A stroll down Lincoln Road almost always puts me in a good mood. Yesterday it did the opposite.
Walking back behind the Van Dyke I discovered that the magazine store was gone, and that a watch store was about to open in its place. (I thought people weren't wearing watches.) A few doors down on Jefferson the rare book store had also disappeared, though this seemed more understandable, used books being about as desirable on South Beach as pitchforks.
Heading toward Washington I passed a Kilwin's - there must be a Florida law specifying that this chocolate shop appear on every main street - but found the two-year-old premises of Swiss Maker empty, its windows covered in brown paper. This store specialized in pretzels, and made delicious sandwiches of pretzel bread. The message seemed clear: anything different doesn't stand a chance. Watch for an Italian restaurant, or an Irish bar, or a burger joint, to take its place.
Walking back I saw a homeless man approach three woman. "Comida," he said entreatingly, and when they walked past, he shouted in perfect American: "Don't be so selfish." Even our panhandlers, I thought, are bilingual. And that cheered me up a bit.
