smart challenge: the bar is set

Three months into the smart challenge- Paris stands untouched with 107 points (see the above video).  Yes the bar is high, but it didn't keep Rome from stepping up with a respectable 43 points.  And now that the bar is set, Agent ØØsmart has elected to change gears- managing the smart challenge from a beachside bungalow while sipping coconut cocktails.  Such is the beauty of a laptop and a wireless internet connection. The cocktail in my hand right now is especially sweet, so here's a toast to future smart challenge participants, worldwide.  Between dips in the crystal clear waters, this Agent awaits your videos, and applauds your efforts.

Agent ØØsmart

smart stop NYC: Banksy's Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

Banksy strikes in New York!  The UK-based artist best known for his stenciled street art has created the "Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill."  Up through 12/31, this installation is not to be missed.  Click here for more information on the artist and installation.

Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

89 Seventh Avenue South (Between West 4th and Bleeker)  / New York, NY 10014 

Metered parking available on 7h Avenue

Nearest garage on Seventh Avenue South and Morton Street
Open 10am - 12pm daily through October 31st

eurosmart: smarts by night

Here are 12 smarts, shot in the course of a 15 minute walk through Paris.  At this rate, a 60 minute walk would have secured a solid second place in the smart challenge.  So many smarts, so little time...

smart stuff: the final countdown

We are in the final countdown.  And I'm not speaking of the election itself but the energy issue it raises.  Last night, 60 Minutes profiled the electric car race- showcasing the sporty Tesla (currently in production at $109,000 a pop) vs. the Chevrolet Volt (as advertised on TV as early as 2007 despite a 2010 launch date).  Detroit's scheduled entry into the electric arena has established a countdown to 2010 that other developers are using as a benchmark. 

Will smart get in the race?  I don't have a definitive answer, but one would hope that the forward-thinking team at smart would take to the challenge as they took to redefining the car for modern times.  Here's what I do know- in Europe only, 2009 smart fortwos will use MHD (micro hybrid drive) technology for fuel economy improvements of up to 20%.  Surprisingly, the US market will be excluded from this upgrade.  So can we expect MHD smarts in the US for 2010, dear corporate?  The race is underway.  

smart sounds: Jamaican Boy

My July 4 post predicted Estelle's American Boy would go down as the summer jam of 2008.  Little did I know an ingenious remake would prove me wrong.  Bost & Bim took the original R&B/Hip-Hop jam and flipped it- Jamaican style.  The result was the runaway favorite of late summer and as such it sewed up Agent ØØsmart's Best Of Summer 2008 title.  

Jamaican Boy is available on iTunes now- add it to your smart playlist and enjoy.

Visit Bost & Bim on myspace

smart stuff: 133 smarts in San Francisco

After a post about multiple-smarts parked on European cobbled streets comes this news flash from San Francisco.  A rally of smart owners recently assembled 133 smarts and packed them into the brick (read: cobbled) Lombard Street (also known as the crookedest street in the world).   Trust California to out-Euro the Euros!

Read more about the rally

eurosmart: triple your pleasure

The new smart challenge entry from Rome features this super shot of three smarts in a row. Smartourists will recognize these double/triple/quadruple smart lineups as common sites on cobbled European streets.  Since these images do such a good job of spreading love of smart- it's time to reward them in future smart challenge entries.

Current challenge guidelines do not address ties, so here is the new tiebreaker clause: in the event of a tie, multi-smart images will count double toward a tiebreaker point tally.  In the above photo, 3 consecutive smarts x 2 = 6 tiebreak points.  

The epic Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final was so close that tiebreaker scoring became the norm.  Such close competition would be a good problem to have here at smart challenge HQ, and now we're prepared for  it. Just think of us as the Wimbledon of smart car lifestyle blogs.  

smart stop NYC: FSC Barber Shop

Getting a haircut in NYC can be tricky business.  Route 1 is to shell out your smart fortwo monthly gas spend at a full-service salon offering stylists with French accents and complimentary Perrier.  Route 2 is to roll the dice at Astor Place Hairstylist- cuts start at $14 and if you're lucky you might actually get that studied yet care-free look you're going for.

FSC is the perfect middle ground. Freemans Sporting Club Barber Shop is located in Freemans Alley on the Lower East Side and they recently opened in the West Village.  Get a good cut for $40 in a shop your Grandparents would endorse.  Perrier is not offered but I imagine you could bring your own- consider it a BYOP situation.

