Free-For-All Friday 9/20/13
Decatur Metro | September 20, 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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A big day at Fernbank Science Center tomorrow: the Fall Plant Sale starts at 8 AM. Lots of native species that are hard to find at retail nurseries, and also some honey from the Fernbank bees if you get there early enough. At 2 PM, Stories Among the Stars, a collaboration between Fernbank astronomer April Whitt and the Southern Order of Storytellers. Details on both events are at the Fernbank website: fsc.fernbank.edu.
Renfroe Picnic and Carnival today from 5-7.
Open to all.
I know one booth that has homebaked brownies for sale – first come first served.
(This is both an invitation and a warning re: traffic)
1: What is going on over on DeKalb Industrial across from where Winn Way ends? Looks like a big drill is over there?
2: What is with the permanent gas-crew installation on Sycamore St. near the Avondale Marta station? It’s been there forEVER and I can’t figure it out–did they just forget they were working over there? Will we ever be able to walk on that sidewalk instead of in the street again?
Thanks!
If underground construction excites you, come down to the first block of Church St.
I just emailed a question to AGL’s Eastside Pipeline information desk. I’ll let you know if I get a meaningful response.
They are drilling under the railroad /Marta tracks to connect the gas pipeline that was installed earlier this year on Katie Kerr and Dekalb Industrial. There is similar construction on the Arcadia side.
A plug for Monday’s documentary screening, filmmaker presentation and five mini-lectures on WATER. It’s a preview of a daylong symposium for Decatur 8th graders and 9th graders. More: http://decatureducationfoundation.org/community-events/water-wise-a-funk-global-symposium/
For the minivan crowd: the fall Kids’ Used Clothes n’ Stuff consignment sale is 9AM to 4PM today at Decatur 1st UMC Gym; half-price tomorrow 9AM-1PM.
i arrived at yesterday’s Oakhurst Elementary picnic fully armed and prepared to bow up.
after grabbing a bowl of chili to help me blend in, i surveilled the crowd, identified all potential threats, then began working the area one quadrant at a time—ducking behind ornamental plantings and playground equipment as necessary.
pleased to report no evil was done—aside from a mild case of intestinal distress (the sour cream?) and fun was had by all.
even the fiercest criminals sleep.
i never do.
Julian, out.
But, Julian, are you sure??
It looks like someone is trying to steal our beloved “learning cottages”.
They are on wheels, so it seem too easy.
You must investigate pronto!
no worries, they won’t get very far.
i flattened all the tires on the trailers before i left.
for every zig, there’s a zag.
My veterinarian brother in law is finally retiring, leaving me in need of a local vet. I would greatly appreciate recommendations for someone to provide medical care for my sweet – but crazy – Standard Poodles.
I’ve been taking my critters to Clairmont Animal Hospital (formerly Emory Animal Hospital) for nearly 20 years. I’m a huge fan of theirs.
Ansley Animal Clinic – owned by a Decaturite now. Been around forever. No ridiculous upcharging like some vets now do for drugs that your animal doesn’t really need!
The Decatur High School Marching Band will be having a car wash tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 21st at the high school upper parking lot from 9 am to 1 pm.
A suggested donation of $5 for cars and $8 for truck or van. Please come and support the band and get a clean car in the process.
Also, football game tonight starting at 7:30 pm.
For an extra $5 will they clean out the gunkified frozen yogurt and cheese stick ploppings stuck in the deep crevices of a child’s seat?
I’ve never been to a Decatur High football game and haven’t been to any high school football game in at least 20 years. Can a person just show up and come in? Are tickets required?
You can buy at ticket at the gate. I think they are $7? Not sure of the price. Be aware that DHS is encouraging people to leave bags at home because they are subject to search at the gate.
It’s International Park(ing) Day. Anyone commandeering a downtown parking space with a little sod, lounge chairs, tiki bar, and balloon animals?
Actually we did – sod, lounge chairs, hula hoops and badminton. Good times!
Awesome. Where was your space?
I hung out between the bikes on Adair for an hour.
Actually it was downtown Atlanta, at the United Way Building.
Looks like Kimbrall House is poised to open this weekend or next week. They loaded the bar yesterday.
I was walking by today and the girl sitting outside said they are opening Wednesday.
update: they had a friends and family opening last night. We barely qualified, but got a seat at the bar. Last night the food selection was a very limited, and they are still working on the kinks. The food was a sophisticated version of american dining. The oysters were wonderful.
