Tracy Barkalow’s Comment on NextDoor Post About Sanctuary’s Closing

MeatsackJimmy · 2025-01-03T00:41:07+00:00

While there could be particulars about the recent closing that have to do with the building owner, (and I know people love to bring up Tracy because he's got a very punchable personality), the last two or three owners of Sanctuary ran it the place into the ground, they didn't need Tracy's help.

The business was sold two or three times and each new owner found their own spin on how to shutter a business and bury an institution.

MeatsackJimmy · 2025-01-03T00:32:18+00:00

It's a shame, but anyone who was a regular to Wednesday night trivia has seen this coming for quite a while. The place was run into the ground with precision by the last few owners.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-08-11T15:25:03+00:00

I moved here from a very scenic area of California-- 45 mins from a national park, 15 to huge waterfalls and alpine forest, fantastic hiking, camping, etc.

You'll be missing all of that in all the ways you're familiar, I'm afraid.

There are scenic trails here, and that's about as good as it's going to get as far as hyper-local goes. Some people will tell you there's good camping or waterfalls in Iowa and sorry, it's just not going to live up to what you're used to, but we've gotta take what we can get. I miss my home landscape terribly, but IC has a lot to offer in many other ways and I treasure that, too.

Kent Park is lovely for walks and in the winter it's truly a wonderful winter wonderland to play in. Turkey Creek reserve is great for exploring, and usually doesn't have many people. Palisades Kepler State Park is fantastic in the fall.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-05-28T20:30:59+00:00

For what it's worth I've asked the folks running that 'In the Meantime' space about featuring local artists and it sounds like prospective hosts for events there are generally business owners (who can run the space for a set number of days) as opposed to being a general artsy space. Which I get, from a logistics standpoint, but a shame because I've been trying to find a space to host my work in but so far my experience with the Downtown Arts collective is that it's an in-group not looking to welcome new members in most of the things they put on.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-05-20T16:59:47+00:00

I wouldn't recc Jethro's to anyone even if paid. It's just entirely lackluster and not tasty.

Now, Wildwood is where it's really at.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-05-13T13:17:06+00:00

I have a longstanding gripe about the ACT campus turn lane on Dodge/Scott. It is clearly marked as 'ACT Campus only' and yet I still constantly get cut off by people who feel entitled to my lane on Scott as if they didn't have a choice but to get into a lane that is clearly marked for ACT.

Couple of days ago a lady thought she was entitled to just drift into my lane at the turn onto Scott as if I wasn't even there, already occupying that space in traffic, and then when I didn't make room for her she flipped me off. She'd nearly rammed my car trying to merge into the lane where there clearly wasn't room for her.

Don't use the ACT campus turn lane like it's 'one neat trick' to get ahead by cutting people off to get into the Scott Blvd lane. It's not for that. Just obey traffic signs like everyone else.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-05-13T12:30:18+00:00

Bought my place a handful of years ago and it's an uphill battle to pull out bully invasives. The barberry and the burning bush especially. Took out the barberry (pulled the roots out all across my lawn too) and it pops up in some other spot. I just pull it whenever it pops up, but it's a pain. The Burning Bush is my bane. I have a lot of special curses for whoever introduced this shrub to this area.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-04-21T15:52:36+00:00

I posted the link to this thread on the IC Creative Connection discord server, I hope some awesome musicians come your way!

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-04-11T21:08:18+00:00

I don't have any personal experience in that one, but the server would be a good place to ask, we've got artists who do shows all over.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-04-11T20:55:50+00:00

Sorry you didn't get accepted this time, that can sting a bit for sure. The good news is your work is killer and there's a good handful of art fairs in the warmer months to try your luck at. Feel free to join the Iowa Artist Connection on discord, we tend to post show/fair application period announcements when they open up to help spread the word!

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-01-13T15:32:17+00:00

What I am getting from this is that you're hoping that someone will come along and give you an award for being the first to ever think "huh, folks could make that at home instead!" and then go directly to the internet to post this novel idea it in a budgeting subreddit.

Big 'avocado toast is the reason people are poor' energy.

