#116: Perfectly Imperfect
The Perfectly Imperfect Boys on The Simple Joy of Riding a Bike, Pique Tank Tops, Voluspa Reed Diffusers, and more.
Welcome to Perfectly Imperfect #116 š
If youāre new here after any of our September guestsā¦welcome! Perfectly Imperfect is a 2x/week newsletter featuring good olā fashioned curated recommendations from real people and once a month we like to drop some hot recs of our own. Check out the archive for more recs and as always, join the Perfectly Imperfect Discord to keep the conversation going.
Without further ado
Tyler BainbridgeĀ (instagram,Ā letterboxd,Ā last.fm)
š šļø Cider thatās dry, NOT sweet! (from New York Cider Company)
Normally Iām not a huge cider-head, itās way too sweet for me and I end up feeling sticky. But this all changed after strolling through our local farmers market in Carroll Gardens and spotting a small cider booth proudly declaring ādry, not sweet!ā in big text. As soon as Joseph started pouring me samples I was blown away by how dry, light, funky, and different this cider was, almost reminiscent of a pet-nat wine. So if youāre a bit of a cider-skeptic yet enjoy a bubbly fruity wine such as the Oyster River Morphos I highly recommend copping a bottle and supporting a small business making a delicious product.
š² The Simple Joy of Riding a Bike (ft. Mr āRichard Bikeā)
I probably hadnāt ridden a bike in like⦠10 years? But after a few of our guests recommend CitiBikes (especially Benjamin Edgarās electric bike rec) I decided to give them a whirl. So after a particularly long day of work I hopped on a CitiBike, road up to Prospect Heights, got a bowl of Ramen and an ice cold Sapporo, and had myself a lovely ride through Prospect Park in the middle of the night. And that was all it took, I caught the bug.
The non-electric CitiBikes are heavy and not very pleasant to ride so when a few friends mentioned this dude selling affordable bikes, who they all in their phone as simply āRichard Bikeā, I knew it was time to take the plunge. Before I knew it Richard Bike was hooking me up with a sick vintage Nishiki road bike & I was riding home through the park from Flatbush. If youāre reading this & ready to rebrand as a ābike guyā DM me, Iām happy to put you in touch with Mr Richard Bike.
I recommended the Asics GEL-1090 back in May, but like all Asics the heel kinda gets torn to shreds in mere weeks. So this time I decided to mix it up with these New Balance sneakers and I love em. Yeah, not a lot to say about these, Iām just a sucker for comfortable & sorta-flashy silver sneakers in a classic silhouette.
š„ šŖ šļø A Sunny Afternoon in Red Hook
Iāve had a few really nice afternoons in Red Hook recently and I want to share my go-to routine with you, the reader. OK.. so first you go to a āSecond Sundaysā event at Pioneer Works and see art & enjoy a beverage or two. Then you head over to Hometown for some of the best BBQ in Brooklyn. Walk around the corner and catch live Bluegrass music at Sunnyās Bar. For a quick & delicious dessert hit the historic Steveās Authentic Key Lime Pie. To cap it all off walk down to the pier and look at the Statue of Liberty at Sunset.
š® Taqueria Ramierez in Greenpoint
Best tacos Iāve had since moving to NYC. I just figured Iād say that right off the bat in case youāre just skimming through these recs, which you probably are. Emilio brought me here back in August for one of their soft openings and Iāve thought about those Al Pastor tacos every day since. Tania Apolinar and Giovanni Cervantesās spot formally opened in September, so if youāre in the mood for some delicious, authentic, and affordable tacosā hit up Taqueria Ramierez.
šµ A. Savage - Thawing Dawn (2017)
Iām a big Parquet Courts guy so ahead of their upcoming record I decided to revisit an underrated gem, frontman Andrew Savageās timeless solo collection of alt-country singer songwriter tunes, Thawing Dawn. Savageās iconic drawl fits perfectly over the country backdrop whether itās the intense and cathartic āWhat Do I Doā, the twangy āPhantom Limbā, or the fantastic title track āThawing Dawnā.
Stay tuned⦠youāll be hearing from Andrew soon š ā.
Alex CushingĀ (instagram,Ā twitter,Ā last.fm,Ā goodreads)
šµ Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
You probably know Pulp, with classic albums like Different Class, but lesser known is that Pulpās guitarist Richard Hawley has a solo career of his own - with several excellent albums. While theyāre honestly all worth checking out - my favorite is definitely Coles Corner. This album feels cinematic, lush, and timeless, an experience best understood sunk into an armchair with your eyes closed...taking it in. If you like retro or chamber pop, and warm personal projects (not unlike my favorite of Tom Waitās - Closing Time), check it out.
