Holiday Nostalgia
Yesterday was Beatrix's last day of school before winter break, so we decided to do some celebrating.
First we headed over to Rosedale to see a free mini-performance of The Nutcracker by Out on a Limb Dance. I have a lot of respect for their program, which is greta dance and has kids of all sizes and shapes performing, and we love The Nutcracker. It made Beatrix really anxious to dance again. After that we wandered the mall a little, including checking out The Limited, which is closing (I feel like I lost my youth just saying that). The entire mall was actually really dead and sort of run-down; I don't know if we have outgrown malls, or if malls have changed with an online culture. But it was kind of depressing.
We then decided to go to Macy's to see the Santaland on the 8th floor. I have not been in years, but my mom and I used to make a tradition of going every year, and shopping/having dinner downtown afterwards. In my youth, it changed every year, and the always-amazing Jack Barkla and his team would design it — but for the past several years it's always been An Elf's Life. That said, Beatrix loved seeing it, and was truly in wonder at the scenes displayed; I wonder if I was ever that cute about it.
The rest of the store, though, was depressing as hell. Many of the floors were closed — no more furniture department, for example. The rest were dead, and with rather dowdy (and expensive) clothes on display. As we left, Beatrix said "I wonder what it will be next year?" and we had to break it to her that there would likely not be a next year, which brought her to tears.
Riding the nostalgia train hard, we headed to Annie's Parlor for dessert afterwards. There, a raucous youth hockey team took up half the restaurant, and our hot fudge sundaes and malts and fries were as delicious as ever. Dinkytown may have changed dramatically, but Annie's Parlor is exactly the same.
-------
(Tonight we went totally new, to see Rogue One and then to dinner at Pajarito — which just opened int he old Glockenspiel space — to celebrate me landing a new client. Delicious!)
We then decided to go to Macy's to see the Santaland on the 8th floor. I have not been in years, but my mom and I used to make a tradition of going every year, and shopping/having dinner downtown afterwards. In my youth, it changed every year, and the always-amazing Jack Barkla and his team would design it — but for the past several years it's always been An Elf's Life. That said, Beatrix loved seeing it, and was truly in wonder at the scenes displayed; I wonder if I was ever that cute about it.
The rest of the store, though, was depressing as hell. Many of the floors were closed — no more furniture department, for example. The rest were dead, and with rather dowdy (and expensive) clothes on display. As we left, Beatrix said "I wonder what it will be next year?" and we had to break it to her that there would likely not be a next year, which brought her to tears.
Riding the nostalgia train hard, we headed to Annie's Parlor for dessert afterwards. There, a raucous youth hockey team took up half the restaurant, and our hot fudge sundaes and malts and fries were as delicious as ever. Dinkytown may have changed dramatically, but Annie's Parlor is exactly the same.
-------
(Tonight we went totally new, to see Rogue One and then to dinner at Pajarito — which just opened int he old Glockenspiel space — to celebrate me landing a new client. Delicious!)
Comments