In reply to Drake-tastic (Chow 5/16)
Nice article on the Drake, Erin, but one clarification. Although it was once home to a restaurant operated by the same owner of Mexicali Rose, that venerable eatery was located on Third and Franklin, whereas Baja Norte was in the Drake space prior to El Jimmy's. I know this because I helped design Baja Norte, and worked closely with the owner there and at his Mex location. FYI, John Buell is currently residing in Auckland, New Zealand, opening his fifth Mexicali Fresh Mexican restaurant there. May be a good article for you someday, "Former Bend Restaurateur hits it big Down Under."
I also helped Ted Swigert occupy the Drake space as a commercial Realtor.
Best,
—Howard
Agreed it is fantastic but the food is more Carolinas influenced than Bayou. It's ok, Oregon, we will educate you :-)
—Sarah Leigh
Mexicali Rose? They were on the corner of 3rd and Franklin. It used to be Baja Norte, but I don't recall it being Mexicali Rose.
—Lisa
In reply to Closed Book (Culture 5/16)
I am a buyer of books. Lots of them. I didn't buy a single book at Between the Covers. Not one. Why? Because they made it impossible for me to get in the door to do business with them. I have MS and use mobility aids and apparently the owners of the building determined it was not important enough to them to have folks like me as a customer. I feel sad when a local business closes. But I feel even more sad when they have never opened their doors to the minority population to which I belong.
—dmr
I'd like to stand up for BTC here... I can tell you that the owner of this business is one of the kindest, most inclusive women I have ever met. She constantly went out of her way to make books "accessible" to the community both in and out of her store. If you want to play the disability access game, take it up with the city of Bend and the Bend Historic Society. It took two years to even get a sign with the business name hung out front. Access ramps were a bureaucratic nightmare and the building is legally exempted from providing them because of it's age and historical status. Do not throw blind blame for an issue you clearly haven't researched properly...or at all.
—EmmeAye
Wow...just wow...You truly can't please everyone. Forget about the struggles that every small business owner faces. Did you ever bring this up to this particular business? I mean, Lord knows you actually speak to someone in person rather then post a comment after the fact. Did you ever consider the cost to the business owner of making it accessible? Permits, contractors, etc.? Probably not. I truly am sympathetic to your condition, but commenting negatively on a local business closure is truly distasteful.
— Dave Arata
It is a nationally registered historic building, which restricts changing the outside appearance. Two people from the city came by to see what could be done and the only option would have been for them to deed us eight inches of the public sidewalk on Bond Street—in order to keep grade, the ramp would have gone from the back door to the front of the bookstore. That wouldn't fly with historic preservation, and the city didn't seem too keen on deeding us the eight inches. I'm a kind human being and would never take pleasure in denying anyone access. I'm sorry you never got to see inside my bookstore. The people who restored this building did a wonderful job, and while historic preservation helped in that regard, it is fallible in other areas.
—hwright
In reply to The Armyworms Are Here: Don't let them get your greenhouse tomatoes (Natural World 5/9)
I read about one man's solution to hornworms that makes sense. He nailed a sardine can filled with raw peanuts on a post in his garden. This attracted the birds, which would forget about the peanuts and eat the worms they saw, as they are very good at noticing the worms when they move even slightly. I would imagine a feeder filled with seed would work, but the peanuts probably attract the birds that are big enough to take on the big "worms." Probably wouldn't work so well for a greenhouse, though. :-)
—VBerthels
Concerts on the Big Screen (Film 5/16)
Correction: Robert Plant is not a guitar hero—Jimmy Page is.
—Free Cannabis
In reply to Phil's Fix No Fix At All (Boot 4/25)
The trails out there already get too much use. They're crowded, especially on a weekend. The FS builds a big new lot, it will just put even more pressure on the trails. And I keep waiting to see a little stand put up where the Forest Service will expect us to put our daily fees. Why do you equate more pavement with progress? Let's just turn Phil's Trail into "Disneyland CO" and make a water ride, too...and along with the big truck out there renting bikes, let's have a few concession stands. And then maybe a little shop to sell cool biking clothes. And just a small pub...or, we could just leave it alone! We keep having to go further and further away from town to find a little peace and quiet, and that's not progress.
—Leaveitbe
