It truly is just beginning to look a lot like Christmas. After a hot tip, I checked out Newburgh, New York’s Read more…
November 29, 2020
Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know.And YOU are the guy who’ll decide Read more…
November 24, 2020
I don’t know how it is possible after years and years of blogging that I don’t have more πΎπππππ puns on here! In fact the only one I could find was a two-sentence post that was referencing The White Stripes album… in 2007. So now, a post totally dedicated to Read more…
November 19, 2020
And Boom! The winter coat is out. This year has passed with record speed… but its timestamps are upside down, half off the page and mostly indiscernible. My old trusty (this blog) will file away the months neatly for reference when the dust clears. So here are some things that Read more…
September 25, 2020
The next V.V. Nostalgic Classic would be the Charleston Chew, a childhood favorite deep-seeded in my memory–like all of my V.V. Nostalgic Classics (new tag!) Like those other treats, the texture and taste has remained vivid for decades. But more importantly, the associations and related details also pour back. I Read more…
September 19, 2020
I first put Cobra Kai on for some visual “white noise while” accomplishing some teacher stuff on my computer. But I would soon thereafter close my MacBook, completely enthralled. I was hooked. A fan of its original form, I have previously spouted off long-winded explanations about how The Karate Kid Read more…
September 15, 2020
I’ve learned that quarantining when you really had close contact with someone who is confirmed positive for Covid-19 is very different than sitting within a “courtesy” quarantine. This post contains scenes from my post-Utah courtesy quarantine, a brief stint of freedom after testing negative within that quarantine, returning back to Read more…
August 11, 2020
It ain’t over till it’s over, I suppose. And with a mostly honored mandatory 2-week quarantine after my Virginia trip, I have plenty of scenes for part 11… before I go and get myself another mandatory quarantine after my big summer trip. But with punches, we roll. Making lemonade… watching Read more…
July 2, 2020
On my way back to Cleveland for my morning flight, I stopped in Akron for some meandering. I wound up a neat marketplace that had some vegan options. A festive Independence Day cocktail before I settle into my last evening in Ohio. Nomz has some unique eats. I went for Read more…
May 30, 2020
We’re up to the 7th edition of Scenes from a Quarantine! But the outside world is getting far more active than it’s been in months. But people are stressed. It all feels kind of weird, all of this restraint. A springtime trip to the nursery is always a pick-me-up. I Read more…
April 12, 2020
This classic photo of the Rat Pack captures cool, captures camaraderie and friendship. Because Fun is not just… fun… it’s the meeting of humor and intellect, the application of both to arouse a collective spirit; synergy. A release I need more than ever in confinement. Finding people to laugh with Read more…
April 4, 2020
Nostalgic eats are a huge motivator for my baking conquests. Having been vegan for so very long, I am retroactively fulfilling all of the collected cravings from all those vegan years. Because back in the day I didn’t have the skills, the ingredients, the guides… I want to acknowledge the Read more…
I promise I won’t go on and on about how I used to love these when I was a kid, and blah blah blah. Just understand that I do not embark upon such involved recipes for any other reason. But these nostalgic treats are one I’ve wanted to try for Read more…
March 23, 2020
A long time ago when the Earth was green, I tried to veganize one of my most favorite childhood snacks… The Scooter Pie. Oh but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now, to quote my favorite Dylan song. And I really got a handle on making Read more…
March 21, 2020
So when I make marshmallow, I go hard. Because a batch makes a ton–and it better given how labor intensive it is–I had three simultaneous sweet treats going on at once. Marshmallow for my scooter pies (forthcoming as I’ve yet to coat them in chocolate), marshmallow for my s’mores cupcake, Read more…
March 16, 2020
Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day was another reason to celebrate with a bakery cake. My mother dressed me and my siblings up celebrate our Irish heritage with dorkish results. Here is me and my brother dressed to the nines one such St. Patrick’s Day. Today I still like to honor Read more…
