Strollin’ on the Boulevard
By CJ
Gronner
It’s the end of Venice as
we know it ...
So, yesterday my pal Denise and I were
walking down Abbot Kinney boulevard in Venice to check out the new bakery 3
Square (aside from nice people working the counter, not impressed) when I
noticed there were an unusual amount of people on the street. Now we have seen
the block change in the last year or so, and not for the better ... Venetians
don’t really care for $200.00 t-shirts, for one example ... and there are
always petitions to sign to not allow chain restaurants in, etc ... but
yesterday made me think we might be losing the
battle.
We soon saw that all the hubbub
was not just a crazy amount of shoppers on a Sunday ... but that (cue scary
organ music) Paris Hilton was doing a photo shoot at a new design shop on the
street. There she was, in her cheesy too-matchy outfit with matching visor, on
the phone (of course), loving the attention. Papparazzi lined both sides of the
street, tourists were thrilled at their score, frantically whipping out their
camera phones ... and we were completely
nauseous.
We tried to avoid it all by
walking into the street around the commotion, when two Rent-A-Cops barked at us
that we had to stay on the sidewalk. A woman obviously with the shoot told us
to just walk through the shot ... we told her we’d rather not be a part of
it and quickly raced past. I tried my best to come off as freaky and crazy (do
I fake a Tourette’s fit? Throw garbage at them? Hire a homeless guy to
pee on Paris? Start chanting about the war? All these things ran through my
mind ...) so that maybe the word could go out to stay away from Venice and all
the dangerous freaks ... fancy shopping, be damned. I’m afraid it might
not have worked.
To top it off, I heard
that they are opening a Pinkberry Yogurt shop (though we DID file a petition
anti this yogurt chain????) soon on the block, so we can expect the lines of
trendsters waiting for their trendy yogurt soon too, I imagine. Only one word
comes to mind relating to all of this ......
BOOOOOOOOOO!
I know things can’t
always stay the same and progress as well as change is good ... but Venice has
always been so very special (“Where Art Meets Crime” as a popular
t-shirt states) and that is precisely because it has NEVER been trendy, but
REAL.
My friend Tom dubbed it
“The People’s Republic Of Venice” when he played our hub,
Abbot’s Habit, last year. I just hope and pray we can keep it’s
essence exactly that ... and not be overthrown by photo op hungry
fakers.
Please join me in the defense
of these hallowed grounds, otherwise known as our home. Fight the
Power!!!
Posted: Thu - March 1, 2007 at 08:30 AM