Its a wrap...Turkey!

Well we made it through a week of rehearsals and shows...
and 1 big ass crew dinner!

Hitting the streets of Istanbul this weekend before heading home...

Team Franklin's next stop will be Istanbul

It's been some time since I posted...I miss my little BLOG...I have been playing to much on FACEBOOK... I am going to get this going again ... BLOGing still communicates and that is the key. So yes there is a production happening in Turkey and I am heading out in November...more to come ... stay tuned!

And... A BIG Bon Jour to my Bon Ami Eric Godon, thanks for waking up the BLOG.

The BLOG Awakens...

Well Today is Canada Day...

What better day to revive the Team Franklin BLOG.

Between work, an upcoming trip from my brother Will and his wife to Orlando (yes I still have my apt here)...New Bike Riding Adventures...family, life...you...me...

Stay Tuned here for Summer 2008 Fun!

The Nations Capital has some interesting Companies

So it's June, school is almost out...the weather is getting hotter and hotter...
and so is the Democratic Party. I came to D.C. on Saturday to work on a job and sure enough the Marriott Wardman Park I was staying in was also hosting the DNC's meeting on Michigan and Florida's Votes.

So here I am in DC working for a company called INTELSAT.

Who is INTELSAT?...

• Provide communications services to 99 percent of the world's populated regions

• Are the largest provider of commercial satellite services to the government sector

• Are the leading provider of services to enterprise, Internet and mobile network operators; and

• Are the number one provider of transponders for video programming worldwide

You just never know who Team Franklin will be working with next...and where...
and what I could learn...

When NASA put a man on the moon--the world watched it happen via INTELSAT.

See you next time...

From Up Above

I Must Return !

Still Going

Last week Phoenix and now...

San Diego...

Hello from La Costa.

Hello London

Not too much time for anything while here in Lovely London...

We are working in the British Museum which I am sure is beautiful...but we won't have a chance to see it while we are working...working in the most cramped backstage area full with gear and crew...Once the job is over I am looking forward to catching up with some friends later this week before I leave London.

That will make it all worthwile...

See you later this week mates...

Where is Team Franklin This Week?

Well After a week of visiting Santo Domingo with Mama...
I find myself at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood Florida
Yes... It's back to work
Hitting my cues backstage this week in the Hollywood of Florida
.
Saludos from the Diplomat Hotel
.
Next Week...London! Cheerio Mates

Seven Days in Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo, Capital of the Dominican Republic...my roots! This flag hangs in of all places ... the Horse Racing Track. In Spanish it is called the Hipódromo.
Affordable Apt. rental for the week in the west side of the capital

Mama relaxing upon arriving to the apt.

One of the many historical spots in Santo Domingo the first European City of the New World thanks to Chris Colombus and his posse.

The beaches here are a perfect place to relax have a beer and enjoy some plantains (tostones)

Elizabeth aka Esperanza made it for a few days, sure she barely made her flight and was a lot hungover the first day...but she got into the swing of things quickly here...

She also doubled as the house servant and went out every morning to fetch fresh fruit from a little vendor down the street... not only did she get fruit...she also got phone numbers from the local men while out picking up breakfast... 66 Pesos can get you alot! (2 American Dollars)

After Breakfast...Raul our driver would take us to the Beach.

This is a where I sat and solved world problems...except I forget to write them down.

Elizabeth the actress/playwright displaying her Acting skills here...look at the length of those arms...freakish.

My vantage point

It gets hot on the beach and the best way to ease"el calor" is with a Presidente...

Way better than Gatorade...makes you smile and wish everyone ...

Saludos!
Later on this week more pictures of Santo Domingo and my family there...

I admit you need 4 wheels to get around Orlando

click Pic to see that carbon up close
One of these Bikes has more miles than the other...yep the Cannondale.

The Orlando weather has allowed me to put some long rides in this winter...
Maybe one day I'll get all 4 wheels on 1 vehicle...maybe.
In the meantime I'll be clicking in to my pedals or flicking my wrist ...Vrooom

I'll be heading up to NYC at the end of month... and mark your calendar for the May 9th Birthday Party...more info coming later.

over and out

The Day of Reckoning is Today

Today is the day.

I wait for this day once a year like a child waits for Santa.

Today is the 106th edition of Paris-Roubaix.

Forget the "world" series baby...
Today this bike race will once again define ...what is Sport.

Over One hundred years of racing(a long ass time)...sorry Yankee/Red Sox fans there are sports that are older with more history, more drama, ummm more beer and wine and yes more fans. Why is that... well because if your honest with yourself...baseball is boring as shit.
Watching over priced athletes standing in grass, Big Yawn.

Sport as defined by the dictionary is:

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

Until scratching your balls, chewing tobacco, and running at your leisure to a base
becomes a more exciting game ...I'll stick to something that combines strength,skill, risk and happens to be fun. Although you may learn something about geography watching cycling...and that may scare the average baseball fan who owns a world series t-shirt and gets confused between Paris, Texas and Paris, France.

