After my night of "form-filling" dreams (described in the last post), and being frustrated at waking up every hour, I was actually looking forward to just getting out of bed and doing real things.
And there was plenty to do. My stuff was strewn about the room. It needed to be gathered up and packed. I needed to take another shower. My shirts - especially the IWALLK shirt - had taken a full twenty four hours to dry in the alternately muggy and then air conditioned room, but were finally dry.
After all of that was finished, I got online to double check the New Orleans metro bus routes and schedules. I still wasn't really very sure of what the hell I was doing in this regard when I strapped on Saggy--finally figuring out a way to stow my tent poles so they wouldn't stick out. I needed to get rid of my winter coat, so held it under my arm as I checked out, and found a box to donate it in down the street.
I waited where I thought all the buses would go through (Old Gentilly and Louisa), where there was a bus stop. But after an hour watching buses go by on other streets, I had to admit defeat. So, I walked over to Chef Menteur Highway, and as I did, I saw a shorter bus for disabled people. I asked the driver how to get downtown, and he pointed to a bus stop right across the street. Lesson for prideful men: ASK for directions.
I waited there for about fifteen more minutes and then got on the 94, asking the driver where I should get off to walk to the Greyhound station. He said, "Canal". Riding for a good half hour, twisting and turning through the streets around the northwest of town, I saw the big buildings of the downtown area get closer and closer. Finally Canal Street came, but I missed the driver's announcement of it, riding on to the end of his route. Being the only one left at that point. He sighed and said, "didn't you hear me announce Canal?" I had to look down in shame, admitting that I didn't.
I told him I'd just get off there and walk back up to Canal. But, he told me to stay onboard, because he'd be going back by it on his outbound route. I complied, and it was only another fifteen minutes before arriving where I should have gotten off the first time. I thanked the driver as I stepped off and made my way south and downtown...
Canal Street.
A house being renovated; typical of the beautifully ornate architecture here.
I turned onto Loyota and recognized the area through which I had walked two nights before...
Ha, ha! Finally got my picture of the big clarinette!
This is a fountain with water running down all sides of it. Never seen one so high before.
The obligatory "tall building and sky" shot.
Driving Miss Piling.
I went to Greyhound first, because I knew they had Wi-fi. There was still a ticket to print, and I needed to find the library, which, of course, was on Loyota. I had just walked past it. So, I walked the half mile back up and found the library. Online, their site said it was open until 5:00 pm, but when I reached it I found it closed up and dark. To this day, I have no idea why. With the tiny drop of sweat forming from not knowing exactly what to do now, I stood on the sidewalk. Obviously, I'd needed to find either a UPS or FedEx Store. They have internet stations with printers attached. I'd seen FedEx Stores on Google Maps, but seemed to remember them being at the edges of the town. Yet, it seemed unlikely that there wouldn't be one in the business district.
So, the choice now was: do I walk around looking and asking directions, or do I go all the way back to Greyhound and search online? Then, using my POMA method, I figured that, although FedEx might be just around the corner, the advantage with going back to Greyhound was that I would be able to find out for SURE, even though it might take a bit more time than just running into it on this same block. I walked back to the station, got online and found, lo and behold, FedEx was basically right near the library, but I wouldn't have found it, because it was located down a side street off of Loyota, on St. Charles. I'd made the right decision.
I walked back on the same half mile I'd traveled three times already and found FedEx. It was a simple affair to get online and print my four tickets (New Orleans to Mobile--4.5 hours; Mobile to Montgomery--4.5 hours; Montgomery to Atlanta--4 hours, and transfer to another bus to go from Atlanta to Athens--2 hours). Along St. Charles, on the way back to Greyhound, I caught sight of one of the best graffiti tags I'd seen since Spokane, Washington, located just above a rusty outdoor awning...
Being my middle name, I thought this was especially relevant.
After printing the tickets, I turned onto my now-favorite half mile of Loyota and saw a gathering in the little park. It was a dedication to a building called, "The Pythian" (named after the Colored Knights of Pythias--meaning the formerly black chapter), located just behind me as I took the following shot. The project was the renovation of one of the oldest standing buildings in that part of town...
The gentleman at the podium and head of the investors for the project.
The man (head of Green Coast Developers--a real estate development company) dressed in the thousand dollar suit speaking, did a excellent job of relating the history of the location where the current, and run-down, building now stood--flanked with chain link fences and windows covered in plywood.
The footprint of the building was once a slave market. After the Civil War, the black chapter of the Knights of Pythias formed through the efforts of Samuel L. Green--"the Richest African-American in New Orleans" at the time, who had the building constructed in 1909.
In the 1940's, Andrew Jackson Higgins ran the wartime hiring office of the Higgins Boats, and very progressively, for the time...
Higgins hired men and women of all races through a single personnel office, one of the first times this had occurred in the South. The top floor was a double-height dance hall where soldiers and sailors danced and enjoyed live New Orleans music before shipping out to fight in WWII.
The Pythian Website
Next, Councilwoman for District B, LaToya Cantrell, took the stage to thank Green Coast and the Crescent City Community Land Trust for their partnership in restoring the buildings of New Orleans...
Everyone on the stage hugged, and a few tears were shed. Obviously, this was the conclusion of a large amount of effort for these two organizations and the city. Though only a handful attended the event, along with a few reporters, it did seem like I witnessed a cool moment in New Orleans history. The MC let everyone know that there would be a party for attendees back at "the hotel" (?), with shrimp cocktails, champagne and coffee. You know what *I* was thinking. But I resisted my urge to crash it and appear as a "journalist covering this historic day". Ha!
I put Saggy on and, as the jazz band got up to play, made my way back to Greyhound, passing through the small park...
