The Journey

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS - Hastings, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

The last time I drove a Hyundai Santa Fe, it perturbed a close friend of mine. Though it was the first generation of Hyundai’s SUV/crossover, it looked imposing next to his Saturn SL. One never thinks of such vehicles as imposing…unless you’re driving a Chevrolet Suburban or a Hummer H2.

In truth, SUVs can be imposing beasts. When gas was at $4.00 a gallon in the U.S.A., they took the brunt of the automobile sales slide. A backlash that cried for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. Not even hybrid trucks and SUVs, save for the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner Hybrid, could cut the mustard in the marketplace.

On Thanksgiving, you can buy gasoline in the Twin Cities for as low as $1.56 a gallon. Because gas dropped so much as the bottom fell out of the 55-gallon crude oil barrel, Ford ramped up their production of their new F-150 pickup. Other manufacturers tried to follow, but found themselves on the business end of a global economic crisis affection consumer credit and high-ticket purchasing.

This story may end being repeated in this blog until we’ll see some sort of light at the end of the economic tunnel.

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Uptown - Minneapolis, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

Rarely do I attend films at the cinema anymore. It takes something that captures my interest and attention that will draw me to the screen.

It has been 30 years since Harvey Milk, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, was murdered alongside Mayor George Moscone. This is a story that was crying to be told on screen. The late author Randy Shilts wrote an excellent biography of Milk probing into his childhood and life before and through his relocation to San Francisco. There was an opera performed based on the political life of Milk, considering that one of his passions was the opera.

This past weekend, a new biopic by filmmaker Gus Van Sant based on the political life of Harvey Milk opened in limited release. I was a part of a group from the Minneapolis Movie Bears that viewed the film on Tuesday. There were 82 people amongst the group to watch history captured on film. A few watched the film in advance over the weekend, but felt compelled to share the experience with the larger group.

When I first thought about the film Milk, I thought of films that impact certain groups of people with the telling of their stories. When I think of the Apartheid struggle in South Africa, I point to Sir Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom, the story of the friendship between martyred activist Steven Biko and journalist Donald Woods. When I think of the holocaust during World War II, I consider Stephen Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. Of course, when I want a different point-of-view of the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960’s, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X comes to mind.

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Yes, Virginia, we are in a recession. President Bush finally admitted it.

I can honestly say that writing automotive pieces will be depressing as we continue in this economic slump. How can I speak positively about an industry that has been hit the hardest by the recession? How can I try to defend an industry saddled with debt created by dubious business decisions ranging from strategic alliances to product to controversial choices in management?

Frankly I can’t. The last few weeks solidified my concern over the industry I enjoy writing about.

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We know what today signifies
We wear red ribbons because of it.
Is it a fashion statement?
Let me educate you…

This is not just a disease.
Nor is it just an epidemic in parts of the world.
This is real.
People lived through the worst of it.
We rode through hope, pain and suffering because of it.
We’ve read enough obituaries in the 1980’s and early 1990’s to know why they left us.
We heard the urban legends of how we could get it.
We as a people were cast out because of undue blame.
The status quo said we brought it here.
Who knows the real cause of it?
They closed down the bathhouses because of it.
They shunned our people in spite of it.
They shunned anyone else that got it.
Yet, it’s still here!

There are plenty of us that have this.

We know what it is.
We no longer wish it would simply go away.
We only wish for a cure.
We ask for better care.
For better access.
For the end of discrimination on the basis of seroviral status.
For the end of discrimination based on risk of infection.

For the end of the days when we no longer wear that damned red ribbon!

Remember - Reflect - Recall - Educate - Advocate
World AIDS Day 2008

I’m 44 years old and I have a Facebook page.

By now, everyone knows what Facebook is as it is the hottest social networking site on the Internet. Originally designed for traditional undergraduate college-aged folks to network and keep up with their lives, it is no longer for 20-year-olds anymore.

It seems that everyone is using Facebook. Certainly the bulk of Facebook users are individuals like you and me, you can also find celebrities, organizations, sports leagues, television programs, media outlets and causes with their own Facebook pages. They’ve taken social networking beyond anyone’s imagination.

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Metrodome - Minneapolis, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

Sorry folks, but The Heirloom’s off-season.

As I am grateful (make that thankful…it is that time of year) that my gig at Lavender magazine is happening (for now), my biggest success is not seeing my byline in a local GLBT publication. It is taking my baseball writing from a personal site to Major League Baseball Advanced Media’s blogsite. It is there where my passion for the game is presented above all else in my writing. The results were astounding. My words appeared on MLB.com’s front page for a day, while I was linked off of the blogsite’s main page several times when appropriate.

