Merry Christmas

LA stories - awardwinning!

Fall is on the way

Thank you, Cinema Paradiso

The story of a famous Italian film director who returns home to a Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years away. Once there, he is reconnected with the life and people he once knew—particularly the old projectionist at the town’s movie theater—and in revisiting the poignant memories of childhood, the journey brings back the highlights and tragedies that shaped his life and inspired him to pursue his dream.

I must have seen it around 10 times and I still love it. But see the master's cut - the love of his life, Elena, has not been far away from the movie theatre in all those years, but how could he have known, he left town and never looked back until he returned to learn the truth. The movies became his life, as he, by a lifespan of time, missed what he really loved but never got.

Light project

The city authorites are working on a project called "Plan lumière" to highlight the uniqueness of the big town and to improve the orientation in the night by placing spotlights to highlight the facade of the buildings.

Wow, till now I didn't get lost in the dark, but I must admit that it really looks great! So streetcats, hit the road and discover the city in a new light.

Weekend's special

I love weekends! Time to break free and to get crazy! Inside news: the girl next to me was my former boss at work in Santa Barbara, California...

Modern times at Sulzer's

In Winterthur, 20 miles from Zurich, the industrial complex of Sulzer is history now . The area is now being converted into a new city district of living, working and entertainment. Part of the old monuments remain and it still leaves a big impression. But in my ears, I still here the hammering of the steel pressing machines... when Sulzer had the reputation for producing the best turbines, turbochargers and diesel engines in the world.

Knock knock

After "Paris, Texas", Wim Wenders hit the film festial in Cannes with his latest movie called "Don't come knocking". Main roles: Sam Sheppard in the search of his past and the hope of future and and a terrific Jessica Lange.

The King, still taking care of business

Wow, another Elvis release, this time the Elvis home movie footage on DVD "Elvis by the Presleys".
Meet the King, meet Elvis the redneck, meet the guy who's still taking care of business, even 28 years after his death. For more than 4 hours. And enjoy it - live on your home screen. And for the soundtrack: Skip it, just the same old songs of any compilation.

For readers, I recommend Elvis' biography by Peter Guralnick "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" is a must-read for any rock or Elvis fan. The second volume, "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Careless Love)" shows the inevitable downside of the King's fame.

Looking for superb Elvis: You might better stick on "The Lost Album", the "Album That Never Was": it packages all the master tracks from two Nashville sessions in May 1963 and January 1964 into one complete set. (Originally intended as an album, the May '63 tracks instead were used as singles and album "fillers" over the next few years.) Now collected together for the first time on this CD, it turned out to be the one of the best album Elvis ever released. Top pick for all Elvis fans.

Sunday on the beach

Andy given Sunday, let's meet on the beach. But here we are, two brothers, one in LA, one in Zurich... But one day, we make it again!
(the guy in the back, that's me, in front, my brother who lives in California, USA)

Berta's place

I've been there again, at Berta's bar in Zurich.

Such a cool place to be. You wouldn't imagine that you are close to downtown - so calm, relaxed, with a cozy neighborhood.

My top pick in district 3.

Austrian doodle doo - breathtakingly!

"i had no idea how this mix of folk and contemporary music would sound, but I like it a great deal." tom, streetcrawler's

The name Attwenger comes from an old four-lined stanza, that was played in regional broadcast and later appropriated by Markus Binder and Hans-Peter Falkner. Since 1991, "Attwenger" is a project in constant flux. Markus Binder plays drums, Hans-Peter Falkner the accordian (electric squeeze-box). Both sing and use contemporary electronics in their music. Attwenger is considered one of the most innovative bands in Austria and fuse elements of folk with punk, rock, hip-hop and electro.

Gulp, gulp - like never before!

City crawling, streetcats, hot-running Vespa scooters, bling-bling girls in the streets. Time for a pit stop.

Do not go for any import stuff, go for the real thing.

Turbinenbraeu, nothing else.

Brands:
Goldsprint - the easy lager
Start - the unfiltered one
Rekord - my favorite one!

Kid's county

Claudia and her boy Lenny, now nearly 1 year old. Time for gifts, toys and a Carrera slot car set soon!

July 04, 1954 - The "Wonder of Bern"

Sepp Herberger, Fritz Walter, Jupp Posipal, Horst Eckel, Werner Liebrich and Ottmar Walter (from left to right) after winning the world championship. (Photo: dpa)

The German national team caused the “Wonder of Bern” on July 4, 1954 by beating the undeniable favourite Hungary 3-2 in Switzerland and thus becoming world champion for the first time.

And after 51 years, we still call it "football", the rest of the world "soccer"...

Montauk, Long Island

Max Frisch's autobiographical novel Montauk is a book about love and loss.

Memories of a city district

Time to say goodbye to the good old times

Remember the old train viaduct in downtown Zurich, Switzerland? The bents had simple storage buildings built-in, mainly for stocking coal in the early days, and were used until recently by merchants to do some business.
The neighborhood was a mix of shut-down and deserted industry places and cheap working class buildings. It's been a social melting pot with the famous "Long street", a 2 miles road of seduction, broken dreams and drug dealer's paradise, close by.
Everything is gone now as the city authorities are converting this old neighborhood into a fancy and modern place with expensive apartment blocks, trendy bars, stylish restaurants and posh clubs.
Gone has also my local motorbike dealer, the small park where you got terrific home made ice cream, the Italian take away and my beloved restaurant "Bananas & fruits" which was located in one of the viaduct-bents.
Everything changed but memories, they remain.

