This past weekend was the "Grand" re-opening of Regent Street. Before the quakes, this was a well-recognized part of Christchurch with lovely facades and nice pedestrian and tram only access. As demolition took over the CBD (central business district), there were (well justified) fears that all our historic buildings would be flattened. So it was great when it was decided that Regent Street could be saved. And after months of work, it was finally opening.Yaahh!
Well. . . . . not so much.
Granted it was a rainy, rainy day. But with only three shops (of about 25) leased and open, it was a rather dismal and empty street.
If you look closely you can see some pompoms. They're celebratory. Right?
While there were very few people, the shops did look great (if a little empty). It will be great to see it once life has returned.
Our feelings towards the city rebuild today was well-represented by this graffiti face. Tired, drawn-out, and a little under-whelmed.
We had a great chauffeur for the drive home though. Which brought lots of smiles to our faces. As you can see, Hector is very alert to any other traffic.
After an underwhelming morning examining the city's slow progress around town, we had a slow afternoon ourselves. I suppose good things take time, and we are certainly enjoying our slow start to the autumn holidays.
Great to see Regent Street back in a little bit of business. Had some great shops, I hope the rents are decent enough to allow for funky and interesting to come back.
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Oh, and you can't fool me that tach is at zero and I know Hector would be belted in if the engine was running, never mind moving.
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