STREETS: Kyle Samperton is DC's Only Authentic Original

Apologies for the hiatus. After a super fun blitz across the pond, BDC is back.

I'm not great at the street style thing, as these photos clearly demonstrate, but I met Kyle Samperton - DC photographer and style god - at a party thrown by Washingtonian Magazine last night at the Phillips Collection. I couldn't resist.

Kyle was the only fella who really stood out. And, as you can see, he absolutely killed it in a 19th century Salvation Army top-coat, Navajo jewelry, and his dad's tie. Kyle was kind enough to give me the full skinny on everything, but that's all I remember. (Apologies if I made any mistakes, Kyle.)

STREETS: Bike Theft Ethics

Posts will be a little thin this week, I'm afraid. Lots of traveling.

Today, I'm back to the real world after an epic weekend in New York. Cycling was de rigueur. I saw a nasty, near-tragedy between an early Saturday-morning coffee toting hipster and a careening bike-dude on Grand between W. Broadway and Wooster, pretty people on prettier bikes, and lots of orphans chained to sign-posts, old meters and stanchions.

Some of the abandoned bikes still looked rideable, though. And they were looking longingly at me. And I want one. "Wouldn't that little fella appreciate a nice home?" "Yeah, but what if he belongs to someone?" Stupid conscience.

My grandfather, who grew up poorer than dirt, was famous for, um, appropriating what he thought were abandoned items he found on his way home from work. He never said this, but his ethic seemed to be something like, "If it's within spitting distance of a trashcan or curb, it's up for grabs."

I'm not that bold, but The Neistat Brothers' Casey Neistat has convinced me that, sometimes, it's ok to steal a bike.

**Heads up - this video features the f-word once-ish and the s-word once-ish. If that offends you or someone who is within earshot, don't watch it.

the ethics of stealing a bike from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

STREETS: The Baumer's Bus

A VW Bus in this kind of condition is always worth some iPhone real estate. But things got more interesting when I looked inside and saw this -

A quiver of wooden racquets, all snug in presses. Long live the Baumer.