Free-For-All Friday 6/14/13
Decatur Metro | June 14, 2013Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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Good morning!
I’m looking for a good electrician. Recommendations?
Thanks!
Oakhurst Electric -770-256-7174
Mathew is the only one to call if you want someone to show up when they say they will and do what they say they will do.
Mathew Morgan at Oakhurst Electric. 770-256-7174 or .
Mathew came to our house this morning. He is awesome. Highly, highly recommend!
Sometimes my (much) better half and I just want a weekend evening without the offspring. But we are having trouble finding local places to take them while we’re out.
We’ve tried the Leapin’ Lizards Parents Night Out a couple of times. The price is right, but multiple issues have turned us off.
I’m sure there are other options (besides hiring a babysitter). Recommendations? The kids are over 7 and under 11.
Give them the car and let them go joyriding for a couple hours.
Do you belong to the Y? They have Parent’s Night Out also.
It’s usually three hours on a Friday night for a nominal fee.
Grind up a bunch of Benadryl in their supper, then call Decatur PD and say you’re out of town and request extra drive-bys for the evening.
This comment has earned the Squirrel-Headed Bastard seal of approval.
You could do as my mother and father did when they were in town for the premiere of Gone With The Wind: Check in to a hotel and leave your child in the room after requesting that the floor maid look in on her from time to time.
The Decatur YMCA has Parent’s Night Out once a month on a Friday. I’m not sure if they have it during the summer months. But, I’ve heard good things about it.
I LOVE the arepas at Calle Latina. Also the arroz con leche dessert (which is a blackboard, not menu item at this point). And the ambience and reasonable prices. This is one of my top 3 places to eat right now in City of Decatur. I hesitated to say that because then it might become crowded since it only has a few tables but I also want to make sure that it is popular enough to stay open. My only complaint is that it isn’t open Sunday and Monday nights.
+1 for the fabulous Calle Latina. The empenadas are amazing as well. Also, keep asking for the flautas even if they say they are out of them — the woman at the counter told us they were out, but the chef was in the back and he said he would make some for us and they were so delicious. I kind of wish it was bigger and then again, I kind of don’t.
Twitter: Patch is reporting that Decaturites were tweeting last night to communicate about storm and power and water outages. Can someone explain to me how to do that, e.g. what hashtag to use? I have a Twitter account but haven’t bothered to learn how to use it. But I can see that trying to get to the DM website on my smartphone while walking around in a raging storm, on the off chance that folks have started posting info on DM, is not the best approach to emergency communication. I DID get the code red messages but those are one-way; you can’t ask questions back.
#DecaturGA and #AtlStorms were the hashtags I noticed most, but because I already follow several Decaturites on Twitter their comments were coming directly to my main Twitter feed regardless of hashtags.
Facebook just began incorporating hashtags.
which is nice.
I went to run some errands in Oakhurst Village before work this morning and all businesses there are without power and water since 8 pm last night. FYI for anyone who needs to drop off some dry cleaning, grab an iced coffee, get cash at the ATM, pick up milk and eggs, chug a Guinness, or pay the daydream tax (buy lottery tickets) this morning.
Tonight’s True Story reading at Kavarna has been cancelled because the power isn’t expected back in time.
Does anybody know what time we can pick up sand after the Beach Party? Tonight or Saturday morning?
From the Decatur Minute:
***Don’t forget that once the event ends at 11pm, you can bring a truck and a shovel to the intersection of Ponce and Church Street and load up some of that beachy, sandy goodness for FREE!***
Trish, I am almost positive it is tonight. None will be left in the AM.
Yep.
Plenty of sand available on Saturday morning at 9:45am in front of One Decatur Town Center on E Ponce.
Decatur High Community Garden is having a work day Saturday morning! We also have plots available, and we give away free mint plants to anyone who wants them. With a warning, of course.
76 for Hola! and a 70 for Mojo. The Decatur restauarnts seem to be having a rough time with the inspectors.
When are people going to stop doing stuff that annoys other people?
As soon as people who made it all the way to adulthood, can learn how to properly cross a street. It seems simple enough, but apparently is quite a complex matter.
What ever happened to DTR?
It annoys me when people do whatever they want., as opposed to what they are told to do (preferably by me). Stupid freedom, I curse thee!
I’m currently occupied annoying other people. I find it ridiculously easy in this town.
Me too!
You should stop by and annoy us more often in that case.
Do you mean to say: When will someone fix all the problems? h/t Andisheh…
Huge shoutout to Pure Station – I had a dinged up wheel stud that they were able to fix in 5 minutes, free of charge! I’ve also had a great experience there having them mount and balance a tire that I bought on ebay. Great shop, great service!