FSC Barber Shop

5 Horatio Street  /  New York, NY  10014

Street parking on Horatio:

North side- street cleaning MON&THU, 11:00am-12:30pm

South side- street cleaning TUE&FRI, 11:00am-12:30pm

Limited metered parking on West 4th Street

street smart: PARK Smart NYC pilot program

Next month the NYC Department of Transportation will launch PARK Smart, a pilot program to reduce parking congestion.  

PARK Smart is a new program developed with the community to make parking easier while reducing congestion and improving safety. A six-month trial of PARK Smart will begin on October 6, 2008 in Greenwich Village. PARK Smart aims to increase the number of available metered parking spaces by encouraging motorists to park no longer than necessary. The meter rate is higher when demand for parking is greatest and decreases when demand is lower. The Greenwich Village pilot will be conducted in the area shown. Meter rates will be $2.00/hr from Noon to 4PM and $1.00/hr at all other times that meters are in effect. All other regulations will remain the same hours in effect (i.e. Monday - Saturday for posted time periods) and duration (i.e. 1 Hour or 2 Hour meters).

Parking for $2/hr. in NYC is still a steal if you can find a metered spot.  So I'll be interested to see if this program has an impact on parking congestion.  In any event, PARK Smart has a great ring to it- thanks to the NYC DOT for the (unintentional) shout-out.

Read more on PARK Smart

smart challenge: Rome gets in the game

The Italian capital has officially entered the smart car challenge.  More smarts have been sold in Rome than in any other city, worldwide, so look out Paris- you've got some tough competition hot on your heels.  I'm guessing Rome's first video is just a warmup.  

smart sounds: Gling-Glo

The evening chill in the air reminds me of summer in Iceland.  And thoughts of Iceland always lead to Bjork.  I know,  you either love her or hate her.  Me?  Totally love her.  Devoted for life.  So I dig deep to discover whatever I can about the Icelandic nymph.  In 1990 Bjork recorded Gling-Glo with a jazz band.  A song or two make for good driving music- grab a few from iTunes and drop them into your Fall/Winter 08 playlist. This favorite is called "I Dansi Med Per."

smart stuff: Vegas gets smart

Back in June I did a smart vs. Hummer fuel price comparison.  Perhaps the population of Las Vegas read the post, because this week the Wall Street Journal reported that one of the nation's largest Hummer dealers is closing... and reopening as a smart dealer! If you can't sell a Hummer in Vegas, what hope remains for sales in Anytown, USA?  The times they are a changin.'

Read the WSJ article

smart video: Peel forone

Before there was smart, there was Peel- creators of the three wheeled 1960s vehicles that make your smart fortwo look like a Maybach 62S .  In the market for functioning windows, a reverse gear, turn signals, or brake lights? With the sales slogan "almost cheaper than walking," Peel offered no such luxuries.  So the next time you reach for that turn indicator, remember- you are motoring in the luxury lane. 

smart stop NYC: PetalBelle

This globetrotting Agent ØØsmart has spent many an hour in cafés around the world, so I know a good one when I see it.  PetalBelle is a new entry on the NYC café landscape- serving Belgian specialities in view of the facing church.  It makes for a very Euro affair, further supported by the Cherie FM satellite radio feed- live and direct from Paris!  Pull up in your smart fortwo and order coffee and a waffle.  And the best part of all?  Pay in US dollars.

PetalBelle

158 Sullivan Street  /  New York, NY  10012

Street parking in the block: 

West side- street cleaning MON&THU, 11:00am-12:30pm

East side- no parking MON-FRI, 8:00am-5:00pm

smart stuff: smarts around town

The smarts they are everywhere- OK it's not Paris (see my smart challenge video) or Rome, but I'm seeing more and more smarts of all colors in the 'hood.  Red? check. Blue cabrio? yes- just this afternoon. Yellow?  roger.  So who's driving these beauties?

In a dream I had a vision of a FTLOS forum for owners to share pics of their smarts, and answer a fun questionnaire to create smarty profiles.  In a nightmare I logged on to The Catorialist in my sleep and realized it's a fine line between general enthusiasm and serious TMI (too much information) .  

After consulting family and friends, I'm ready to walk that line in the name of smart excellence.  If you'd like to be the first smarty to be profiled on this lovely blog, please shoot me an email.  We'll have some fun with it and you will earn the prestigious title of smarty 00000001.  Don't be shy, email now.