The American Project

Cafe Du Monde

2012-02-22T14:35:08Z

Established in 1862, this has been a perennial, twenty four hour destination for any and all visitors to New Orleans. On the edge of the infamous French Quarter, hugging one of the circuitous bends in the mighty Mississippi, Café Du Monde stands as almost a lighthouse – a beacon perhaps. A point of reference. Defiantly, into the night, beignets can be consumed here. Coffee with the distinct additive of chicory – a vestigial flavor left over from rationing during the Civil War.

Bawdy crowds festooned with beads and drenched in a mélange of sweat and metabolized alcohol, plowing through the raucous cacophony of plastic hand grenade drink glasses wrought over the pavement might stop in for a coffee. To take the edge off. The outdoor seating under the canopy is evocative of an old central market place, or a bingo hall at a church festival. Tourists and locals consume gallons of coffee, and great blizzards of beignets.

Hurricane Katrina closed Café Du Monde for a couple of months in 2005, affording opportunity for much needed updates and remodels.

New Balance

2012-02-21T14:33:30Z

Sneakers, gym shoes, athletic footwear-whatever you prefer to call them, have not been around for too long. In the annals of time, their mere existence is a blip at best. So it is both surprising and refreshing to learn that New Balance has been manufacturing their kicks since 1906.

The New Balance culture is a bit different from that of their competition. Fabricated stateside, the company tends to eschew the mass media advertising campaigns that run amok in this day and age, relying on a loyal base of followers and their word of mouth. Granted, it is hardly a difficult task, as New Balance, in the fitness realm, has earned a reputation over the years as one of the premier shoes for the active lifestyle. One of the innovators to offer width options, a much needed demand amongst athletes everywhere, the company is also known for labeling their shoes in a traditional “1”, “2”, and so forth. The affront to the tradition of hype and fancy marketing for a particular pair is not accidental; it gels with the company philosophy.

At the end of the day, New Balance just wants to focus on providing an essential tool for their clientele’s health and wellness, and maybe offer a lifestyle. A simple enough concept, and one that makes us want to take a lap right now.

Pinewood Derby

2012-02-20T19:00:46Z

This annual Cub Scout contest is a harbinger of spring, embodying perhaps the essence of the season. Founded in 1953 as a response by a Cubmaster in Manhattan Beach, California, to his son being too young to participate in the Soap Box Derby, the Pinewood Derby has grown to an institution. Generations of boys have fashioned – by way of carving, cutting, grinding, sanding, whittling, drilling, and sawing – with or without the aide or supervision of a parent, these wheeled, gravity propelled cars. Hand tools, and coping saws are carefully familiarized. A newly acquired pocketknife may now take on context, as it peels a shaving from the solid pine block. Sanding and careful painting and shellacking will commence. A sticker from a favorite toy or item may be painstakingly grafted on.

The kit: one seven inch block of pinewood, uncarved, with brads and wheels. To be planned and built. Possibilities extrapolate into an imaginative universe of artistry, personal preference, and nearly unbridled creativity, only to attenuate within the unforgiving realm of physics. The wheels may be lubricated with a graphite based lubricant. Wheels may be scuffed and shorn to afford some abrasion, or illusion of abrasion, to grab or not grab the track. Lead weights, or screw slugs may be added to holes bored in the body of the vehicle, or bundles of washers haphazardly duck taped to the top of the car on race day to a maximum of five ounces. Inertia – that axiom of movement and rest – becomes the chimera to be chased, as cars hiss down the track. This lesson is often learned, as ornate paint jobs are plastered over with an onsite addition of washers and other ballast. The blunt reality of function superseding form is rarely a pleasant revelation. Last minute adjustments become teachable moments: intrinsically in line with the spirit of the event.

The track itself, a sloped flume of isolated lanes guides these gravity bourne cars in heats. Pack champions are crowned. Trophies are given for speed, and sometimes for design. Winners advance to district, and then council championships.

Vise Grips

2012-02-20T00:38:18Z

William Petersen, Danish blacksmith, tinkerer, and inventor, living and working in the small town of DeWitt, Nebraska, revolutionized pliers use with the invention of the little honey known as Vise Grips. The locking mechanism enables the user to crunch down. Hold tight. Let go. Hands free, he can comport about an engine compartment. Squeeze that hose shut. Crimp a flange. Or flambé a pipe joint held in place in the turgid jaws. A sort of hemostat for the serious do it yourselfer home and auto repairer.

