Tonight, I’m continuing to write Dirty Secrets. I’m sitting out on my patio in the back yard while I write. My soundtrack: the sounds of the city. In the distance I can hear a rock band performing. Cars honk their horns. From far off, I hear the sounds of a racetrack.

I like this. I like this very much.

But now, I need to write!

This is just a public service announcement. A new restaurant has opened up in Renaissance Park. The name of the place is Johnson’s Deli. They are open 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, and then 11 a.m to 3 a.m. on Saturdays. (I don’t remember their Sunday hours.) Given that this location had been a quick credit place, I’m already happy with the improvement.

I was walking by tonight, and I had a brief chat with one of the employees. Indeed, he may have been the proprietor, although I’m not sure. His name is C.J., and I’m sure that he would appreciate some business. Personally, although I didn’t buy anything tonight, I fully intend to check out their hot wings in the very near future.

I like the idea of places like this existing in my neighborhood. So, I’m encouraging all of you: try out Johnson’s Deli. Then, come here and leave comments about your experience! I’ll do the same.

Johnson’s Deli
841 Main Street, Suite A
Peoria, IL 61602
Phone (309) 677-0110

Tonight Crystal and I left the house on a brief errand. I needed ginger for the kombucha that I was making, and our fresh ginger had grown mold. Guess that makes it less than fresh, huh? So anyways, the local Asian grocery store has ginger. So off we went! We walked down Orange Street to Main Street and then headed along Main Street towards University. At the Asian grocery, we bought the ginger that I needed, plus some tea and some delicious aloe drinks. Oh, and a ginseng drink of some kind, with an actual ginseng root floating in it.

So, for the entire trip, I was buzzing with excitement. Finally I figured out why. I was really excited to be living in my neighborhood. I walked out of my front door to an Asian market and bought fresh ginger! There was fresh ginger in my neighborhood!

I’ve said for a while that I’m really excited to live where I do. My neighborhood is somewhat isolated from automobile traffic, yet a fairly busy commercial district with a variety of local businesses is just a couple of blocks away. And today I was able to experience that yet again.

And I realized that I’m falling in love with where I live. I love where I am, and I am very happy to be here.

I still stand by the other things that I have said about Renaissance Park. And yet, flaws and all, I am glad to be here.

Last night (or rather, early this morning), around 12:30 a.m. or so, I heard a gunshot near my house. I didn’t hear any sirens or anything, though. Anyone out there know what happened?

From the Peoria Journal-Star:

Once upon a time, the couple enjoyed shopping and strolling in Peoria.

Even as the heart of the city decayed over time, the twosome - now in their 70s - maintained their loyalty to Peoria’s traditional business districts.

That all changed Monday night. Despite safety precautions, they were attacked in a brazen robbery attempt at one of Peoria’s biggest intersections, Main and University streets.

I’m posting this for two reasons, both directed to those of us who live in the Renaissance Park area and want it to flourish.

First, do remember that living here is not just a walk in the park. People get hurt and robbed in our neighborhoods. Do take proper precautions. And when I say “precautions”, I mean things like these:

1) If you are elderly or female, don’t walk unattended, particularly after dark.

2) Be aware of your surroundings. Walk the fine line between being friendly to everyone and suspecting everyone.

3) Be armed, if you can. I know that the laws in Illinois hamstring the ability of law-abiding, peaceful citizens to defend themselves, but do the best that you can.

Second, while we pursue the dream of a beautiful rebirth for this place that we love, we must not lose sight of the fact that we face serious opposition. In particular, the University East neighborhood (where I live) is balanced on a knife’s edge. Encourage your friends to move into this neighborhood and buy houses. Pray for good neighbors to share this land and our lives.

Finally, pray for Renaissance Park. It is only by the grace of God that any city endures in peace. Pray that Jesus would bring his peace to Renaissance Park, so that young and old would once again be able to walk our streets in safety.

Tuesday night, Crystal and I went on a double date with James and Theresa. James had a couple of coupons for Haddad’s, a local Lebanese restaurant at the corner of Main and Bourland. The weather was stable, so we decided to walk.

I stand by what I said previously about Renaissance Park. But that includes what I said in the comments:

Again, to be clear, it’s a reality that I want to exist. I’m not rooting for the failure of the Renaissance Park project. I’d like to see the Main Street corridor be a center of business and culture. I’d love to live in a place like that.

So, to that end, I want to state that I really enjoyed being able to walk to Haddad’s and enjoy a really tasty gyro. I also enjoyed wandering down the street afterwards to One World, rooting around the business cards and flyers, and generally having a pleasant conversation with the others in our group. Indeed, we opted to stay at One World instead of going elsewhere for wings, specifically because we were enjoying the idea of staying in our broader neighborhood.

Oh yes, I also enjoyed having a friendly server at the table. Even though she was overwhelmed by the amount of business that evening and was making mistakes, she handled herself with grace. If the owners of One World happen to read this, give Emily a pat on the back. She did credit to your business.

Then, at the end of the night, we walked home.

It was a good night.

First, check out the website for Renaissance Park. I’ll wait here.

Finished? Good.

Tonight Crystal and I went for a walk in Renaissance Park. We started at our home on Orange Street, walked down to Main Street, over to University Street, wandered around Campus Town, and then walked home.

Not only do I not see the potential for this Renaissance Park thing, I’m not even seeing the necessary culture in the surrounding area to sustain such a thing.

Instead, I see “Paycheck Advance” loan sites, empty buildings, and dark alleys.

I’ve read the brochure, and I’ve looked through the website. Right now, all I’m seeing is a wish-filled pipedream.

Am I missing something?