The truth is, the North End of Burlington is one of very few nooks of this town that has character. The Pearl to Moon office was first started in a two bedroom apartment on Church Street, so my staff and I are all too familiar with that part of town. Although there are some great places located on the market street, we could only shake our collective heads each summer walking through the hoards of tourists and locals alike that stand and wait for over an hour to sit and eat at Sweet Waters (the most overrated, bland restaurant this side of New England). In the North End, however, there is color and flavor not seen in most parts of Burlington.

It is filled with most, if not all, of the ethnic grocery shops, which says something about the people who live in the north end. It is no surprise that there is a large immigrant population, given the less built up houses and structures that make up the neighborhood. But what the Old North End lacks in flash it more than makes up for in the roots that are growing there.

There is a calm about the neighborhood that reeks of family and friends, two things every in coming Vermont resident should be frightened of. The streets may not be as well lit as they are downtown, but all you have to do is look into a few houses and really know what is at work here.

Families that are putting a lot of work into their living space, even if it is just a rented two bedroom apartment. Others are older Burlington natives that can find peace from the noise of the college campuses in a small street off of North Winooski.  And you can't walk more than a few blocks without seeing one of Stu McGowen's eclectically painted houses. I once talked with Stu about seeing one of his apartments, and he told me that he honestly believes that the Old North End (O.N.E) is on the rise and has more potential than any other neighborhood in Vermont. Once you walk around, you'll know why.

So if you find yourself with an extra hour this fall, go take a walk around the O.N.E. As I write this to you, we here that are still left in the office can hear a group of college kids out on the street arguing over whether they should, "Go to Red Square or just find a Kegger, brah." We find this reason enough that if we keep Pearl to Moon located in Burlington for years to come, we will have to find a new space in the Old North End where we can develop and print in peace and be surrounded by those who share a common purpose of progress and, well, good eateries and coffee shops.

This is Pearl to Moon Photography's CEO Ryan P signing off, and wishing you a happy weekend!

Using a fairly simple cupcake recipe, we baked as usual. While letting each batch cool, those still here in the office decided to throw on a few albums. We bounced back and forth between the new Sufjan Stevens album The Age of Adz and the new Antony and the Johnson's album Swanlight. Both very good albums in their own ways. Sufjan has merged both of his musical personalities together on this one, as it seems to be somewhere between 2002's Know Your Rabbit and his last studio LP, Illinois. An invigorating album from top to bottom; and if you find yourself in a bad mood over the next few days, be sure to listen to the second track, Too Much, as it will get you bouncing whether you want to or not. We all seemed to agree that the new Antony album is much like last years The Crying Light. Naturally, some very slow, piano-heavy tracks are a theme of the album, with a few slightly more upbeat tunes, His voice is still second to none, and if he made an album every year for the next twenty years, we here at Pearl to Moon would buy and enjoy each one. One recommended track is Fletta, a slow duet in which he recruited the Icelandic egg-purse-birthing Queen Bjork herself to sing on. What else could you ask for?

And speaking of what else you can ask for, look at those puppies! We aren't the biggest dessert bakers here at the Pearl, but we think these turned out pretty well. A basic cupcake with the middle cut out of it (about halfway down) with sauteed cinnamon and sugar apples, and a butter-cream icing on top. With a combination of local apples as well as local flour, we feel good about the few hours spent on these. And for those of you who don't know our head photographer very well, his dream job is to take photographs for any culinary magazine out there, so we will always use cooking and baking as an excuse for him to take some foodie photos.

We hope all of you out there in internet land have a great weekend!