Uptown rats

Tonight, I ventured into Uptown to find the scoop on something blog-worthy--a feat that would have been beyond easy had I remembered my digital camera. Coming off the Lawrence Red Line stop, I saw a long line of concert-goers outside the historic Aragon Ballroom. Later on, another line wrapped around the corner of Lawrence and Broadway as people waited to get into the famous Green Mill Lounge to listen to some hoppin' live jazz. I even walked past the picturesque Wild Pug, a dog-friendly, gay sports bar that had an adorable, fluffy dog sitting in the open window frame, patiently waiting for his owner. If I had remembered my camera, it would have been as simple as snapping a few photos, approaching a few strangers for some quotes, and heading home for the night.

Instead, I decided to swing by my old high school buddy Rogo's house. He lives on the corner of Lawrence and Magnolia, right behind the once-revered Uptown Theater. I hadn't seen him in about a year, and it would have been wrong to "be in the neighborhood" and not stop by. I have a few friends who moved to Uptown because they were attracted to the affordable rent. Rogo's apartment is huge--really, it's a house, and he and his 3 roommates share the entire first floor. The house is charming with a lot of character, and since the weather today was so inviting, we decided to take our conversation out onto the peeling front porch where Rogo could smoke and I could observe the residential side of Uptown life.

A "for sale" sign on the fence outside Rogo's house raised the question of his landlord's intentions to sell. Rogo loves his home, and such a spacious apartment for his rent is a tough find--I knew he would not want to let it go without a fight. So he told me his strategy for deterring potential buyers: he and his roommates display BB guns in the living room and casually mention to interested investors that they use them to hunt rats.

At first, I thought that Rogo was exaggerating or being clever in a disturbed way. Then his neighbor came home and joined us on the steps and started complaining about the nest of mice that have taken up residence near her bedroom. I asked why they don't demand that their landlord fix their pest problem, but since he now lives in California, rodents in Uptown are no longer their landlord's main concern. For now, it seems that Rogo and his neighbors are content to just deal with the mouse problem, and hey, at least it deters people from buying the property!

I wish so badly that I had had my camera on me when this giant rat came scurrying furiously under the front gate and towards the steps where we were seated. I yelled and pointed straight at it, and the rat turned around and headed back toward where he came from. Then he changed his mind, decided I didn't intimidate him one bit, and charged straight back towards us, disappearing underneath the porch.

I guess like Rogo, the fearless, sassy Uptown rats know a good deal when they see it. It seems they won't be leaving the house on Magnolia without a fight, either!

My Uptown adventure tonight, although tame, let me see another side of the neighborhood that I hadn't previously anticipated.

And I like to imagine Rogo as he jokingly described himself, shirtless in his back yard, wearing a hunting hat and waving his BB rifle in the air, hootin' and hollerin' as he blew up the rats.