Free-For-All Friday 3/1/13
Decatur Metro | March 1, 2013 | 7:28 amFeel free to use this post make comments and ask questions about local topics not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post make comments and ask questions about local topics not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
trish
Scott
Keith
Don the Don
Don the Don
Chris Billingsley
Decatur Heights Dad
Keith F
treesrock
Kat
Rick Julian
MizParkwoodFan
AJC Attempts to Explain the “e” in Clairemont Avenue
Just a friendly reminder that available tickets for the Indigo Girls benefit concert for Friends School of Atlanta next Sunday afternoon are going quickly. This will be a full band show in a fairly small venue with proceeds going to a vital piece of the Decatur community. Details and a link to purchase tickets are at http://www.friendsschoolatlanta.org.
Anybody besides me going to see Buddy and Jim at the Variety this Saturday night?
Sold out. Thanks, Decatur!
The guys at Decatur CD handed me a couple of tickets to Buddy and Jim (do you know how much I love those guys?) and WHAT A SHOW! Hope you enjoyed it, Fats.
I’m really excited to try some new restaurants in Decatur–particularly the Mexican contingent–any updates on either place?
Noticed Native opened yesterday. Anyone try it yet?
I am ready for Hola to open. First sunny warm spring day and I am kicking off early to sit in the sun and enjoy a margarita. I am sick of this weather.
Tried Lawrence’s Cafe. Very good food nice atmosphere
The menu was predictable, but the food at lunch was well done.
Well, they’ve had the same menu for about 20 years so, yeah, I guess it’d be predictable 😉
Chai Pani is open today! (Indian street food in the former Watershed space) Online menu looks delicious!
Half the time I see this I read Chez Panisse. Oy.
After reading about the DeKalb School board and the recent gun issue at Grady High School, I am glad our kids are in The City Of Decatur! That said I did have a question, our child is still in the elementary grades so our involvement at the high School has been limited. Does Decatur High School have metal detectors or security? I am not advocating for them just asking because I do not know. Also does anyone knows if any issues like this have been discussed in our system?? Thanks for any information
No, DHS does not have metal detectors. Neither does RMS.
DHS does have uniformed COD police in the building. They are called “Resource Officers”
Metal detectors are useless unless you’re going to physically search every purse and backpack and anything inside of those. Pocket carry guns are the size of your hand and easy to conceal wrapped in just about anything.
The girl made it through the metal detectors because she put the gun in her purse and they don’t regularly search purses. I doubt she was the only one at Grady who regularly carried.
You either need airport type security or work on a school wide culture change where students wouldn’t even think of carrying.
Some reports said she was late and actually was let in by someone through a “back” door that didn’t have detectors. Teachers are generally the ones doing the purse searching, etc., but, as they point out, they are educators, not security personnel.
IMHO, RMS and DHS are safe schools that do not need metal detectors at this point in time. I’m not saying that nothing will ever happen there but it will be an anomaly. The culture does not foster the carrying of weapons and most students are likely to report unsafe behavior or weapons brought to school, if they see them. (There are some famous exceptions when usually good students did dumb things and other good students were loathe to report them but they are few.) The schools are being kept locked appropriately during school hours and even the ways that one used to sneak in have become locked. (Sometimes making it inconvenient for parents who left the school a moment too soon or are rushing in with a forgotten item but oh well.) Resource officers are present in ways I do not understand. I haven’t experienced this but some think the resource officers are not really necessary and find non-problems. All to say, that we are quite lucky in Decatur to have a middle and high school that are quite safe for all the kids attending, regardless of their background or social status. Bullying evidently exists but I think it’s addressed and contained remarkably well.
Of course, this all from my point of view. My kids regard me as clueless about their school lives and maybe I am.
CSD has problems like other schools do. There are drugs, gangs, bullying, it’s all there. Just because it’s a small system doesn’t make it immune. Parents and other students aren’t going to know every time an incident goes down, but things can and do happen. To think otherwise is walking around with your eyes wide shut. I won’t divulge my sources, or speak of individual incidents, but CSD schools are not necessarily “safer” places to send your schools compared to some other schools outside the district.
The board in DeKalb is an abomination. But there are great schools in DeKalb, ones that routinely outperform those in CSD. Sometimes you have to look at the individual school and not the system.
City of Atlanta is another story 😉
The driveway next to Trackside leading to/from College and the parking lot – entrance or exit?
