I just upgraded my wordpress installation and it looks like my photo gallery is taking a dump. (Thanks to Jason for the catch). I’m using a Flickr plug-in over at AutoStream that seams to play nice with the new version of Wordpress, so I’ll set that up……AFTER the Thanksgiving. A man has to have priorities ya know!
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.
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.
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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
Oh hell yea, Public Enemy vs Benny Benassi http://bit.ly/1qbZ9
My wife Carlisle and I got an invitation recenlty to help the “One Degree” team with their submission to the 48 hour film festival. We had a fantastic time and the attached movie is the result of our work. We hope you enjoy it.
LOL just had one of those “only in LA” moments. Saw a Veyron on Pico stuck in rush hour traffic.
Getting ready to watch our movie at the 48 hour film festival. http://www.48.tv
Bittersweet video for me, I was invited to attend this video shoot but wasn’t able to make it, now after watching this video, I feel completely stupid for not attending…oh well. Great stuff. HD version on Vimeo.
Yes I know I’ve been quiet for the past week or two, lots of developments that I will happily blog about later. But I saw this video on LeftLaneNews today and it was too good to pass up and brought me out of my mini-retirement. But first I have to plug my favorite Camaro website,
The best and only place one should get their 5th Gen Camaro information from, CamaroZ28.com They actually had the first Camaro review up on the Internet but had to take it down because they unwittingly broke the review embargo which appears to now be lifting. Anyhow, Nick Aziz is another person I hold in high regard and it looks like his site, Left Lane News just got their Camaro which I am happy to see they’re having fun with.
Just for fun: Burning rubber in the 2010 Chevy Camaro video.