The middle section of Place of Safety takes place in Houston from 1973 to 1981, so I did some driving around to verify things I sort of remembered. I lived here from 1985 to 1993 and still have a sense of the city -- I didn't need navigation to get anywhere except the house where the job was; that was in a gated community and they had Fox News on their big-assed TV, so I didn't want to know anything except to get there and get gone.
Anyway, Brendan's staying with his aunt in the Shepherd/Kirby area and working at his uncle's bar (under the table) in a place just below the Heights, which is up Shepherd. So he and I drove up and down the street, and as I recalled it's one-way for part of it...but I think that started later in the 70s. I'll need to check it out.
We also went roaming through some of the neighborhoods and found a house that could be his aunt's. I passed it by, looking to see if there was another that might be more exact, but Brendan wouldn't let me. He'd settled on this red brick place that was simple in a post-colonial style, with an open yard and a couple of oak trees in front. The driveway's on the wrong side and in back is a garage apartment instead of a pool house, but it works for me, and he likes it.
So he had me circle around...not an easy thing to do when rush hour's beginning and your exit is onto a backed-up Shepherd...and we had to hunt for it, again, because those streets are twisty and turny and not all of them have street signs...but we found it and that was that. Now he knows where he's going to live while in Houston.
I had some damn good barbecue turkey at Rudy's -- a chain, I know, but I love their sauce. I'd take some home with me if I was flying Southwest all the way back instead of just to NYC, but Jet Blue already screwed us out of a $100 change fee so I'll be damned if I'll pay to check a bag if I don't have to.
Oh well...1 of 3 jobs down, now.
Anyway, Brendan's staying with his aunt in the Shepherd/Kirby area and working at his uncle's bar (under the table) in a place just below the Heights, which is up Shepherd. So he and I drove up and down the street, and as I recalled it's one-way for part of it...but I think that started later in the 70s. I'll need to check it out.
We also went roaming through some of the neighborhoods and found a house that could be his aunt's. I passed it by, looking to see if there was another that might be more exact, but Brendan wouldn't let me. He'd settled on this red brick place that was simple in a post-colonial style, with an open yard and a couple of oak trees in front. The driveway's on the wrong side and in back is a garage apartment instead of a pool house, but it works for me, and he likes it.
So he had me circle around...not an easy thing to do when rush hour's beginning and your exit is onto a backed-up Shepherd...and we had to hunt for it, again, because those streets are twisty and turny and not all of them have street signs...but we found it and that was that. Now he knows where he's going to live while in Houston.
Oh well...1 of 3 jobs down, now.
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