For too long now, dressing a space with the trappings of a pompous Italian espresso bar has bullied people into overlooking the crappiness of the product being served across it. Worse yet, they adore the scorching, burnt, undrinkable espresso churned out by pretentious stylish-European-repackaged-for-douchey-Midtown venues like Zibetto (tellingly, food culture arbiter extraordinaire New York magazine fell for it).

Certainly, Zibetto's David-versus-Goliath stature gave it the benefit of the doubt when I visited one afternoon last week. Squeezed into a tiny white space on an unremarkable Midtown block, I wanted it to be a charming refuge from the over-sized mediocrity of encyclopedic office eateries and deplorable intercontinental café franchises. Sadly, Zibetto's is all empty pomp, with its decoration not quite polished enough to transcend its corporate surroundings, and its espresso simply pitiful.

Given the time and mobility, any of downtown's vastly superior coffee shops are worth the trip over Zibetto's painful doses of scolding, bitter water. In Midtown, of course, the options are few and far between. Those able to trek to Grand Central's new Joe's location should do so without hesitation, and I'm keeping my hopes up (foolishly, I suspect) for Macchiato Espresso Bar, which I hope to visit soon. As for Zibetto's, well, Gimme Coffee's Noho location is basically the exact same thing done a thousand times better.

I think it might be where God wants us. As soon as we think our heads are above water, we might just think we have this thing called ministry figured out and I am not sure that is where God wants us to be. So for now we will continue to have our Heads Below Water...
Any thoughts?

A lot of people have asked me about why I got "Save The World" tattooed on my left wrist and "Lose The Girl" tattooed on my right. First things first, Save The World, Lose The Girl was the title of Midtown's first full-length album. While not the most groundbreaking album ever released, it was if nothing else a personal leap for me. I heard about Midtown while bickering with a schoolmate; I was wearing a P.O.D. shirt and he a Midtown shirt, and when he attacked the quality of P.O.D.'s music, I retaliated with a slur against Midtown. "Have you ever even listened to Midtown?" he asked. I admitted I hadn't. "Well," he said, "go home and listen to them, and if you still think they suck, we can argue some more." I came home from school, downloaded the song "Such a Person", and have been hooked ever since.

Of all the music I listen to now, Midtown is the one band I've consistently followed the longest. In retrospect, it's clear that Save The World, Lose The Girl is more or less directly responsible for introducing me to both "underground" music and the "emo" scene (I use quotes around both words because I don't feel like getting into semantics about proper definitions). Having "Save The World, Lose The Girl" as a tattoo is no different in meaning than if I had gotten a G clef or connected eighth notes. It represents to me the impact that music has had on my life, as well as a reminder of the things that I've done and the people I've met through music.

Beyond that, I've always liked the idea of "Save The World, Lose The Girl". It's almost a really interesting way to say "Nice guys finish last", but I think it even goes deeper than that. A friend's boyfriend informed me a while ago that before it was a Midtown album, this had been a quote from Spider-Man. To me, that makes perfect sense. As opposed to other superheroes, I always kind of felt for Spider-Man. Here he was, out fighting crime, while Mary Jane sits alone at the restaurant, waiting for Peter. I guess I just really connect with the thought that you can do so much for others, be a savior to the masses, and still lack the one thing you wanted most.

In all my narcissism, I've been staring at the right wrist more than the left. Even though my left is my dominant wrist, which serves this tattoo quite well, I find myself drawn to weaker side. See, I never had a tough time with the whole "Save The World" part. I've always been compelled to do what's right, even if it's not the easiest road. Honesty is the best policy, even though it doesn't always come with the least consequences. The fascinating thing to me is "Lose The Girl". I don't see it as a suggestion; "lose" is not being used in the kick-her-to-the-curb context. Instead, I just feel like it's a recognition that worse than not getting what you want, sometimes you have to flat-out sacrifice it. I'd like to believe that I would do what's right---save the world---even if it meant giving up my chance at the sheer joy I'd have to watch on the faces of those around me, the ones that I saved.

