It is Easter for some folks, which means the usual Sunday patterns were flipped. Instead of mostly empty roads and a scattering of cars in parking lots as early shoppers beat the crowds, it was busier on the roads as people sped their way to church and all the parking lots were empty because businesses are closed for the day.
I have never thought much about living within a Christian hegemony as it’s the air we breathe, but sometimes it blindsides me with confusion. Why are stores closed for this religious holiday? Practically, I know it’s because historically the overwhelming majority of workers for any store or service, anywhere, were participating in the holiday and thus could not show up for work. There have always been exceptions, mostly due to immigrants (ref. Asian restaurants being open on Christmas day), but certainly I remember as a girl in the 1970s that the entire city would shut down for Easter, including fast food restaurants and convenience stores. That’s shifted of course, but grocery stores and nicer restaurants still shut down for at least part of the day.
Although these days my local Circle K doesn’t even shut down for Cat 3 hurricanes!
Anyway, we got out around 6:30 am and it was nice out — clear skies and cool temperatures, but not chilly. Keely was super indecisive about which direction to go, unusually, so I took lead and rambled down sixth then cut over to La Fayette park.
This adorable utilities building is not labeled, but I assume it is some kind of sub-station? It’s old, that is for sure, and lives in the middle of the park. If you’ve never actually walked through La Fayette Park, you have no way of knowing it exists since it cannot be seen from any road. It is also surrounded by chain link fencing and barbed wire, so I had to hold my phone up through the barbed wire to get a clear shot. I have never once seen anyone coming or going, but to be fair, we rarely visit the park during the weekdays. It’s well maintained, in any case.