WANTED: New hometown

solid.

 

I admit to making a lame statement. Don't believe it was worth being called a douchebag. Not my intention to give anyone a posting lesson. Jesus.

 

uh, yeah, it was.

 

St. Louis, Jonesy. St. Louis.

1) Temperate climate: So yeah, the summers suck, but they're sure better than Dothan or Jacksonville. Fall and spring are gorgeous. Winter's enough to remind you that there's four seasons, but nothing compared to Canada or the northern US.

2) Safe: STL may be No. 2 in violent crime in the nation, but if you're not a drug dealer, you shouldn't have any problems.

3) Preferably near water, but not necessarily: OK, the Lou flunks that one. But being at the confluence of two great rivers is pretty cool. And the Lake of the Ozarks is but a three-hour ride, if you dig drunk speedboaters.

4) Easy access to a good airport with lots of flights: Air service is solid. You may need to go through Chicago to get overseas, but domestically it's pretty good.

5) A place where inspiration might strike more frequently than tornadoes: Hasn't been a tornado in St. Louis City in more than a century. But it's got all the brick faded glory you could ever hope for. A good underground creative scene, too.

6) Not too Christian (i.e., not a dry county): STL isn't really "Christian" so much as Catholic. Big difference. Beer is everywhere in the Lou.

7) Decent, family-sized homes -- but not cookie-cutter suburbia; downtownish -- available for $500,000 or so. For $300K, you could get all the character-filled home you'd ever want in St. Louis City. If you opt for inner-ring suburbs with better school districts, you'd still do quite well for less than 5.

 

Where the fuck is Jones?

Somebody check the Chinese prisons.

 

Irish, Jacksonville is close enough to the Atlantic Ocean that it gets a nice seabreeze. And Jacksonville routinely misses out on hurricanes (last major hurricane to hit there was in the late 19th century).

 

Ha. I'm a Charlottesville-ian who drove back from the Outer Banks today. Just playing to type. Today was a bad day to make that drive, by the way.

 

You drove from the Outer Banks on a Saturday morning? First year in Virginia or did you just move here from New Jersey?

Take 460 to 95 to the new 288 then west on 64, buy some peanuts on 460 and eat at the diner.

 

I'm going to assume you're actually responding to me. Two things:

- I'm a lifelong Virginian, and
- It was Sunday, which is not much better, although at least it wasn't check-out day. You're right about 460, that should have been my route - all of the traffic was between Williamsburg and 295 - didn't go over 40 the whole time, and didn't spend much time at that speed. I blame the DC crowd. I even had to stop at the in-laws' house in Chesapeake on the way back, so it would have been a natural move even if the Diner wasn't in the picture. I left the beach house (northern Hatteras) just before noon and got home at 6:30. Yuck.

 

I would also be remiss if I didn't address IJAG's Mary Angela's comment. That is indeed a huge shame - there's not a better pizza in Richmond. That was a staple of my five years in the 804.

 

Saturday morning northbound on 95, 295, 64 West is just a bitch because everyone is checking out of those beach houses on Sat morning.

Funny thing is that 95 is fine 2-3 hours later.

 

Sure, I'm necrophiliac'ing a post from Obama-era SJ but so what. It's about hometowns. Why start a new thread?

Some 45 years later, I'm living in my hometown, that is I was born in Inglewood and spent my first few years here in L.A.

Not only L.A. but right on the edge of Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It's a trip and half.

I don't want to be here. I don't know why I drove across America to be here again. Thought I knew why but I was wrong.

I want to get back in the car and back on the open road, to where I have no idea but I don't care, I just want to be gone.

I'm stuck by a just-signed yearlong lease that I can break it if I don't care about losing the deposit. To get the money back I need to find a new tenant.

Angst and anxiousness consumes me every day. To cope I go on really long walks, all over Los Angeles, in all directions, no rhyme or reason.

During these long meandering walks I take photos. It's one of the few things that brings me joy these days.

Think I'll use this thread to post the ones I really like. With any luck I'll only post for another few days, or few weeks, at the most.

Toward the end of yesterday's walk, corner of Pico and Robertson, waiting for the walk sign, saw this fella on the bus stop bench.

I posted it elsewhere and with the title Bus Stop Blues.



During this morning's walk, we crossed paths again, on Robertson in the shadow of Pico. Kevin has played guitar for 40 years and said he's been in many bands and written many songs for many musicians. Says he's from Kentucky, same hometown as Johnny Depp (Owensboro) and Florence Henderson (although Google says Dale Indiana). Showed him yesterday's Bus Stop Blues & he said Thanks! I asked to take a more proper photo and he said Yes. I gave him 2 bucks.




Also this morning I walked by this visual. Which one would you choose to see if it was the last thing you ever did?

Or would you choose to watch another boring-ass Alabama Georgia football game?