The first coach load of tourists disembark and head towards the cathedral. A disinterested tour leader with a stick and a flag leads them on. The enthusiastic culture vultures follow close behind. Teenagers and those who are wondering why in heavens name they ever agreed to a start of day tour are strung out behind. Some wear canary yellow jackets - others, sensibly, don't. All of them stop and stare as two helicopters fly by hugging the coast. Hedge Fund managers come to play a round on the Old Course with their clients.
The ladies outfitters has a new and exceedingly demure fashion display .
The sunny side of the shopping street already busy. All the outside tables and chairs full. Starbucks is clearly THE go to destination for tourists looking for an emergency caffeine infusion after the haul up from Edinburgh. The queue snakes from the counter to the front door. A group of eight are animatedly traying to decide what they want to order. They do this with a passion that sets them apart from the locals. They're talking in what I think is heavily accented Turkish but 'The Font' thinks is Hungarian. We divert to the little Italian coffee shop by the kilt makers.
The railings outside the chapel are being repainted. This is what counts as excitement in a small college town when the students are away. The old paint is being thoroughly removed and primer applied to the bare metal. This is 'no short cuts' work of a standard that only major clients like the university receive.
Down towards the golf course we pass the old hotel that's been gutted in readiness for work to start on 6 new 'luxury' apartments. Only the walls are left standing. 'The Font' wonders what constitutes a 'luxury' apartment. When was the last time you saw a property advert that didn't use the word luxury ?
4 comments:
The ladies outfitter is certainly playing it safe, but will anyone be buying that outfit or one similar?
"Gutted" as a description of the old hotel is something of an understatement. It's the nearest thing to total demolition and my sympathies are with the next door neighbours who will have to suffer the ongoing building works. These days luxury is a much over-rated word.
It's true - when someone uses the word "luxury" these days, it almost makes me feel suspicious. It's rather sad to see the old building gutted like that. In our neighborhood, there are several ladies' outfitters, and their windows are all full of bright, flowery things. As the women in our area are far more likely to wear something like your demure display, we always wonder who the customers are.
One advantage of living in the Washington DC area, is highly restricted airspace, no private helicopters landing at the local golf club. Some of what I see raises the question of how much of a building needs to remain, for it to be a preservation or restoration?
Luxury is an overused word there days. The video of the woman on the plane was very upsetting. So many people inconvenienced because of her refusal.
Post a Comment