+1000
How about a restaurant review. FInaally got the family over to Lawrence’s Cafe last weekend. I had been wanting to get there for some time as I love this type of food. Overall, we were really underwhelmed, sadly so. The food generally was underseasoned. Everything from the greek salad to the brown rice to the grilled chicken to the gyro was lacking in my personal opion. What do others think thus far? Perhaps I just caught a bad day?
i live around the corner from Lawrence’s and eat there regularly.
order their veggie plates most often and enjoy all their standard veggie fare.
have had the meat gyro and it was also good.
one change they could make that would vastly improve my enjoyment is serving fresh pita bread–really fresh local pita vs. what seems like store bought quality pita now.
i also eat at Olive Bistro which offers an almost identical menu, but whose pita is soft and fresh, and the difference it makes is huge. they’ve told me they buy it from a vendor in Norcross, i believe.
Rick, have you tried the Mediterranean Grill by Emory? I love their food and have been tempted to try Lawrence’s cafe since it is right around the corner. I have never been to Olive Bistro, is it worth the drive?
haven’t tried Mediterranean Grill, Karen–thanks for the heads up.
Olive Bistro is in the Home Depot Plaza on Ponce, and if you’re in that ‘hood definitely worth a visit.
worth the drive from the O? there’s so much great food in Decatur it’d be hard to get me to drive that far. in fact there’s too much damn good food around here–if people only knew the time and [sniff] stress involved in planning my restaurant visits . . .
[lip tremble] . . . it’s hard!
We just ate there for the first time last weekend too. We liked it a lot for the most part. I loved the falafel, hummus and fava bean dish I forget the name of. But the grape leaves and baba ghannouj tasted overpoweringly of lemon juice. Way too much tartness for me. Maybe that’s a regional style? Husband declared the steak on his kabob really, really good. The atmosphere is definitely a step up from Mediterranean Grill but the combo plates are just as inexpensive.
The wife and I have been to Lawrence’s Cafe a few times now and we both think it’s fantastic. The fatouche salad with a side of gyro meat has got to be one of my favorite dishes in Decatur. Great service from the staff and good to see the owner working hard, expediting food and managing the kitchen. I’d give it another shot G Mel.
For the first time in years, I was caught parking at the library and going somewhere else downtown (the new and DELICIOUS Calle Latina)… While I felt like a felon moving my car when I was asked to, I can’t fault them for finally policing their own lot- especially while the library was still open.
Has anyone actually been towed from there? Is it legally okay to park there after library hours?
Re the library lot. I’m curious as to how you were caught? One day a week I’m at the 246 building across from the rec center, and I know there are clients who park at the library to avoid the difficult-to-navigate underground deck that building has. Maybe I should start warning them…
My wife and I parked in the lower level and walked through the library out to Sycamore. There apparently was a man checking cars and when we walked out on the sidewalk, he was coming around the building and said “your car is subject to be towed.”
I wanted to say “no, YOUR car is subject to be towed!” but I knew it probably wouldn’t help the situation.
I had the same thing happen to me last week. I usually only park there after business hours, but this was in the middle of the day and the parking lot was slam full. I hadn’t even made it to the stairs before the library employee asked where I was going. Felt the same walk of shame back to my car. As it turned out, I found onstreet parking right next to my destination.
The thing is. there really isn’t much “after business hours” at the library, as they frequently have events that run till nine or ten and they are open late Monday-Thursdays. That said, they could probably make some decent money if they charged for evening parking on weekends.
Last Saturday, I tried going to the library to pick up a few books. The lot was so totally full, people were just circling around waiting for spots. Eventually people just stopped their cars to wait for something to open up, which of course held up everyone behind them since you can’t just drive around. It was a total mess. And a few of the people I saw get spaces, didn’t go into the library or the rec center.
Is there a bigger need for parking due to the new rec center? Are they holding more events? Could be what’s behind the crackdown.
I eventually gave up and went for some bourbon.
My guess is it’s just a function of downtown Decatur becoming more of a destination, and that probably means more people from the suburbs who are used to easy free parking.
I do not understand why people don’t use the parking garage next to the courthouse on weekends and in the evenings during the week. Its free, close and there is always ample parking.
Yup. You can park in the far corner and be out of the garage and onto a stool at The Brick Store in 3 minutes. It does need more lighting in there though.
Another partial explanation for the increased parking at the library is that most of the lot near Twain’s has been set aside for city work.