Both. It kicks it old-skool, back to the days when we spent half as much on asphalt and consumed half as much space and drivers just kind of worked things out among themselves. Feel free to come or go!
At least it’s not still also the auxiliary men’s bathroom now that there’s an actual, working, multi-user one!
I just want someone there to slap the menu out of my hand when I try to order the chili cheese tater tot appetizer again. That was a deliciously poor nutritional choice.
Shout out to LexTechs of Atl, located across from DHS. They helped me out (at no charge) with a problem with a car fob on our Toyota Solara. Will definitely be back for regular service. Thanks.
I know one of their techs – good people with a growing business. But, for those of you who don’t have Toyotas or Lexi, remember that Decatur Pure are great people also.
Does anyone else have issues/concerns with the quality of the CoD trash bags- specifically the yellow ones? I am an advocate for the volume based collection; however, I need a trash bag that is durable and ties that don’t snap.
I have never had a problem with them and I stuff them full.
Me either. But we don’t have much trash.
You got the white kind at least.
Oh, slam. I’ve been hit.
Bam! You gotta admit that was a good one, though.
I am going to go spam your facebook page with nickelback videos.
They won’t take much weight. It’s very annoying when it happens.
Consistency seems to be up and down–we can go months with no problem, then get a batch of flimsy bags. When that happens, we transfer to a regular white bag (a yucky process!) and tie the defective Decatur bag to it. They’ve always picked them up that way.
I have noticed the blue bags are getting thinner.
Agreed – when I tried to throw away a box full of rustly nails and broken shards of glass the other day, the thing just ripped to shreds. Utterly useless! ;|
Agree with Tessa. Disagree with Steve big time
OMG I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE! haha
seriously tho, for some reason, the last 2 sets of yellow bags we have bought have had a 50% ratio of whether or not the strap will break, while the bags are nowhere near their weight limit.
Drives me crazy. The PAYG bags are probably my only pet peeve about living in decatur. I’d much rather use any bag I desire.
we never actually use the PAYT bags- we just use regular white garbage bags from costco, and hten attach a single blue PAYT to our rolling garbage can at the curb (shutting in the lid)- we usually have 2 kitchen sized white bags in the rolling bin, maybe sometimes more, and they always take it.
I agree with you about the trash bags– ours are often ripped and patched together with packing tape because I don’t want to use up a second PAYT bag to replace it and refuse to use a regular trash bag plus a PAYT bag for economic and environmental reasons. I do make an exception and double bag when I completely empty the litter box.
Forget ADUs. What if someone just wanted to buy an Airstream and put it up on blocks in their backyard. Is that allowed?
In order to protect your investment, you would naturally want to remove any excessive bearing load on your tires and axles. Not sure what plausibly deniable excuse you’d use for the permanent electrical and plumbing hookups though.
But in the end, it’s the 4 sq ft of pavers in front of the Airstream’s door that will get you in trouble as it pushes you over your 40% impervious lot coverage…
Ha! Indeed.
It’s not actually a feasible option for more than one reason, but I was just curious as to the legality of it.
New grocery store / market was slated for the corner of College & Mead. Remember reading something about zoning issues stalling it, but I haven’t looked into it further. I think it is a second location for Candler Park Market on McLendon.
Good idea? Direct neighbors are probably concerned about any development there, but is it needed with Oakhurst Market just down the street?
Has anyone been in Candler Park Market, does it offer decent goods?
The project was approved by city commission in December. Identical square footage to the market in Candler Park, roughly 5,000 sq. ft. Don’t know when construction will get underway, but I’d imagine it’s contingent on some site work — storm water management, parking for the other businesses in the strip, etc.
Great beer and wine selection, and enough to get you out of a jam if you’ve got to bring something tasty to a party.
Candler Park Market is awesome. Great beer and wine selection, a sandwich bar, and bodega-like selection of produce and basics.
I’d encourage everyone to do some reconnaissance and check it out, it’s only about a mile outside of Decatur, at the corner of McLendon and Clifton. Make it a field trip, hit Gato Bizco or Flying Biscuit for breakfast, or La Fonda Latina for lunch/dinner, with ice cream and tea at Dr. Bombay’s.
I like both, but CPM and Oakhurst Market are, is in my opinion, completely different.
Oakhurst Market is more like a specialty grocery store – with prepared dinners an awesome fresh meat counter. Very limited, however, on basic products.
CPM is more like a small neighborhood grocery store, with a much broader selection of dry goods, beer, wine, etc. They do have a very good lunch counter in the back that I hope makes it to the Decatur store.
