Bean Traders is so good that when Starbucks launched it's assault on the SoDu coffee market, it lasted three years right across the street from Bean Traders--you could see the front door of each establishment from the front door of the other. In the end, Starbucks surrendered, closed its doors, and begged the Village at Bean Traders to forgive them for their inconsiderate behavior. They forgave. The Village is like that. Their loyalty is fierce and they show no mercy but they hold no grudges.
If you want the best cajun food and zydeco, blues, and Nawlen's jazz, you go to Papa Mojo's Roadhouse in Greenwood Commons. Have you ever sucked crawfish heads? You will if you frequent PM's Roadhouse. Have you ever eaten gator tail? You will do that too. Have you ever danced in the parking lot under a full moon and not cared who your dance partner was? You will if you attend the open mic night on Wednesday evenings. Laissez les bon temps rouler? Yeah, baby, heaped up, pressed down, and running over.
And where do you find hot, fierce, intentional living? Where do you find examples of people living fully as human beings, without restriction and limitation? That would be Native Grounds. Many have moved on to other chapters and they are sorely missed by the remnant but, on any given morning you will still find Island Irv, the Enforcer, the Duck Man, Inspector Rivera, the Genome, Amy Normal, and the rest of the cast, enjoying the good stuff and doing the best they can to ignore the bad.
Not everyone wants to ride the wild wind and dance with the devil on Saturday night. Some just want a little garden to bloom and fruit in season. That's cool. But for me, sometimes the best I can do is stay tethered and wait for the wind to settle. What would I do without the SoDu? I do hope it survives the current infestation of vampire kittens.