And so I put it on my wrists, the text facing inward. Even though I'm still getting used to the concept of forever, as in "This will be on your body forever", I wear it as a reminder of what's important, and the hurt you have to put yourself through to become the person the world has always needed you to be.

Then there's the massive amount of federal money that's been promised for the project. If we don't build Ren Square, we won't get that money.

If the idea is doomed to fail, it doesn't matter where the money came from. We would just have an even larger mess on our hands. Later in the article Towler admits:

Far too many questions about Ren Square remain. What do we gain by moving MCC's downtown campus one block west? What do we gain by moving the Rochester Broadway Theater League out of the Auditorium Theatre? In both cases, we'll be removing major tenants from historic buildings.

So the way I see it, if we take the money and the Renaissance Square succeeds, then we still may have two empty historic buildings to deal with. If it fails however, we may wind up with two empty historic buildings and one empty state-of-the-art building. Either way, it doesn't really matter where the money comes from if it creates more problems than it solves.

However, after reading this article a second time I realized that something else was going on. It was a case of hopeing that enough weak arguments for Renaissance Square would together become a strong argument. Let me start from the top:

Ren Square is located on one of the most important blocks of downtown Rochester, and much of that block has become pretty seedy. We can argue about whether the block's deterioration was caused, in part, by the slow pace of the Ren Square planning. In effect, Ren Square has held the block hostage. The fact is, though, something needs to happen on that block.

It is absolutely preposterous to believe that the planning stages of RenSquare have lead to the deterioration of that block, not to mention held it hostage. The block has been empty for years. It is an extremely weak argument to say that since "something needs to happen on that block" that we must do the only idea that has been put forth seriously.

The supporters I've talked with think that Ren Square - even without a theater - would be an improvement over what's there.

Hey, anything would be an improvement over what's there! Why must it cost hundreds of millions of dollars that we don't have? How about a dog park? An indoor bicycle track? A public swimming pool? I could probably think of hundreds of things that "would be an improvement over what's there" that wouldn't cost a fraction of the total of this project.

One concern is the impact that block has on tourism and conventions. It doesn't make a good impression on visitors - day or night.

Give some credit where it's due! Big Picture Rochester has done a wonderful job placing photos throughout our city to create "the worlds largest outdoor photo gallery". Of their works downtown, one of them is located on that block and is a huge photo of a bicycle race. Some of their other photos are located right across the street along the Midtown complex. They have even more photos planned for the area that will be popping up in the coming months and years.

The Ren Square block also has a depressing effect on neighboring properties. Fix it up, the supporters say, and it will spur development nearby.

Again, there is a huge difference between 'fixing it up' and tearing it down to build a multi-million dollar complex. We need to think about projects that are appropriate in scale.

Interest in downtown housing is already strong, and with Paetec and ESL bringing more than a thousand employees downtown, that demand likely will grow. And the high price of gas won't hurt. A college, a theater, and a bus station at Ren Square, the supporters say, could create interest in housing just north of the project.

And, one supporter suggests, with a successful Ren Square, the Clarion Hotel site would become enormously attractive - as a tear-down to make way for riverside housing.

Actually, the high price of gas doesn't help anyone. It has already lowered our standard of living and threatens to strangle our economy. Also, the order is also wrong here. Housing needs to be the first priority in redevelopment plans, not an afterthought. If people begin to live downtown because new housing is being constructed, then developers will see less risk in taking on these projects and others. Also, doesn't betting that the construction of RenSquare will have this kind of chain-reaction take speculation a little too far? I heard all kinds of arguments like this with the fast ferry as well.

Then there's the massive amount of federal money that's been promised for the project. If we don't build Ren Square, we won't get that money.

I already commented on this passage earlier, but it bares repeating. If we use state or federal money to build something that doesn't work, then how far ahead are we really? By not building, how have we lost out exactly?