"Striding man". Pretty rough chunk of marble, if you ask me.
Someone had painted the crotch blue.
When I got to the station I intended to stay there and work, or just relax for a while...
I watched quite a bit of CNBC. I don't watch TV very often and so this didn't nauseate me as much as usual. The big story of the day - besides the constant focus on Trump - was the conviction of the Oaklahoma City cop, on 18 of 36 counts of rape and abusing his position of power, earning him over 200 years in prison, with no chance of parole. Good. I am not mentioning his name, because now that the key is thrown away, he deserves no more attention, except for the kind of attention he will be shown by the cop-hating cell mates he is about to meet.
Most of my time online was used to check out Athens. I use several sites when I research a new places, including...
Intellicast.com, Google Earth, (and/or Google Maps) and Google Street View, and Wikipedia's info on the town or cities.
You might find the process interesting. This is a basic breakdown of the procedure...
WEATHER
First I check the weather for when I'm going to arrive, and the next ten days...http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location= USGA0027 Doesn't look bad until Monday! The site is extremely accurate and changes by the hour. They also have an interactive radar that loops over the area, so if there is a storm coming I can follow its path and intensity.
SLEEP SPOTS
Then I go Google.com and type "Greyhound station Athens Georgia", and then choose "Maps" from the menu and get this...https://www.google.com/maps/search/greyhound+station+ Athens,+GA/@33.9473307,-83. 5286958,11.7z I can see the station is at the far west of the city. I collapse the search window to the left by clicking the black arrow next to the search field. At the lower left is a window that says "Earth". I click it. and now it is time to look for green spots near the station. Unlike New Orleans, there are a lot...https://www.google.com/maps/search/greyhound+station+ Athens,+GA/@33.9387016,-83. 3986091,39463m/data=!3m1!1e3 Then zoom up to about the 500 foot scale (see the distance scale at the far bottom right)...https://www.google.com/maps/search/greyhound+station+ Athens,+GA/@33.9412755,-83. 4803655,878m/data=!3m1!1e3 Immediately, I see a good place to the left of "Athens Ford". It has woods, and small fields, and doesn't look like there's a wall. Across the strs another business, so it would probably be closed during the night, and no one woould see me sneak in there.Here is how I analyzed it.[This is a screenshot I take by pressing "Fn" and "F12/Prt Sc" (it is automatically copied) and then open "Paint" and press the "Ctrl" and "v" buttons to paste the image.]Small arrows show possible clearings to set up the tent. I don't usually make a screen shot for myself, but am doing it to show what I look for.Now, I need to see what the entry looks like from the street, so I go back to the Google Earth page and click my arrow on the street right in front of the "Good Entry Point" shown above and see something like this...https://www.google.com/maps/search/greyhound+station+ Athens,+GA/@33.9403704,-83. 4846166,3a,75y,336.5h,76.87t/ data=!3m7!1e1!3m5! 1se2oCDHMlr7yM-d3TfI9ljg!2e0! 6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk% 3Fpanoid%3De2oCDHMlr7yM- d3TfI9ljg%26output% 3Dthumbnail%26cb_client% 3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb% 3D2%26w%3D392%26h%3D106%26yaw% 3D267.27066%26pitch%3D0! 7i13312!8i6656 By panning around 360 degrees I see there are no houses, there is no fence or wall, and it looks like an easy walk in, especially after dark.Now, I don't know if I'll use this place, but it would be considered a Plan A place. I would search for a Plan B place in the same way.
OTHER BUSINESSES
Now a search for the places I use the most in a town...Since I've already got the Greyhound station located, Google will keep it there for me as I search for other businesses. I have to click that black arrow again at the top left for my search field. Then I search out each of the following (as examples)...1) "McDonald's near Athens Georgia"https://www.google.com/maps/search/McDonald's+near+Athens+ Georgia/@33.938954,-83. 3986103,11z/data=!3m1!4b1 The one on the far left is very close. It is good for a quick meal and good reliable Wi-fi.2) "Public Library Athens Georgia"https://www.google.com/maps/search/Public+Library+Athens+ Georgia/@33.9393651,-83. 398611,11z/data=!3m1!4b1 By floating the little finger over each spot, I get the exact address. If I click the one I like, it give me the hours of operation. In this case "UGA Main Library" All the info about it comes up and if I click the hours, I see it will be open until 7:00 pm tomorrow. The library isn't just good for internet use, but will be necessary for printing a bus or train ticket too.3) "Motels near Athens Georgia"https://www.google.com/maps/search/Motels+near+Athens+ Georgia/@33.9516988,-83. 4648572,13z/data=!3m1!4b1 There are many, and good prices. I NEVER search "HOtels" only "MOtels". Hotels are out of my price range.
GENERAL INFORMATION
"Athens, Georgia Wikipedia"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens,_Georgia This has pretty much all the info I could want.
In the five hours I had to wait, I got a bit bored and took a few more pictures...
This is also an Amtrak station. And that is probably why it is so nice. Greyhound lucked out.
But I went into hypnotic-zombie-bus-traveler mode, and boarded the vehicle, having to sit with a young lady who - at first - looked mortified to have to ride alongside me. After a while she realized I wasn't a freak, and relaxed, eventually falling asleep.
I just sat and read my new Dennis McKenna book, until I thought the light of my tablet might be too bright for the other passengers. Then I put it into Saggy and "reclined" back the standard one inch, pushed my kneecaps involuntarily into the seat in front of me, waited for my ass to fall asleep, while re-adjusting it every fifteen minutes for the next few hours. It sucked. But, it was what it was. Finally, I was heading north. It was a great moment, but it passed without any personal fanfare. After an almost excruciatingly long time, the lights of Mobile came into view. I thought about my spider across the road, as I deboarded.
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