Saturday, March 21, 2009

I married a guitar player

So tonight G-man and his bandmates are playing at a place downtown. When they first started playing there, it was a really scary bar to go in, with a big blank wall and a small door that opened outward and it was dark inside, had a pool table smack in the middle of it, and shady looking patrons. Luckily, California was the leader in banning smoking in first eating establishments and then bars so I can actually go in them, even though my alcoholic drink intake average per year is about 2 (one year I got up to 5!). Anyway, the bar got a new owner a couple of years ago and they redid the entire entrance, with pretty green glazed tile and windows on both sides of the inset new door. You can actually see in now and it seems so much friendlier. This is an old part of town, the building is probably 100 years old or more, narrow, brick, with high ceilings. In the past, 25-30 years ago, the downtown was full of junk shops and bars, frequented by the homeless who begged on the sidewalks and in the park, and no one wanted to go down there at night. Over the last 15-20 years the city has spent a lot of money widening the sidewalks and sprucing up the streets, landscaping and general atmosphere--this has resulted in a vibrant nightlife and busy stores during the day, a true success story! Twice a year there is an Art Walk, where local artists display their work in different retail stores and on the sidewalks, there is music, food, and lots of activity. G-man and I dream of one day living closer to downtown. He favors the Spanish-style houses and I the Craftsman cottages. Dream...

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Design Wall Monday--Catching Up

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