As Thanksgiving arrives, there is nothing to report over on that site. There is truly nothing to say. Maybe not until the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas starting December 8. Then, there’s the fan fests, including (possibly) the final one inside the Metrodome for the Twins. Don’t forget next year’s Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic…the credit crunch, the financial market’s rollercoaster and the price of oil.

But, I still have opinions, observations and other tidbits from the halls of other sports I enjoy. I have to write something (well, I don’t have to, but my brain won’t let me sleep without doing something about these thoughts). It might as well be something on the sports scene outside of baseball.

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Duluth Farmer’s Market - Duluth, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

By the time my maternal grandparents settled into South Central Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest was mainly an agrarian society. The land, the soil, the livestock and the climate dictated what everyone can eat, drink and enjoy.

Commerce was simple back then: Farmers and other artisans can bring their goods to market for everyone to bring home.

A century later, we still go to farmer’s markets. We try to find farm fresh goods to make wonderful dishes with. Nowadays, it is still accompanied by artisans, horticulturalists and providers of related and interested services and causes all provided additional flavor to the local farmer’s market.

Aside from the famous Los Angeles landmark, my closest friend Scott introduced me to a farmer’s market held every Saturday around the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. This past Saturday, Scott invited me yet another farmer’s market. This time, he was vending with the Loathes and Fishes group of Duluth’s Catholic Worker community. His group was amongst over a dozen vendors housed in a low barn just past the hospitals on Duluth’s East Side.

Let me take you inside this historic farmer’s market, 95 years in the making. It was a special one as Thanksgiving is just a few days away.

This is also the first photo essay taken with the newest addition to my creative tool kit: An Olympus E-520 DSLR camera. No need for judgment on the photos…I’m still learning to work with this tool.

Enjoy the photos…and, if you find yourself in Duluth, stop by the farmer’s market!

2009 Mazda6i Sport 4-door - Duluth, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

When you love a car so much, you fear that any changes to it would be too revolutionary for its own good. A vehicle goes through generations with each one building upon the success from the previous one. In many cases, you can see improvements upon what was missing from the last model.

A bit of history is in order. My brother bought our family’s first Mazda: A 1979 626 2-door coupe. It came from a lineage of Capellas, which began in the states as the RX-2. The 626 was a piston-engined Mazda aimed at the Toyota Corona/Datsun 710 crowd. In fact, the 626’s direct competition was the popular first generation Honda Accord, despite lacking a hatchback for its 2-door model. That was fine because the 626 drove like a Japanese imitation of a BMW 2002. Well…to me, it did!

Since then, I had the chance to drive every generation of the Capella through the 2008 model. Much to my disappointment, I found the first front-drive 626 to be a bore. I liked the coupe’s looks, though. The next generation was an improvement and I almost bought one in 1990. I opted for the Acura Integra instead. After that, I took a MX-6 along the Sacramento River delta in foggy conditions. Now, I liked that one! The last 626 model was a regular in my drives out East. Yet, the blandness came back in time for its Americanization.

However, nothing can top the last Mazda6 for me. If I wanted a sporting sedan, I grab one of these puppies, throw around the curves, push the engine to 6000RPM and scream “wheee” at inappropriate times of the day and night. I simply loved this car.

When Mazda announced a new Capella/6 for the world, I hoped that it would carry some its zoom-zoominess over into the larger frame and keep some of the goodness I come to enjoy from the 6.

Then, I grabbed one: A 2009 Mazda6i Sport 4-door.

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2009 Toyota Avalon XL - Zumbrota, Minn. Photo by Randy Stern

Ageism. Even in my mid-forties, I get some of it. Sometimes I get it in jest; other times with intent to demean yours truly.

One such event of ageism through jest came with a discussion of whether a friend in Janesville, Wisconsin wants to replace his Pontiac Grand Prix GXP for a Chevrolet Traverse crossover. When I suggested that he also look at the Buick Enclave, the upscale version of the Traverse, he rejected the idea based on the stereotypical demographic the brand attracts. He even said that I was a part of said demographic…in jest, of course.

I wasn’t entirely offended. I know I’m getting older, but I also know that I have respect for Buicks over the decades. I’ll even offer up that I know many people of all ages who either own Buicks and had one before…and enjoyed them. No matter how soft, cushy and pillowy their driving manners were, Buicks spoke to the type of driver who wants to not care about the world around them.

