FOR ROB

As mentioned, lack of new material requires rummaging around in the recent archives. Our colleague from Strasbourg, Rob, may appreciate this, caffeine addict that he is. Found at a coffee shop on Manchester Road in Maplewood. Maybe I'll have some time to get out on the street this afternoon. Heaven knows there is nothing going on around here but at least the weather is nice.        

BUSINESS DISTRICT

This has an old-fashioned feel to me, despite the sans serif font on the realtor's office. The jeweler's sign looks much older, and undoubtedly is. The geometry and tonal difference in black and white appeal to me. Found on Manchester Avenue in the business district of Maplewood.         

HAND ROLLED

Back in my college days it was common for people to hand roll, uh, something. I've seen people hand rolling cigars in touristy little shops. But incense? Someone please explain why you you would want to hand roll incense or why that's better than the little sticks and cones you see everywhere. Can you smell the difference? Inquiring minds want to know.

Once again, on Manchester Road in Maplewood.        

UP IN SMOKE

I guess everybody knows what this is about by now. The place sells everything to do with so-called electronic cigarettes.No first-hand experience, of course, but my understanding is that you put a solution that contains nicotine in a chamber and some electric gizmo heats it. The user gets a nicotine-infused vapor without all the other smoke junk. Many, many flavors can be added. Some people think they are safer than cigarettes because there is no particulate smoke. However, research says e-cigs can be even more dangerous. https://tinyurl.com/y8btke95

THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST

An art gallery in Maplewood, something of a cooperative, something of a place to learn. I checked out their website, https://www.artistsfirststl.org/, and it sounds like a very cool organization but one I didn't know. Their web site makes it sound like social distancing is impossible in their activities. Another victim of the pandemic.         

USED BOOK STORE

There are still a number of used book stores around St. Louis. Maybe they are an anachronism, but there are still plenty in a time when booksellers like Barnes & Noble are closing. This is another business on Manchester Road in Maplewood, called The Book House, and its endurance deserves a link: https://www.bookhousestl.com/ . 

I used to read a lot of books until the point in my career when the time demands became too great. There was also an issue of space: our house isn't very big and we ran out of places to put them all. (Why do we keep all those old books anyway?) Now if I want something in print I buy a Kindle book. They have no physical presence but I can carry a large library around with me, although I like the feel of a paper book better. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks since, like most Americans, I spend a fair amount of time in the car.

SHOULD IT BECOME NECESSARY

You never know. When the zombie apocalypse comes (if you follow the news you may agree that it's already here) we may need all of our wits to head for the hills. Or the prairie, depending on which direction you go from here.

These so-called escape rooms are all over the place. A group of people has to cooperate to find clues to get themselves out of a confined space within a time limit. A Wikipedia entry says they started in Asia, then turned up in parts of Europe before they spread here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_room. I've never been in one or known anyone who has. Maybe it's more for the younger set. 

On a related note, some years ago there was a post-apocalyptic movie called Escape From New York. It was actually shot in some of the more derelict areas of St. Louis. C'mon, Detroit would have been easier.      

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT

In 1624, the English poet John Donne wrote

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Not that this isn't true every day of our lives but most of the time we conveniently overlook it. Now the idea slaps us in the face. Wear that mask, dammit. Do your bit to keep me alive.

In a storefront window on Manchester Road in Maplewood.         

             

THE DINER'S OPEN

I don't get around to STL's neighborhoods enough. The other day I took a walk down the main street of Maplewood, an older (by our standards) town adjacent to the city proper. You couldn't tell the difference if you crossed the line. The main drag, Manchester Road, has everything from edgy shops to restaurants all along the spectrum to a major supermarket. Some eateries still provide only carry out, others have outdoor dining and a few invite patrons inside. I saw little about spacing and how many people were allowed at a time.

Tiffany's Diner was certainly open for business without rules posted. The single customer was not wearing a mask  There were not many people on the street but most of them were.