The design and the bar really does the building justice . It’s a bar oriented establishment, with tufted seating and a retro-mercantile feeling. Lots of familar faces from restaurants around town.
If possible, it takes the decatur’s destination dining label up a full notch.
Decatur is a wonderful, restaurant filled mecca with a vast variety of culinary choices. My wife and I love to frequent the area eateries, savoring all of the delicacies that each restaurant has to offer. So why does it appear like I am about to gripe about this delicious scenario? Because I am, but don’t take anything I say to heart, I’d just like to fine tune it if you will. Make it even better!
The Gripe: Why is it that the better the food is, the higher the prices are, the darker the restaurant is, the smaller the print is on the menus? I am in my mid fifties and my eyes started going at about the age of 50 so I am forced to strategically place reading glasses throughtout my house, office and car. I am still in denial about my age and my eyesight so I try to minimize my social exposure of wearing my “Readers”, so having to pull them out at a fine dining place is not my preference. And wouldn’t you know the pair of readers that I happen to have on me at the time would be pink or polka dotted or “Trendsetting” ? that my wife picked up at the dollar store because they were only a dollar and they only had those styles or colors.
Anyway, all of you wonderful restaurant owners please take heed, the customers that can now afford the prices since they have figured out how to manage their monies and plan for retirement, that want to enjoy life, are the ones that are losing their eyesight and could sure use a bigger font on the menus.
BTW Does anyone know where I can rent a seeing eye dog that can read menus?
PROTIP: illuminate the menu using the flashlight app on your smartphone, and to hell with what anyone thinks about it.
HAH! That’s exactly what the spousal unit & I do! Great minds…
There is also a combo flashlight/magnifier app available for iPhone.
Speaking of useful apps for old people….has anyone heard of Runpee, which supposedly notifies the user of the optimum time to…well, run pee during a movie, and also summarizes what was missed?
Oh my goodness- I just laughed out so loud I had to go tell my boss what was so funny. Tell me this is not for real!
Oh, it’s real…
http://runpee.com/
Brilliant – the best inventions are the ones that seem obvious after the fact. I didn’t know I needed this (for kids and parents too.)
smartphone? don’t you mean your tip calculator?
Everything you said, plus: even if I can manage to read the menu (or get dining companions to read it to me), if the ambient noise level is so high that we can’t converse without shouting at each other, I won’t be back.
smalltowngal, We agree, thanks for adding that to the pile. My wife is deaf in one ear so all the noise goes in one ear and since she doesn’t have directional hearing it drives her crazy. She also has ringing in her ears as a result of the loss of hearing so any noise is really bad. Acoustics is one thing most owners don’t address in their business. For restaurants it should be paramount.
Yeah, it’s a bit unfortunate that contemporary restaurant aesthetics lead to bad acoustics and noisy dining rooms. At least two Decatur places have a problem with this and it makes them less inviting.
I have to admit, I’m jealous. We’re not there, yet. We’re slightly younger, we’re still trying to pay for our lives and our children’s future. Net result: we live in an expensive enclave of Decatur for the great walkability and convenience and schools and rarely go out to eat in our little town. One, we need the $ to spend in another way and I find many of Decatur’s restaurants ridiculously priced for what they offer; two, we could barely afford to eat at those places on our own, with our children in tow, it’s a non-starter; three, the lighting at my dining room is exactly how I like it!
Does anyone have a recommendation on a general contractor/craftsman/tradesman (or tradeswoman
that has done some smaller jobs in CoD? I have an interior renovation project putting up a few non-loadbearing walls, installing hardwoods floors, and potentially installing a shower. I really don’t want to drop $30k on it. I need someone who understands the value of a dollar.
Thanks in advance….
We like Allen Layson. He came in very fairly for a small project, helped save money without sacrificing quality, and we intend to use him when we finally save up for some bigger renovations. His number is 404-245-2856.
We’ve had good experiences with Hodges Residential Services:
http://www.hodgesrsi.com
We recently completed a bathroom remodel and used Gartrell Enterprises and were very pleased. They worked within our budget, kept to schedule and were very clean, neat and respectful of the house. Contact info: 404-551-9273.
What is the best way to sell a ticket for a Fox Theater performance? I have an extra ticket to Stomp because one of my friends can’t go. Thanks!
I’ve only used it for sports, but Stubhub is great. There’s always eBay or craigslist but my vote is for Stubhub. Although, as I think about it, selling just one ticket might not be easy. You might end up in the parking lot yelling “Who needs one?”
BEER!!!!