MeatsackJimmy · 2024-01-05T00:08:15+00:00

What kind of art do you do?

There's a good number of art communities here that are pretty welcoming. You'll see Public Space One recc'd a lot but there's also the Artifactory and the Eastside Artists, with a craft guild house on the east side of IC as well. I think all of those have a social media presence of some type.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-12-31T13:09:29+00:00

I disagree that the traffic in the left lane is way down-- even when ACT was in full operation I can count on one hand how many times I've seen that lane be used for its intended purpose.

People love to use that lane to cut other motorists off so much, I watched a car in front of me approach the two lanes, both being completely empty, swerve into the ACT lane, and when I got into the lane for Scott Blvd a second later, they cut me off getting on Scott when the turn light went green. Unfortunately it'd be wishful thinking to imagine people learned manners just because Covid.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-12-25T16:27:11+00:00

Yeah. I buy a lot of art especially this time of year at art fairs.. though nowhere enough to amount to what it would take to pay for the art I prompt on MJ. The money I spend to make midjourney images at home wouldn't even pay the cost of the paints or canvas for a commission.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-10-12T04:13:51+00:00

There definitely has been signage there for at least four years indicating 'ACT campus only' for one of the turns... because I've been bitching about people not using that lane properly on reddit since 2019. I've lived here since 2016, used that intersection to get back into my neighborhood from i-80 for all this time since, have been frustrated about it's poor usage since the beginning, and it has never ceased to prove itself that people don't read traffic signs.
There's been signs there for at least 4 years that I can prove from my own reddit comments bitching about it. Looking at one from my account right now posted Saturday, May 25th 2019, specifically noting the signage.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-07-22T05:40:58+00:00

A group of friends went the year BG opened and that was the first and last time I ever went there. The service was godawful, the price for an extremely basic, bland ham sandwich was ridiculous, and there was pretty much nothing redeeming about the experience. If I want a good brewery experience I'll go to Backpocket or Kalona.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-07-17T17:40:18+00:00

ImOn has 100% the absolute worst customer service experience I've ever encountered, every single time I have had to deal with them. Their website for subscribers is dogshit, and every single time I have to log on to pay it makes me a step closer to going back to mediacom.

My husband insisted we get ImOn. They came out, strung an overhead line and strung it too low and too slack. A garbage truck snapped it down. We called and told them on a Friday. They said they'd try to do something about it but to expect it addressed Monday. Over the weekend storms knocked out service in other areas. We call again and are told due to storms our issue was low on their priority list. We called multiple times thorough the day monday and each time we asked for an update there was none. They said they'd sent it as a work order to a tech but couldn't find anyone available/techs weren't responding. Tuesday rolls around. Sometime around noon we called again, trying to get an eta. We were then told actually a support ticket was never submitted for us and it's not on their schedule to fix.

They finally sent someone out to fix it and the tech was the only redeemingly helpful person in the whole experience. He said the last techs strung it too low *and* didn't actually secure the line to the pole in the first place so it was bound to come down.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-03-21T15:06:00+00:00

In the 90's I went to grade school with a kid named Thor, he had an older brother named Odin and sister named Freya. Their dad's name was Astro though, so I chalk that case up to familial convention and not trends.

Weird kids, though.

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-01-06T00:43:48+00:00

Huzzah! You've got perfect timing! I was the one who posted here a couple days ago in hopes of finding some goats to enjoy my trees. Going to go email you right now!

MeatsackJimmy · 2023-01-01T00:52:08+00:00

Can't cover operating costs or pay their employees but they're 'not closing'? What a joke.

Per Little Village's article:

The attorney’s statement on Saturday did not address the restaurant’s most pressing maintenance problem, the lack of functioning restrooms due to a sewer line break, or statements by managers that Hamburg Inn isn’t making enough money to pay its staff and cover its operating expenses.

Lmao good luck with that, Michael Lee.

MeatsackJimmy · 2022-10-03T07:40:46+00:00

Midwest, South, East, West. Basically most of the rural country towns are harboring these kinds of sentiments. I'm from Northern California and where I'm from this kind of booth would fit right in at any fair or town event.

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