Progress and a cheap date
Yesterday evening I finally had a chance to take Ms Hollie out to eat in my neighborhood, to Mona's on Carrollton Avenue. I think they may be the first new (technically) restaurant to open in town since Katrina-- it's a small local Middle-Eastern chain; their locations in Mid-City and on the other side of Claiborne from Tulane were flooded out, and last time I checked their Marigny location hadn't reopened yet. They'd started preparting the building (formerly another neighborhood restaurant) before the storm, but just opened here this week. They have a limited menu. The gyros sandwich was quite tasty.
The Maple Street Bookshop reopened today, as did the Whitney Bank on Carrollton -- being back around Plum, I think that's the furthest back from St. Charles anything is functioning anywhere Uptown.
Today I took Hollie out again, on perhaps the cheapest of cheap dates: to a Red Cross outpost.
My pix from NOLA photos community (actually from an earlier visit there).
We found a few things we could make good use of, and fortunately today they had decent bottled water-- which means anything but that white can Anhauser-Busch water. I mentioned our experience with those things in Florida. I tried it again here. My first sip in the front of my mouth wasn't too bad, but then it got to the back of my tongue with a vile metalic taste. I tried it both room temperature (how I often drink water) and well chilled, and it's still nasty; everyone else I've consulted about it on agrees with me. I used the rest of the 6 pack to water my plants (hope it doesn't hurt them).
A couple of good developments for yours frogly today: a Bell South crew was in the neighborhood, and as I mentioned restored my phone line. Also, a pair of plumbers came by and fixed a toilet that had been leaking through the floor-- I originally had an appointment with them for the last Tuesday in August, but some stuff came up then, so we had to reschedual. I looked inside my mailbox, but still nothing-- asking for a triple play is a bit too much, I guess. Still, I have seen some postmen out and around.
Part of Magazine Street was cleaned up yesterday, and looks pretty good. Most of the "better" parts of the city still have piles of debris, weeks of trash, and dead appliances lining the curbs.
The Maple Street Bookshop reopened today, as did the Whitney Bank on Carrollton -- being back around Plum, I think that's the furthest back from St. Charles anything is functioning anywhere Uptown.
Today I took Hollie out again, on perhaps the cheapest of cheap dates: to a Red Cross outpost.
My pix from NOLA photos community (actually from an earlier visit there).
We found a few things we could make good use of, and fortunately today they had decent bottled water-- which means anything but that white can Anhauser-Busch water. I mentioned our experience with those things in Florida. I tried it again here. My first sip in the front of my mouth wasn't too bad, but then it got to the back of my tongue with a vile metalic taste. I tried it both room temperature (how I often drink water) and well chilled, and it's still nasty; everyone else I've consulted about it on agrees with me. I used the rest of the 6 pack to water my plants (hope it doesn't hurt them).
A couple of good developments for yours frogly today: a Bell South crew was in the neighborhood, and as I mentioned restored my phone line. Also, a pair of plumbers came by and fixed a toilet that had been leaking through the floor-- I originally had an appointment with them for the last Tuesday in August, but some stuff came up then, so we had to reschedual. I looked inside my mailbox, but still nothing-- asking for a triple play is a bit too much, I guess. Still, I have seen some postmen out and around.
Part of Magazine Street was cleaned up yesterday, and looks pretty good. Most of the "better" parts of the city still have piles of debris, weeks of trash, and dead appliances lining the curbs.