I think the competition between them will be quite limited actually. If anything, it might make both stores better.
I guess the Hop N Shop is a better comparison to CPM than OM.
Maybe a Hop n Shop that is 4-5 times larger with a lot more products.
I don’t know that Hop n Shop has a full service lunch counter or carries H&F bread.
Hah. Yeah, was an odd comparison but they both sell household goods, I suppose.
Looking forward to trying CPM.
And I love the dinners at OM. Haven’t bought any meat there yet though.
Meat is great. But don’t waste it on folks that don’t care about quality (e.g. my kids) because it’s so good that it’s expensive. It can be discouraging if you serve high quality ground beef then your kids complain that they prefer McDonald’s burgers.
I remember my similarly delusional assertions to my Mom growing up. Today, I’d kill for one of her burgers.
Eight thumbs up (two parents and two little kids) for Chai Pani, after soft opening last night!
I can vouch for the Aloo Tikki (potato cakes) – tasty and filling.
I really, really enjoyed the Sev Potato Dahi Puri (SPDP)! They were flour crisps filled with potatoes, onions, cilantro, sweet yogurt… They provided a little savory & sweet explosion in my mouth.
Even the Kids LOVED the Kale Pakoras (Kale dipped in curried chick peas and deep fried). They were actually begging for more Kale and were very disappointed when it was all gone. This is remarkable, as our daughter normally refuses to eat anything green. I guess her love of fried food won her over.
They have a good selection of IPAs on tap (a necessity in Decatur), and the space has a really friendly, funky vibe. The service was friendly and responsive (though a bit disjointed). Of course, the point of a soft opening is to work out the kinks and I am sure they will have the place running smoothly in a matter of days.
Is it table service or counter service?
It is sit down. I was surprised that the “street food” was being served in a table service environment. Not to take anything away from it. Better half and I shared apps only. Very good. Anxious to get back and try entrees. Grand opening is supposed to be today. Everything ran smoothly last night.
$ Cost?
Kind of like Taqueria Del Sol, the cost at Chain Pani depends on what you get. They have small plates and entrees for dinner, so you can get away spending $8-12 for food. Beers were $5.50. And… they have a full bar! Wife had a Bombay Mojito that was freshly made and tasty.
Dinner is table service, but lunch is apparently fast casual.
Agreed! The SPDP were delicious! And mango lassis in walking distance? The kids will be begging to go to Chai Pani every night.
I know where to find Mexican Coke around the city, but what about Coca Cola Light? Anyone spotted any anywhere in the metro area?
Sadly, one of the sweetners in Coke Light is banned in the US, so it can’t be sold here. I used to work in the product development group at Coke, where occassionally we’d get an extra pallet of Coke Light from production runs or testing for overseas markets. As soon as word got out that there were extras available, the place turned into some sort of shark week reminiscent feeding frenzy.
Kudos to Decatur’s Finest quickly pulling over the person that went screaming through the school zone this morning on Clairemont. Especially since there were a gaggle of small people walking along the sidewalk the car flew by.
Apparently I’m late to the game on this, but what happened to the used bicycle store in Avondale?????
It’s supposed to reopen on 3/4 at new location on beltline:
http://decatur.patch.com/articles/avondale-cycling-moving-to-atlanta
Just a reminder that Tour deCatur registration goes up in price after March 8th – register at tourdecatur.com (or sign up to volunteer). The Tour will be on March 23rd.
Is electronics recycling this weekend?
Yes, its 9 am to 1 pm at 120 W. Trinity Place
Anyone know why Clairmont Road changes to Clairemont north of Scott Boulevard?
Is it because of the city limits? This has always bothered me…
It’s been discussed before here and elsewhere. As they say in Fiddler on the Roof: “Tradition!”
Ah, of course!
A DM post from “MB” in 2010
I have no idea why the “e” dropped out north of the city, but Decatur stubbornly (and rightly, IMHO) hangs on to the original spelling. According to Caroline McKinney Clarke’s wonderful book “The Story of Decatur” (1973 – p. 244), the history is as follows: “‘Clairemont’, the home of Dr. Robert B. Ridley and the former Mrs. John F. Kiser, whom he married in 1886, was named for their eldest daughter Claire, the late Mrs. L.L. Hunnicutt. Clairemont Avenue derived its name from Dr. Ridley’s farm and when the property was sold, Clairmont Estates was laid out on a part of the acreage as was part of Scott Boulevard, Westchester School and the Westchester Subdivision. The only remaining traces of a bygone era are some of the fine old trees, a babbling creek and the family well that still stands in the back yard of the first house on Lamont Drive.” – See more at: http://www.decaturmetro.com/2010/09/09/clairemont-vs-clairmont/#sthash.vfgjnLF0.dpuf
Verifying and moderating comments…. what gives?
