Free-For-All Friday 4/16/10
Decatur Metro | April 16, 2010 | 7:00 amUse this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here in the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
————————————————–
This week’s Free-For-All Friday is sponsored by Images by N’neka offering $79 Spring Portrait Specials on weekends in April, and a FREE Portrait Session and one 16×20 framed portrait (a good Mother’s Day gift) to one lucky Decatur Metro reader. To enter, just send your name and address to info@imagesbynneka.com with the subject line “Decatur Metro Contest”. A winner will be selected at random on Monday and announced in the comments section below.
For info on N’neka’s $79 Spring Portrait specials click this link or get more details after the jump!
What: Spring Portraits Specials, Weekends in April
Spring is a great time to update your portraits. This is the perfect opportunity for engagement portraits, family portraits, prom portraits, senior portraits, graduation portraits, or gifts for Mother’s Day.
How much: $79
This special includes the session fee, an online slideshow of at least 15-20 unique images to choose from and gift prints of your favorite image. Tax and shipping is included.
Availability is limited so click here for details and to reserve your session. Call 678-551-2933 for any questions.
I nee advice on buying a new car for the first time in 10 years. I am cheap and don’t want to go over $23,000. I am also an… interesting driver… who is short and need something smallish and safe.
I am leaning towards the ubiquitous Decatur Subaru family. Or the one of the boxy triplets- Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Scion.
Thoughts, help! Please!
If you like boxy, you might also want to consider the Honda Element, our family just got one and like it a lot.
My vote is Honda Element (although the back door annoys me because you have to open the front door in order to open the back, at least that is how it used to be) – it has a cool moon roof for passengers. My other vote would be Subaru. Hubbs says they are very good cars. I had a Nissan once and it had issues. The rear window of the Cube is funny looking how it wraps around on one side but not the other. And those, NelliB, are my thoughts. Now, can we discuss something fun, like what color? I like the light green that the Subaru comes in. It looks nice with tan interior.
Hibbs and Nubbs! HA!
I like all those funky colors- I don’t want red, white, black or silver if I can help it.
I haven’t looked at the element. i will look today
I’m stewarding my mom through a similar quest.
If you are considering used, which is a must if you’re truly cheap, we have found the Consumer Reports Buyers Guide to offer some good guidelines and insightful reviews.
For additional cheapness, I bet you can get the guide real cheap on half.com or, of course, even cheaper at the library.
Whatever you choose, if you decide to buy a used car, please make sure you run it through AutoCheck, not CarFax. I no longer recommend CarGax because too often, they simply do not make sure their information is the most current (sometimes, it’s as much as 6-8 months out of date, and plenty of things can happen in that period of time).
So, you’re wanting something small, that comes in some funky colors? How ’bout a Mini Cooper? They’re mondo cute, come in every color of the rainbow, and the Mini Club S has plenty of storage, leg room, and can BOOK! They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I know three people who drive Minis, and they love them.
D’oh! CarFAX, not CarGAX. *sigh* Can’t type!
I love minis but Baby Nellie is become a gigantic boy and I don’t think a mini will suffice.
Dude, seriously– I’m 5’10″, and my legs are disproportionately long for my body. I can get in & out of a Mini quite easily, and there’s got plenty of leg room in those little blocky interiors! However, you might have a point– I’ve stopped growing, but Baby N, being a growing boy, might hit in excess of 6 feet if you plan to keep the car a decade or so…dunno. Go try one, see what you think (if you haven’t already).
A Mini Cooper would have been my suggestion as well (I had a Cooper S for years, and loved it). A baby seat in the back of any two door car for the giant NB would be a pain, but one of those rear facing child seats in the front would work….
It’s amazing how much you can get in a Mini; people would look at me in astonishment when they saw me loading it up at Lowes or Home Depot!
I have a mini cooper Clubman and I love it. My husband is 6′ 4′ and even he can sit in it without his head brushing the ceiling which was a problem in our old mini van. Also, it drives like a dream and I think people are nice to you on the road because the mini makes them smile.
Also to consider if you’re buying “new” and like to stick with dealership servicing for those first few years is: Where are the dealerships located? My ex boyfriend loved his Subaru Forrester. Not so much the trek to Gwinnett for maintenance & repair.
(He did save boatloads of money by buying it out of state though. Never knew folks actually shopped for new cars @ dealerships on eBay!)
That was actually pushing me towards Nissan!
Check out the Nissan Versa. Small on the outside but big on the inside, especially the hatchback.
