Wedge

That sounds like a good day..would you care to share where the bbq place,& the tattoo shop are.

Of course...

Hat City Tattoo (to be honest, i thought the shop and flash filled walls and books were amazing while the artist's (Chris) work didn't blow me away.

The Cookhouse

If it matters, I think places like Kings Ave and Adorned are charging a flat shop rate of $200/hr. I would love something from either of those shops but I don't know if I could bring myself to pay that much, even though they're worth it.

@Liz Stitch Ellis...congrats on the amazing accomplishment.

For me, this past week was pretty good... I went to a game at Yankee Stadium, took a nice long motorcycle ride to get some kick ass bbq, found a cool little unknown tattoo shop loaded with amazing flash and spent some time at the indoor shooting range. A very therapeutic week but reality set in quickly back at work today.

I won't be as helpful as bigjoe but if you're into realism style tattoos, I believe Andy Engel is in Germany. I'm sure there are many more but that's all I can personally think of off the top of the head and he's pretty sick.

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I have plenty of ideas but not ready to make any appointments yet. I really want some Jerry, I've been liking the "Equalizer" flintlock pistol flash piece to represent my other hobby. Also, maybe a clipper ship, eagle/snake, animal head, dagger...just trying to mostly figure out appropriate placements and other considerations. It's been about a year so I'm definitely feeling the itch.

@eisen777, I've been to almost every gun shop and indoor range in the state of CT and by far my favorite range is Wolf's in Bristol.

Here's my CZ and my Dan Wesson. Both have custom made grips and are extremely accurate firearms and fun to shoot.

I'm big into handguns and have had my CCW for over ten years. Here is what I have:

-Kahr pm9 (daily carry)

-Glock 36, .45 (nice powerful carry)

-Sig 239 .40 SA/DA

-S&W 686p .357 mag (4", 7 rounds)

-Dan Wesson Pointman 7, .45 1911 (now owned by CZ, better 1911 than Kimber)

-CZ 75 Shadow (Custom target 9mm w/fiber optics)

Additionally I have a small .22 revolver and a .20 guage shotgun.

Well, Hartford CT just held it's first ever tattoo convention this past weekend. I had never been to a convention so we were anxious mainly to walk around and see what it was all about. I was prepared and actually expected to get a walk-up if I could find an artist I liked who had time. Unfortunately being a small convention there weren't really any artists I was interested in, and the few real good artists (like Stefano) were fully booked. Philadelphia Eddie was there and a couple of TV "artist" celebs like Al Fliction and Amy Nicoletto were drawing crowds but that doesn't interest me. Even though I didn't get any work done and the few artists who did traditional tattooing weren't very good I still had a good time and I'm glad we went. I think if I was to get something done at a convention I would try to schedule an appointment as the walk up routine seemed real random. I also hope that if Hartford does it again they can attract some more better artists but we'll see. I'm glad I got a taste of what tattoo conventions are like so it was a good experience.

Best to him and hopes for a good recovery.

Same old..."I didn't see the motorsickle"!

Only two kinds of riders, those that have been down, and those that will be. I've found that aftr the first few times you get splashed, you tend to be a LOT more observant and careful. At least you gotta get something out of it.

Yeah, I agree. I've been on motorcycles for over 35 years and used to ride like a madman...then I got hit by a car. Fortunately it wasn't too bad but it scared the shit out of me and I swore I was done riding. I took one year off and then just had to ride again but i am so much more defensive then ever, always expecting and trying to be prepared for the worst. I feel bad for the artist that got hit, definitely sucks.

I was really (really) fortunate to get a little somethin' on Saturday from Matt Cunnington at Westside Tattoo - Professional Services - Brisbane, QLD | Facebook BUT I don't have any decent pics yet, and will probably have to wait for it to settle. When I do have pics they will be shared of course, as well as the cool story to go with it :cool:

I just checked out that facebook page, too, and definitely a lot of great tattoos.

That's a nice tattoo, bulldog. Clean as hell but who would expect anything less from Valerie. Congrats.

Personally, I like your koi tattoo, Matt. We both know the reaction you'll get if you post it at that other forum, though.

Love it...love the black and red snakes.

Me too!

I was told the history of George when I was at congress st! Very cool, yes hes another old schooler who id love to get a tattoo from. The hobos/congress st people are GREAT people. I also think Jason Scott is terribly underrated. I will be getting some stuff from him in the future as well. its a new england classic and important in tattoo history IMO.

I was checking out their site and Jason Scott's work caught my attention, too. The shops seem to be good examples of those quiet, hidden gem type of shops that push out quality tattoos and attract good guest artists and knowledgeable clients. I'm in CT but I love NH, but I've still got to get to Murray Sell first, and he's right near me.

Flying Tiger Tattoo

(another hidden gem shop)

Look at this instagram/twitter he will post his travel plans. He goes to congress/hobos pretty often but you could try to email congress/hobos and tell them what you want and that you want to be on his list.

Thanks. Yeah, that's the downside from not doing facebook, twitter, instagram, etc., I miss out on the tattoo artist news.

Instagram

My new back....love it. Wanted it New England as fuck. I love Chad, Jason, Bill and Spencer at Congress st/ hobos. Sorry about the ASS shot....soooo much pain. We may add more on the ass later..uggghhh. Love it. Classic.

So this done by Chad in NH, right? I'm wondering, where has Chad been posting his travel plans, seems his blog is outdated? I would love to catch him in NH sometime in the future.

Nice looking panther, Tom.

That's a beautiful design, eisen777. Really look forward to seeing more of this as things progress.

Electric is like Jersey's version of Smith Street,but the prices are much more reasonable.

Ive never been to either shop but that's an interesting quote. Being in CT, I'm closer to Smith Street than Electric but I've always admired the tattoos that Electric puts out. Smith St. obviously has such a solid reputation I'd love to get tattooed there but NY prices (generally speaking) make me cringe. I have no idea what the rates at Smith St. are.

Damn, Tim Burke, that's an incredible tattoo. Obviously the credit goes to Valerie but congrats on such a badass eagle.

I've known people that swear by the re-wrapping method also, and say it's the best they've healed. I tried it briefly with my last tattoo but gave it up when I saw how much moisture and nastiness was accumulating, it freaked me out so I abandoned it. I will try it again, though, as I'm told it won't be so messy after a couple of days. I also have been told not to use any ointment, etc, before wrapping and to wash and let air dry for a while and then dry wrap for a while and keep repeating cleaning and dry wrapping.

Got this torch from Eli at Smith St the other night. Looks so rad with the dagger he did on my other forearm. Way stoked right now!

That's beautiful, dirbab.

I love that indian girl, hogg. Looks clean as hell and absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for posting Iwar...great stories, great tattoos, great pictures, etc. There's definitely nowhere like NY.