The one day in years that my husband doesn’t have to work on the day of the holiday parade, the one day that it isn’t rainy or freezing cold, the one day I actually have my act together enough to bring hot cocoa and sandwiches for the long haul: that’s the day the parade lasts 10 minutes?
Fully expecting languid roll-bys of tractors and slow haywagons of violining children, I stepped into Mango Street Kids for a fake-out diaper change, and when we reemerged, the parade was over. We hadn’t even busted out the thermos yet.
Santa, why? I shook my fist at the sky, in the general direction of the North Pole.
I also want to note that as much as I initially liked the idea of the downtown P.A. system, in which everyone for five blocks could hear exasperated grunts, it interfered with the experience of the micro-parade. When the band played their amazing little jazzed-up Christmas carol, all I could hear was booming descriptions of whatever people blocks away were seeing. If there aren’t $200K balloons soaring that require 60 people to keep it from floating away (and thus a sponsor who needs their name shouted out to the five boroughs), we honestly don’t need narration. Let us just watch.
By the way, your bit of arcana for the day: the Macy’s parade balloons are manufactured in an old Tootsie Roll factory, and just like the Titanic have multiple compartments so it can ostensibly keep floating if one compartment springs a leak.
The parade narrators kept exhorting the crowd to patronize the restaurants and businesses that remained open that night. Good idea. But that reminded me of the sad news that our only cool upscale restaurant was closing. My condolences to Gary Walton for the perfect storm of circumstances that didn’t let Lizarran succeed. Thanks for trying.
I’m also dismayed at the “for sale” sign in the window of Sue’s. Another big landmark is pulling out of downtown.
A powerful think tank evaluated the situation of downtown the other day. No mere collection of professors and Mensa members, this consisted of a few friends and myself over beers.
My idea: get five solid businesses to move in at the same time. Look at Booksmart Kids. That’s a fantastic business: great toys, a great space, and an ice cream counter. But because it’s essentially stranded, few people will make the trip. What if two great lunch restaurants opened at the same time, and a few great new gift shops? Then people would come downtown to shop, eat, and shop some more at the novel new businesses.
I hasten to say I mean no disrespect to the businesses already there, but that right now there just isn’t enough. There’s no critical mass that makes downtown destination-worthy.
Another think-tank member made the possibly controversial observation that what downtown needs is … drumroll … Starbuck’s. He reasoned that its high visibility and reliable product bring people who then may linger, or may simply have to walk down the block to return to their car and then be drawn to another business. Sue’s is good, but it doesn’t have a giant green mermaid logo that even toddlers recognize.
There are shoppers in Gilroy, and people from outside Gilroy who come here to shop. We know this. We saw terrible evidence of it on Black Friday. (I say terrible because although I support the idea of a day that makes up for all the doldrums days of the past year, I’m not a fan of the greed exhibited on such a day.) I heard reports of people parking their cars in the lot near Home Depot and then walking all the way to the outlets. I must say, I do applaud the inadvertent exercise those people got.
I guess the problem for downtown is, the freeway exits conveniently right at the outlets and it would take a fair amount of guesswork for a non-native to locate Monterey Street. The solution could be signage on Leavesley as people exit, letting them know they can locate a downtown by turning right instead of left … but we wouldn’t want to send them there until we’ve got something solid to show them.
I’m sure a lot of people are reading this rolling their eyes: “Why does this columnist always harp on downtown?” It’s because a community doesn’t have an identity unless it has a thriving downtown filled with unique shops and restaurants (and uh, a token Starbuck’s). We’ll never feel that rosy glow of belonging when shopping in a chain store you can find in every city in the United States. Santa, can’t you please fit a good downtown in that big sack of yours?
Erika Mailman is watching a superlong parade in her mind at www.erikamailman.com.
