Catchy huh...Here is the deal. I love the people here in New Orleans. I love the place, the atmosphere, the energy, the food, and again the people. These are the same people who I share the roads with though-the one's on the road I ranted about in my last blog. They are also the same people who I shop with at all the great stores here. Something happens, though, when they get out of their Road Warrior mode, and out of their shopping mode when they leave the store. It's a state of mind they enter before going back into Road Warrior mode. I just don't have a name for it, so I am calling the act of it "carting".
So what am I talking about? I am talking about getting carted. You know, back in Dallas or wherever-where you go to the store you occasionally see the renegade cart rolling to a helpless empty car. You see some carts with no home (usually at Wal Mart) because the cart corrals are full. And yes, on occasion you see that "busy" person who had time to shop at the store but has no time to take the cart they chose to borrow back where it belongs or to its proper return corral. But here its totally different. Everyone, and I mean everyone (except us) leaves their cart right by their parking spot. Some people nudge their cart up against the car beside them. Others do the semi right thing and prop the cart on the small, decorative grassy/tree spot so it won't roll away. Others just unload it and give it a little push towards an empty area of the parking lot. The cart corrals sit empty. No one uses them. Carts are all over the place. When you roll into your favorite store you have to park far away because carts occupy most open parking spaces. They do because no one here seems to have time to roll them where they belong.
Today, as we left Rouse's (its like Kroger meets Tom Thumb in Dallas but much better), we started to load the car. Opposite of our car was a woman doing the same thing. She unloaded her cart and then pushed it an inch away from our car and loaded herself up in her over sized SUV to head out. My wife and I saw this and my wife went towards her and got the cart. I chose to glare at her. The woman just stared at my wife, then pulled out. I urged my wife to put the cart behind the woman's car but to no avail. We got carted.
We have started a 2 person crusade here. Wherever we go, we park and grab a couple of carts each and roll them in. We are hoping that people will see this and hopefully understand the concept-similar to when we are children and taught to pick up after ourselves. We are trying to break the carting habit through example. Sadly,I don't see this crusade going far but we refuse to give in to the masses. The carting problem is too widespread and I think everyone is just used to doing the carting thing.
We will do what we can though, one cart at a time...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
"The Big Easy" But It's Not So Easy
It has been a while, I know. There is just a lot going on with settling in as the days (and summer) flies by. I wanted to continue the back story but thought I would do that in between the current entries so there aren't so many time gaps.
Something strikes you here in New Orleans when you start to settle in. The pace here is slooooowwwwww EXCEPT on the road. The roads are rough-figuratively and literally. As you swerve to avoid potholes, bumps, and debris, you also play the New Orleans version of the Road Warrior. Part of that comes from the layout where U-turns are a way of life here. They are not the U-turns we would use in Dallas if we missed our turn. No, these are lanes all over the place to help you navigate. Cars come from all directions, Fast and Furious. Don't even try to wave in hopes someone will let you in or cross-not going to happen. You have to learn the way of the drivers in Plano, Frisco, and North Dallas and apply those skills here if you want to survive on the roads. Quite simply, barrel along 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit while you talk on the phone and use your large vehicle's auto-pilot. Sorry to anyone in those locales-yes, its a (small) exaggeration, or is it? It's not that the drivers here are rude-its more that they are pre-occupied and with what I have no clue. I do have a theory, though.
My theory is that everyone is in such a rush on the road because once they get where they are going, the pace comes to almost a dead halt. If you are arriving to your favorite restaurant, you will be eating a long, leisurely meal as you talk with friends/family/strangers about life and the next meal. If you are going shopping, you will be taking a while as there are lines (and I mean long lines) at almost every store. I'll save the Wal Mart story for another time but just picture Friday night at 10 with EVERY checkout open and every checkout with 10-20 people deep waiting, waiting, waiting... All essential things have lines and waits that dwarf anything I can recall in Dallas. Doctor offices, the DMV (and, oh, I dread that trip), anywhere you have an appointment, appearance, or interview-there will be a wait and likely a long one. Thankfully, time stands still in the French Quarter though-it's true-look it up.
So far, the people here are amazing. The atmosphere, food, all of it is amazing except when you are on the road. When its time to head out to your destination, put on your protective gear, load up your armored vehicle, fire up the Internet ready phone, turn on your headlights so you can maybe be seen, and just start honking the horn (EVERYONE HERE LOVES THEIR CAR HORNS!!!!). It will not be an easy breezy Sunday drive but the stress will flow away when you finally get where you are going in The Big Easy.
Something strikes you here in New Orleans when you start to settle in. The pace here is slooooowwwwww EXCEPT on the road. The roads are rough-figuratively and literally. As you swerve to avoid potholes, bumps, and debris, you also play the New Orleans version of the Road Warrior. Part of that comes from the layout where U-turns are a way of life here. They are not the U-turns we would use in Dallas if we missed our turn. No, these are lanes all over the place to help you navigate. Cars come from all directions, Fast and Furious. Don't even try to wave in hopes someone will let you in or cross-not going to happen. You have to learn the way of the drivers in Plano, Frisco, and North Dallas and apply those skills here if you want to survive on the roads. Quite simply, barrel along 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit while you talk on the phone and use your large vehicle's auto-pilot. Sorry to anyone in those locales-yes, its a (small) exaggeration, or is it? It's not that the drivers here are rude-its more that they are pre-occupied and with what I have no clue. I do have a theory, though.
My theory is that everyone is in such a rush on the road because once they get where they are going, the pace comes to almost a dead halt. If you are arriving to your favorite restaurant, you will be eating a long, leisurely meal as you talk with friends/family/strangers about life and the next meal. If you are going shopping, you will be taking a while as there are lines (and I mean long lines) at almost every store. I'll save the Wal Mart story for another time but just picture Friday night at 10 with EVERY checkout open and every checkout with 10-20 people deep waiting, waiting, waiting... All essential things have lines and waits that dwarf anything I can recall in Dallas. Doctor offices, the DMV (and, oh, I dread that trip), anywhere you have an appointment, appearance, or interview-there will be a wait and likely a long one. Thankfully, time stands still in the French Quarter though-it's true-look it up.
So far, the people here are amazing. The atmosphere, food, all of it is amazing except when you are on the road. When its time to head out to your destination, put on your protective gear, load up your armored vehicle, fire up the Internet ready phone, turn on your headlights so you can maybe be seen, and just start honking the horn (EVERYONE HERE LOVES THEIR CAR HORNS!!!!). It will not be an easy breezy Sunday drive but the stress will flow away when you finally get where you are going in The Big Easy.
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