New Bag WrapsJuly 28th, 2010 by monkeybedWoot! New Urban Blanket Bag “wraps” have arrived and should be popping up on shelves soon. Come check us out at New York International Gift Fair in booth #8367 or let us know if you’ll be at Outdoor Retailer. We’ll be showing off our new bag wraps and the first samples of our next bag, the Urban Ninja Sling due spring 2011.
Martha’s VineyardJuly 15th, 2010 by monkeybedIt’s been a great couple weeks here at Monkey Bed despite our blogging silence! Thanks to our friends at Gear Patrol, Gear Junkie, Examiner, and Edge for the great Monkey Bed and Urban Blanket Bag coverage.
_ _ _ We’re heading to Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow to soak up the island and visit a few of our Monkey Bed retailers. If you’re on the Vineyard, we’ve got you covered. In Vineyard Haven, check out Rainy Day and ask Heather about anything in the store. Go score some gear or rent a surf board at The Green Room, it’s an There you go, you’ve got things to see, places to go, people to meet. Get on it! Get out and enjoy the summer, hop on the ferry and soak it up, it’s easier than you think!
Le Tour is Here, Le Tour is Here!July 2nd, 2010 by monkeybedIt’s July 2nd. I’m guessing for most of you here in the US, that signifies a certain pining for the long weekend ahead, fireworks, and a cold one in the park. While we’re excited for the July 4th
weekend also, and hey, it would be the perfect excuse to shamelessly promote Urban Blanket Bags as your perfect long weekend accessory, it’s also the day before our favorite annual event begins, Le Tour De France! I know, I know, you just expended all the energy you have for ‘new’ sports interests on the World Cup, but now that our guys couldn’t stack up against Ghana, it’s time to tune into Le Tour! It’s this monkey’s opinion (and hope), that we’ve got an all-star year for American riders. When I first got into following cycling, it was a pretty intimidating world with lots of names I’d never heard, technical lingo that seemed ridiculous, and short men in bright spandex. But then, I got my first glimpse of a breakaway move and it was lights out. I’m hooked. Here’s a classic Lance Armstrong video with one of his now infamous moments at 2:25 and a video of a Sandy Casar breakaway move that’s pretty jaw dropping considering those guys are already doing ~22 mph when he hits the ‘gas’ about 21 seconds into the video. Ok, did that get your heart racing? Here’s some fun things to follow on this year’s Tour. Like every year, the route is a little different, so to give you some perspective, here’s this year’s route map. It’ll Most of the hype this year will be around Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong. Why the drama? Last year, Contador won the Tour de France with Lance on the same team taking third place. This year, Lance has created his own team poaching a large portion of the riders from last year’s winning team. Adding do the buzz, Lance has also indicated this is his last Tour. Besides Lance and Condator, a lot of the talk and coverage will go to British rider Mark Cavendish (a truly legendary sprint finisher who has proven just about unbeatable in the final push to the line) and the young American, Tyler Farrar, who will try again this year to crack Mark’s record of perfection. Here’s a really quick video of a Cavendish finish to give you a flavor for how insanely fast this guy can go: There’s also going to be plenty of talk about team Saxo Bank and the Schleck brothers who hope to unseat Contador, not just in the mountains where Contador beat up on them last year, but to win the overall race (Andy Schleck came in 2nd in ‘09). Ok, you’re almost there, you’re ready for the action to begin, now you just need an “underdog” to root for. Well I’ve got my favorite American rider and I’m hoping you’ll be rooting for him too, because I’ve got a feeling he’s going to be sneaking up on all these guys to take a spot on the podium. Christian Vande Velde is the name, and pure bad a** is his game. He’s no rookie. In fact, he was a Now go get outside and enjoy the long holiday weekend, but don’t forget to tape le Tour! What’s in a Trip to Cali?June 23rd, 2010 by monkeybedWe boosted a car and headed up the coast. Ok fine, we rented a Sentra and buckled the “kids” in the back seat, but we headed north from SFO to our friends and rock star designers, Deviant 9 Studios, in Chico this past Friday. The visit was too short, but their hospitality has us pining for another trip. Especially if the lunches at Sierra Nevada brewery, the picnics in parks you could only find in northern california, and the distinctly not refrigerated and trucked across the country food keeps flowing! Oh, and did I mention, we pushed the ball forward on Monkey Bed’s next bag? I thought we were excited about the Urban Blanket Bag, but our new everyday bag due this winter has us tapping fingers AND toes with nervous excitement. More thanks than we know how to give to Greg, Michelle, Carrie, Wendy, and of course, Taos!
It was on to Napa where we got to hang with our old friend Clay and the wonderful Sonja, but not before Sonja gave us a behind the scenes tour of Artesa Vineyards. If you’re into design and architecture, even without the incredible single vineyard Pinot, Artesa is worth a long visit. Literally set into one of the highest hills in the area, the views inside and out at Artesa pretty much force you to stop and smell the oaky goodness.
Of course, how could any of that compare to the rocking beer-can chicken BBQ that Clay put on for us and a few friends. Life in Napa for Ollie the Bulldog seems pretty sweet! Thanks so much to Clay, Sonja and your charming family for such a relaxing evening soaking in the wine-country life.