A krispy donut today

Mustang days

Remember PIMMS No 1?

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based drink flavoured with liqueurs and fruit at 25% alcohol by volume.

Pimms has a powerful social associations with the English, or London, 'season', and the sort of people who take part in events such as Henley, Ascot, May Balls and wherever else the young (and not so young) in-crowds gather.

Recipe
Ingredients: 1/4 glass Pimm's No. 1, 1/3 glass Lemonade, 1/4 glass Passion fruit juice, 1 dash Cranberry juice

Mixing Instruction
Add the lemonade to the Pimms, then the passion fruit juice and finally a dash of ccranberry juice. Garnish with a slice of lemon, a slice of lime, cubes of cucumber and apple and a few mint leaves.
Serve in a cocktail (Martini) glass

A little bit of history: Pimms No 1
The recipe was invented by the owner of a City of London oyster bar in the early nineteenth century. Originally there were other variations: No2 (whisky), No3 (brandy), No5 (bourbon) and No6 (vodka).
Not strictly a liqueur, Pimms is a gin-based drink, infused with aromatics and mixed with lemonade for consumption.
Connoisseurs insist that only adding champagne as opposed to lemonade, makes a true Pimms No1.

TheDrinkShop is pleased to take your order now.

Or have one with me, life was never so good! Or two, or three...

Life in a box

You know the stories of the white van? The transport of your local delivery man, the plumber next to you and the insane drivers in the morning? I did some moving today - tons of books, kitchen stuff and a bunch of old records. So these vans are quite practical, but no image at all. So why not pimp them, get some stripes and fat tires and everybody would be keen to share a ride. One day, I have to have one, but supercharged!

Dark side and beautiful view

My friend Anja is a professional photographer, a godess in her profession. She's focusing on ghotic subjects with a mystic dark environment. She just got this shot with many others a couple of weeks ago, it's just great! Well, for more information about herself and her latest book release, check out her website., really cool.

Scooterplanet: Vespa GTS 250 i.e.

Ready to hit the road with the ultimate Vespa coming this summer? It's called Vespa GTS 250 i.e. (i.e. = fuel injection). Should be pretty fast and comfy. Don't forget to put a "HEMI" sign on the back, this is the most powerful Vespa on the market. Available everywhere in Europe, check out vespa.com.

Ford Focus RS no more

Shocking news for European Blue Oval fans:

Ford Wields The Axe On 2007 Focus RS

There will be no Focus RS - that's the shocking news from Ford. Sources close to the project have confirmed the hot hatch has been quietly shelved. The moneymen reckon the manufacturer's current financial problems, coupled with the RS's high development costs, made further work unrealistic. The dramatic move is a blow to fast Ford enthusiasts and the decision means the ST badge will be Ford's current sporting flagship.

Bad news, at least I drove the 2002 RS. Nice, but not really an Impreza beater. Time to get creative and to hit the road, with something special, available everywhere round the block: A Ford deliver van. And make it hot and fast. Ever seen a commercial truck passing you with 150 miles? Vrooooooooooomm...

Source: Auto Express/fordeurope.net

Just round the block

I like good food just round the block. So here are my favorites places in London:

Sausage mash and onion: RK Stanley
Oxford St tube, 6 Little Portland St W1W 7JB, 020 7462 0099. The setting though pleasant, is quite incongruous - sort of modern hip diner - but the meaty sausages (made on the premises with meat from 'visitable' farms in Wales) are good and so are the prices. We especially liked the seasonal and lightly cooked accompanying vegetables. There are also a couple of kinds of vegetarian sausages including a white bean one which needed a moisture-providing sauce. It's a stone's throw from Oxford Street and is also an excellent place for sampling some traditional ales.

Pie and mash: M Manze
Angel tube, 74 Chapel Market, N1 9ER, 7837 5270. More white tiling and dark wooden benches with variation coming in the form of large or small pies and fruit pies. When it was last visited there was the pleasant option of (green) plum or rhubarb. The former was chosen and came warm with a meagre but tasty filling and a sprinkling of sugar - necessary as the pastry seemed identical to that used for the meat pies.


Organic eateries: Mildreds
Tottenham Court Rd tube, 58 Greek St W1D 3DX, 020 7494 1634.Simple and small yet still hip, this longstanding veggie cafe/restaurant has incorporated increasing amounts of organic produce into its menu. Food-wise the choice is fairly limited if you want to eat solely organic, but the drinks selection has a much stronger organic presence: organic wines, a champagne, beer, juices and soft drinks are all available. Prices are pretty affordable, especially given its Soho location, and the food is usually enjoyable, although the last visit presented a decidedly gluggy plate of nori rolls.

Ok, the Indian section will be discussed next week. Also the SOHO midnight trip, ok?

Turn on the music - but loud, very loud!

One of my favorites songs - I still play it up and down.

No more VH1 "Where are they now" - Procol Harum are on tour, check out the tour dates 2005.

Kitchen chief

For men only:
"Pizza Pronto" machine by Trisa. And you'll never order at Domino's any more...

RRP $ 150 but I got it for half :-)

Monday, Monday

Sometimes, I really hate Mondays - like today. So we should all go for a day in the sun, as the guys do in the movie called "Los lunes al sol - Mondays in the sun". But for them, any given day is a Monday and they struggle hard to make it through the day. Hmm, back to work then?

Welcome to Streetcrawler's

Time to say cheers to the launch of the "Streetcrawler's blog" with a glass of Byrrh. Gulp!

And let's remember Arny Freeman who did the commercial in '64 - "A thing called Byrrh on the Rocks."