Towler concludes with an excellent set of rhetorical questions that really sum up most of my feelings on this subject:

Is a downtown bus station the biggest need of local bus riders? Is it the best use of the transit authority's - and the federal government's - money? Given the escalating cost of construction materials, can we get a decent complex for the $230 million cap that Ren Square officials have set?

And a big question, which, to my amazement, the Ren Square folks keep kicking off into the future: How much will it cost to operate this thing? Who will pay those costs?

All of those questions are important. And the push for Ren Square continues despite the lack of answers.

But for Ren Square critics like me, the project's supporters have their own question: If not Ren Square, what?

One commenter on the City Newspaper website suggested that www.fixrensquare.org had the answer to the final question, so in anticipation I headed there. I was impressed to find a comprehensive alternative plan so I intend to comment on their ideas in a future post. As for now, when thinking about RenSquare, please consider whether it's truely a great idea or the only idea on the table right now.

New members can get a one-month unlimited pass for just $60! A whole month for the price of 3 classes. I wouldn't pass this up.

Their regular monthly unlimited is $200/month but also includes free washing of your yogitoes, 1 free towel per class, free mat storage, 10% off retail the day of purchase and 10% off all workshops during the months of your pass.

Downside...only 3 classes a day - no AM classes.

Located at 320 West 37th Street, Suite 10D (Between 8th & 9th Ave). Closest subway seems to be 34th Street ACE.

-Eliza

Homeless for the Homeless begins on Friday evening with a sleep out at the Fairgrounds as a demonstration of our support for the homeless community. We are inviting area service providers, community leaders, churches, the homeless, and the community at large to join us for a community wide event to educate and challenge our city to change the story of homelessness in Columbia. I know it's 4 months away, but please make plans now to be in Columbia for this amazing opportunity.

I had the privilege of spending this weekend at Camp Midtown with my church family. And more than ever before, I really mean family when I say it. It is not some light-hearted, southern religious word–no, it is for real. We are legitimately a family. A family that plays and prays together. A family that cries and laughs together, that fights for each other. A family that repents of sin against each other and seeks reconciliation in all things. A family that is willing to call each other out and offer unnerving grace at the exact same time. It really is happening, and it is truly miraculous. We are looking more and more like a Jesus-centered family on mission with Him, with our arms wide open to reconcile other lost children to their Father. Some incredible stories are being lived out, like piercing lights illuminating the darkness. The Gospel is breaking chains and freeing prisoners. Tonight at a random gathering, we collected close to 100 cases of bottled water to give out to the homeless. My heart swelled with joy at the mountain of plastic piling up, and I was reminded once more why I love my family so much, and why I feel the courage to fight alongside them against anything that may come along.

There are some really amazing things stirring in the waters of our family. I have a feeling that things are about to get even more crazy, and God is going to blow us all away at what He is doing. I get kind of giddy when I think about it. We might want to buckle up, because we are the sent people of God to bring hope to our city, and the call is going out from more and more lives every day:

Come, Columbia. Come out from your hiding places, from under your lonely rocks, your tvs and computers. Climb over your white picket fence, and come take a seat at the Father’s banquet table. Be reconciled to your brother and have a laugh with your sister. Pass the bread around, eat and drink freely as you begin to experience the healing of family. Bow your head and thank Jesus that He has called you out of your cold, miserable hiding place and into the light…and thank Him for the beautiful fact that His family is never full.

Through our denomination, I have recently had the opportunity to get involved in a coaching certification program which will not only give me some formal training but also will provide me with a personal coach for the next few months. Today was my first coaching call, and I can already tell that God is going to use this to stretch and grow me in many ways. I am looking forward to having someone help me set and achieve some goals that I have been keeping on the back burner for too long, but even more I am looking forward to learning a lot more about coaching and how I can better help others in pursuing the things that God has placed on their hearts.