The US Patent Office issued Petersen a patent for the locking jaw mechanism in 1924. The idea came upon a conflation of the locking features of a vise, and the maneuverability of pliers. With the advent of the War Effort during America’s involvement in WWII, Vise Grips saw new uses and applications. Welders found that a series of Vise Grip pliers down the spines and ribs of a ship served as excellent tacking devices during the fabrication of the metal hulls. WWII era ships had thousands of Vise Grips welded permanently into their substrates and structures. No doubt, giving archaeologists of the future pause and wonder.

The Vise Grip was a featured device in the first ever National Hardware Show in 1945, and held favor with a cohort of new and soon to be homeowners.

W.R. Case & Sons

2012-02-17T13:31:28Z

A legend lives in Bradford, Pennsylvania. In 1889 four brothers, William Russell (W.R.), Jean, John, and Andrew Case (“The Case Brothers”) were handcrafting and selling knives on a wagon trail in New York State. Seeing an opportunity in an industry that had yet to produce a king of the mountain, William carved a niche (bad pun) upon the foundations of pioneering innovation and handmade quality. W.R. Case & Sons was born.

To create a single knife means that 125 cutlery artists will have a hand in its production. Such exotic materials as stag antler, buffalo horn and mother-of-pearl form the handles. A unique tang stamp, a dating system employed since the beginning, has given the Case brand exalted status as the premium collectible of its genre. The Case Collectors Club has 19,000 active enthusiasts and is the largest known knife collecting association in the world.

So synonymously American is the brand, Case has licensing arrangements with such patriotic stalwarts as John Deere, Elvis, and the Boy Scouts. Pretty good company.

Of course by that, we mean that these iconic brands are in pretty good company with W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.

David Hart & Co.

2012-02-15T13:27:32Z

There is a shifting of the Earth’s core in 2012; traditional winds are swirling in the opposite direction. No, the Mayan prophecies have not obliterated our planet. The change has come within the confines of men’s fashion.

Case in point: Not even a decade ago, hip hop culture was spilling into every facet of society, from clothing to mindset. Look at the NBA, where the greatest basketball players in the world were doing their part of bringing this way of life to the mainstream via ESPN, the only appropriate four letter word in a man’s vocabulary. It was a fresh and crisp aesthetic, certainly not a passing fancy, but at the time, no one could imagine a pocket square would ever be an essential piece of the post-game interview. Then it happened, the perfect storm of old school panache, modern day swagger and future time sensibility. A world where Kanye West and a seasoned Wall Street legend might share the same Scottish Tartan, where the hand crafted men’s accoutrements of centuries-old Italy find their way to the pages of GQ draped on the body of a hardcourt icon from the Southern tip of Chicago.

We can thank the maestro David Hart.

Hart, namesake of David Hart & Co., personally hand crafts neckties from his NYC base. Using the finest linens, wool, cotton and luxury silk, all immaculately detailed pieces are hand slip-stitched and tailored for the distinguished gentleman of any background. Whether the vibrant and rich colors of the Scotsman, the cool factor of a genuine Japanese selvedge denim tie or the effortlessly timeless John Drake bow tie, Hart has provided the men’s couture landscape with items that are simply essential, regardless if the wearer listens to Wiz Khalifa on an iPod, the Rolling Stones on cassette or Sinatra on vinyl.

Exquisite taste is a universal thing.

The Night Whitney Houston Sang The National Anthem

2012-02-15T00:46:22Z

An icon has passed on, and Whitney Houston was more than what that already lofty status means; she was music royalty, the legend of the legends. Simply, she was the voice that a higher power loans to a mortal maybe once every couple of centuries.

Untold numbers of people, from every generation, every genetic make-up, every country and every town in the world, were impacted by the music of Houston; it was hard not to be. Her talents were celestial, and regardless of her own inner turmoil, her gift to our lifetime will forever be held as sacred.

And for an entire nation, there was no bigger contribution to our American psyche than what took place on the evening of January 27, 1991. We were ten days into the Persian Gulf War, a country unnerved and weary. The field at Tampa Stadium was electric because it was the Super Bowl, and if anything could ease our nation’s heavy hearts for a few hours, football’s finest hour was surely it. But no one wanted to cheer too loudly, no one wanted to breach human etiquette by smiling too broadly. It was the time of the great unknown, and our dominant generation did not know when it was appropriate to resume normalcy. A leader was needed, a conductor to steer the train down the tracks.

With over 79 million people tuning in to the ABC broadcast, Whitney stepped onto the field to a mild crowd. Draped in a red, white and blue tracksuit and her standard effervescent smile, the songstress strolled up to the podium and grabbed the mic. The announcer asked the audience to join in the “Honoring of America" and "Especially the brave men and women serving our nation in the Persian Gulf and throughout the world." The turf was athlete-free, replaced by military personnel dressed in their various uniforms to signify the solidarity amongst the different branches of service.

