I’m starting to suspect that the Saks Fifth Avenue store downtown is not a going concern anymore.
Perhaps they’re just reconfiguring it for a new era, restocking and refreshing for a new, vital, exciting retain opportunity. I don’t recall seeing anything about this. I do remember how proud everyone was when Saks came in - a proper Saks, not the discount version that ended up moving across the street. Just walking through a department store lends a note of grace and civility to your day. The melange of aromas from the perfume counter, the neatly appointed staff, the elegant items, the carefully arranged displays. It is civilization.
It’s entirely possible - it is likely that people in the near future will look back on downtown in the Oughts and Teens the same way we look at the pictures of pre-war downtown, with its mobs of pedestrians and streetcars jousting with cars. A much diminished version, yes, but still: the sense of thrum and flow.
There is a huge piece of Chinese space junk - sorry, sorry, JUNKO-21- landing somewhere soon, and I’m surprised it hasn’t spawned any novelty songs. When Skylab came down - before we figured out how not to dump 22 tons of uncontrolled metal on the planet - we had a novelty song about it.
Disco dreck with a guitar solo that wouldn’t be out of place in another genre. That was 1979, in the Fun Culture. But listen to the music used for NASA’s 1975 documentary.
If you go beyond the credits, it’s a fascinating look at an era generally ignored these days. We go from “Moon” to “Shuttle.” In-between were these guys, having to ride up to a crippled station and do hours of work outside to fix it.
It still seemed typical of the era. Not "adversity was overcome," which was the previous message, but "we sent up a lemon," which was how the country felt about itself in the 70s.
If you lived through that, you never wanted to go back. Not to sideburns and polyester pants and disco and urban decline and gas lines and inflation and the rest of it. But everything's a cycle, and they never look the same. History repeats, but changes enough details so it doesn't get a copyright strike.
The view of the RBC across the street, in the window of the old Federal Reserve.
The skyway will open up into this spot here. Now it's a temporary wall and a temporary door.
The weekly sweep.
You mean to tell me Lance was assigned cases, and just didn't do as he pleased, wandering from case to case, solving them on the spot?
"No, it was over a personal matter. Oh drat, you've dragged it out of me!"
Often we highlight interesting things that ought to be remembered. Quality moments. Snippets of music that still intrigue. But what did the bad stuff sound like? Let's find out.
The folder in which I had these clips doesn't have a name. Sounds like a late 50s early 60s show.
I mean, I guess it'll do, but . . .
Perhaps it's just me, but this seems uniquely bad. It tries to save itself by ending on some Herrmann chords, too.
I hope this wasn't Bernie.
Now, this week's Tell-Tale Horn, the sound that aways preceded the crash.
Can't argue with him there.
You'll see this picture again, in another context.
Here's the entire album!
This Ortho ad anticipates the new era of radio ads.
Wouldn't you loved to have been in on this pitch.
That'll do; not the peppiest week, I know. But there's always next week! See you Monday.