Midtown Atlanta

Way up in the heart of midtown, around the tourists love it the natives are over it, Times Square area. It can be hard to find familiar looks. Thank god for these two. I ran into these stylish ladies on Broadway around 39th ST, and it made me feel not as alone way up north of 14th st.

On an activity level, lots of things have been going on. Last week I got to spend a little time at the beach with my cousins who are in the country from Brazil, which was a lot of fun. Then this past weekend, we had our bi-annual Midtown Family Vacation. (retreat for members) It is one of the best things we do as a church, and was incredibly encouraging and challenging.

I have also been continuing to work on securing us a place to meet for our worship services in the near future. We have decided to pursue a particular possibility that we think God is leading us to, and should know something for sure very soon. It is going to be a wild ride once we pull the trigger, seeing as how we will need to cram about 6-8 weeks of renovation into as little time as possible. Any volunteers to help out?

There are some really amazing things stirring in the waters of our family. I have a feeling that things are about to get even more crazy, and God is going to blow us all away at what He is doing. I get kind of giddy when I think about it. We might want to buckle up, because we are the sent people of God to bring hope to our city, and the call is going out from more and more lives every day:

Come, Columbia. Come out from your hiding places, from under your lonely rocks, your tvs and computers. Climb over your white picket fence, and come take a seat at the Father's banquet table. Be reconciled to your brother and have a laugh with your sister. Pass the bread around, eat and drink freely as you begin to experience the healing of family. Bow your head and thank Jesus that He has called you out of your cold, miserable hiding place and into the light...and thank Him for the beautiful fact that His family is never full.

Midtown Family Vacation. It was exhausting, but it was so good. It's amazing how God answers prayers you know? Even if you didn't necessarily ask him outright, but those desires of your heart, the things you just long and long for and they never seem to happen. And then one day, you look around, and you reminisce but you don't have to wish for it anymore, you have it.

I'm such a doubter. I just don't trust. I want to, but I just don't. And that's dumb. I'm dumb. God's given me a family. It's so funny. After all that shit in high school, all that stuff that happened, all those people I lost, and kept losing time and time and time again. And these past few years of watching it all happen in cycles, friends here, then gone, then here, then gone, the whole time just longing for the type of family I had for those precious 3 years in high school, longing for the way things used to be. Real community. Then those few months of being dragged to Midtown where I would sit laughing to myself at all the little yuppy college kids, and me awkward as could be. Then just listening to the word, the honest to goodness truth being spoke, seeing and hearing about the leadership, how they were a family, and beginning to get jealous. It's all so funny now. Yea, I used to laugh bitterly, not wanting to care because of being burned, and because of seeing emptiness, legalism, and those damn fake smiles that didn't mean jack because no one really cared at other places. Being a part of something that seemed so similar, and so awesome in the beginning, and watching it turn sour from the inside out, it'll make you a little skittish. But I'm so glad God's brought me here. I'm so glad I stuck around long enough to be able to become a part of something like this. Something real, something going after a goal, something helping and caring equally for others and their own.  Something not run by politics and hierarchy, but working all together, no matter how many or how few.

And I'm waiting. I'm waiting for the day it ends. It's funny how I finally feel part of it, just me, without help of a comrade, and it's so close to that mark. The cut-off, the ending point, the finish line when everyone scatters and I sit looking around wondering what in the world happened. But I'm ignoring it. I'm ignoring it because I'm wanting to trust.

It's funny too how this is all coming at such a time as between August and October. August being the month of a mass exodus of folks moving away from Columbia. September or October being the rough round about time when this family business should end for me, given the trends of the past. God is laughing at me right now. He's laughing because he knows what's going to happen, and I don't. All I know is that I've never cried so much in my life, I've never been so scared, and I've never had to trust him so much with my emotions. So much of our relationship has been experience and knowledge, encounters, and emotional encounters yea, but not like this. Not this type of emotion. Not this combination of emotions.

