Finally have a place I'm staying.

Sorry for the lack of posts...but now I realized the HH could come out any day with an announcement that there will be a tour of Bywater in my blog...and there is none.

So here we go--photo happy!

Bywater is a funky little neighborhood that attracts artists, hippies and, shall we say, free thinkers. A current campaign is to "Ban the Ghost", ie, stop the greying over of graffiti. They contend that street art is better than a vast grey wasteland.

The neighborhood officially begins when you step over the tracks and are greeted by a sign made by Dr Bob, a Bywater artist known for his funky signs that proclaim "Be Nice or Leave." Apparently we don't go quite that far in Bywater. We do, however, have no qualms about making fun of people. This sign is directed at the morons who fly down our street at 50mph trying to beat a train that stops two blocks down--and stays maybe two minutes.

I travel home through Marigny and cross the tracks into Bywater. It's longer but much more relaxing. This is a shot of the church tower across the street, which kindly reminds me each day that 6am is the official end to my sleep. The next landmark I pass is the highly opinionated Two Sisters landmark, which first told us that the surge wasn't working, and now lets us know that it's time to impeach Bush (or perhaps another who fits this description). In case you haven't figured it out, the neighborhood is quite liberal, and there are Obama signs, stickers and such in nearly every other home.

I then continue on to Bywater BBQ, home of the $3.95 breakfast--formerly $3.5o. It buys eggs, bacon/sausage (or black beans, thanks y'all), grits/homefries, and the most delicious biscuit. $2.50 gets you a Bloody Mary or mimosa. The boys miss me--the Farmer's Market job means I can't make it by the 10:30 deadline. Sad.

Sometimes if I feel like being with people or watching a baseball game or the Hornets playoff games, I wander up to Markey Bar (No, Dad, never at night, never alone).
at least everyone treatIt's my local, it's cheap and everyone knows my name...no, not really buts me like a long lost friend.

Other Bywater essentials:

Life is slow paced. Sit on your porch. Have a beer. Use your legs to move. Cars are used as a last resort, not a primary mode of transportation.


Color is good--the more cacophonous the combo, the better. The only rule seems to be that your double shotgun needs to be painted the same on both sides. The two story house reminds me of a hostel in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

In Bywater we're on a ridge, so much of the neighborhood received less flood damage than many parts of the city. Still, residents are proud of their Katrina marks, and often paint around them so that they stay fresh. This one shows that the home was checked on 9/6/05 by the TXI unit and no entities were found.

Well y'all...thanks for sticking with me on my Bywater tour...hope you enjoyed seeing my tiny corner of the world where I've made my home.