The rendition for what was to come was different than previous incarnations of the Star Spangled Banner. Longtime collaborator Rickey Minor was charged with orchestrating a version with jazz chords and a soulful, gospel rhythm. He took the song out of its standard waltz tempo and added an additional beat per measure, which would enable Houston to open up her lungs and 'breathe'. NFL brass initially feared that the rendition would be too flamboyant for wartime. Minor recalled that "They thought the harmonies were too different, that it was sacrilegious."

But in the face of doubt and uneasiness, fate stepped in.

As Whitney pulled the mic towards her angelic lips, magic happened. From the moment the words exited her mouth, triumphant and bold and pitch perfect, the audience mesmerized, trapped in a moment in time that seemed to linger forever. It was an explosion, a jaw dropping exhibition of a supernatural talent.

Even the casual Atheist saw God that night.

As the song came to a conclusion, Whitney thrusted her arms victoriously skyward as four F-16 fighter jets from the 56th Tactical Training Wing at MacDill Air Force Base soared above. And that leader, that train conductor we were all searching for had just told us that everything was going to be okay.

No one remembers who won that Super Bowl. Most cannot recall who played in the game three years ago. But everyone remembers the heaven sent performance of Whitney Houston. We will always remember. It was, as she once crooned so elegantly, one moment in time.

The Jackson Hole Diner

2012-02-12T14:08:30Z

The Jackson Hole Diner, located on Astoria Boulevard at the cusp of where the famed neighborhood of Jackson Heights melds with Astoria, was started as a sort of reprisal of diner culture in New York in 1972. Amid a growing trend of frozen preformed burgers and food, Jackson Hole framed its notoriety around a 7 ounce burger, grilled to order. The restaurant grew to a local chain, now encompassing more than half a dozen stores throughout NYC.

The Astoria Boulevard location was used in the canonical film Goodfellas, where aspiring mobsters Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Tommy DiVito (Joe Pesci), are postured beside their car. Checking watches, doffing hair, and waiting for a payrolled truck driver to arrive so they can “hijack” the rig. The Jackson Hole Diner, called the “Airline Diner” in the film, glistened in the muted chrome of the classical diner motif. The art deco edges and chamfers. The hypermodern promise of neon sconces, yet bearing the timeless zig and zag of Greek ferruling. Yes, a burger can be had here. And fast.

AO Eyewear

2012-02-10T16:53:36Z

A good pair of shades is inherently cool.

Much like the automobile and the mobile phone, sunglasses began their lives as a functional, utilitarian device, only to unleash an inner edge that inspired cultural trends and status. At the forefront of the protective eyewear revolution, albeit inadvertently, was AO Eyewear.

The company has been around since 1826, the first sunglasses unveiled fifty years later. It was in the 1930’s that the American-made gear was paired with the United States Air Force, the exclusive provider of the front line UV ray combatant for our nation’s exalted heroes, the service men and women that provide a protection service of their own to a grateful union. That relationship remained strong, and in 1958 the gold standard, Flight Goggle 58, aka the Original Pilot Sunglass, was manufactured to provide pilots with peak optical performance, comfort and paramount defense against the elements. The sunglass that prided itself on functionality before flair quickly became a fashion staple; the Original Pilot is still produced in the AO complex in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

Vintage Men's 50's Horn Rim

As far as the aforementioned “cool factor”, AO Eyewear never stood a chance. The glasses literally skyrocketed to the moon on the face of Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11. They found a rebellious counter culture atop a Harley in the iconic film Easy Rider. And they felt the need for speed in Top Gun.

Other less glamorous protective necessities (apologies to the ear plugs and surgical masks of the world), eat your heart out.

Maglite

2012-02-09T14:00:14Z

Maglite is one of those difficult-to-peg, “it” companies. Manufactured in the USA, the Ontario, California, based flashlight specialist that Anthony Maglica founded in 1979 has a certain aura that surrounds it; perhaps it is the durable, next gen engineering, anodized 6061 aluminum sleek body with LED bulbs-the spaceship of the once bland flashlight genre. Maybe it is the expert backing that inspires trust, as Maglite is the premier go-to for law enforcement, its beam and strong, blunt DNA a reliable option in a dangerous situation. Or yet, Maglite might have an edge because of its star turn as a featured player in media, from television to film and literature.

Likely, it is a combination of all of these things. Maglica, a self professed obsession poster child for finer engineering, has seen his organization grow from a one man operation into an eight hundred person machine, all driven upon his tenacious hunger for something better. As it stands, the Maglite is the elite of its genre, a perfect fit for an old adage. The company finds its product often imitated, but never duplicated.

Given our world’s penchant for disasters, we know what brand we want waiting in our closets and glove compartments.