Park Guell

Park Guell is yet another one of Gaudi’s creations in Barcelona, Spain. This is definitely the most amazing park I have ever visited. Its a bit on the outskirts of the city, but worth the time it takes to get there!

A view of Barcelona from the top of Park Guell.

Plenty of local entertainment throughout the park…

Big Rob.

Crushing it….maybe.

Lots of random activity outside of the park too….heading back to La Ramblas for food.

Video surveillance outside of the metro.

More from La Ramblas

Rasta Graff @ Macba

Ride On….until next time.

On and Off Las Ramblas

La Rambla is definitely the most cosmopolitan street of Barcelona; with the greatest diversity of people, passers-by, shoppers, tourists, civil servants, comedians, street musicians, night-birds, and of course prostitutes.. Each day we would spend some time roaming up and down the streets and alleys that accompanied La Rambla.

A typical beginning to our day….fruit stand.

Waiting patiently.

Right outside of the subway from our apartment.

Things you might see around La Rambla during the day.

More amazing architecture from Gaudi

Letting it all sink in.

Preparations for the evening ahead…

Hanging out at Macba.

Down by Barceloneta.

This is what happens after too many liquor drinks.

To many skateboarders worldwide, Barcelona, Spain is considered a goldmine. I was fortunate enough to make it their during the summer of 2003. Little did I know….I would go back in the Fall of 2008, five years later. A few good friends of mine (Rob, Kevin, Johnny, Zullo) and I decided we should take this journey before time runs out… Many of the skate spots are now blown out, but we managed to get our fill.

Barcelona is just an amazing European city to visit in general. There is much for culture, arts, food, music, etc…..and its placed right on the Mediterranean. We were pretty fortunate to have a tour guide for the majority of the trip (thanks, Emilie).

The first batch of photos are from the beginning of the trip. We rented an apartment in what is known as Sagrada Familia. The main attraction in the city center is the famous church itself…..and little did we know it was right across the street from the apartment. For more information, visit:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/barcelona-sagrada-familia.htm

Skate Magazines saved alot of our downtime in the airport.

Rob is vegetarian…..but loves chicken bones after I devour them.

As soon as we settled in our apartment we hit the streets…..enough said.

First stop for a cafe con leche.

Some had cola without high fructose corn syrup.

For whatever reason I saw this guy all over the place. Lurkin’

Everyone has a different expression…

You can’t just look at the outside of La Sagrada Familia….the inside is just as impressive.

All done by hand.

Its always funny when people realize you are taking a photo of them….and its too late. The stairway is so tight its difficult to get around other people and get a good picture.

Rob taking it all in….pretty epic!

There is an amazing view of the city from the top of the church.

Rob taking it all in again….

More detailed work from Gaudi.

Keeping it tight

After a long day of walking, skating, etc…

Sagrada at night.

Up North Trip

I took a trip up North this summer to visit some family and friends. I flew into Providence, Rhode Island to stay with a friend. From there I made it up to Boston to see a cousin of mine. We drove up to New Hampshire to visit his parents for a few days as well. I then took a Greyhound bus to New York, where i stayed for 2 weeks. The following images are from that trip. Thanks to everyone who helped me out along the way with places to stay, etc….

From, Providence.

From, Williamsburg.

Welcome to Coney Island.

My Version of Ride The Sky.

From the Natural History Museum in NYC.

I hit up the PS-1 Museum in Queens with some friends…..

New York Skyline


Neck Face sighting

Random.

Its a Dogs World

My friend Joe recently loaned his camera to me for a trip I was taking to Barcelona, Spain. In order to get comfortable with the camera, I needed some practice before heading out of the country. The following photos are of my friend Johnny’s dog, Max. Max is one of the most photogenic subjects ever….and while staying at Johnny’s place it was difficult for me to not want to photograph him. Here is what i got….

If you are ever on a road trip and are crossing into or out of California on highway 8, please do yourself a favor and stop at the Salton Sea. I have been there multiple times now and still remain fascinated at what this place has to offer, especially if you are into photography.

For those unfamiliar with the Salton Sea, it’s the largest body of water in California, at 40 miles long by 25 miles wide. It’s an accident of nature, as a salt basin in the middle of the desert was flooded in 1905 by a storm overflow of the Colorado river, and the water instantly created a rival to Lake Tahoe, where Angelenos & San Diegans could go for sportsfishing & recreational waterboating, etc.

Desert, Desert, and More Desert…

Yours Truly, Buttertooth.

It might look amazing, but don’t let it fool you…..the Salton Sea typically smells like shit.

The water is very toxic. There are thousands of washed up fish, birds, etc….

Another great thing about the Salton Sea is the pool at the abandoned hotel; very skater friendly.

Swamp Donkey lives there too.

Goodbye…until next time.

A Plastic New York

Here are a few random images captured from a plastic camera in New York….

Seattle is known for being a rainy city, right? Well, for some odd reason, I was there for five days and didn’t see any precipitation.

Views from the sky.

A wall full of chewed up Gum. Yummy!

The infamous space needle downtown.

Seattle=Superb

Oregon Coast Travels

Needless to say, the California Coast is great. However, I was equally impressed with the Oregon Coast and what it had to offer; especially during a long day of driving! Once again, its hard not to appreciate what nature offers.

I may have found the Goonies rock….

A good way to end the day.

Left In Ruins

Driving Along the Coast in February near the California/Oregon Border….You may find an old house left in ruins.