(Note...they eat more French Fries in Paris Texas)

The effort given during a bike race...the all out effort... is something you can't pay someone to do, you just have to love it.

Bike Racing has been in the news lately not for the beauty of the sport but unfortunately for the drug scandals.

Cycling has AND always deals with drugs, it's just how that sport rolls...

Baseball on the other hand...is now starting to address their drug scandal.

Baseballs "dealing with it" is kind of embarrassing.

Drugs were good for baseball when Mark McGwire was hitting home runs and turning this boring game into Americas game after the 1994/1995 baseball strike.

Now...Drugs are not so good for baseball when Bonds breaks the home run record...hmmm really baseball? You got a policy now...really...really?

Cycling will survive the test of time...simply because it is a simple sport, a sport where you can see, smell and touch the athletes. It is a man/woman and their bike. You train you mind and body and you compete.

On race day even if you are the strongest, you may still get caught in a crash, you may simply be a victim of a flat tire, as in life...you just don't know.

You put in your effort and race fair...In life and in Sport.

Eat well my friends and take care of your bodies...summer is approaching.

But today we will witness more history in the making...The 2008 Paris Roubaix!

Some things humble you forever.

Good Luck to George Hincapie...once a force in Central Park/NYC with the TOGA racing team.

Now a favorite for a top ten place in this race he dreams of winning one day...

TOGA still races every week in and around NYC...

Catch a race in Prospect or Central Park...

(Hey for the record I watch baseball because that is the sport on TV all summer long and it helps me to nap after a long training ride and a massage / and I like to talk sports with my taxi drivers and such...Play Ball...Zzzzzz)

April 11, and it's a scorcher!

After a week of work, I had a little time to ride today...spent some time in 90 degree weather...it's HOTTT and I like it!!!
Haven't had too much time to ride, felt good to get out today on the bike...

Hot Sweaty Dirty Day...ahhhh!
Tomorrow I ride again...pass the sunscreen...we in the Sunshine State!

I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law

January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

A Day of reflection today that I hope will plant a seed for change.

Martin Luther King spent his life fighting for a better life, a voice for all people.
40 years later it saddens me to see that we have only taken a few steps forward , we have not yet achieved the dream. I have seen for myself as I travel around the world and our country that we are all different and all the same. People feel a need for change in their jobs, in world policies, in the food they eat and in the world they live in...

MLK paid the ultimate price 40 years ago. I wonder where we will be 40 years from now... globally and locally? As I myself turn 40 next month I must say I am so tired of the mainstream, our nightly news flooding the airwaves with little stories and pictures to keep everyone from doing anything and thinking anything. The mainstream media will tell you what to like and what not to like, they will act sad and then happy all while barely changing facial expressions. Express yourself!

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
- Martin Luther King

Where to eat in Orlando...College Park

How was Franklin going to survive without Smith St. in Brooklyn? Well I moved to College Park ...that's how!

It's no secret that Orlando has plenty of Waffle Houses and Olive Gardens,
but where do real people go to eat real food in Orlando?

Well turns out there are plenty of gems around town,
and some happen to be in my neighborhood (walking...yes)

Just a stroll down the street on a real sidewalk like a real city you can pick your fancy.
Some really good food is being served up here, all types of Cuisine. Italian, French, Thai, Japanese, they're all here.

If you like Asian we have Little Saigon just 5 minutes from my home.
Little Saigon has great places to eat
and you can also shop in the Vietnamese grocery stores and find some different products not offered anywhere else.

Just like all the visitors that come to New York and go to Times Square...In Orlando you can also avoid the tourists... and more importantly the tourist family restaurants. No New Yorker willingly goes to Times Square even when you have to show friends and family around... and the same applies here.

So if your coming to work a show down here,
give me a ring if you want to escape the ballroom.
Delicious wine to go with the tasty food awaits.

You can ride on my scooter for the full european experience...Chow

scooter featured a few blogs ago...below

It's a rainy day

It feels like such a Monday today...but it's Thursday!

I guess with all the rain and cloudy skies it's a perfect day for laundry!

Go ahead and grab a big pile, throw it in and be ready with clean clothes when the sun returns.

This has been a week for little projects.
I finally got some blinds put up in the bedroom so now I can sleep in darknesss...anytime
That and an air purifier has made the Bedroom a Peaceful Room.

Have a great day...I'm gonna go take a nap
(Click Pic to take a nap)

Twist and Go

So I guess I kinda have to be a little more portable here in this no subway town of Orlando.
But what to do... Cars + Insurance + the price of gas adds up beyond what I need to spend.

The Solution is the Yamaha Vino. Over the weekend, I picked up a shiny new blue 2008 for less than the price of one of those fancy racing bikes I ride.

It rides nice, goes up to about 50mph if you need it to, and is the perfect little vehicle in College Park, Orlando.
Oh and one huge selling point is the gas mileage...about 90 MPG.
Filled up my little blue bike for $2.50 today and went to visit my Mom for lunch.

