December, 7, 2008 archives

the holiday block party in the old bank district was a really great event. i didn’t even get around the corner to 4th street (spending my time between the bank and our store), but what i saw was tremendous. based on the traffic at the store, i have to say i liked the crowd a lot more than the typical art walk crowd. there was just less tension in the air. there seemed to be a lot more people from the neighborhood around.

we went to an event at the new cole’s the other night, and also picked up some sandwiches at the grand opening. there was always a fear that something would just be wrong with the renovation, but they appear to have done it right. i have decided to withhold judgement on the food until having a proper meal there. it was really strange being at the bar again. if i seem less than enthusiastic, it is because that place means so much to us. it is hard to process.

the association, a new bar next door to cole’s was a real eye-opener, though. they managed to stay fairly far under the radar, so stepping inside was a real treat. it felt like a really comfortable, contemporary neighborhood bar. not my usual scene at all, but i could imagine spending some time there.

i had been using a plastic water bottle while at the store (refilled from our water dispenser in the back), but it started smelling a bit off. so i ordered a klean kanteen stainless steel water bottle. it isn’t insulated, so it can be a little cold when first filled, but it has a nice large opening and should be easy to clean if it starts to get funky.

i also got an all-ett wallet (the european) to replace my old thick wallet. the fabric it is made from is crinkly, but i hope that will mellow with usage. it is half as thin as my old wallet, at least.

we got a sprout coat tree from cb2 so we have someplace to hang our coats this “winter.” this is much better than our old system of draping the coats around on chairs. the packaging was annoying (crumbly styrofoam), but it is a nice solid coat rack that we should have for a while.