Take me to your barbecue!

 

This week’s Blindness and Low-Vision technology meetup featured a cool new product demo, and barbecue.

 

The new product demo is the Spill-o-Not from www.extentek.com RantWoman was impressed with the presentation and offers a picture, but more words have to wait.

The other hit for RantWoman was a place RantWoman has lived near for years and never visited, The  Barbecue Pit at 2000 23^rd Avenue S. Numbers for the Meetup were down and RantWoman’s taste in health food snacks made one participant think in terms of real food nearby. His device served up the name of the Barbecue Pit AND directions.  

 

RantWoman was skeptical of the directions and checked for herself. Okay, sure, just believe the devices:  from the STAR Center follow Hill St out to MLK, turn left, walk a block to Plum, and then stay on Plum until 23^rd. Problem is, there is NO sidewalk on the S side of Plum for a block But it’s Saturday, the traffic is light and the person who wants to go to the Barbecue Pit has really good mobility skills. By good mobility skills, RantWoman means all the time is trying things it would not occur to RantWoman to try even though she has more vision. So who is RantWoman to stand in the way?

 

RantWoman set the visitor on his path and went back to picking up after and other tasks. Shortly, RantWoman decided she herself was also hungry and needed to trace the route. It was Saturday and traffic was light on Plum St. but every time RantWoman walks that end of Plum St. RantWoman finds herself muttering “sidewalk. Sidewalk!”  RantWoman persisted and found sidewalk in the next two blocks and started to smell the barbecue. Eureka! RantWoman arrived and realized she has been riding the 48 bus past the place for years and never stopped in.

 

The inside is wonderful: well polished wood tables and nice wood chairs. Cheerful jazz, and a menu in huge letters on a white board.

 

The menu: pulled Pork or Pulled beef sandwiches, hot links, ribs. Sides: baked beans, potato salad, greens. The pulled pork was fabulous. RantWoman had the baked beans and realized next time she will try the greens rather than mumble to herself about needing coleslaw. Greens are just not something RantWoman thinks of ordering, even though sometimes RantWoman really likes greens.

 

In fact, when RantMom moved to town and tried greens at a couple potlucks, RantWoman listened to RantMom’s reactions and—ta-da—suggested a two-bites rule. Two bites is enough to find th really good greens or to reject and further contact. RantMom has said a couple times she is glad of the rule. Next time RantWoman will try the greens.

 

RantWoman left feeling very well-fed. RantWoman also learned that the guy from the Meetup had made it in safely earlier. Nevertheless, RantWoman decided to check out a route with better sidewalk: from the STAR Center go W on Walker to 24^th Ave S. Cross to the W side of 24^th Ave S. voila! Sidewalks all the way to Plum St. Turn left on Plum and continue to the parking lot. Walk the reverse going home.

 

Except RantWoman did not go home. Instead she checked out the hot new pedestrian amenities where 23^rd Ave S runs across Rainier Avenue S. Newsflash: RantWoman thinks she still is not going to want to try very often to walk along the E side of rainier to cross 23^rd Avenue S.

 

Also, the crosswalk across Rainier has been reoriented and now has new plastic strips along both edges of the crosswalk. RantWoman has enough vision to see the strips. RantWoman can also feel the strips just fine underfoot, but RantWoman had trouble identifying the strips by noise or texture with her cane. RantWoman also did not find the newly reoriented accessible pedestrian signal very easy to hear crossing Rainier. Rantwoman of course is not the only blind person who will be using that crosswalk so RantWoman is definitely interested in other people’s experience especially during grey inclement weather.

 

But off to other errands for tnight.