Monterey Car Week Favorites /  by Christopher Loa

Porsche Factory 964 race car with a racing pedigree at Monterey Car Week.

Monterey Car week is one of my favorite events of the year. A week of car shows, car meets, cruises and other car related events. Not only are there some of the rarest, coolest and most expensive cars in these shows but also the streets of Carmel and Monterey are filled with like minded car enthusiasts and their personal collector cars. Here are photos of some of my favorites from the week.

McLaren, Mercedes and Lamborghini on display at the Sotheby’s auction during Monterey Car Week.

Nine Days in New York /  by Christopher Loa

It can be hard living so far from most of your close family members, so when I get an opportunity to visit them, I take it. I spent nine days in New York visiting my dad and grandparents. I have always loved the east coast vibe and the fast pace of big cities and late spring is one of my favorite times to visit New York. I stayed at my dads house in Jersey City most of the trip and spent a lot of time exploring parts of New York that I hadn't experienced before. My dad works in New York as a real estate photographer so he runs around the city constantly but never gets a lot of time to just enjoy whats there, so its nice to experience it with him when I'm there. There were a few places I wanted to check out including Self Edge, Left Field NYC, and Upstate Stock which took me to neighborhoods that I had not seen a lot of, like Williamsburg and Queens. I also got to spend some time on the upper west side of Manhattan and of course I hit some of the typical shopping spots in SOHO. After spending a few days in the city, me and my dad drove 4 hours up to Horseheads which is a small town in central New York state to visit my grandparents. This town was established in 1837 and has an interesting history behind the name that dates back to the revolutionary war, which you can read about at the link. While in Horseheads, we went to a memorial day parade and checked out some waterfalls near Watkins Glen. Overall this was another fun trip to New York and I always love traveling and spending time with my family since they live so far away. I cannot wait until my next trip out there.

Day Trip to Bisbee, Arizona /  by Christopher Loa

Copper Queen Mine. Bisbee, Arizona.

Me and my friends, Travis and Jake, all had a day off and decided to spend it taking a road trip to an old town just outside of Bisbee called Lowell. It is a small town that seems to be frozen in time. Settled in 1880, most of the town was demolished when the pit mine was expanded in the 1950's. Today it is not much more than a single street lined with a few old buildings that have been preserved by its care takers. The mining company owns most of the land that makes up Lowell, but allows the a few locals to preserve the town as much as possible. Most of the buildings and businesses are just for show but there is a diner there that we stopped at for lunch called Bisbee Breakfast Club. After lunch we explored the empty buildings and talked about what it would be like to live in a mining town in the 1950s. After being amazed by the work that the care takers do to preserve this street, we went to check out some local shops in nearby Bisbee. There is a lot of cool things happening in Bisbee including a lot of new unique businesses like Classic Rock Couture, Object Limited and Terra Firma. Some of them were closed when we were there but we managed to make it to a few antique shops and Optimo Hatworks, a very cool hat shop that manufactures hats right there in the retail space. After walking the down the main street, and admiring the old Levi's advertising, we grabbed some Italian ice cream from Pussy Cat Gelato and headed home to Tucson. If you ever find yourself in southern Arizona, I would highly suggest checking out Bisbee and Lowell while you're here.

Travis, me and Jake on Erie Street in Lowell, Arizona.

Spring Bazaar at MSA Annex and Mercado San Agustin /  by Christopher Loa

Dust and Heritage at MSA Annex in Tucson, Arizona.

The Spring Bazaar is one of two events of its kind that happen each year at the Mercado San Agustin on the corner of Congress Street and Avenida Del Convento. This is always a fun event with several local vendors set up at the Mercado courtyard. This year they combined the Spring Bazaar with the grand opening of the MSA Annex into one event called the Block Party. The MSA Annex is a new extension of the Mercado, located just south on the same street. The MSA Annex concept is the first of its kind in Tucson. It consists of several shipping containers converted into 15 retail and restaurant spaces. some of the business in the Annex include, a bike shop, an outside bar, clothing boutiques, and home goods. I missed the grand opening celebration and events, but I still stopped in on the last day of the bazaar to check out the new space. Although it was still under construction and some business are still not open, I really liked the layout. I was very impressed with how each business made the best use of their spaces and put a lot of thought into creating a unique experience. There is a lot of variety in the shops and no two are alike. I am excited to see what else will open in the MSA Annex and I think this a great addition to central Tucson.