It's August 2nd. It's the beginning of the end. And the beginning of only God knows what.

I can't say I know what Jameans With Papine actually means but after grabbing a menu (click on images below)  and a quick look around the shop I'll make sure to ask the owner tomorrow when I return for lunch. It's pretty nice inside, just a few tables, an electric jukebox and pool table downstairs with the kitchen upstairs. I can't vouch for the food yet, but any new restaurant is worth trying twice in my opinion. I'm especially curious about this place as there is already a Jamaican Buffet just a few blocks down 3rd Street called Ventura House. Is this city big enough to have two Jamaican eateries in addition to a great Caribbean food stand in the Broad Street Market? I suppose time will tell, but personally I can't wait to give Jameans With Papine a first taste.

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At the very beginning of the movie, Bert has a feeling inside of him and he begins to sing these lyrics, 

Winds in the east, there's a mist coming in,

Like somethings brewin' and 'bout to begin

Some things happened yesterday within our church and ever since then this part of the song has been in my head.  Even as I think about it right now tears are welling up in my eyes because of the excitement I have (I have to try and hide them, because Jay and Bailey are here and I don't want them to see me crying).  Just the fact that we as a body hold high the sanctity of the body of Christ and seek to protect His Bride.  Not only that, but the fact that we are a family, through thick and thin we don't give up on each other. 

I remember the last time our family went through a tough time almost a year ago exactly, and as we drew near to God how much he blessed us as a church.  I can say full well right now that I am ecstatic about the changes that have happened and look forward to see how God uses this to change lives in the city of Columbia and increase our territory as a family.  I know it sounds lame, but I feel like God is working in and through us right now and when that genuinely happens, people can't stay away.  I love you my Midtown family and it is my honor to serve you.

Other ghost towns may be overgrown, inaccessible and dangerous or illegal to visit. One such ghost town is Holy City in California. In fact, the whole of California is dotted with such ghost towns. They are not in much demand today due to lack of opportunities, however they serve as a good security. But due to the tourist attraction investing in these ghost towns can be very profitable.

If interested in investing in real estate in such ghost towns in California, talk to Dale Warfel, a real estate consultant. His technical knowledge combined with his excellent negotiation skills makes him the right man regarding sale of homes in any place, especially in Campbell, Coyote, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Monte Sereno, Midtown, Willow Glen, and Almaden Valley. So if you are looking for homes for sale in the communities surrounding the Silicon Valley call him at 408 624 6202 to make an appointment.

• driving cars at whitey's auto auction. I guess I will start there, since that's what I just got done doing. I also worked there for a year or two in high school, so it was pretty cool to go back. if you've never been to an auto auction, don't start now (that is, unless you want a really cheap car that may or may not run.)
• interning at freedom. I was dubbed the "worship intern" for the summer, which means I help with a lot of the organization, planning, and creative processes. working with cliff, donny, blake, and everybody at freedom was a blast, and I definitely learned a lot about vocational ministry. (I know "vocational ministry" sounds a little intense, but I don't like it when christians say they feel "called into ministry." my response would be "umm, yeah I would hope so." and if you know me very well, like paige, you know I pay a lot of attention to words, so for now, we will call it "vocational ministry.")
• designing stuff at langley & associates. I worked part-time for an architecture firm in downtown greer, doing a lot of their design and marketing type stuff. it was pretty fun, and since most of the guys that work as architects there also have experience in graphic design, I learned a lot too.
• writing music. a little less of this than normal, but paige and I have been working on some new stuff, and now have somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-15 finished songs that we hope to start playing for people around columbia and greenville in the fall. keep checking our myspace, and maybe eventually I'll get around to posting some songs.
• watching God do some cool stuff at radius. my friend katie introduced me to this group of people that meet downtown greenville on sunday nights, and some awesome stuff is beginning to happen in and through them in g-vegas. it has also been really cool to be in community with other people my age who are radically seeking Jesus while I'm back in the upstate.
• missing my family at midtown. I've been back to columbia two times this summer, and both times realized more and more how much all those people mean to me. I'll be completely honest: when I used to hear churches talk about being family, I thought it was kinda cheesy and just something you throw out there to sound nice. false. I love my family at midtown a ton, and can't wait to get back in columbia catch up with them. I also have this huge sense of anticipation about the city of columbia becoming a brighter place this coming semester and semesters. I don't even really know what that means or looks like, but I can feel it. lastly, I'm not gonna lie; I am a little upset that I am missing midtown's family vacation, but it helps a little to know that I am missing it to...
• go to Jamaica. I am pretty pumped about this. we leave friday, and come back the next saturday. and all I'm thinking there may be a little surprise when I get back. I can't really reveal that much of it yet, but it starts with d and ends with readlocks. I'm just saying. context clues are everything.

