Fresh Air for a new life

• Just attended race orientation. Very excited despite needing a translator to explain the rules. #

• In heaven. Touring the Musei Vaticani #
• Having a beer taking iPhone pics for Darrin's sake on Facebook. #
• Adam to Tom "when you're in the middle of Rome craving Mexican food it's time for you to go home". #

Source: Long Beach Scooter Club

This past Sunday after watching week one of NFL football, I was walking out of one of the many sports bars lining Main St. in Huntington Beach and was filled with a bit of delight and envy. In front of me was a very large group of scooters riding together displaying a sense of comradery that I did not even know existed in the scooter world. Sure on any given day one is likely to see a group of motorcyclists riding along the PCH, but a group of scooters?

Source: Los Angeles Scooter Meetup Group

The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was jump on the Vespa and join, but unfortunately for me my 70 lb. dog and I couldn’t quite fit on it very well so I had to drive the car down. After further investigation I found out that there is a complete subculture of scooter enthusiasts that want to enjoy the beautiful rides in California just as much as those who ride larger two-wheeled machines.

Here is a small list of groups in Southern California.

• Long Beach Area Scooter Group
• Hard Pack Scooter Club
• Los Angeles Scooter Fanatics
• South Bay Scooter Club

• Tom says the next time he pays 7 euros for a waffle it had better come with a kilo of bacon. #
• Rome doesn't have street signs. It has largely ignored street suggestions. #

For the last 13 months I’ve been driving my 346 ci V8 Pontiac Trans Am and in contrast I’ve been riding the 1  cylinder Vespa GTS 300 Super to and from work for the last week. West Los Angeles traffic is very hectic at times. Case in point: I live 7.2 miles from work and on a good day it takes me at minimum 22 minutes and approximately 1/2 gallon of gas each direction (but it’s fun doing it).

In contrast, while on the Vespa I probably only shave 3-5 minutes off my commute to work but am able to save at least 10-15 minutes on my way home due to the fact that I can “cut” in between traffic. Doing all of this while only consuming a fraction of the gas of my Pontiac yet fun in its own right. Cutting traffic is a very scary thing to do while on a scooter but those saved minutes, for whatever reason, mean a lot. Even with all of the storage of the GTS 300, I still find the need to pack a very large backpack each day.

The GTS has plenty of power and one could very easily find themselves traveling quite fast (by scooter standards) without even noticing. At one point I found myself traveling 60 MPH without even noticing. I do have to admit that I didn’t feel very comfortable going this speed on such a small machine however. The Vespa GTS 300 isn’t your average scooter and is a very reliable and fun means of transportation. For my taste, it’s something I would have around for those trips that are further than a bicycle ride, yet not far enough for a car. In my opinion it’s perfect for city riding as long as one is constantly aware of their surroundings, especially in a city as busy as Los Angeles. The only thing I request is a more comfortable seat.

• Jet lagged and smiling. Standing at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. #
• PS Plan to defeat jet lag by staying up night before = epic fail. Arrived in Milan with 1hr sleep in 36 hours. #
• Giggling like a kid. Just touched a 458. #
• Life is good. Just drove an F430 Spyder in anger around the streets of Maranello. #
• Florence Monday night bar scene. Wall to wall American art students. #
• Lol Tom just jumped the counter at a donner stand to grab some crispy kebab, says one must plunder when abroad. #

• Barely back home & immediately back on a plane to Italy for a work trip. #

• Walked amongst 6,000 year old Ancient Bristlecone Pines. Time to head back to LA now. #

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Los Feliz is in my opinion on of the most eclectic areas of Los Angeles. It’s filled with quaint shops and restaurants but retains a lot of the old Hollywood charm of yesteryear. My girlfriend and I decided to take a nice cruise over to one of our favorite coffee shops in Los Feliz called The Alcove. After a relaxing coffee one can’t come to this part of town without visiting the famous Griffith Park. Cruising up Hillhurst Ave to Griffith Park we pass a concert at The Greek Theatre. Not till reaching the top did we realize it was the Dave Matthew’s Band performing below us. A great cruise, a nice cup of coffee, and listening to Dave Matthew’s Band Live from the Griffith Observatory overlooking the City of Angels – what a way to end the evening.

Vespa at the Alcove

• Having dinner at the Ahwahnee #