š Industry Of All Nations Pique Tank
It took til the end of summer to find my favorite tank top but here it is - the IOAN Pique Tank. Its structure is just enough for it to not be too wimpy, but isnāt overly so. The āwhiteā color isnāt blinding white, but a slight cream/vintage looking white. There isnāt much more to say, if youāre in the market for some tanks - these are my new go-toās.
āŗš¶ Joe Robinet / Bushcraft YouTube
On this monthās episode of āAlexās random youtube deep diveā - we explore⦠Bushtube (š¤). YouTube creators who specialize in bushcraft (essentially wilderness survival). The first āseriesā I followed here was from Joe Robinet. Heās a full-time ācontent creatorā and a previous contestant in the first season of the show Alone. My favorite āseriesā Joe did was a multi-week long canoe and camping trek in the Canadian wilderness of the Wabakimi. He Canoes, portages, camps, and fishes for days on end, talking to the camera to keep sane and provide entertainment. Another one of my favorite series he does is his āwinter bushcraftā in a fort he made somewhere deep in Canadian forests, where you see him progress a homemade āfortā over the course of several videos, from a pile of sticks and a sleeping bag all the way to a full-on house-like structure.
š«š¤µ Pierce Brosnan era James Bond
Maybe itās because he was my childhood Bond, maybe itās because it really is that good, but the Brosnan era Bond to me is perfect. It was suave and sexy, filled with superspy gadgets, and plenty of cool cars. I really enjoy them all, but GoldenEye is a classic and will live on as an icon for generations of spy films to come.
š š Give kindles another chance
Iāve been anti-kindle for as long as I can remember, I have a pile of books in my office, a full bookshelf upstairs in Nicoleās office, and a few piles on our bedside tables - we love reading and love the in-hand experience of books. Because of this, Iāve always avoided Kindles. I wanted to add to my collection, build the piles and plethora of options at my fingertips to either read myself or loan out to friends. The thing is, thereās nothing more convenient than fitting any number of books into a bag on the go with the footprint of 1/10th of a normal book. My kindle even has some form of free cellular coverage - so when on a road trip nowhere near wifi, you can always download a new book from the kindle store.
š£ Shoutouts
Gin Mojito - better than Vodka or Rum
OG Call of Dutys - get on a Black Ops (2010) or MW2 (2009) match and have fun living in nostalgia!
Oh what a match - never really thought about collecting matches, but now iām thinking
Serey MormĀ (instagram,Ā twitter,Ā vsco)
šø Dill-infused Gin
I've been stuck in a gin phase for over a month now and I recently had one of the best cocktails in my life there the base liquor was dill-infused gin. I tried to replicate it on my own and it turned out really well, and I've been stuck on it since. All you need to do is grab some fresh dill, and throw it into a bottle or mason jar of gin. I found that Hendricks, Botanist works well, but the classic Beefeater also works at a cheaper price, but still a great classic choice.
š§“ AC Clear Pure N Moisturizer
I've been using this moisturizer for over a year now and this has solidified its place in my skincare routine. My skin is really oily and this moisturizer does a great job of balancing things out. This is the one in things in my routine that if I am running late, this has to go on my face. I also really like this moisturizer because instead of being water based, it's cica based, which is really good for your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin.
š Vox Podcasts
I started commuting to work again and Vox's podcasts has been keeping me busy. I love hard facts and learning why things work the way they do, and Vox's Today, Explained has been keeping me busy during my commutes. On other hand, they have another series called Unexplainable, and in contrast, they unpack unexplainable phenomenons like alzheimers and whether the poop astronauts left in space may still carry living organisms.
šø Voluspa Reed Diffusers: Santal Vanille
My sister has gotten me pretty hooked to Voluspa's reed diffusers. Out of series of essential oils, my favorite is Santal Vanille. If you're into woody and musky scents, this one is it. If you're familiar with Le Labo's Santal, it's pretty similar but with a tad more vanilla. They have a wide range of scents, and each scent comes in different vessels such as candles and room sprays as well if you're not into reed diffusers.
𩳠Shorts and Hoodie
Being in the northeast, the fall weather is unpredictable. My favorite combo of any season is shorts with a hoodie or a light sweater. The contrasting combo speaks for itself in the unpredictable weather. Catch me running errands, picking apples, and grabbing lunch with the combo.
š Extra Extra!
OXO Mini Measuring Cup, shout out to Alex for this tiny cup I never knew I needed
FollowĀ Tyler,Ā Alex, &Ā SereyĀ on Instagram
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