keep reading. I promise I'll get better. at least we know now I can't get any worse.

"Vornado CEO Steven Roth announced during a conference call with investors that he might just hang onto the old hotel after all.

“First off, it is doing damn well as a hotel,” said Mr. Roth, noting the hotel’s increased occupancy, up from 63.7 percent nightly on average in 2003 to 84.4 percent in 2007, as well as increased revenues.

Last year alone, the hotel brought in nearly $38 million—some $10 million more than in 2006, according to the company’s latest annual report. More recent figures point to $5.4 million in pretax earnings during the first three months of 2008—up from $3.6 million over the same period last year.

The numbers, among other financial realities, have clearly swayed Mr. Roth. “We have two basic grand strategies with this grand asset,” he said. “One is, leave it as a hotel, renovate it as a hotel, increase the income coming out of the hotel; and you introduce a very substantial amount of retail in the base of that building—probably three floors’ worth, and connect it into the Manhattan Mall, so we have an extraordinarily interesting asset.”

The “other opportunity,” as Mr. Roth put it, would have Vornado stick to its guns, raze the building and build a huge tower—“if we can land a major tenant,” he added.

It was no secret that Mr. Roth had been wooing financial giant Merrill Lynch to relocate from Lower Manhattan to the hotel site with promises of building a new company headquarters spanning 2 million square feet, complete with a 80,000-square-foot trading floor.

Ultimately, however, the deal fell through. “The credit crisis and Merrill’s management changes disrupted this deal,” according to Vornado documents."

As Gregory Jones, who spearheaded the campaign to preserve the building said “The economy accomplished it for us,” Mr. Jones said on Monday. “Thank you, George Bush!”

But make sure to read the whole article for Jello Biafra's articulate and insightful pro-preservation comments such as "“I don’t know why it doesn’t occur to more developers to remodel an historic or an old building rather than just put up some boring new monstrosity. It costs them less money to do it. And you’ve got all kinds of people—even if this got turned into condos!—who want to move into an old, cool, revamped building."

The county acquired its current name in 1777, when Father Junípero Serra came to California in order to establish a chain of Franciscan missions. He named the valley “Clare” or “Clara” meaning “clear”, and the land extended from present-day Palo Alto to Gilroy. San Jose was California's first town, founded by nine Spanish soldiers, five settlers and one cowboy, on orders from the Spanish viceroy of Mexico on November 29, 1777, and named after St. Joseph.

The Santa Clara Valley, more popularly known as the Silicon Valley, has since grown from the small township it was in 1777, to the massive, industrialised tract of land it is today. If you are interested in acquiring real estate in Silicon Valley, contact Dale Warfel. A consultant with Keller Williams Realty, Warfel has technical expertise in real estate and homes for sale in Almaden Valley, Morgan Hill, Cambrian Park, Midtown, Blossom Valley, Monte Sereno, Rose Garden, and Willow Glen, among others.  So if you are looking for homes for sale in the communities surrounding the Silicon Valley call him at 408 624 6202 to make an appointment.