Bringing back ideas
Our summer vacation took us to Cadiz, Spain, an ancient port city where you are never more than a few blocks from the sea. Like our local officials, the mayor and her staff had been busy thinking up ways to keep both old and young happy during the summer, though with the beach so near, it could not have been too hard.
One day we opened the newspaper to see an ad announcing that anyone found reading on the beach would receive a small prize. So, with a beach bag filled with books, we all headed to the shore. Sure enough, there were Captain Nemo, a mermaid, a pirate and someone in a top hat walking down the beach and handing out prizes. Meanwhile, our grandson was in the Blue Whale, an inflatable slide in a day care playground on the beach, where your child would be safe for the day or an hour.
Another popular PR effort was the "Ruta del Tapeo." At any participating restaurant, you could get a passport and have it stamped when you tried the featured "tapa," or appetizer. The first 100 people to get their passports stamped in 12 establishments would get a gift basket, including featured wines at the tourist office.
If you visited 36 places you would get a special gastronomic award and a super-duper basket. We did not even get near the goal, but did try some of the featured cafes. One was the oldest, and Columbus is said to have dined there. One of the newest, "The Fat Lady Feeds You," featured nouveau cuisine at economy prices.
Our favorite was in a street, more like an alley, in the medieval quarter. In the evening, several bars put chairs out in the street. We sat opposite a little store called "The Enchanted Corner" and had a truly enchanted evening, as we watched the neighborhood come to life.
A woman walking a moped chatted with an elderly couple looking out their first-floor balcony. Some middle-aged women stopped by for a snack on their way home, carrying a heavy bag of melons.
A father walked through with his sons, each carrying a fishing pole. Two young couples, with their strollers, shared one big table. Some boys walked their bikes through. Another group trotted by carrying a soccer ball. A couple of young women tripped through in their evening finery. It was fun just to sit and watch. It would be even more fun to be part of that lifestyle.
That is why we believe in downtown revitalization for our own hometown.