Fat Bill and Me: 2012-11-25

BIG MONEY

Old photo of "Santa Fe Village

Big Money

Santa Fe Village and Springer Plaza, two properties adjoining each other on the northeast corner of Alameda and Don Gaspar are being sold to the same person. The two multi-multi million dollar lot sales would affect at least 20 mom-and-pop local businesses and no one seems to know where the BIG MONEY is coming from or who is involved.

The City has always wanted to build a monster parking structure next to Santa Fe Village. India Palace (the old Little Chief) and Keshi are part of the village and have always been sort of in the way from the City’s point of view.

The bridge over the Santa Fe River on Don Gaspar at Alameda is a “bridge” between the State building complex and the City’s small downtown. The bridge is not as historical as the Santa Fe bridge on which the Rosenbergs pasted nuke secrets in a Jell-o box but it is as symbolically important.

Most of the shops and retail in the area smell Gerald Peters, the reptillionaire developer friend of Fat Bill. There is so much BIG MONEY from Texas pouring into Santa Fe that the odds are that literally the new owner of the block is Oil.

Many of the shops (El Nicho, Crazy Fox, Guns For Hire, Keshi) in what used be called “the only affordable area downtown” have been there for 20 to 25 years. There are two hotels on that block already, The Inn of the Governor and Hotel St. Francis (Fat Bill's Sec. of Tourism Mike Cerletti’s former project).

There is a possibility that the State was interested in the two properties. The County bought the Paramount; the City own half the block and wants to built a six story parking tomb; and the State needs space.

So, bloggers does anyone know anything about this mega-deal?

Don Gaspar grew organic corn.

Ren Fair and the Revolution

Faire and the American Counterculture

The same people who did the Faire did the revolution. Drugs, sex, and music.

Dressing up or down.

Renaissance Faire, Hand Pies another Well Met

Hand Pies

Hand pies at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire were as the hawker (myself) would say "tasty little sandwiches you can hold in your hand as you walk the Faire." Or as Jack coined "Hand Pies make you wise."
The Hand Pie booth was magnificently primitive looking as were the hand crafted grilled sandwich makers. The business of food service is serious. The business of the Faire is "Pleasure" so being a participant and living on the Faire site ... the pleasure came after-hours.

Google image search Renaissance Faire and you'll find nothing but daytime clean white images of digital perfect abstracted Renaissance Faire. I think the counterculture wanted to be in the future for the change that would happen and wanted to live in some imagined past for the back-to-the-country simplicity life style.

Living in the huge wonderful Gypsy camp call the 'Faire site' during the run of the show was insanely cool. Inside the Faire grounds at night can not be describe easily. Yes it was a set but it felt so real at night. out in the large parking lot it was more like a trailer park but inside there was no electricity and limited fire and not that much battery powered light. It felt like I was in the future on a Starship 'hallow deck' in a super believable computer recreation of well-to-do renaissance community.