Update from Cafe Luna
I had a good mini-trip to Austin. Just a quick jaunt to pick up stuff and get a few supplies, not much time for socializing. The weather was great though. Lots of stuff closed for the Holidays, including Las Manitas and Eva's Botanitas, but I did get a Tex-Mex meal at Trudy's before heading back.
Although things were supposed to be sent to me here in NOLA since the start of November, lots still arrived at Bonner's in Austin. My haul included a stack of magazines... and when I came back, the first new magazine addressed here was in my home mailbox-- the December 19 New Yorker. Not terribly late by local mail standards, and a good sign that magazines are being delivered in town again.
Defrosty the Fridgeman wishes you all Happy Holidays from curbside in the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans. All he needs an old top hat.
Still more folks coming back to town weekly, as the continued sight of street fridges indicates. Apparently there is a special crew just taking care of curb fridges now-- probably a good idea, any that still havn't been disposed of by now are, uh, long overdue. While piles of branches/construction debris etc can still sit curbside for weeks, the fridges seem to usually be gone within a few days.
I'm posting from Cafe Luna on Magazine street, which I seldom went to Pre-K but certainly earned my loyalty as one of the first places back open after in addition to its variety of tasty food & drink.
Rosie Lee's Bubble Teas, which I've mentioned in previous posts, alas is one of the places lost to the storm even though it was on high ground above the flooding. The building did get roof damage, but I suspect the closing had more to do with a jackass landlord, who was already putting eviction notices on his properties for non-payment of September rent in the first week of October (before mail service had even been restored, so even if they'd mailed him checks for September he wouldn't have known). The nearby Starbucks also remains closed; that I won't particularly miss. Rumor has it that none of the Starbucks in New Orleans will be reopening, as they've never succeeded in getting the market penetration equivilent to other markets here, they're using Katrina as an excuse to pull out. I sometimes stop at a Starbucks when traveling out of town, but here I can easily do better. Locals here prefer their PJs and CCs, Cafe du Monde, Rue de la Course, and Cafe Luna.
January, with Universities and a number of other businesses reopening, is expected to be a pivotal month in ReNew Orleans. As the old Spiritual says, We Shall See.
Although things were supposed to be sent to me here in NOLA since the start of November, lots still arrived at Bonner's in Austin. My haul included a stack of magazines... and when I came back, the first new magazine addressed here was in my home mailbox-- the December 19 New Yorker. Not terribly late by local mail standards, and a good sign that magazines are being delivered in town again.
Defrosty the Fridgeman wishes you all Happy Holidays from curbside in the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans. All he needs an old top hat.
Still more folks coming back to town weekly, as the continued sight of street fridges indicates. Apparently there is a special crew just taking care of curb fridges now-- probably a good idea, any that still havn't been disposed of by now are, uh, long overdue. While piles of branches/construction debris etc can still sit curbside for weeks, the fridges seem to usually be gone within a few days.
I'm posting from Cafe Luna on Magazine street, which I seldom went to Pre-K but certainly earned my loyalty as one of the first places back open after in addition to its variety of tasty food & drink.
Rosie Lee's Bubble Teas, which I've mentioned in previous posts, alas is one of the places lost to the storm even though it was on high ground above the flooding. The building did get roof damage, but I suspect the closing had more to do with a jackass landlord, who was already putting eviction notices on his properties for non-payment of September rent in the first week of October (before mail service had even been restored, so even if they'd mailed him checks for September he wouldn't have known). The nearby Starbucks also remains closed; that I won't particularly miss. Rumor has it that none of the Starbucks in New Orleans will be reopening, as they've never succeeded in getting the market penetration equivilent to other markets here, they're using Katrina as an excuse to pull out. I sometimes stop at a Starbucks when traveling out of town, but here I can easily do better. Locals here prefer their PJs and CCs, Cafe du Monde, Rue de la Course, and Cafe Luna.
January, with Universities and a number of other businesses reopening, is expected to be a pivotal month in ReNew Orleans. As the old Spiritual says, We Shall See.