I’m on a mission to drag my sister to every greasy spoon in Westchester and Southern Connecticut. This weekend I tripped up to Larchmont via Metro North to go to the Harbour House Coffee Shop. The service was great, the look and feel was 20th century chic and the food was tasty. My all time favorite spot is the Sugar Bowl in Darien. I dream of living there one day and devoting all Sunday mornings to the Fairfield County institution. Photos from today’s mission below.

The suits the Four Tops are wearing during this 1965 performance seem shockingly as relevant today as they were back then. This skinny lapel, the piping, the bow ties. Are they wearing Thom Browne? What an amazing group of well dressed gentlemen. Plus, they carry a tune pretty well too.

If you haven’t heard, the beloved boutique chain is opening a NYC outpost in a month or so. Last night I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the space and eat some good bites from the Spotted Pig folks. Color me obsessed. The detailing in the rooms (powder coated heater covers, wool blankets, High Life in the fridges) is off the charts. I can’t wait to stay there — or maybe I will move in full time. Some detail shots below to give you a little taste of what to expect.

Ace Hotel opening mid-March.

California footwear brand SeaVees recently collaborated with Pantone on a collection of colorful canvas sneakers. The people from Pantone were gracious enough to let SeaVees founders Steven Tiller and Derek Galkin into the company archives to curate a group of colors that “epitomizes the cool, casual style of California in 1963.” This collection is especially interesting because, Pantone has never granted anyone outside of the company keys to the vault. The full collection can be seen here.

This also got me thinking about Panton’s branding initiatives as of late. From the GAP pop up shop, to their adventures in Japan. It seems the company is on a 3M style mission of “we don’t make things, we make things better.”

This scene from Deadwood could be my all time favorite brawl. Dan Dority versus Captain Turner. Note to self, I need to name a child or pet or something “Captain Turner!” Awesome! (Slightly graphic.) “Argh! Arghhhhh! Arghhhhh! Arghhhhh!”

I made the 400 mile drive from New York to my hometown of Cleveland to see The Black Keys (one of my favorite bands) perform at The Agora (one of my favorite venues). Since The Keys are from Akron, the show was super packed. I was fortunate enough to see the performance with the band’s family from the loges at stage right, which was pretty exciting. Also exciting were the 24oz tall boys of Coors Light that the Agora sells for $4.50. Being accustomed to NYC prices, the bartender slams down the beer and says $4.50, to which I retort, “$14.50??” “No! $4.50,” she says as the sheer joy washes over me.

The show was absolutely worthy of the long drive. The Agora is such a great old school venue and I’m glad The Keys choose to perform there as opposed to The House of Blues. Over the past couple of years Cleveland has been losing some of its great venues due to either mismanagement or the increased competition from HoB. I hope that the Agora is able to weather the storm and host great bands for many years to come.

Part of what makes living in New York City tolerable is the fact that everyone comes through for one reason or another. This week I was lucky to hang out with one half of the Freeman Transport team, Mr. Benjamin Ferencz. We met up for lunch at Cafe Select to shoot the shit. It is especially cool to meet Ben (for the first time), since we have been emailing and talking between New York and Montana for the better part of a year. Look out for big things from Ben (who’s a fellow Selectism columnist and a helluva nice guy) and Freeman Transport in the near future.

Ever wonder what the guy that runs Selectism does on the weekends? Without comment, I offer photographic proof…

I’m dying to go to Copenhagen this year. I need to just make a decision to visit, crappy economy or not. I found this great video that combines a panoramic photo of the Danish capital, tilt-shifting and the Ken Burns effect. Pretty amazing stuff.

A few weeks ago an ACL reader emailed me a link to Kentucky Correctional Industries, who makes Dickies style workwear, furniture and even mattresses using incarcerated workers in the state of Kentucky’s prison system. As you would imagine — thanks to the super depressed labor cost the — KCI prices are dirt cheap. (One of these days I’m going to order some pants etc., and try them out just for the hell of it.) Now I have to admit, KCI is one of the stranger um, “brands” that has been suggested for my American List. Then today I discovered the Hamburg, Germany based Haeftling, who makes a collection of “jail wear.” No joke. Most of the clothes look pretty average (the items shot on models look downright freaky), but the metal cafeteria tray and wool blanket look pretty cool. The Haeftling products aren’t actually made by prison labor, but the line does draw its inspiration from jail attire. That is one type of manufacturing that you don’t have to worry about being sent offshore since there is no cheaper labor than prison labor. Gives new meaning to Folsom prison blues now doesn’t it.