Anytime you include a link in a comment it goes for moderation. Good policy, IMHO. Keeps spammers and worse off the blog.
I didn’t have a link…. both posts were moderated … just curious why.
Looks like your IP address changed.
A friendly reminder to drivers (before I start being very unfriendly about it): Sometimes the car stopped in front of you at the intersection is not moving because they are waiting for me to cross the street. Please quit honking at them because they did not immediately turn when the light turned green; or worse, please don’t pass them. That happened to me once and the impatient driver nearly hit my dog, who was walking a few feet ahead of me. Oh, and when I’m in the crosswalk, you know, the one that says “stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk,” please STOP. Thank you.
+ a whole lot! People that don’t stop when I’m waiting at the very well marked crosswalk (that also has flashing lights) on S. Candler are incredible.
Protip: point at the approaching drivers. They will stop. Works every time.
No, it does not. But if you “point” with your keys and they don’t stop, oops…[hypothetically, of course]
Or at the very least, attempt to make eye contact. Those who simply stroll into the crosswalk without looking because “it’s their right” are simply being silly and could learn a painful lesson. And, if you’re just going to stand there texting your friends, try not to stand so close to the crossing. Let your intentions be known and it will be safer from everyone.
Oh I walk out in full force with the evil eye at anyone who keeps driving or acts like I’m in their way. Unfortunately you have to be somewhat aggressive.
Another pro tip. Don’t walk, jog or run along the sidewalk then suddenly veer 90 degrees and launch into the crosswalk expecting the drivers to be clairvoyant. Similarly, don’t loiter on the ramp of the crosswalk yakking on the phone and ignoring the drivers that have stopped and are waiting for you to cross. Be predictable, visible and obvious in your intentions on the roads.
Thanks for all the ProTips. I’m going to try the pointing thing next. I grew up in Chicago and have always felt like I had mastered “street crossing” by the time I was nine. The problem here is that while I’m giving drivers the evil eye and marching forcefully into the intersection they are determindly avoiding eye contact. It’s like I can hear them thinking, “I don’t see you. I don’t see you . . .’ Actually, the same thing happens when I’m driving my car sometimes and pedestrians – NOT in crosswalks – step out in front of me or other drivers pull out as if my car isn’t even there. If I have a Wonder Woman complex, is it really my fault? Apparently all my forms of transportation are invisible to everyone else.
Atlanta has more people walking in and crossing in the middle of streets than anywhere else I’ve ever lived- particularly at night!
Am I the only one who’ll drop a fist on someone’s hood? Don’t know what the danged deal is, but it’s happened several times at Commerce/ Sycamore St. Drivers will just disregard the No Right on Red sign and turn into my path even though the person should’ve spotted me crossing the other 2/3’s of the street with the crosswalk signal. Since they’re going slow from making the turn, I just thump ’em. I’d like to think it’ll jolt some sense into them so that they don’t do it again! :0)
Crappy story that goes here, don’t read if you like ducks. One rainy afternoon I was driving north, down the hill on Arcadia. The light ahead at Dekalb Ind Way was red, and a car was in my lane, stopped at the light. Still coming down the hill, the light turned green, but the car didn’t move. So I change lanes and before I know it, a whole family of ducks walks out in front of me from the front of the car that was waiting at the light. I couldn’t do anything. Whatever I didn’t get, the bimmer behind me finished off. I’m a horrible person.
So yes, there may be a reason that person is stopped at the light.
Thinking of refinancing. Anyone have lenders they’ve worked with that they would recommend? Many thanks.
Paige Beebe at Cornerstone Bank. Email is [email protected] .
I would recommend Mark Moore with the Moore Team (http://www.mooreteam.biz). We have refinanced 3 times with him. He will work with you to get the best combination of rate and closing costs.
