By Robert Sweeney
This is a time of year for family events – high school and college graduations, weddings and planning summer reunions for family gatherings. It is a busy time for everyone as winter slowly ends, the tree leaves suddenly appear and it is the Fourth of July before one can hardly get the flowers planted.
We just returned from a wedding in California with more than 200 guests seated on white chairs on a golf course hillside gazing at the green rolling hillsides filled with wild flowers in full blossom. The parents, relatives, friends and guests watched the happy couple take their vows. Statistics these days show that about 50 percent of all marriages fail, for one reasons or another. I would wager money this marriage will last forever, the couple just seems to be a perfect match, and Beth and Jason are now honeymooning in the Bahamas.
The whirlwind trip to the wedding gave us a quick glimpse at the West Coast, and like Denver, there are many store fronts closed. However, a visit to the Walnut Creek shopping center was a Saturday highlight. Top-flight retailing restores one’s confidence that the retail markets are still doing business even in this tough economy. Stores were busy, especially the gift stores, as people were shopping for seasonable presents, graduation gifts and wedding presents.
Starbucks was busy as people were having their morning coffee and reading the newspapers.
Two shoe stores were both featuring Crocs, the Boulder-based shoe company that has had up’s and down’s but now appears to be moving up again with the development of many new lines of nicer appearing shoes.
The large brand name banks are everywhere: Bank of America and Chase seem to be on every corner. McDonalds is advertising “angus burgers” and gasoline was less than $3.
Sunday we drove down to Monterrey and Carmel where the sidewalks were crawling with tourists. A jazz band was playing in the park and everyone in Carmel must own a dog because we saw beautiful dogs of all sizes and shapes. Well-groomed, on leashes from distinguished looking seniors who strolled along the busy sidewalks.
Almost every store, and these are high-end retailers, had discount signs in the window from 30 to 70 percent off on everything, not just selected merchandise. So, even mystic Carmel by the Sea, where Clint Eastwood took time out to be the community mayor, is feeling the retail pain of the recession. The town was busy and the restaurants were over crowded with $12 sandwiches.
Sunday nights we strolled down old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterrey and sampled the many clam chowders offered by the dozen or so wharf restaurants. Talk about competition, each place offering samples and menus about their “catch of the day” We selected a family operation that had been on the wharf for decades and had an enjoyable dinner. I had clam chowder in a bread bowl, delicious!
Leaving the restaurant, the hostess related that the family now owns four of the restaurants on the boardwalk, different family members running the various locations – so the food business is generational in California and children do learn from their parents; sounds like the newspaper business to me.
Back up the coastal highway Monday morning through Half Moon Bay to the San Francisco airport. Fruit pickers were working in the many fields, and strawberries and cherries were for sale along the scenic route. The sea gulls would rise up from the steep ocean cliffs and over the winding highway.
It is hard to believe that the state is almost bankrupt, the fertile fields, the fruit basket of the nation, upscale retail and an ocean full of delectable seafood. The TV ads for governor seemed to be playing the blame game of who was the most conservative and who would correct all of the state’s fiscal challenges. How can such a fertile state of minds, universities and diversity have such challenges?
Voters are angry in California like they are in Colorado and Arizona. There are two sides to every argument, but it appears that far too much money has been spent on services that many taxpayers demand, but don’t want to pay for. It would appear that government is going to have to do with less, and maybe citizens should not demand so much from government agencies.
Tourism is good business; we purchased some food, gasoline, hotel rooms and paid healthy sales taxes on every purchase. Colorado is a prime tourist state and we need to examine what we can do to welcome more people to our state.
This is a job for our Chamber of Commerce organizations and local governments who should be working hand- in-hand with these business organizations to increase visitors to all areas of our state.
How do we create more jobs here in Colorado? I think increasing tourism is a good place to start.
