An afternoon downtown
I don't get around much any more, that's for sure. Today I had some excitement as I headed downtown to the recently reopened Apple store to get the battery in my phone replaced.
I've driven around down there and seen how bleak it was several times recently, but today was the first time I parked the car and got out and did something. It was sad.
The Apple store experience was interesting. First, the place is a fortress these days, with sturdy fencing up to deter looters and vandals. Here's how it looks inside the barriers when you're queued up to get into the building.
And second, the queue is not a quick thing. Although everyone I interacted with was nice and knowledgable, there just aren't enough of them. I made a 1:00 "appointment" but didn't get in the door until quarter to 2. They said the phone would be ready at 2:50, but when I came back at 3:15, they said to return in another hour. At 4:15, they said it would be another 15 minutes. I finally walked out the door with the phone at 4:45.
They're only doing repairs and internet order pickup there at this point. Dress for the outdoors and bring your knitting.
I hope the place makes it through the evening. The black-clad avengers are going to be on the march again tonight. This time it's "No Borders, No Nations." Huh? Good luck with that, and God help downtown.
One has to wonder what was considered in the decision to reopen. Why bother to go through all of the effort to re-open in such a constrained and quite lousy way? It can't be profitable. Is it a hope opening? And isn't the barricade essentially identical to the one at the Federal Courthouse that has racked up millions in fines?
ReplyDeleteAll things considered it seems a downtown revival may be an unlikely as the Lloyd Center revival. But isn't that just a cynical exaggeration? Who knows? The future is murky and in the hands of some rather odd leaders.
The place was super-busy, which is why it took me so long to get in. Lots of folks walking out with $1800 computers. They're doing okay. Once Covid is over, they'll have a nice experience inside the place again. But that fence – it won't be coming down for a long time.
DeleteAlmost makes you wonder if the "protesters" are part of a larger plan to kill freedom and get us closer to the China model. You know where a very few are members of an authoritarian ruling class (the Chinese Communist Party) and the vast majority live in fear of being snitched on and sent away to "retraining" camps if they play along.
ReplyDeleteif they DON'T play along...
Delete