It was a quick jaunt from Napa to check out Sonoma where I’m pretty sure Heather Margolis fell in love with that perfect combination of places like Fremont Diner (looks like a shack, tastes like a 5-star southern ho-down) and Buena Vista Vineyard where we scored a bottle of their ‘05 Pinot. Which reminds me, we found use #467 for the Urban Blanket Bag…wrapping your wine country purchase for the long trip back to bean-town!
Last stop, back to San Fran for a dinner with our friend Eileen from the good old days at RCA Records and her amazing better half, Mario. Once again, we were treated to an incredible and locally grown meal at Urban Tavern but it was nothing compared with getting to catch up with old friends! We boarded the red-eye for Boston Monday night already comparing calendars in the hopes of finding time for our next trip west. See you soon Northern Cali friends!
And since WordPress doesn’t want to cooperate with putting pictures inside paragraphs today, here’s a few shots from the long weekend!
          Going Back to CaliJune 17th, 2010 by monkeybedFeels like yesterday we were heading to LA for a little elbow rubbing. We’re bound for our 3rd home, Northern Cali, later today so it feels like a good enough excuse to post a classic like this! Happy Friday! Have an Opinion?June 11th, 2010 by monkeybedHappy Friday! It’s 3 o’clock on Friday afternoon and we’ve got a fun request for you. C’mon, you’re basically pretending to work at this point. Share your opinion on some special hats we’re working on for this winter and you may just find yourself with a coupon code when they hit the market, not that just sharing your invaluable opinion wasn’t enough! Check out the 10 hat colors below with option numbers listed under each one. Pick your 2 favorite patterns. Then leave a comment with the option numbers either here on the blog, on our facebook page, or @MonkeyBed on Twitter. Then, rock on with your bad self.
Gifting Savior, I Mean Gift Genius!June 10th, 2010 by monkeybedFor me, gift shopping is painful. Not because I wouldn’t love to get the perfect thing, for the perfect person, at the perfect time, but because that never seems to happen! Instead, gift shopping turns into a panicked sprint to the wine store where I inevitably buy a bottle of red I’ve never tasted for a person I’m not sure even digs wine. Where-o-where can a guy find the perfect gift for the occasions we know are coming up each year as cruel reminders of how bad we are at gift giving? Enter my new savior, Gift Genius. They’ve gone through the trouble of breaking items into what’s perfect for different occasions…baby shower, father’s day, graduation, etc. The list is long with this monkey counting 37 different categories including my favorite, the “anti-valentines” collection. Check them out next time you’re looking for the perfect gift, especially that elusive gift for the person who has it all. If you’re on the hunt for a Father’s Day or wedding gift this summer, you guessed it, we’re honored to have the Urban Blanket Bag listed as a Gift of the Day and several other categories! Thanks for the love and keep up the awesome work Gift Genius! American Folk Art & Our First Window DisplayJune 3rd, 2010 by monkeybedThe American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan was created to showcase traditional folk art as well as contemporary works from self taught artists from around the world. Like so many places in NYC though, it’s more than it seems! Of course they have constantly updated exhibitions, but they are also a passionate group offering lots of learning opportunities and special live events. One of my favorites? Stop by the Columbus Ave and 66th Street location any Wednesday at noon and you’ll be treated to some free live guitar from jazz musician Bill Wurtzel. What’s with the American Folk Art coverage, monkeys? Well, of all the neighborhoods to have our first display window, NYC at Columbus Ave and 66th Street at the American Folk Art Museum store near Central Park was just something we dreamed about a few months ago! Yesterday though, we set up the window and even sold a couple bags on the spot! If you’re in Manhattan and stop by the American Folk Art museum location on Columbus and 66th, take a picture in front of the window, we’ll post it here and on our facebook page! Thanks so much to the generous and passionate people at the American Folk Art museum for their help and support! Now get outside to central park and put the urban grind out of your mind for a few hours NYC friends! QR – Are you in?!May 28th, 2010 by monkeybedWe want to know! How many of you know about QR codes or use them when you see them? They are all the rage in Asia, but as always, late to adoption in the US. We think the time is now! If you see a QR code, you can take an image of it with your smartphone using a QR Reader. Your phone will then load whatever content the QR code creator wants you to see about the place or thing where you see the code. QuickMark on the iPhone does a great job and is only 0.99 cents. I think there are free versions on the Blackberry and Droid, but you tell us. Here’s ours for the Esplanade Urban Blanket Bag linking to the demonstration video! What do you think? Will you use QR codes now?
On Your Weekend Getaway…Blue River ClothingMay 28th, 2010 by monkeybedHey overworked Washington DC and Baltimore people, it’s Memorial Day. Summer is here! I think it’s time to get out of town for the weekend. Consider this your permission slip. Now hop in the car, and head 90 miles west to Shepherdstown, WV and check out the oldest town in West Virginia, stroll German Street, and look out for events going on all summer. July 9 – August 1 the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is going down, check out their site Also, July 9 – 11 at Blue River Clothing, there will be an Anne Sportun trunkshow. Stop in on them at 123 E. German Street and of course while you’re there and enjoying the outdoors, grab an Urban Blanket Bag now for sale at Blue River! What about the rest of you eastcoasters? What’s your favorite weekend getaway summer spot?
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