Yesterday at the local grocery store, I observed a man walking in with an 8-10 year old child. The man, mid-late 20s and medium build, was wearing a t-shirt, USMC PT sweat pants, and a uniform jacket with shoulder patches from our local sheriff's office (both deputies and corrections wear the same uniform). I couldn't help but think that he'd unwittingly painted a target on himself, with his kid in tow, and was unlikely armed.
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
I miss the walk-up ATM inside the lobby of the old Houston PD Southwest Patrol substation, which was a pleasant mile’s walk from our front door, and quicker if one drove. The substation was going to be moved to a newer facility, father away, anyway, but Hurricane Harvey damage forced the closure of the old substation.
I don’t know about other PDs, but most Houston PD stations have an ATM in the front lobby area, except, of course, for the former HQ building at 61 Riesner, which remains closed, after Harvey. (Actual HQ moved to 1200 Travis, years ago, but Riesner still housed some division.) The HPD credit union building being only two or three blocks away, the lack of an ATM at Riesner is not such an urgent issue.
The HPD credit union’s drive-up ATM is nicely located, mid-way along a wall, with no shrubs or architectural features to provide concealment or cover for miscreants to hide nearby.
Last edited by Rex G; 01-29-2019 at 12:56 PM.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
Just curious; is this whole swath of NM one of those “S” places, to avoid? We were considering a road trip in that general area, as one of my wife’s buddies, who is married to one of my ex-colleagues, is in the Durango area, and Bosque del Apache is a big destination for bird/wildlife photography, which we are increasingly doing.
Anywhere adjacent to the reservations can be sketchy if you're not a tribe member.
Stick to the tourist places and you'll be fine, don't go anywhere the indigenous peoples would shop for alcohol or drink said alcohol (bars, convenience stores, liquor stores or WalMart).
The whole state is pretty ghetto, but the reservations and the "land grant Mexicans" are especially hostile to gringos.
Everyone else is pretty laid back and mind their own business (except for those damn do-gooder California transplants).
Last edited by JodyH; 01-29-2019 at 07:13 PM.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
And all three of them can give that uneasy side-glance toward Gallup.
Agreed and well said.
If you do engage in wildlife photography in the Bosque, there's the occasional homeless weirdos that build camps or sleep in a lot of the prime areas for bird watching. I would also avoid downtown Albuquerque after about 9-10pm.
Most local microbreweries and uptown shopping, etc. is good to go, though there's always homeless beggars everywhere.
Last edited by JRB; 01-30-2019 at 03:40 PM.