Well, I’m going back to our latest Peoplequarium today. Julie, a bud who shows up in six-month stints at work as a co-op, has chosen Cantina Laredo for her final going-away lunch. (Incidentally, the Cantina Laredo home page uses “complimented” when it should use “complemented.” Just thought I’d point that out.)
This will be my third trip to Bridge Street. It’s okay, as these things go. Melanie took some out-of-town colleagues there recently, and they described it as like the shopping section of DisneyWorld. I guess that sounds about right. Actually I just read a press release that described it as a—wait for it—”premier mixed-use lifestyle center.” (I don’t think the press release was trying to be funny, either.)
People want to shop, so nice places in which to do that make sense. Certainly I love what their proliferation says about the local and regional economy. But sometime quite recently, it seems to me that when designing and laying out these things, the artifice became the entire point. There’s no connection to anything real anymore. No designer was trying to say anything the least bit original. Why, my goodness, it’s a delightfully quaint little European village!
Except all of the tenants are megacorps, and there are cameras everywhere! It’s like Howard Roark and Winston Smith got together and designed their worst possible world. I think Tyler Durden had a hand in it, too.
Or hey, do you remember that episode of The Twilight Zone in which the guy wakes up in a beautiful luxury apartment but doesn’t know where he is, and gradually he realizes there are no windows, and the exterior doors don’t work, and finally he goes to where the picture window in the living room would be and throws back the curtains, and there are bars, and he spins the sign to his right around, and it says “EARTHLING – NATURAL HABITAT”?
Mind, the average Peoplequarium still has it all over the average mall. It’s like an open-range sanctuary as opposed to a zoo, I suppose. And I’ll still go from time to time. But if I ever start gushing about “lifestyle centers” and begin gleefully and eagerly identifying an MNC-owned commodity as “my favorite restaurant,” please give me a kick in the ass.
I figure as long as I’m still feeling vaguely dirty when I leave, it hasn’t truly gotten to me yet.
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When I was growing up in the **cough late 70s**, all of the nice shopping areas we frequented were similar to (although not quite as “grand” as) Bridge Street. They had lovely cobblestone court yards and fountains and everything was outdoors. Then in the early 80s the mega malls moved in and put them out of business. Today, the outdoor whimsy is returning and putting the megamall out of business.
I guess I like places similar to Bridge street because they always remind me of the place that was in walking distance from my house. I get “pangs.” I miss it, so.
Ooh, ooh! Iron Man is playing in the VIP section of the theater at Bridge Street. Hmmm… Oh wait. My little man is old enough to see it, but not old enough for the VIP area. I know! Dad can take him to regular theater; I’ll go upstairs and have cocktails.
“The Theater at Bridge Street” almost sounds like a horror movie title.
SO, you two! I was there for almost three days of crappy weather, and no one thought to bring me to this place? What’s wrong with you?
I’m pretty sure we’ve got nothing like this around here – I can’t even put a picture of it in my mind.
There has got to be some middle ground here. I will kick your ass if you ever start gushing about “lifestyle centers” and begin gleefully and eagerly identifying an MNC-owned commodity as “my favorite restaurant”. That being said, if you ever start smirking and bobbling your head about the “off the beaten path hole in the wall that serves wonderful food and only you know about it and you’d love to spend the next thirty minutes of my life gushing about how only you could possibly know about such place and suggesting that I go while secretly hoping that I don’t actually go because it would ruin the quaint little atmosphere that only you and some select locals that happen to be the most interesting people you have ever met” I will kick your ass just the same. I’m just sayin…
Sorry, Mrs. Chili. You know, I don’t think it ever even occurred to me you’d be interested in such.
LOL Indeed, Charles. Indeed.
By the way, I ate at the most delightful little bistro last week…