Day 21

It's Saturday. Notice the Farmer's Market on Fourth Street. We would like to shop there, but just too risky for us.

Bettie Naylor Street

They gave a part of Fourth Street the honorary designation of Bettie Naylor Street in honor of a dear friend of ours who died recently. She was a longtime advocate of women and gays. After the speeches and ceremony folks posed with the sign. She's only a couple of blocks from Willie's Honorary Way (Second Street).

People Watching: Orange

Today is theme day for City Daily Photos around the world. The theme is 'people watching.' I gave this one a lot of thought and decided that I would capture some people in a public place, unawares. My apologies to the guy in the baseball cap: he doesn't know he's being photographed. The barista at Halcyon is mostly hidden and the gal on the far right is obscuring herself and the gal behind her while she examines a newly purchased item of orange clothing. Of course, today is the first University of Texas football game of the season and (burnt) orange is the school color. Hence this coffee shop study in orange...from shelf decor to cap to painting to that gal's purchase. When I people watch, one thing I notice is everyone's fashion. This weekend a lot of it will be orange!

Public Art

This mural is on the side of Frank facing Fourth Street. Explanations welcome.

Freedom

Oil Can Harry's Bar replaced their usual colorful flags with the stars and stripes for the holidays. Here's wishing everyone freedom.

Youngsters Against Hate

Linda and I participated in an anti-hate parade in our downtown neighborhood Saturday afternoon. The event was spurred by a savage attack on two gay men walking to the City Hall parking garage from a bar after a softball celebration. Over 1500 of us marched from the bar on 4th Street to the City Hall Plaza where we heard speeches from City Council members and the two victims, among others. This cute little girl, her brother and their dog were part of the march. One rumor going around town: surveillance tapes showed that a woman, heading home from Carnaval in heels and a feathered costume, jumped into the fray and helped defend the guys who were being beaten.

Mutual Support

This mural is on the outside of Ginger Man at its new Lavaca location. It is famous for a wide selection of beers on tap and a comfy UK-style atmosphere with darts and such. It made way at its old 4th Street location for a condo building which has yet to break ground. We would still consider this part of the Fourth Street/Warehouse District.

Urban Plateau

Some rooftop bars that extend to the alley behind Congress between Fourth and Fifth seem to create an urban plateau, especially with the weathered look of that wall.

The Irish Angle

The Warehouse District has, at its heart, a part of Fourth Street where the sidewalks career up to the dizzying heights of old loading docks. The Irish Pub and Restaurant Fado flies its flags (I'm guessing that's the Irish flag whipped around the pole in the wind) in the shadow of Frost Bank Tower. Food here is good basic fare and, of course, Guinness is on tap.