The courtyard of the MSA Annex in Tucson, Arizona.

Converse Chuck Taylor 70: A Sneaker With a Story. /  by Christopher Loa

@gloriasierra on court with the Chuck Taylor 70 in Tangerine.

It is starting to feel like summer here in Tucson, Arizona and my friends @gloriasierra and @david.tartaglia and I have been slowly adapting as temperatures increase. We were out exploring the university area when we found ourselves on a basketball court and realized we were all wearing Chuck Taylors. This sparked some of our inspiration for the day. This sneaker has been around in some form for 100 years and is one of my personal favorite sneakers to wear in summer. As a kid, I grew up wearing Converse. I always remember watching my dad skate in Chuck Taylors and my mom wear them and wanting to be like them.

I have always loved a good story, narrative or history, especially when attached to something tangible. The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneaker is one of those stories. Converse started life as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1908, founded by Marquis Mills Converse in Massachusetts. In 1917 they introduced the All-Star sneaker, later in the 1930's they added Chuck Taylor's name, a member of the Converse All-Stars basketball team, to the ankle patch. Since its inception, this sneaker has gone through many changes including adding an oxford, adding colors, changing logos, and through all of this, it remains one of the most iconic sneakers in the world. Some of the greatest players like Bill Russel, Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all played professional basketball wearing Converse basketball sneakers, forever cementing Converse in the history of the game.

The "Chuck 70" version is a heritage throwback of the basketball sneaker that was famous on the court in the 1960s and 1970s. It has a more classic look, as well as a lot of premium details such as 12 oz. canvas upper, higher rubber foxing and a classic black heel tab. The sneaker is also more comfortable due to the OthoLite insole.

Presta Coffee Roasters /  by Christopher Loa

Presta Coffee Roasters, 1st Avenue location. Tucson, Arizona.

I have lived in Arizona for the past 16 years and lately, I have really been inspired by the people, places and events in Tucson. In any given week, I might attend a car show, hike in Saguaro National Park, drive to Mt. Lemmon, or simply get lunch and coffee with friends. This week I spent an afternoon at Presta Coffee Roasters with my friends David and Gloria to get coffee and talk about some creative ideas we want to work on. We like going there because the coffee and service is great. The people who work there are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and make you feel like a regular even if you're not. The space is also very comfortable and casual, and it doesn't hurt that it makes a great backdrop for photos. Their attention to detail really shows in everything they do from where they source their coffee to how its roasted, prepared and served. The more networking I do in Tucson, the more inspired I am by the entrepreneurs, creatives and talented people who live here and are passionate about making it an even better place to call home.

Bikes at Presta

Cultivate Tucson Spring 2018 /  by Christopher Loa

Cultivate Tucson Spring Market 2018 located at Chicago Music Store in downtown Tucson, Arizona.

Cultivate is Tucson's local vendor market place held in various locations twice a year. According to their website, the mission of Cultivate is "Our goal is to foster collective empowerment, creative initiative, and community growth.". Along with this mission, they also give back a portion of all proceeds to local Tucson non-profits. This year the spring market was held in a building in downtown Tucson that most recently housed The Chicago Music Store from 1967 to 2016. The building, built in 1903, has been the home of occupants such as Los Angeles Furniture Store(1903), J.C. Penney(1927-1957), and Aaronson Brothers(until 1967). I believe the location and spaces they choose for the markets each time really adds to the atmosphere of the event, and this year was no exception. I had a great time at the event and continue to be inspired by the people in Tucson. 

Cultivate Tucson Spring Market 2018