If you want to save on gas, and you can get around without using highways...

Have some fun while your at it...check out the scooters!

Oh... and yes it has plenty of space for leftovers under the seat.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/328/0/home.aspx

(Click on features)

East Coast West Coast Battle Heats Up

Well I am back in Orlando after 30 days of work, and I get a phone call from my brother Will in L.A. he reports to me that his training is going well.

He has always been in great shape and an inspiration for me in cycling, but now he is taking it to another level... he told me he has logged 800 miles in the last 2 weeks!!!

That just blew my away. I have logged zero miles over the last few months. He said the 800 were just since he zeroed his cycle computer he probably has twice as much...
at least this year.

Technically speaking I have WAY MORE miles than he has this year...
If we count my miles from Florida to Vegas to Milan and then Germany and back and then to San Diego this week... Thats mileage my friends.
My body aches and everything I eat makes me queezy,
Just like a hard workout without the workout! Just Work.

Well I will begin my tally tomorrow stay tuned right here to count the miles with us...

So far WEST COAST 800/ EAST COAST a big fat zero

Holla if you see me coming ...Cause I'm Coming!
(click pic to see my bike life size)

Hello from San Diego

Yo Yo and a Hellooo,

working and working and working on a show here...

But tomorrow I get to go home!

The Weather here is sunny and beautiful from what I can see out the window...

Well got to get back to building a montage for the candids this afternoon...

bye bye

Pit Stop

Sometimes you have to come home to change your outfit, open your mail...

and then ...your off again.

Hello Orlando today!

Tomorrow...

Hello San Diego!!!

One more show to go and then some well deserved rest...

Have a Great Weekend

It's hard to Sleep when a Bomb goes off

http://cbs11tv.com/national/times.square.explosion.2.670660.html

Yes I am in Times Square working at the Millennium Hotel and yes...

I did hear a load ass Boom this morning...

Being a bit jet lagged from my return from Munich I was in bed early last night...around 9:30pm ...when the hotel had a false fire alarm go off.

That wasn't so bad because the fire alarm was so lame you could barely here it ...

Plus I was watching the Knicks get served by Lebron James who scored 50 points
last night at Madison Square Garden.

Soon after that I fell hard asleep until just about 3:00am ish...

Just when I was thinking I wish I could sleep more...

relaxing in my hotel bed...BOOOOM!

Ay Caramba!

There it was the loud ass sound that doesn't sound like anything normal...BOMB!

Dios Mio...

Someone was targeting the Recruiting office in Times Square, no one hurt. No big deal, we are all back at work for our 6am call...in Times Square.

The Show goes on!

But it is fun to hear a bunch of old cranky New York stage hands give you their views on Terror and how they would handle the situation...priceless.

Team Franklin feels like Team Pudgy

After a week of Munich and Berlin and some good eating, Team Franklin is back in New York! ahhh Good ol New York. Good to be home. Yes I have the Orlando thing happening ...but this is home.

Working at the Hudson Theatre This Week.

20+ days on the road.

Burgers and Pizza starting to show...Team Franklin feels like Team Pudgy

Fine Living at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel

So we are gettting closer to our show dates here.
Currently we are still in edit mode working on powerpoints and such.

One nice thing is that the Crew hotel is also the Venue...
So that makes life alot easier as far as having to commute to work in the morning & night.

The Hotel we are staying in is the Bayerischer Hof Hotel.
Kinda rolls off the tongue...Bayerischer Hof Hotel ...doesn't it?
The Hotel has been family owned and has quite the history it opened 1841...it was bombed during the war and then re-built. Many a celebrity has stayed here (Besides Me) ... The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Dali Lama and many other famous types have all have stayed here.




They have a Spa on the 7th floor with a gym of course, a pretty pool, and a restaurant that has a great view and also features an outside bar...made of ice and called the ICE BAR











All in all... this hotel will suffice for me this week.

This weekend I am booked into a youth hostel hotel in Berlin...yes...back to basics, back to life...

Hallo! I am in München this week!

click to enlarge...as always...

Yes München ...
We say Munich in the USA...
and I say ...
NICE OUTFIT HUH!

Team Franklin embraces local culture and this week you can see
ALL of me in Lederhosen. These Outfits are quite comfortable and
I can see why they have been a Big Hit for so many years.
Don't be surprised to see me still wearing the latest Lederhosen Fashion
upon returning to New York ...
chicks dig it!

Munich maybe the cleanest city I have ever seen.

They have the lovely Allianz Football Arena. At night it glows in a soft blue color.

If you enjoy beer, this is the place to be!

You can sit back and relax and watch the world go by as you are served Pint after Pint...after all the beer you too will be looking to wear some Lederhosen!

Take Care, and I hope to have more later this week...

This weekend ... I'm off to Berlin!
Stay Tuned...