I went to

 

 

 

 

the downtown mall today after work. Even though it is only a 10 minute walk from my school I rarely go.

But today I decided that I wanted dumplings. Fantastic little morsels of goodness that are in a slightly thickened soy sauce that is sprinkled with seasonings. Hot and delicious. I sat at the counter which overlooks the walkway and watched small children go by with their parents, and people out for a lunch break. There were an awful lot of people selling cloth scarves, people with body piercings - some that had so many that it was hard to take it all in. Many different countries represented. An interesting microcosm of our world.

A pitiful Santa rang a bell. A couple of young men were singing and playing guitar, with case wide open, trying to raise a little cash. Our temp here was 60 and so a good time to get out before the next cold wave hits.

There is revitalization downtown - a never ending one it seems. New bricks have been laid for people to stroll on. Unfortunately the moisture makes them a little slick. Some store fronts are empty, some are refurbished condos for sale and others, while having a cute storefront on the bottom level, look kind of dismal when your eyes get to the second story.

I looked for hustle and bustle, holiday style, and found it lacking. Maybe it is the economy but I'm not so sure. It just looked tired and lacking.