New York City playboy and FRICTION contributor/photographer, Pat, recently came back from a trip to Africa. While he was there the crazy fool decided it would be a good idea to climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Luckily, he made it and is back at home in Queens in one piece. In his own words, Pat describes his feelings at Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

Despite my smile, I was terribly unhappy at the peak. My body shutdown due to the lack of oxygen. I wouldn’t have cared if the Playboy Mansion were up there with free tits and taco salad. I wanted to get the fuck out of there.

Ha! In all seriousness, it’s pretty impressive, climbing to and elevation 19,340-ft is no joke – but y’all DO know that Ray’s now probably scheduling a trip to Nepal to climb Mount Everest or something even more extreme.

This track’s for you Pat. Congrats! Nice suit by the way.

[MP3]: Erasure  ”Stop!”
7″ Single, Mute; 1989

UPDATE: Check out Pat’s pics from the trip. Here

for a change of pace, i’ve decided to deviate from our trend of artfully composed pictures under this series for a paparazzi shot. those “who love to eat” and enjoy reading up on the latest “hotspots” with “well executed cocktails” are familiar with tim zagat, the culinary/epicurean survey king. the surprisingly friendly gentleman busted his best zoolander with us at a recent zagat event.  so pimp of a shot, it almost trumps our previous one with depeche mode.

[MP3]: Black Moth Super Rainbow  ”Sun Lips”

Crackers united for a trip to Lake Wallenpaupack in northeast Pennsylvania last weekend. Cracker antics ensued as we invaded the quiet and lush forests of the Poconos for a second time. It was a gorgeous weekend as we fled our respective cities and soaked up some summer sun.

One thing that we learned on the getaway is that we’re much too old for Pictionary, unless you don’t know what a weathervane is and errr…and not to pee off a boat full of drunken Crackers (or you might just “fall” in). Poor bastard almost lost his trunks (with a bum shoulder too).

Pat’s documentation of the weekend’s tomfoolery is over on his Flickr site.

what started out as a modest plan of a filipino brunch and eyewear shopping, turned into a cultural tour de force. the indian community of jackson heights hosted an outdoor festival complete with jewelry vendors, bhangra beats, and cheap eats. its moments like this that remind me how awesome my borough is.

check out more photos here. 

growing up and living in NYC has exposed me to a colorful array of street art. not to be confused with most tagging, that familiar script and permanent blight of the urban landscape, street art can present beautiful and often vibrant images on otherwise gritty backdrops.

the images are sometimes reflections of society, tributes to loved ones, or simply outlets of creativity. greater attention has slowly surfaced around specific artists like neckface, locations like five points, or styles like the unique works found in brazil. recently a gallery surrendered its walls to the creative license of a few street artists from sao paulo.

before you know it, you’ll find their works on the bottoms of skateboards.

is it just me, or has nightlife in manhattan slowly degenerated into a party mecca for the top 40 craving congregations? i won’t bore you with a prolonged rant on the issue, but the good old days at misshapes and sweet paradise (which was just a month ago) have come and gone. so as posers and bankers spilled over from the meatpacking to the corners of the island, a few of us ventured out to greenpoint, bk for a night of free-spirited, though heavily spirit-fueled, revelry at studio b. put on your dancing shoes and join the exodus.

the art world’s focus will be on new york’s armory show this weekend where nearly 150 international galleries will be showcasing some of their most exceptional works of contemporary art. as much as i admire art, i won’t be attending simply because (a) my limited savings couldn’t get me more than this item (fragments from two broken budweiser bottles) and (b) i feel as if i could have made that crap myself… well, at least the artist didn’t use good beer.

crackerCAM was on location at mercury lounge last night to catch nicole atkins and the sea. nicole atkins, the talented singer-songwriter who headlined our first friction show, was performing songs from her latest EP, bleeding diamonds. the crowds enthusiasm and anticipation over her performance heightened as nicole atkins took the stage. this of course was unsurprising to those familiar with her singing, which secured her status among the top 10 artists to watch in rolling stone. her delicate voice and melancholy lyrics were nicely framed within the ethereal chords in bleeding diamonds. equally mesmerizing was her haunting croon and pensive lyrics in neptune city, a personal favorite. i’m glad the evening’s drizzle didn’t stave off the masses because nicole atkins’ talent is certainly one to be enjoyed by all.

neptune city (in a different city version) (via indoor fireworks)

unless you’ve been under a rock since the turn of the millenium, you’ve noticed that nyc’s landscape is in the midst of an architectural makeover. not only are lux condo’s springing up in the polished and skyscraper saturated areas of midtown, but they’ve also invaded the hipster enclaves of the lower east side, williamsburg, and long island city.

while waiting for a table at brunch on clinton st, i took this picture highlighting the strange juxtaposition of new and old lower east side buildings. the 16-story “blue” looks less like a high-end dwelling than the offspring of a smurf and rubix cube from of tron. at this rapid pace of development, what’s a hipster to do… move to philly? wait, that’s a touchy subject.

in a city rife with obvious social and economical contrasts, it’s not surprising to see polished jimmy choos next to shredded chuck taylors on the morning F train. who cares? however, much like stumbling upon frogger at a local laundromat, you’ll occasionally spot a pair of shoes that evokes blissful nostalgia. i’m talking about old school kicks.

remember those silly rubber halfdomes pertruding from the tongue that magically allowed you to dunk on your 7 ft jerryrigged bball hoop? yeah, well so do countless sneaker fanatics who scour eBay religiously for these rare urban accessories. check out my buddy’s sick collection of 120+ vintage sneakers and this ill pair of air filipinos.

so which ones did you rock back in the day?