We always make hotel choices online. We search for historic charm, economy, people are often amazed at how little we sometimes spend, and proximity to our destinations attractions. We peruse customer reviews, compare prices and make our choices. We do not need to stay at The Ritz, we are not Ritz people.
My husband, early on, mentioned that the area we stayed in in Vienna resembled New York's East Village circa 1990. Sharing the block with our hotel was a group of businesses that might best be described as eclectic. They included a second hand toy store, what seemed to be an upscale men's made to measure suit shop, a new toy store, a shop which dealt in one of a kind women's accessories, a beauty salon and a store which specialized in ballroom dancing shoes and costumes. I did wonder what the size of the market might be for such a place. There was a small produce store, and a tiny bakery manned by a charming woman which we intended to revisit the next day for an afternoon treat. When we returned the charming woman had been replaced by a curt one and we noticed a bee cavorting on one of the baked goods. We went to a different pastry shop around the corner. A trendy coffee and pastry shop, upscale wine bar and a Hugo Boss store on an adjoining street suggested that the quirky nature of the neighborhood might be coming to an end.
Our room looked out over the air shaft that was shared with the apartment house next door. The units, which appeared to be modest in size, had tiny balconies. On some laundry dried on racks. From one hung flower boxes filled with pinwheels which spun in the breeze. The encroaching gentrification of the area made it seem as if these too, might soon be a memory, replaced with pricey stainless steel appliances and expensive furnishings, with rents to match.
No comments:
Post a Comment