Back
Back from the great Bayou City. It's amazing how much a place can change in eight years. I'm just in awe at how quickly so many of the old fixtures that I grew up around have been revamped and transformed into bigger, better, and more modern places of business.
For example: The old Rice grocery store on Kirby and West Alabama. It's now a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Which I think is great. I never liked that Rice anyway. And as far as I can remember, there was no BB&B nearby when I most needed one, as I was heading back to college.
And an entire city block at the corner of Westheimer and Willowick/Weslayan was razed to form the biggest H-E-B Central Market ever. Suddenly, this nasty block with a run-down diner and overgrown weeds is now jam-packed with people trying to get in and get their grocery shopping done. Now the other Rice grocery -- sadly, for it, located across the street -- is probably next on the developer hitlist. (Of course, I remember when it was a Safeway, so no tears from me here.)
And unlike about a thousand kagillion people, I like it when this stuff happens. I like it the way I know that Christmas is coming. Because for the most part, this is progress. A ramshackle Big Boy, barely attended and on a lot that makes you wonder if there are any bodies buried there, would only get my nostalgic attention if there weren't any point in its destruction. Like, say, if they built McDonald's. But you can't freak about it when you know that that Central Market's going to be far more useful to everyone. That IS progress. Greater efficiency and use of resources.
Not to tie this up with a cute quip, but: I do wonder what they did with the big fiberglass Big Boy. There may actually come a day when they've all been shuttled off to the junk heap and buried under god knows how many disposable diapers and other assorted, well, junk. And that would be kinda sad. Save the best parts and move on, is what I say.
Posted by Matt at June 6, 2003 11:14 AM