If you’re a member, USAA is easy and very quick. Ours took two weeks from start to finish and the closing lawyer came to us to do all the paperwork etc…
Completely irrelevant to FFAF but a thing of beauty nonetheless:
So this is random, but I was having this discussion with some friends earlier this week. I live on the north side of town, and my regular coffee spots are Dancing Goats and the Bakery at Cakes & Ale, where I love both the coffee and the staff. I go to Kavarna less frequently, where I find that the staff are grumpy and don’t make eye contact. I wondered if maybe they are just so hipster-ish that they don’t connect with me (non-hipster-ish). Then another friend called the Kavarna staff “grumpsters” rather than hipsters. (And this was all started by yet another grouchy person behind the counter at Kavarna earlier this week.)
But my friend on the south side of town says she loves and knows the baristas at Kavarna and that she has my negative experiences at DG and C&A. She says it might be a north/south side town kind of thing.
So, where do y’all find the staff grumpiest, and do you live on the other side of town? Think there’s a connection?
Go to Trackside and try to high five Stacey or ask Mike if you can play Hootie and the Blowfish on the jukebox. You’ll have your answer, and possibly a black eye…
The current staff at Kavarna is the least pleasant they have ever had. The Dancing Goats people make me feel like I am an idiot whenever I happen to wander in. I go to Revolution now. Coffee is clean tasting and everyone is nice.
Nelliebelle1197, and the craft handmade doughnuts aren’t bad, either!
I’ve not lived that long in Oakhurst/Georgia – why is it that Kavarna employees are so unhappy? I would love to go there but just can’t unless desperate.
Personally, I find them acutely sensitive to my own surliness, as though they genuinely feel my abhorrence of overly perky counter banter and respond in kind. I know to each his own, but I appreciate it. The laughs may be limited but, when they occur, they’re more satisfying.
Granted, I’m probably the only person in Decatur who feels this way, so it may not make for the most sustainable business model.
Last night I read an article about kids playing outside in the UK. In the story, some moms launched an effort to get kids to play outside more, and as a result, they close roads every so often so kids can play outside in the street, like in the “olden days.”
Very cool. Think that would work in Decatur? Think Decatur Active Living would go for it? In addition to getting kids moving, it allows for more neighbors to meet each other, also like in the “olden days.”
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/02/what-we-lose-when-kids-cant-play-their-own-streets/4789/
It’s a bit more involved, but the city (I think it’s the city, but it might be individual neighborhood associations) give seed money for neighbors to hold block parties and you’re allowed to close the street off.
I guess I’m thinking of it more like a casual thing, not an official neighborhood thing. I realize that probably makes no sense…
I guess I’m thinking of something that feels more organic and spontaneous, like it did a long time ago, when kids just played outside and people were outside of their houses more. You know, like hanging out on the stoop in the various NYC boroughs. Official neighborhood events are good as well, but they feel different.
This happens pretty much every day the weather is nice on our street. It may depend on the age of the kids on your street and if there’s a “critical mass” of them so that if one or two isn’t home there’s still a group to play.
Hey Glennwood Girl,
I’m guessing you live in Glenwood Estates. That’s more of a neighborhood where people are out more, I guess, b/c most of the streets don’t have cars whizzing by, other than Glendale Ave. My kids are only 3 and 5, so maybe it feels different when your kids are older.
Our own little cross-street off of Coventry does have a critical mass of children, which we love. But as I said to Warren Buffett, in our greater neighborhood we don’t all know each other. Adults with children are not necessarily out, either, on the sunny days when kids are out playing. I am trying to get a group going or do something so we get to know each other better.
I hope you didn’t take that as a dismissal of your idea. I think anything that gets neighbors together is good thing. I just thought maybe your street had younger, or fewer, kids and that’s why you aren’t seeing them all on the street just yet.
Glennwood Girl, no “dismissal” taken!
I do see the older (upper elementary, 4/5, and middle school) kids on our street out playing all the time. The parents on our street are actually pretty free-rangey. It’s also cool b/c all the kids play in everyone’s yards. Like, for example, when my kids are eating dinner or doing something inside, kids from the street are often playing on our tree swings. We also have kids cutting through our front and back yard so they don’t have to walk on Coventry to get to two houses that actually face Coventry. That’s great stuff.
I’ve really been searching lately for ideas to get our greater neighborhood to become more cohesive. When Westchester opens back up, I think that will make a big different pretty much on its own. In your neighborhood, what are things that y’all do or things that simply happen that allow neighbors from several streets get to know each other? Half the reason I liked the UK’s “close the streets” idea is that it brought everyone out, not just the kids.
I guess you’ve never driven down Melrose Ave.