I have had great luck with service on my Nissan truck at the local Nissan dealership. They have picked me up and dropped me off and once I even walked over there to pick up my car. Nice people and very convenient.
Great guy in service at Nalley Nissan named Phil Wolf. Knows his stuff and is wonderful to deal with.
Use Consumer Reports, which will assist you with foreseeing repair costs.
I subscribed online; there is so much info!
Check out the Honda Fit! It’s very safe and has the best visibility out there. The price is fabulous, it has tons of space, and it gets significantly better gas milage than the Soul, Cube, or Scion.
Edmunds.com was really helpful for my family’s car search. They have reviews, safety information, and driver satisfaction ratings for just about everything on the market. Plus they can give you an idea of what people in Atlanta have been paying for the car lately to help you decide if you’ve found a good deal.
Hey NB – I am happy with my VW Jetta that I purchased in 2009 for a bit less than your limit. It has heated seats which I love!
Whatever vehicle you choose, I highly recommend buying it through the Costco website. Costco sets the prices the dealers can charge. No haggling, no stress, and they have *every* make and model you can imagine. Place your order, including trim, color, etc., and you will get a call within a couple of hours from the dealer who has your choice. Mine ended up coming from Curry Honda in Chamblee, and I couldn’t be happier with the whole situation. Best $40 (for the Costco membership) I ever spent!
REALLY???
Well, that $40 plus the $18,000+ for the car itself. But it was easy and very low-stress, compared to what I expected.
Check out the Mazda5. There’s a cool silvery green color.
I’ve also been shopping for a new car. In terms of fun, price, size and overall coolness, I’m in love with the Mazda 3 hatchback.
A friend has one of those and she loves it. I want a little more room- I have always had tiny cars and want a medium tiny car now!
I never buy new cars anymore. One or two years old…let someone else pay for the immediate depreciation. Most times it is still under factory/mileage warranty as well.
Also, most problems with a car will appear within the first year or so (if indeed any problems or quirks exist).
I vote NB only spends 15k on her car, and donates the remaining 8k to the first 7 posters who answered her question. Yes!
Interesting number, there, Rebecca…. that’s actually the amount of my downpayment….. are you reading my mind or something
I am actually, and quite frankly, I’m terrified!
Does anyone know of local area restaurants that have “kids eat free” nights/days? (For those of you without kids, this could be useful for avoidance purposes
I saw a recommendation on here a few weeks ago but I cannot locate it …. so…
Can anyone recommend a good house cleaner for a one-off spring cleaning?
Pat Felty – (404) 822-8043 – has been doing a great job for us for years. She comes to us every other week, but she may also do spring cleanings.
My biased opinion is that Nissan/Infiniti is putting the best and most reliable vehicles on the road these and has been for several years.
Agreed. I have owned Nissans since 1995 with nary a problem.
Anyone notice some serious looking (sunglasses, earpieces) guys wearing Security T-shirts standing on Katie Kerr just south of the intersection at Sam’s Crossing (just off the used car lot). I’ve seen them the past 2 days looking very conspicuous.
Didn’t see them, but there’s some filming going on at Agnes Scott. I’m guessing they’re muscle for the set.
The next Tyler Perry movie might have started filming.
Any updates on when the Marietta Diner (or will it be the Decatur Diner) is due to open?
I spoke to one of the owners.. hmmmm.. about two weeks ago when he was outside the space and he said “30 days”… so I guess anytime now..but 30 days can quickly become 60 days.
I haven’t seen much activity there lately.
Does anyone listen to the Burt Show on Q100 and know what that guy was doing behind those condos for a few weeks? I missed the resolution of that story.
The guy behind the condo WAS feeding cats. Seems as if he has 7 or so at home and his wife would not let him have anymore so, he fed the strays behind the building.
They kept saying it was in Decatur, but does anyone know where? Just curious
Awesome! Thanks for asking &replying. I was seriously wondering this myself – honestly.
It wasn’t the “real” Decatur, I don’t think. I think it was down North Decatur towards Emory???
switching gears from the car theme (pun intended)….is it just me or are there an obscene number of inchworms hanging around these days? can’t remember a time when there were so many…
Yes – they are hanging from the trees all up my front walk and out house is on the market…sure the realtors love walking through that. I think we need a major rain storm or wind to make them go away. I was in my front yard on Monday fighting them with a broom..in my pajamas. I am sure the neighbors think I have lost it – but they really get on my nerves. Their little webs stick to everything.