The Buick LeSabre, since replaced by the thoroughly advanced Lucerne, was a prime example of what a Buick stood for. It was big, comfortable and no one cared how it drove or what kind of fuel economy it turned.

Ah, but I pointed out that several competitors were able to create their own Buicks. Some of them built and drive better than one! The Hyundai Azera is one example of an entry-premium sedan geared towards the former Buick LeSabre owner looking for a trade-in. I pointed out how much the Azera felt much more in tune with drivers that care about tighter rides and better handling in their large sub-$32,000 sedans.

However, there is the Toyota Avalon. Since Toyota wanted to reach out to North American consumers by giving them a lineup that spoke to every kind of automobile owner, the Avalon became the LeSabre of the lineup. After a few generations, they succeeded in improving upon the LeSabre.

Whenever I talk about big comfortable sedans, I use a very American sedan as a measuring stick: The Chevrolet Impala. Enthusiasts would dismiss the big Chevy as something to match a Toyota with, but for a guy who loves to cruise down in a large comfortable sedan around The Cities and beyond…this makes sense.

So, has the big Avalon matched the Impala? You betcha! In some cases, it even surpasses it!

Before we get into the real comparisons, one thing must be said about the Avalon. Granted Toyota has some vehicles that are easy on the eyes, such as the Yaris hatchback and the RAV4. There are a couple that are, at best, iconic, such as the Prius and the Camry. Then, there are designs that fall flat on their face, keeping in mind that Toyota had always been known for being bland and conservative in their designs for a 15 year span until recently. Sadly, the Avalon employs some dubious angles and some gangly and large details. Some might say that there’s a degree of goofiness in the Azera, some overly ambitious curves on the Nissan Maxima, a gangsta vibe in the Chrysler 300 and that the Lucerne is too elongated for its own purpose. In all, you might say that you simply do not buy an entry-premium sedan for its looks.

Inside is something of a vision Toyota had for a Buick. There are plenty of familiar Toyota details mixed with some interesting wide-body cabin features. The blue screen (not to be confused with Microsoft Windows’ infamous “blue screen of death”) gives a mix of reading for the climate control, audio system, weather and fuel consumption information. However, the driving position is similar to the Azera’s: Tall with a low cowl. This is fine even for someone who prefers his instrumentation right in front of him. The seats are big, but give you the right mix of comfortable and firm. It makes driving more important from this vantage point.

Where it makes me smile is everything else on the Avalon. My 2009 XL model, sitting at the entry point of Toyota’s largest sedan, starts off with a powerful, quiet and familiar 3.5litre V6 employing 268HP. This is connected to a 6-speed automatic that is smooth in going through the gears and getting the big car rolling along the highway. This car has a supple and smooth ride…just the way I like it! You should not be reminded that this is an extended Camry chassis with a completely different shell. It’s handling is a bit off, but I blame that on a softer suspension set and the 16-inch wheels employed on the base XL. I was informed that the tauter Touring model from last year was nixed for 2009. In all, it stops superbly.

The biggest surprise was the steering, perhaps the tightest of any big car I have ever driven. Want to make a u-turn? No problem. It does it smoothly and swiftly without wondering if you’ll hit a curb.

If you’re concerned about fuel economy, you may want to skip this paragraph. Still, the big V6-powered Toyota Avalon still turned a 23.7MPG loop. Not bad for a big sedan.

Before I conclude on the Avalon, there are a couple of related observations to make. Mind you I did not mention anything about the Buick Lucerne. Not that I have yet to drive one, but to acknowledge that it raised the bar for Buick. I must point out that even the Lucerne will be eclipsed two fold: If not by the Enclave, then by the 2010 LaCrosse/Allure.

Yet, I’ve been fortunate to drive a lot of different Toyotas this year. A common thread with each Toyota has been the solid foundation where familiar components, sounds and functionality are of the highest level of satisfaction. Yet, there are some Toyotas I would be happy to drive again above other models in the lineup.

The Avalon is one of them.

Over the weekend, I learned that I had something accomplished that I was not aware of. Funny how things works like that!

On Saturday evening, after I’ve literally thrown in the towel on a four-article assignment with Minneapolis-based Lavender magazine, a Facebook friend (yes, I have a Facebook page at the age of 44!) informed me that he found my article in said magazine. To explain, Lavender is the local GLBT glossy bi-weekly magazine informing the community on what’s happening and then some.

Needless to say, I was shocked.

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