I can point you in the direction of many streets in Decatur that A. have kids playing in the street at various hours of the day and B. where all the neighbors already know each other. This has happened . . . wait for it . . . without anyone ever closing the streets. That is part of the charm of Decatur. Do we really need the Rec to organize this? I’ve often thought the same thing about walk and roll to school day. That seems like every day at our elementary schools, no? This all smacks of hyper-helicopter parenting. You want your kid to play outside? Kick them outside and then sit down, read a book, and forgot about them for a while. I betcha they’ll be juuuuust fine. . . And my grumpy old man rant is over.
Hey Warren Buffett/Grumpy Old Man:
You know what? Our street is like that. It’s a cross-street off of Coventry, and people do let their kids hang out. I’m about as free range of a parent as it gets these days. I let my kids (5 and 3) play in our front yard by themselves, for example, even though the street is relatively busy with cars, b/c I’ve realized they do stay in the yard. Of course I do open the door frequently to make sure they’re ok.
(BTW – Here is an example of helicopter parenting – not letting your child check the mail b/c a tree blocks the view of the mailbox from the front door. On a pretty suburban street. Now that’s ridiculous, and yes, I know someone just like this.)
However, Chelsea Heights was built mostly in the 1940s and ’50s, and as a result, its roads were built for CARS and NOT people. Coventry, the main street, is really busy when people are using it as a cut-through to go to and from work. And they’re driving fast. It’s not conducive for kids to go out in the greater neighborhood. I realize that other neighborhoods in the city are like the “olden days,” but not all of them. We’re not all lucky enough to live in Oakhurst.
Thanks for the emoticon. I needed a smile. All the streets I was thinking of where I’ve seen kids play were not necessarily in Oakhurst. Oakhurst isn’t the only special place for free-range kids. The kids should be taking over the smaller streets all over town, especially on the weekends. You know, it turns out that kids are pretty savvy, especially when they are forced to be (i.e. when they don’t have mommy and daddy by their side all the time) – that’s the part that helicopter parents miss – their kids can operate without them – really.
Warren Buffett, believe it or not, not ALL parents are helicopter parents these days. Yes, there are many, but I don’t think those folks are as likely to end up in Decatur.
We have a small part of our backyard fenced in for our dog, and the other part is not fenced and is separated from the smaller part by our driveway (just genius…). I let my kids play out in the larger, unfenced backyard with me inside, in the kitchen, which is the entrance into the house from that side, with the door open so I can at least hear (but not necessarily see) the kids. I’ve had several people walk by with their dogs and ask the kids where their parents are, or come up the driveway to the house to look for an adult. These ppl seemed shocked that I am not actually looking at the kids every minute.
I also take the kids to the toddler park and just sit on a bench and read the NYT on my phone. I’ll let 10 min go by before I look up for them. There’s really one way out, and I’m sitting pretty near there, so what’s the big deal. But I know many ppl who would be horrified that I do both of those things – let the kids play outside alone or not watch them super closely at the park.
Oh, and I think the official walk/ride to schools days are to encourage those whose kids don’t already do that. My guess is that it’s like baby steps to get the newbies going.
“I’ve had several people walk by with their dogs and ask the kids where their parents are, or come up the driveway to the house to look for an adult.”
This is why I will not be allowed to own a gun if I ever have kids.
Buffett: this year’s shareholder letter was the worst EVAH! I am seriously disappoint. When I see you in Omaha I am going to step on your foot, hard.
If you want an organic, neighborhoody feel where everyone’s kids are out playing and mixing it up, you could start by not slamming other people’s parenting decisions in order to make yourself sound more progressive.
Bo, how did I “slam other people’s parenting decisions in order to make myself sound more progressive?”
Adair Park is in my neighborhood and after more than 20 years here I still find myself shaking my head when I walk past the park on a sunny afternoon and see no kids playing, other than the organized parent-led sports activities or picnics. I know, I’m old and life was different back in the stone age but geez whatever happened to taking a ball or bike to the park and just playing with other kids. No rules, no grownups, no uniforms, just playing until you’re tired or you hear a parent yelling your name.
Video games and computers happened.
Game On! Car! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz1kmGKDuUE
I think we should have times when areas are blocked off from traffic. Some cities keep cars out of parks on the weekends or Sundays. Yes all the playing and out and abouting might happen without it, but it feels different with no cars. I’d love to see Car Free Sundays in downtown decatur…. Or perhaps Sunday afternoons in Spring in a few neighborhoods. Gets the kids out biking and playing ball in the streets in a different way.
