Lake Charles, LA

It is a few hours short of a week ago that my favorite restaurant of all time went up in flames.

From my office, where I am writing this, I stare sadly at the remaining shell of DeAngelos and wonder what the other "regulars" are doing. We have consoled each other via the phone or e-mail and been dealt with kindly by our friends who recognize our addiction to the quality of the food, caliber of the staff, the location, the happy hours and more. All of us have experienced "DeAngelos Deprivation" and it isn't pretty.

Why wouldn't DeAngelos be my favorite restaurant of all time? First class food, a well stocked bar, great wait-staff, across the street from my office and within almost-as-easy walking distance from my home. As several of my Margaret Place neighbors stood watching the LCFD deal with the final stages of putting out the dreadful fire last Sunday morning, we commented on our dependence on this pizzeria place with such warm tones and atmosphere. We were a despondent lot.

Several friends sent me one-liner e-mails like "What will you do?" and "Where will you go?" To my flippant reply of "In lieu of flowers, please send gift cards for Luna's, Pugo Street, or 710" I received one reply of "But that's not within walking distance!" another... "No, seriously, where will you go?"

Two of my favorite DeAngelos bar buddies met me on Monday evening at 710 Downtown to discuss this question. The appetizers and wait staff were both very good, but through no fault of theirs, it simply was not the same "Cheers like" atmosphere we had at 121 South Ryan. I've enjoyed Luna's, Pugo, and 710 before and will certainly see more of them in the next few months, but the longing has set in for my favorite hang out and conversations about the Tigers, real estate buzz and other local "happenings."

My understanding and fervent hope is that this institution will reopen. Imagine the re-opening celebration! Given how well this regional franchise did on day 1 six (or was it seven) years ago, I can only speculate that with its current popularity and loyal base, it will be a significant event.

Now, we were all pretty contented with how it was...sipping a Scotties Special or glass of Chianti over a specialty Calzone or whole wheat focaccia capri or Gamberetti and calamari, or the spin dip, or, oh-my-gosh, their latest, a specialty hamburger with your choice of top shelf cheese....but, a few changes that I've heard about include a place for private parties (this will be good since one of my neighbors simply ignores the signs), and a better arrangement for the bar.

I will try to post photos in a few days. For now, this link leads to coverage of the fire by KPLCTV.

Margaret Place is generally considered the oldest recorded subdivision in Calcasieu Parish and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.

In the mid-90's, under the leadership of then Mayor Willie Mount, and with the assistance of the Calcasieu Historical Society, a city Historic District was created.

Margaret Place follows the same guidelines as its model, the Charpentier Historic District. These guideliness help to protect the integrity of these valuable historic areas, insuring the enjoyment of the richness and character of both districts for years to come.

Calcasieu Preservationist A.C. Boudier conducts walking tours of both districts.

The boundaries for Margaret Place Historical District are Griffith Coulee, Shell Beach Drive, Pithon Coulee, and the North side of South Ryan.

The proximity of Margaret Place to the ever-improving, ever-growing downtown coupled with the ability to access I-210 from Lake Street, or I-10 from downtown are locational "perks" equaled only by the fact that it is within 5 minutes of the Prien Lake Mall. Children enrolled at ICCS Elementary School walk to school on the sidewalks of the tree-lined streets.

A website, MargaretPlace.org, is in process that will feature photos and general history for the public as well as a password protected section for property owners.

Even considering the outer street boundaries of Shell Beach Drive and South Ryan, there are less than 100 homes. Square footage is as varied as the styles with the smallest homes estimated at 1,500 square feet and several with well over 4000. There are several brick homes, but most are wood frame on piers with several offering classic "Lake Charles Columns," such as are exhibited on the home shown above. Located on the corner of Wilson and Griffith, this home and several other Margaret Place homes are listed as landmarks. See photos and learn more on the MargaretPlace.org site.

The 12 day annual Contraband Days festival will be held in Lake Charles the first two weeks of May, 2008! These photos of previous years are courtesy of the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Click here to see more and larger photos of Contraband Days and other scenes of Lake Charles.

This year marks the 51st anniversary of this festival that brings in 100,000 people by land and air.

The name and theme of the festival are based on the legend that Jean Lafitte & his band of buccaneers hid along the waterways in Lake Charles and that the Contraband Bayou (worth a boat ride to see the beautiful homes) was the famous pirates favorite local place to hide his silver and gold treasures.

There are approximately 100 activities associated with the festival...The Tour Lafitte, family nights, numerous concerts and the Contraband Days run are just a few.

The afternoon that the pirates take over is the official kick off and always a fun event as the city is overpowered by The Buccanners.

This popular festival has received many accolades. The Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals has selected Contraband Days as "Festival of the Year" by the for three of the past seven years. It has been featured in Louisiana Life and Southern Living i as well as many regional tourism guides.

Louisiana is experiencing a far different labor atmosphere than much of the nation.

Where other areas may be experiencing layoffs, we have a shortage of skilled labor and are in a hiring/labor-luring war with Southeast Texas for technical and industrial labor force, as discussed in length on the front page of the American Press Sunday, March 23, 2008.

The Lake Charles area is in need of everything from engineers for the expanding and new industries, aeronautical technical skills, carpenters, mechanics, and on and on.

If you have a skill, you can find work in Southwest Louisiana. While the pay scale may not be the same that you have been paid as you are accustomed to, the cost of living, including property taxes, will probably be far less meaning you may well retain larger portion of your salary in our area.

Plus, today's news announced that the average income in Louisiana had increased by 10.5% over 2007. While some would argue that some of this is due to Road Home funds, the strength and promise of the diversified economy in Lake Charles and all of Southwest Louisiana is such that I feel our future is bright. This is an easy prediction to make with links to articles such as this site selection on-line article.

And, of course, we offer a keen quality of life. In fact, the LT. Governor's office has named Lake Charles as a certified retirement community.

Lots of work and lots to do in Southwest Louisiana.

Come join us.

As the year progresses, I may need to make some changes, but for now, I've limited the data to the top 4 MLS areas to make for a more user-friendly chart.

Geographical descriptions along with a list of subdivisions within each MLS area can be found on each city page at Derenda.com. These city pages also offer quality of life information and a host of local links.

For now, the MLS areas indicated happen to be in Lake Charles so this hyperlink to LakeCharles.Derenda.com leads directly to the page containing the MLS data.

MLS geo descriptions and a list of subdivisions area are also available for other areas, including:
Sulphur.Derenda.com MossBluff.Derenda.com Westlake.Derenda.com

By Sunday evening, I hope to post the same chart indicating volume and average sales price. The source of this data is the Southwest Louisiana Association of REALTORS MLS hosted by MarketLinx.

If you have questions, feel free to call me.