The Year of the Snake.

For now, I'm simply grateful for the life I'm living. For all of the challenges, gifts, failures, victories and most importantly for the perspective that each experience provides. I'm looking and learning a little each day.  Sometimes, the lessons are larger and linger a while longer. Sometimes, it's a process that requires patience with your friends, your family and often times, yourself. That's life. This has been one of the most challenging years of my life as well as the most rewarding. I've heard people say that to really live, you need to face a fear each day. I haven't really done that exactly but, there was a time when I traveled 28 stops to the end of the L train to "no-where-ville" Brooklyn to pick up a UPS package in the dark. That must count twice, right? Scary shit. I love NYC for pushing me even when I don't want to be pushed. It's not the perfect romance. My subway station still smells like pee. Sometimes the subway doors close right in front of my face and I miss the train. Sometimes someone pulls the emergency break and I get re-routed on 5 different trains during my morning commute. Sometimes I have to buy groceries--including paper towels this time. SUCK-festival,  2013. 

But, it's all worth it. 

Praia do Norte, Nazaré. Portugal.

Photo: Tó Mané

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/31/170753700/portugals-monster-the-mechanics-of-a-massive-wave

Really? Gurl?? Are you serious??

http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2013/01/invisible-driver-prank/

I'm home.

Looking back, it's been a little nuts. I've been in the office 1 day since December 18th. I've been away from home for 17 of the last 21 days.  Feels good to be back in NYC. The crew on my most recent shoot was pretty amazing. We're all coming home with a couple of great images, some pretty good stories and a few extra pounds-we ate well. Our shoot took us to the fishing docks in Portland, the airport in Atlanta and a business in the very strange and mysterious Alsip. Bizarro-town, USA. I don't think anything has changed there since the 1970's. And what's with all of the graveyards? We decided Alsip where people go to die or to get into the business of cutting headstones?

Shooting on the coast of Maine in January is downright insane. Shooting and lighting a space in the busiest airport in the world is a big challenge. And the lesson in Chicago was about ambient light. We shot so many plates on this shoot--a consequence of shooting in a dimly lit environment. Cheers to our brilliant retouchers who will bring it all together. 

Favorite restaurants in each city were...

Portland

• J's Oyster- A little dive-y but, they deserve to be recognized for having the best chowder and lobster rolls around! 

http://www.jsoyster.com/

• Fore Street-This was a very special dining experience. We had a huge party but, everything we ordered was spot on. I'd go back again in a second. 

http://www.forestreet.biz/

Atlanta

• Miller's Union-Grapefruit cocktails and delicious desserts.

http://www.millerunion.com/site/

• The Optimist - Said to be one of the best restaurants in the country right now. We'd have to agree. The hushpuppies and maple butter blew our minds!

http://theoptimistrestaurant.com/

• Clermont Lounge-Look it up. I can't talk about what goes on there. Smokers welcome.

Chicago

• The Purple Pig-Tapas you will tell your friends about. They do meat. This was no question the best meal of the trip. We went back for lunch the next day.

http://www.thepurplepigchicago.com/

• Table 52-Think tiny little house in a big city. Room for 10-15 tables. Call early.

http://www.tablefifty-two.com/

• The Southern-Kickass bar and comfort food. Portions were TOO BIG. We left a lot on the table. 

http://thesouthernchicago.com/

Sunrise at our freezing cold Portland, ME location. 

 Downtown Portland. 

 I don't think lobster gets any fresher than this...

 Karen and Ryan before our plane took off from Portland at 6:44am.

 The view from my room in Atlanta. 

 And a crappy picture of my view at dusk. Sorry, iphone only on this trip.

 Becky and I had time for a quick morning hike up Stone Mountain. 

 They didn't get real creative with the name but, I guess you know when you've found it. 

 The tram. 

...

 

Dessert at The Purple Pig. Bananas, marshmellows and Nutella. Umm...yeah.

 Flying over Illinois.

 Quick trip to Millenium Park with a few of the fuzzy photo boys. 

 Obligatory shot of Kapoor's Cloud Gate, aka The Bean! 

There you have it. A quick peek into the last few days. More soon!

94 floors in 40 seconds.

Not a bad payoff. 

Tulum, Part II.

So, I took a few photos. I still feel like there's so much I didn't get. I think I need a good point and shoot to stick in my pocket. As it is...these posts are made up of images from a variety of sources but, I didn't want to leave anything out. Enjoy! 

This is the door to our gated community. #airbnb

Beach bar.

Exploring...

 Casa Magna, aka Pablo Escobar's former pad. 

 Cuties. 

 Christmas Day family dinner and LED light show at our casa. 

 Check out this gigantic platter of ceviche. Pretty tasty!

 Tuna tacos. The plastic stays on the plates for quick and easy cleaning. (?)

 Itai and Randi!

 Sunrise at our beach. 

 Heeeeeello there. 

 Mexican version of a cherry picker. 

Tulum.

This trip was one of my best. A few of us piled into a jet and flew down to México for some sun and fun over the Christmas break. After a seven hour trip to Cancun via México City and a two hour drive from Cancun, we finally took a left onto RT 109 in Tulum. This is a magical little strip of road parallel to the beach that's filled with smaller boutique hotels, dimly lit restaurants and some of the kindest and best looking squatters/swingers/hippies/philosophers/musicians/artists/yogis around. This part of Tulum is very different than the downtown area that I've visited twice before. Both are unique in their own way but our hosts at Casa Luna Limon, who own and operate a production company (http://www.gorilafilms.com), provided us with the opportunity to experience Tulum in the way they live it.  Here are a few highlights: fresh squeezed juice and chilaquiles each morning, family style Méxican dinners, dance parties on the beach, a super close call with two wild dogs, guided tours of cliff jumps-yep I did it-and cenotes (underground fresh water systems) that are not advertised to tourists (scariest thing I've done in awhile), knowledge of the best and cheapest places to buy ceviche, pool parties, taco lunch for 4 people for $13 bucks, a group bike ride past the check point to the Sian Ka'an reserve at the end of RT 109 for a ridiculous lunch on top of some hotel we didn't know existed and then a mad dash home at dusk on a dark, dirt road with no lights or reflectors on our bikes, a self guided tour of Pablo Escobar's abandoned home 'Casa Magna', evening music session including didgeridoo lessons for Kayte with some guys living in a tent city across the street from our place and then a moonlight jam session on the beach-for real, body painting, body surfing, skinny dipping, coconut harvesting, storytelling, some tequila and a whole lot of other stuff. Oh yeah...music, music, music--our hosts had the BEST taste in music and played it from about 10am-12am. Amazing. 

This was our lunch while visiting The Sian Ka'an Reserve. 

Kayte and Felix on our way back from Pet Cemetery Cenotes. 

Lunch in The Sian Ka'an Reserve. 

This ladder down through a tiny, dark hole in the ground led us to the fresh water cenote we swam through for about an hour. Clearance above our heads was about a foot at some points. Yeah. I didn't appreciate Kayte biting my toe 1/2 way through. We all made it and I'm glad we did. It was so incredibly beautiful. 

Here is Randi, Itai and Missy on a Tulum beach. 

Kayte and me, chillin' on our terrace. 

Missy and Kayte at sunrise.

Randi, Missy and me on tour with Itai.

Here's our rooftop terrace and a view of the penthouse. 

Every morning we woke up to fresh juice and coffee!!!

Here's Missy and The Ice Cream Monkey.

Kayte (my partially exposed butt) and D. Dave. 

The Cliff. 

More soon.