I love that Decatur/Avondale is home to three breweries. I think it’s great for our towns, economy, etc. And the beer is fantastic, especially IHMO Three Taverns and Wild Heaven. These guys are making excellent brews. I think Blue Tarp beers are decent, but maybe a half step below the others. And this statement has nothing to do with my beer preference, which is actually IPAs, not Belgian style.
One thing has been bugging me though – the high price. Why are beers produced 1/2 mile from my house twice the price of Sweetwater and Sierra Nevada. I realize these larger breweries might get price breaks on bulk ingredients and can offer price breaks due to moving large quantities, but they also have a much higher overhead and advertising costs. Our local beers are not priced to be competitive with other high quality craft beers. For example, I walked into Greens yesterday and was excited to see Three Tavern beers in bottles, and then was disappointed when I saw they were being sold in 4-packs for $8.69. First of all, $8.69 for a 4-pack is pricey, even for high quality craft beer, and second of all I think it’s pretty lame to put a 5% abv beer in 4-packs. In comparison, Sierra Nevada had 12-pack of their high-quality Torpedo IPA on sale for $13.99. This equates to 18 cents per ounce for Three Taverns and 9.7 cents per ounce for Sierra Nevada. Three Taverns was just about double the price.
I am all about keeping it “in Decatur” and will continue to support our local breweries, but I wish they would make it easier for me to do so.
Craft beer prices in general have been skyrocketing recently. There are some beers that I really like but just can’t justify the cost (Dales G’Knight, for example, at 12.99 for 4 pint cans). Even my long time favorite Bells Two Hearted seems overpriced to me, though I bite the bullet on that one and buy it anyway. And I agree about the low ABV in 4-packs. I expect high gravity beers when I see a 4 pack.
Of course, I wonder if our perceptions about beer prices are anchored to previously common notions that beer is a “cheap” beverage intended for the great unwashed masses?
Blame the distributors, they control the price. They also limit the selection available – for instance I can’t understand why you can buy Bridgeport’s Hop Czar here, but not their flagship beer (Blue Heron).
Taking the control away from the distributors is the final obstacle to a free beer society in Georgia (the first three were high gravity, Sunday sales and growlers).
“Taking the control away from the distributors”
Not likely to happen for political reasons.
Two Hearted deserves its price. Easily one of the finest crafted IPAs ever.
But yeah, you will rarely, if ever, find me buying the expensive 4 packs.
Two Hearted is a works class IPA. Usually sold in 6-packs for about $9.99 (13.7 cents per ounce). Still cheaper than our own local brew.
Where have you seen it at that price? The cheapest I’ve seen it is $10.99 at Tower.
that would be world class.
Any beekeepers here willing to share pros and cons of backyard hives?
Pro: Honey. Con: Ouchy
If I were looking for answers, I might wander over to the Oakhurst Community Garden and check on their classes.
Can anyone please share tips on how to safely discourage dogs from urinating and defecating on my front lawn? I find treats every day. Thanks
Early one weekend morning I watched a woman from my kitchen window who decided not to retrieve her pooch’s deposit from the flowerbed adjoining my driveway. As she began to walk away I hit the panic button on my car clicker (my keys were at hand). It gave her a good start. She caught my eye. I looked disgusted. She retrieved her baggie and scurried off with a memento from her morning stroll.
But I only did that once. Only fools regularly rise before the sun is warm on weekends.
Love that. I have been known to dash out the front door and catch up with people to give them a couple of grocery bags and shame them into coming back and cleaning up. Have sometimes fantasized about using one of those emergency air horns to get their attention initially.
The air horn would be even more effective while the dog is pooing.
Love it!
Never tried it myself, but years ago I had a neighbor who sprayed his front lawn with a slurry of orange juice, used coffee grounds and liquid fertilizer. Dogs don’t like the smell of any of those ingredients.
Some good news on the crime front:
From the Nation of Neighbors website:
Community Information and Education Officer
On Friday, August 30, 2013, the Decatur Police Department responded to and began investigating three armed robberies of students as they left the Decatur High School football game. Investigators have identified and arrested three suspects in these cases. The following three suspects are in custody and have been charged with armed robbery:
[edited: withheld because suspects are juveniles]
The Decatur Police Department would like to thank the Marta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department and DeKalb County Police Department for all of the assistance we have received over the past three weeks.
The Decatur Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a fourth suspect. If you recognize this suspect or have any information, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404/373-6551 or Crime Stoppers at 404/577-TIPS (8477).