I have a key card to the 246 building and sometimes I go check out books I don’t need just because I don’t want to deal with that parking garage!
I need to swap out an existing toilet with a new one. Has anyone hired someone to do this recently? How much did it cost and can you recommend the plumber?
Please, Please… if you want to save money (like I always do) do it yourself. It literally will take you 10 minutes or less and anyone can do it.
Turn off your shut off valve at the water line – bottom area of your toilet.
Unscrew the two bolts on the base of either side of your toilet.
Flush your toilet and get as much water out of it as you can.
have a towel handy
simply lift the toilet up and put it in your bathtub just make sure no other water spills.
take the new toilet – put it back in place. just reverse the steps above.
Only slight tricky thing in this whole process is putting the wax seal at the bottom of toilet before putting the new one on – but there are instructions and its SUPER easy !!
Well, yes, unless you live in our house and try to pull the toilet up only to discover that the previous owner cemented the damn thing to the floor with concrete…
Completely agree. I’m a girl, and I did it all by myself.
Buy a few extra wax rings, though. You probably won’t get that part right the first time.
Anybody know what happened at the CSD School Board meeting about the bond? Any word yet on the taxes needed to support the debt and operating costs?
Thanks
It passed unanimously after discussion. I’m trying to get more detail.
I have a piece of jewelry I need reworked to a more modern style. Anyone have a local jeweler they’ve worked with and trust? It’s a very sentimental piece. Thanks!
I don’t know if you will consider it local, but we love Jewelry Artisans, which is near Perimeter Mall. They have done custom pieces for our family and lots of repairs. They also were able to get my engagement ring and wedding band from an obscure designer and managed to keep it from me!
http://www.jewelryartisans.com/
I second the recommendation for Jewelry Artisans. I have a unique engagement ring that didn’t work with a regular gold band and they designed a great band for it.
Also need a recommendation for jewelry repair — significant up-sizing of a gold ring.
Please and thanks.
Worthmore Jewelry on the square.
Second the Worthmore recommendation. We’ve recently had several pieces repaired and/or re-sized and they did a great job. One ring was a bit problematic, which we knew it would be from the start because another place wouldn’t even touch it when we showed it to them, but they did a great job and also took the time to follow-up to make sure that it held up.
One tip, though – you can drop-off or pick-up at the Decatur store but all work is done at the Midtown location. If it’s time sensitive, head straight to Amsterdam Avenue. As a bonus, you might run into Snorkel Sam, their boxer greeter (it’s a dog, not a pugilist).
+1 on the Worthmore recommendation.
+1 great store
I had something fixed at Worthmore and they even called a couple of weeks later to find out how it was holding up. Definitely trustworthy. They also do appraisals FYI.
Need a recommendation for a new yard service. Prefer a smaller operation to tend to a funky yard. Split level fenced yard so they need to have a regular sized lawnmower and weedeater.
“Pharoahsha” – I am looking for you, the recent poster in the Cruise Critic message board. And one who enjoys “music at Eddie’s Attic.” Interesting 6 degrees of separation that I must share so please post here. Or if you know the person “behind the curtain.” Thank you.
Does anyone know what is filming in the parking lot of the warehouse across from the Farmers Market?
Article in today’s AJC on Ponce Court.
Last week, a friend sent out. Mass email saying that a “white man with a weird eye” (child’s description) attempted to lure her nine year old son into his van (no description given of van). He did not succeed.
The children were with an adult who was walking some ways behind them. This happened near Ponce and Commerce.
The police know who the suspect is, apparently because he has tried this kind of thing before, but they cannot arrest him because he has yet to commit a crime. Not their fault, so don’t take it out on them, please.
The heat tends to slow down adults more than it does kids, so be extra vigilant. Maybe keep the little ones on a leash, get them lojacked, or give them walkie talkies and a code word for a pedophile warning. No priest jokes, please.
It sure would be awesome if this guy got arrested–for SOMETHING–without any kids suffering.
There is a DPD statement about this over on Patch.
Thanks for posting and to Patch for posting. It’s always good to remind kids of how to keep safe and a real example is particularly effective. My sense is reading the DPD statement is that they are on top of this. Wouldn’t trying to lure a 9 year old into a van be a crime of some sort? The problem probably isn’t that a crime hasn’t been committed yet but that the evidence and proof aren’t all lined up….yet. Hope they get lined up.