Streets Alive Atlanta is a fun event, shutting down stretches a four miles or so, with entertainment etc. Decatur, could do something similar less elaborate and on a more neighborhood scale. I’d hate to shut down downtown even more that we already do, for the sake of our businesses, but shutting down a more residential street in varying neighborhoods once a year might be fun for all, kids and adults.
We use to close the street all the time for block parties. It is an easy permit to get. Other than that we stick large orange traffic cones out and never had any issues. Most are kid pro here and the Decatur pd just drive by.
Thinking next week might be a good time to try another DM happy hour. Had one Token taker last time we tried it. Who’s in?
As for this week, it’s T-Time. I’ll be by the tracks shortly…
We’ll be at the Big Red Ball at the Old Court House for 50 Cents. Period. Maybe next time.
Hmmmm. Will you be the one drinking Michelob Ultra like the Biggest Loser that you are?
I’m down 11.
Will there be slushies?
(psssst. We have to behave this week. NEXT week, Happy Hour! :0)
In case you didn’t know,Today is Free Art Friday.Local artists from around atlanta drop Free art all over town and leave hints to the locations on twitter,plenty gets dropped in and around Decatur.
Check it out on twitter #FAFATL
It’s fun and there are some pretty Rad artists leaving Art for you to find
Speaking of Rad, RAD 2013 is tomorrow (Saturday).
http://www.railartsdistrict.com/
I’ll throw this out there because I haven’t seen this discussed (but might have missed it) but there’s been a rash of burglaries in the Winnona Park area in the last month or so. One disturbing element has been the thieves seeming lack of concern about whether there was someone home. In some cases, the MO is to cut power to the house and thereby potentially bypass the alarm, then basically snatch and grab.
In some cases the individuals have been interrupted by someone that turned out to be home at the time but in other cases, some items were missing, along with broken doors etc.
One consistent report has been of a black volvo that may be the primary transport for some of these folks.
From memory the areas that we’re talking about are Hilldale, Mimosa, Inman, N. Carter and I may be missing some others.
Just a good reminder to be aware of what’s going on in your neighborhood and if you see something that looks odd, you might either investigate or give a call to someone to check things out.
Nothing to be paranoid about, but keep an eye out…
There was a note on the Winnona Park Yahoo board about Decatur PD taking in two guys in some kind of black car in that neighborhood today.
If you see something odd, call first before you investigate. DPD would rather check out something that is OK than not being called to check at all.
Anyone know if the new and improved free Decatur wifi has gone live yet? I thought I heard a story on WABE yesterday (Friday) morning that said it was going live that day. I hope I heard wrong, because I’m sitting here at Sweet Melissa’s with my iPad and when I selected Free Decatur Wifi as my network and opened my browser – I just got the usual spinning wheel of eternal nothingness. I switched to the free Starbucks network (thanks Starbucks) and viola – I am now able to surf and post…and I feel I just HAVE to buy an SB apple fritter on my way home ; )
I connected yesterday and was able to surf using the free wi-fi. And, just to be sure it is still working, I’m posting this while connected to DecaturFreeWiFi (using my laptop while sitting at my dining room table). However, I haven’t tried to connect while on the square yet.
So if I can connect from home, I’d see a network called “DecaturFreeWiFi”? Don’t see it so I’m thinking that it doesn’t reach out to my home.
The Patch has a coverage map:
http://decatur.patch.com/articles/decatur-s-free-wi-fi-starts-friday#photo-13504262
I don’t know how accurate it is, but I live in a “darker” green area.
Thanks! Not in a green zone. Can’t ditch Comcast yet. But great for downtown browsing.
Wanted to send a big thanks to the very helpful workers at the electronics recycling today. In and out in no time.
Ditto from here. Very efficient. Also more prominent because a city worker in fluorescent orange vest was out in the middle of Commerce directing traffic. Several times in the past, I’ve been so busy on Electronic Recycling Day that I forgot to stop by and then I had to drive around for another 6 mos. with the recycling in my trunk. This time, I couldn’t miss it as I bopped down Commerce on my way to the Decatur Farmer’s Market.
My favorite part was the electric billboard sign at the entry that said “Electron Recycling”. That’s how good we are in Decatur–we not only recycle our plastics, paper, ink cartridges, styrofoam, and batteries, we even recycle our electrons! Next time–protons!
anyone else see a B-17 flying around Decatur today?
