Street Style...College Ave., Blacksburg

Street Style... Alumni Mall, Blacksburg.

Street Style... King St., Charleston, SC

This young man favored Jay-Z I thought.

Bike Share, Washington DC

If you visit cities as often as I do, you know how it would be much easier to just jump on a bike and get somewhere quick, meet the bike share program. Copenhagen of course was the front runners in the modern bike share system started in the mid 90's. However the Vélib’ bike share system in Paris really has highlighted the tread since 2007 and other cities have caught on. If you don't know how it works, you check out the map of the bike share in whatever city your visiting, you join membership into the program at the kiosk, each time you check out a bike you have a deposit hold placed on your credit card and if your ride takes less than 30 minutes your ride is for free! Pretty cool, just make sure you park it back at one of the stations around town. 1-day membership in DC runs you $5, so if you plan your route well you can ride all day for $5, cheaper that a day metro pass, cheaper than renting a bike, and lots of fun.

Lafayette Square, Washington DC

Models needed - Open Call

I'm in line to get my new camera any day now, so with my upgrade I have a special project where I'm looking for some volunteer models.

I'll give out more details later, but the shoot will be 1-2 hour max in around downtown Blacksburg late March early April on a weekend. Male or female, need to be located near Blacksburg, compensation will be in a disc with all the photos taken as well rights to the photos.

e-mail angelspov@gmail.com if your interested for more details.

Can you do this? Part 4,Trade St., Charlotte

Can you do this? Part 3,Trade St., Charlotte

The Painter, Downtown Charleston

Street Style... Draper Rd., Blacksburg

Elizabeth Arden Warerhouse, Roanoke

You can thank my wife for this photo via her Android phone.

We went to the Elizabeth Arden Warehouse sale in Roanoke this past weekend, they have it about 4-6 times a year I think. Basically they sell their over produced items, cosmetics and designer fragrances for men and women for at least 50% off retail price (google for products made by EA). If you live within 2 hours of Roanoke and find out that this sale is going is on, it is well worth the trip.

Street Style... Calhoun St., Charleston, SC

Street Style... Hasell St., Charleston, SC

Fiddle Man, Downtown Charleston, SC

 

If you frequent downtown Charleston, you'll find there are a few local street performers who are daily regulars.

Triumph... Tryon St., Charlotte, NC

 

Street Style... 193 E. MLK Jr. Blvd, Charlotte

King St and Wentworth, Charleston, SC

Downtown... Farmers Market, Blacksburg

To Code: Put A Glove On It!

 Feburary's To Code: A Guide To Being A Better Gentleman

Welcome to this first edition of what will hopefully be a monthly how to edition of how to be a better gentleman and general helpful tips from my point of view. I was going to call this "doing it debonairly", although I really love the ring to the title, "To Code" is just as fitting.

Put A Glove On It!

I'm big on a few things: bags, shoes, the outdoors, and then there are gloves. I wear gloves any time the occasion allows or requires it. It is not to be cool, I just think they are practical as they keep your hands warms when it's cold, and they keep your hands safe when doing something that could end up in a bloody mess if you are bare handed. Although being fashionable is cool, I'm big on form and function, you make your own call, but I will always take function over form if I can't have both. Take a look at just a few of my regular gloves in rotation.

From top left going clockwise: water proof Timberland winter gloves, hand made fleece lined leather gloves, Barbour lambswool gloves, Dollar Tree fingerless gloves, Barbour wool fingerless gloves, Thinsulate ragg wool half-finger mittens.

So to make things short, buying wool/cotton gloves is pretty simple, make sure they are snug and they come to the base of your fingers. I'll personally recommend having at least one pair that is black, brown, blue or tan, other than that if you want a bunch of crazy colors go for it! Buying leather gloves is pretty much the same, just make sure you find a pair that fits slim and tight. After some time you'll break in your gloves nicely and they will fit well, like a glove. As you can see mine have a good bit of use out of them.

 Now I feel a bit like a copy cat mentioning this after last months GQ, but fingerless gloves are pretty handy when the temps are low outside but not so low where you have to worry about frostbite. Although GQ likes to treat every trend like they are the first person to discover this great idea, they are not. I also wrote this in December. Aside of that, I have a pair of Barbour wool fingerless gloves, a blue pair I actually got at the Dollar Tree, and my trusty Thinsulate half finger mittens. If you need some warmth but want to be able to use your iPhone without taking your glove off, go fingerless. Although I've added a few to the collection, my go to fingerless glove are my Thinsulate mittens. Sure I can't use my thumbs on a fancy cell phone, but if I need a glove-less finger, I can flip the top and get to poke'n. When its time to get back in the elements I just cover up my digits and away I go. These gloves are about 10 years old now and definitely have seen better days, I might try to salvage one more winter out of them, but the wife is already trying to sneak them out to the trash. I guess next time I'm at the store I can try to find a new pair and keep those for 10 years as well.

So stay warm in this last month or two left of winter! Who knew you could say so much about gloves?

Washington Monument, Washington DC