This reminds me of something I saw recently about how teens are actually more vulnerable than younger kids to being lured and tricked into vehicles. Not to say little ones don’t need cautions, etc. But while younger kids are good about following their own instincts, older ones may let their own radar get jammed by thinking they’re wiser than they are, being more willing in general to squelch their own instincts and less willing to let themselves appear uncertain. I think it was a national news report around the time they found those young women in Ohio who had been abducted and held for years. Some law enforcement consultant had actually gone out and done experiments trying to trick kids and adolescents into a vehicle. They showed video footage in which younger children (elementary school age) were much sharper and likely to keep themselves safe while some of the teenagers bought his story, e.g., their parents had been in an accident and he was there to take them to the hospital.
Most people get smarter and smarter up through about the 5th grade, then turn into knuckleheads for several years.
Here’s what I want to know. Whether or not he committed an official crime; who is he and where does he live? (not actually suggesting someone post their suspicions here, but an underground e-mail would be appreciated.) I want to be able to pick him out of a crowd and warn my kids to stay far, far away. I’m not a “stranger danger” fanatic, but this dude has proven himself to be a creep!
Shout out to the good folks at TAPS Craft Beer on Clairmont near Los Loros. Bought a good cold cider small growler and a large growler of root beer. Everyone was very knowledgeable and super nice to talk to.
They also had a large selection of beers in the bottle as well as a large selection of beer/ale/porter to fill growlers.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there in Decatur Metroland! As well as to all the women who function as all-purpose parent, including dad!
Need suggestions, and need them quickly. Due to a family situation that I won’t go into, my 14 year old nephew is coming from California to stay with us for at least the summer. My wife and I both work, but we’ll force flexibility into our lives however we can. He’s a pretty independent kid, but we definitely want to get him involved in as much as possible. He needs to have his mind on other things right now and staying busy is the name of the game. I know we’re late for certain things, but I’m looking for any thoughts that others may have. Camps, programs, jobs, volunteer opportunities…anything. Thanks in advance for all your input.
Hard age for summer. Too old for many camps, too young to work. Dec Rec basketball camps, Emory tennis and other sports camps, maybe Agnes Scott sports camps, volunteering at animal shelter, Zoo Atlanta organized volunteer program (see website), gifted programs, CDC camp. Search the websites of all local colleges and universities for teen summer programs. Local music camps? Theater camps? Search local music centers and theaters. online. Good luck! It’s a great thing you are doing.
Our 14 year old is volunteering at Camp Twin Lakes.
Decatur Rec has a counselor in training program but I believe it would be too late to sign up now. Always worth a try. Someone could have dropped out.
If, by any chance, you were a Venetian Pool member, they have “junior counselor” positions for 13+ to work in snack bar. Maybe other pools have something similar.
Thanks for the recommendations. It really is a hard age. The Agnes Scott Sports camps sound good if they have kids at the top end of the range. That Zoo Atlanta opportunity looks great, but logistics won’t work out. Timing, age, and logistics are not in our favor right now. We’ll keep looking.
Check with East Lake Golf Club about their caddy program. That’s a great experience for teens.
since i imagine he’s under a little emotional duress, i highly recommend volunteer work. in my experience, giving to others when we feel we need to be given to/taken care of is an empowering and transformative experience. has worked for me on several occasions.
Hands on Atlanta makes volunteering easy and has several programs that allow kids his age.
http://www.handsonatlanta.org/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Calendar_Page
good luck.
I very much agree with this line of thinking. Many of my wife’s good friends are from her Hands on Atlanta days. I’ll look into that.
I had a wonderful time at the PIR Bob Dylan concert at Eddie’s tonight. Great bands, great crowd. And the song-writing was pretty good, too. And, we came home with the silent auction’s wine tasting for eight at Leon’s. woo-hoo!
Interesting article in AJC today about groups “getting people to talk about the previously taboo subjects of class, money and inequality” on college campuses. It’s the idea that diversity of class is important in addition to diversity of gender, race, and ethnicity. Resonates with discussions of housing diversity in Decatur. IMHO, diversity of class isn’t the right term; I think it should be diversity of household income. I’m not sure we have true classes like used to exist formally in Europe. But we certainly have different opportunities for students based on different levels of household income.
No such taboo exists in the Miss America pageant, where noted social scientist Ne Ne Leaks broached the subject ot inequality with Miss Utah, and the two proceeded to exchange high-quality ideas about the matter.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/06/17/create-education-better-miss-utah-botches-answer-at-miss-usa-pageant/?intcmp=features
I’m probably a bit late in posting to this weekend’s FFAF, but does anyone have any local plumber recommedations?
Try Dale Johnson 678 458 6188. Just did a rather big job for me replacing a length of pipe at what I thought was a very reasonable price.