(Sorry if this goes twice – email verification wouldn’t work for me.)
I didn’t yet, but I’m now going to keep looking for it…
From the AJC article “WWII veteran takes trip in time in B-17”:
The Memphis Belle is at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport on Saturday and Sunday. The trip is sponsored by the Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving aviation history and honoring veterans. A 45-minute B-17 experience, with about 30 minutes in flight, costs $410 for Liberty Foundation members and $450 for nonmembers. It’s tax-deductible. The airplane costs $1.5 million annually to remain flying.
It’s the Memphis Belle out at PDK.
http://brookhaven.patch.com/articles/legendary-flying-fortress-takes-flight-over-pdk#video-13519787
I didn’t yet, but I’m now going to keep looking for it…
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/wwii-veteran-takes-trip-in-time-in-b-17/nWdfB/:
The Memphis Belle is at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport on Saturday and Sunday. The trip is sponsored by the Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving aviation history and honoring veterans. A 45-minute B-17 experience, with about 30 minutes in flight, costs $410 for Liberty Foundation members and $450 for nonmembers. It’s tax-deductible. The airplane costs $1.5 million annually to remain flying.
For more information, go to http://www.libertyfoundation.org or call 918-340-0243.
Wishes all vehicles had mandatory equipment in the form of a device that would jam any cell phone signal inside the vehicle when the engine is running. You want to use the phone? Pull over. You want to drive your car? Keep your phone put away.
Yup. And then it should send back to callers like my mother and work a message saying “No, cell phones do not give you constant access to whoever you want, whenever you want. Be patient, leave a message. Get a grip on what’s a really urgent.”
It is up to the driver to get a grip. It’s your phone, you are in charge of when you answer it and when you don’t. Your behavior is what shapes others’ expectations about your availability. (AHID, I don’t mean to direct this lecture specifically at you. Your response just offered an irresistible springboard to elaborate on my sermon.) Tell people you have decided not to use your phone while driving the car any more unless you are experiencing a genuine emergency. (And if a friend or family member is in a real emergency situation, they should be dialing 911, not calling you.) The reason is the abundant evidence that talking on the phone or texting while driving makes you (and everybody else on the road at the time) less safe.
The only way our lax attitude about phoning/texting while driving is going to change is if WE change it. Driving drunk used to get the same nod-and-a-wink treatment, until enough people got outraged enough to turn things in another direction. To the extent it becomes illegal to phone/text while driving, the laws are never going to be as enforceable as drunk driving laws. That makes it even more necessary for us to exercise peer pressure ourselves.
Some probably think I sound like a crank. A lot of people thought that about MADD, back in the day.
Something like MADD is definitely needed. And I need a strategic voicemail message for impatient, needy, crackberry, and/or i-addict callers.
http://www.focusdriven.org/
In my personal life, I agree with you, and almost never speak on the phone while driving. But you are tilting at windmills on this one. The cell phone era is here and people are never going to stop using them in their cars any sooner than you will see couples at restaurants put down their phones and actually speak to one another. (Laws banning the practice are also, as you suggest, borderline unenforeable and a waste of time.) It’s the times we live in. No one ever said that modernity would be a 100% positive experience.
“It’s the times we live in.” — Tell that to any of the thousands and thousands of people who have lost a loved one in an accident caused by cell phone distracted driving.
I was responding to your post about driver behavior and expressing doubt that drivers are going to voluntarily stop talking on their phones. I’m not opposing any effort to convince them otherwise, just saying I doubt it’s going to work, especially if the approach is to equate cell phone use with drunk driving.
Las Brasas was closed this evening–unusual on a Saturday night. Am so hoping that the family is just out of town. No one has heard that Las Brasas has closed, have they? This is a staple for us.
I’m worried about my favorite take home stop.
Last week, I stopped by to pick up a quick dinner for the family and they had run out of chicken, at 5:30PM!
I may have to figure out how to make my own green sauce.
They close the door early if they sell the last chicken. Happened to me a couple of times on Saturdays.
This is a relief to hear.
Chicken oven was broken.
DHS Lacrosse 5th Annual ITP Tournament Re-cap:
Boys first place with decisive 14-7 win over 6A superschool Johns Creek in final
Girls took third. Beat Dunwoody 17-1 in consolation game on Saturday
Good crowds despite coldest weather ever for ITP
Congrats to all!
OMG…how crazy is it going to drive some of you that President Obama just shopped at Walmart for his new budget chief???