Tagged

I went out to the dumpster in our back alley this morning to find several dumpsters and the back of three residences (including ours) tagged with gang-related graffiti. I don't know (nor do I care) what exactly it all meant but is was some "East Side Tre Tre" bullshit. What a bunch of losers.

I've already painted over most of it, but I just wish these guys had better things to do than deface a freakin' back alley.

Does this mean there is new gang activity in our neighborhood? Who knows, it's been pretty tame lately, I know that. I don't think this activity was due to a few "wannabes" like one of our neighbors (who hasn't removed the similar graffiti from her house, despite the fact it showed up around three months ago) thinks.

But it's not like we're unique in our gang problem. I traveled this summer to Montreal and Vancouver and saw a lot of gang graffiti there. There was even a gang-related shooting in downtown Vancouver the night I was in town. Canadian gangs? I guess they exist too, eh.

Winterized

So our neighbors' house that went into foreclosure sold at auction--For $125k, much less than the $170k they owed on it. The low sales price at least makes me hopeful that someone will see an opportunity to fix and flip the house, since it will give them plenty of margin to invest in renovations, which it will need many of.

A guy came by today and winterized the place, so it doesn't look like they're going to be diving into any renovations any time soon, however. Guess we'll have to wait until spring to see what happens next.

Oh, the suburbs

Don't miss this hilarious blog poking good-hearted fun at the grandiose names being assigned to cookie-cutter suburban housing developments.

After reading this, I thought of some good options for Cole should we decide to re-name it, taking into account some of the local history and flavor of the area:

1. "The Resort at Industry Meadow Acres"

2. "The Sanctuary at Smelter Edge Gardens"

3. "The Haven at Vacant School Landing"

4. "The Manor at Squirrel-Infested Heights"

5. Or, perhaps "The Enclave at Stray Cat Crossing"

The possibilities are endless...

The tipping point?

Driving home the other night my wife and I passed a new art gallery over on Walnut Street, in a formerly abandoned and typically sketchy block. The house with tons of potential across the street has gotten some steady traffic, as has the home in foreclosure next door. Two historic-yet-neglected homes nearby have the huge, drive-up dumpsters in front of them, signifying a complete remodel (or "gutting"). Kiva Restaurant on 30th and Downing, while they're certainly not out of the woods yet, is hanging in there and seems to be getting at least marginally busier each time we visit.

Residents that were here before us seem to be taking a bit more pride in their homes, and the trash problem on our block is a fraction of what it was two years ago.

Two white guys drove by today in a BMW M3 Coupe and waived at me as I was chilling on the front porch--Not sure what to gather from that as I didn't know them...

Things seem to be changing FAST lately in Cole. Whether you think the change is positive or not, have we reached a tipping point?