While I certainly respect DM’s authority to run his blog in whatever manner he chooses, according to the state of Georgia, 17 is the age of majority, so at least two of those suspects are going to Big Boy Jail, and in front of Big Boy judges. Not all of them are juveniles in the eyes of the law, regardless of their age.
Yeah, I’m not quite getting how this is any different from last week’s AJC scrubbed article that folks mocked. The DPD is asking for the public’s help. If given the names, it’s a pretty sure bet that the parents on here with high school aged kids would immediately ask them if any of the names ring a bell.
Can we discuss the roundabout on Ponce Place? I like it, but is the 4 way stop also necessary? Seems that with roundabouts you typically have yield signs. Roundabout + 4-way stop seems a bit over the top.
I’m waiting to hear about – or see the black marks – of the first time someone drives over it.
It’s pretty bare and could be difficult to see at night.
Still don’t get the point of any of them in the area.
I noticed a school bus had to go around the roundabout on the left side into traffic (heading towards Clairemont) because they could not make the sharp curve on the right side…not sure about that round about!
At least they are re striping and creating crosswalks, maybe people will actually stop at the stop signs through that neighborhood.
Why is it not in the middle of the intersection?? There is barely enough room on the right side to get around it. Seems like a miscalculation. I felt sorry for that mailbox on the corner, I doubt it will be there much longer.
AND they need to paint it yellow and put in landscaping. In the rain it’s almost impossible to see.
Unless I’m thinking of the wrong one, the modification on Ponce Place isn’t a roundabout. It’s a traffic island. It’s not to circle around in the intersection; it’s to slow cars approaching the intersection (where people cross) and get them to proceed with greater care.
Scott – there is a roundabout coming from Ponce, at the Oakland/Beaumont intersection.
It has a circley-arrowy sign and everything. (Plus stop signs as noted above.)
And you have to go around about it, especially coming from Ponce, unless you want to damage your front axel.
Thanks, Arriba. I was picturing the one approaching the intersection of Ponce Place and Montgomery. I’ll go by and check it out.
Well, go figger. Got a chance to go by here and you’re right. That there’s a fully functional roundabout.
I have to assume the stop signs are still in place either a) to get people used to the the thing; or b) because they’re waiting on an order of Yield signs to come in.
For them to remain indefinitely would be ridiculous. You could forego the exercise of building the thing in the first place and still end up with the same result.
Decatur Bulldogs are now 4-0.
Now that 4/5 perps have been apprehended
I’m concerned our mojo may be compromised moving forward
After the game, if i approach you with a large pillow case in one hand
And gun-shaped fingers in the other
Just surrender your phone without any lip or bowing
It’s for school
It’s for pride
#dawgs
Can anyone recommend a financial planner?
What are the various mom list serves/e-groups in Decatur? A friend with a 4month old would like to meet up with some other moms and babies- but not day groups (working mom). Dad group info good as well. Thanks!
Decaturmama yahoo group, where your friend can post and maybe find some moms who would like to meet up. There are several on meetup.com — decatur area parents and kids, decatur families group. There is also a dad’s group on meetup, Pups and Pops, that’s for stay at home dads.
Kudos to organizers & participants of the 3rd Annual Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby. (Not to mention us loyal spectators who braved the monsoon to cheer on the intrepid racers and their devoted pit crews.) Fun all the way around!
What is the deal with The July 4th festivities that were postponed to next weekend? Is it just fireworks and a concert? Will the parade happen?
No parade.
Does anybody know where the loud music has been coming from all day in the Adams Street area? Sounds like a concert in the middle of Oakhurst…
We are hearing it over off of Scott as well. I think it might be from Music Midtown – even though that is so far away. Can’t figure where else it would be coming from. Tried to blame it on some neighbors….
Music Midtown it is. Although the stages are on a field which sits at the bottom of a bowl (the big field that the City of Atlanta almost turned into a sewage treatment facility in the 80s), the office towers and condos around 14th and Peactree bounce the sound back towards us. The music that is easiest for us to hear comes from stages with speaker towers oriented towards the west. In the DQ parking lot Friday night, the music sounded like it was coming from somewhere very close.
Party at the moon tower!!!
Homemade soup, cornbread, and hot chowchow. Life is good.
Anybody have any experience woith Terracotta Properties? Have a friend looking at a larger renovation and haven’t been able to find many reviews online. Thanks!
In case this hasn’t been posted: Caroline Howard 1913-2013. An exemplary Decatur citizen.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/Atlanta/obituary.aspx?n=Caroline-HOWARD&pid=167031255#fbLoggedOut