Newbie, trying this on for size.

New to Patch, and joining in on blogging.  You can set me straight if I break any rules.

Had dinner tonight (Sat, Aug 4) at R&D cafe, and noticed something as I dined on their patio.  A lone Security Guard straightening up the area outside Neiman Marcus.  He took the time to straighten out the chairs, pick trash up, and make the place look nice.  A woman appraoches him, and he stops what he is doing to listen to her, and then gives her the information she is seeking.  As she moves along, he goes back to tending to the area.

By chance, we ran into him as we walked off our dinner  - I see his nametag -his name is Michael, and he is a security guard for the entire area, not just NM. Kudos to Michael, for helping our stores have "curb appeal" after customers take a rest.

As a side note, the chicken spinach waldorf salad rated an ok from me.  Because I eat salads without the dressing (I know that sounds awful), I count on the meat to liven things up.  Sadly, the chicken in this salad brought nothing to the party. But that is the risk I take, since I choose to not use dressings!

I am glad to have discovered Patch.  I saw an article today in WSJ that seemed to question the business investment, but agree that it is ahead of its time.  Stay the course.  Great idea.