Millions! And an ant invasion too.
Baby Nellie is dying to murder 500,000 or 600,000 of them
Wait…. Nubbs has an OUT HOUSE?
Maybe that is why no one is buying our house – they want a bathroom IN the house, not an out house….
Are you kidding? As back -to-the-earth as us Decatur folks are, that should be a selling feature!
I did ask Hubbs if we could build an out house so we could list our house as having 2 bathrooms. He was not as amused.
Getting ready to move into Decatur! YEAAAAAA! For those of you who work remotely, where are your favorites spots for setting up the laptop and taking advantage of the free WiFi? Two caveats to keep in mind when offering suggestions: I prefer sitting at a table in a chair (as opposed to slumped on a sofa) and I am not a coffee drinker (What is wrong with me?!?!? I know!!!) Thanks!
Welcome! The Decatur Library (3rd floor) is perfect for distraction-free work and free WiFi. Plus you can get a couple CDs on the first floor to listen to.
I haven’t been to the U Joint in many months.. probably since late summer/early fall. At the time, they were no longer allowing dogs in the outside seating area. Can anyone tell me whether that is still in effect? Thanks!
It is actually against health code in DeKalb County to have dogs on patios (used for eating) . From what I have heard the U joint stops allowing dogs after they get cited or get many complaints… then they forget and let dogs on the patio again.
Felini’s in Candler park used to have a sign up with the health code on it b/c the residents were so upset they could not bring their dogs on the patio.
So what part of the cycle are we in with the U Joint at the moment: the part where it has been cited or the part where it forgets and allows dogs again?
I was just at U Joint Thursday night, and there were plenty of dogs there. However, they were tied up on the outside of the patio boundaries. So the owners sat at the tables around the patio perimeter and tied their dogs up just beyond them outside the patio.
When is someone going to do something about all the problems?
Agreed. It’s been a real problem.
I have problems dealing with the problems.
dude, what problems?
I know the Oakhurst Co-op garden has a veggie CSA but are there any other CSA offerings in the area. How about a meat CSA?
I have been using naturesgardendelivered.com. Not only are they local and natural but they deliver to your door! Super nice people as well
One of the houses in my neighborhood (Coventry between Scott and Ponce) has a sign up to warn people about bees swarming in their driveway. I’m told that they are honeybees and that they are just swarming, not nesting, and that they would probably be gone in a few days…but five days later and they are still around–hundreds of them. They show up each day just as the sun hits the driveway and they don’t leave until nightfall. I’m worried because I’m allergic to bees (Epi-Pen and everything). Is there anything that can be done to “encourage” the bees to move on?
The website for Georgia Beekeepers Association
http://www.gabeekeeping.com/
Their servicesinclude swarm removal and rescue.
When the February recycling event was canceled due to bad weather, someone mentioned that there would be an April 24 shredding event in Decatur. I searched but couldn’t find the details – can someone provide an update, please?
i saw in the oakhurst leaflet that first baptist church in decatur is having one next sat. april 24th from 10am to 1pm. i believe more information can be found at http://www.thecommunityschool.net.
Correction about the bees: it’s not a swarm, it’s just hundreds of bees that show up every day to collect pollen from the grass and bushes in the driveway. So, there’s no “swarm” to remove. Any idea what can be done for a non-swarm like this?
I would contact the beekeepers anyway. If hundreds of bees are showing up, they must be living somewhere and nesting. It may be someone’s lost hive as well. The beekeepers are expert at locating and removing honeybees.
Since the honeybee population is under stress, they are a valuable resource and need to be preserved.
N’neka announces that the winner of the free portrait session and framed portrait is Paula Gaber. Congrats Paula!
Question to DM: How did you decide whose ad goes higher on your front page–Tom Stubb’s or Jason Carter’s? First come, first serve? I keep asking but no one, including one of the two candidates, has explained to me what the difference between these two are. Their “Issues” page on their websites are almost identical. Tom’s issues are:
- Education
- Environment/Water
- Transportation
- Public Safety
- Ethics
Jason’s are the same except delete the last two and add “Jobs”.
How does one decide between these two?
The ads rotate in two different “tiers”.
So if you’re in the first tier, as Mr. Carter, Mr. Stubbs and DFB currently are, they take turns rotating through the top three places each time the page is loaded. Tier 2 ads do the same thing, just a bit farther down the page.
Cool! I should try this with yard signs on my lawn!