beards

You wake up on the floor of a rustic log cabin in New Hampshire's White Mountains. You're softly humming a Norwegian lullaby as you sharpen your father's old hatchet. The sun won't rise for another 30 minutes, but you've already finished the week's chores. You straighten the Brian Wilson portrait hanging above your fireplace. Yeah, that's better. You light a wooden pipe and think back to simpler times. Ah. No Shave November. No Shave November is an annual, month-long marathon of questionable hygiene and brutish masculinity. Participants wake up on December 1st, gaze into the mirror, and ask themselves, "Am I a man or is there a god behind that beard?" We want to help you answer that question. Now that the marathon is over, it's time to reward yourself. Don't go reaching into your drawer of razors or trying to borrow your shepherd friend's sheep shearers. We've got a list of the best Morningside barber shops for your face's rebirth. Check them out after the jump. more Melvin & Pat's Barber Shop - 998 Amsterdam Avenue This place is packed with people and mirrors, so it ends up looking much bigger than it actually is. Salsa music blares over the stereo all day long. Expect a quick, inexpensive, and melodic shave. Miguel's Barber Shop - 942 Amsterdam Avenue Miguel's is almost always busy, so expect a bit of a wait if you go. The fragrance of their shaving cream is by far the best of Morningside's many barber shops. That may be reason enough to try out Miguel's. Santana's Barber Shop - 965 Amsterdam Avenue Our personal favorite, Santana's is home to the best story-telling barbers on Amsterdam. It's kind of a hang out place for the neighborhood, and if you're lucky, the guy giving you s shave will also be wildly flailing his arms as he acts out a scene for the regulars. Queridos Barber Shop - 983 Columbus Avenue The best part about Queridos is the wise, black cat that occupies the shop and sternly judges you as you get your face shaved. The prices are relatively cheap, but it's not the quickest shave. Barbershop Mercedes International - 205 West 104th Street Aside from the bulky name, Barbershop Mercedes International offers some great cuts, though not the cheapest. The best part about the place? The chairs. You could fall asleep before your barber even lathers your face. Columbia Barber Shop Unisex - 3066 Broadway This barber shop is relatively cheap, and when combined with the $2 student coupon on their website, you can get a haircut and a shave for less than 20 bucks. They even have televisions tuned to sports games so you don't have to make awkward small-talk with your barber. Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Today is the last day of November, a beautiful month of autumnal weather featuring short but satisfying academic breaks and an opportunity to wear fall jackets. For that, I am sorry. Today is also, however, the last day of No Shave November, a month that celebrates the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad decision to, well, not shave. (I've also heard of a variant wherein one grows a mustache, but I am not going to humor that in this post.) For that, I rejoice. It turns out, however, that Spectrum—that is, this very website—is encouraging further validation of the choice to not shave one's face for an entire month by way of a contest. I generally hate meta posts, partially because I am never really sure that I am using "meta" correctly, but mostly because I don't actually think they're contributive. But this time, I have a very specific contribution: Those of you who are eligible to partake in this contest should instead rectify your earlier mistake (which, again, was to not shave for a month). Why? I'm so glad you asked.more